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I managed to ride half way home in -46 Celsius (-50F) this winter before my bike seized up on me :( I hit a slight incline and I just couldn't turn the pedals, even getting off I could hardly push the thing ! I was riding my junker communter bike which performs well until it drops below -40 providing you don't try to shift gears or ride hard! Not bad for a free bike - the only maintenance I do is to spray it with WD-40 everytime the chain takes on that nasty rusty color.
PS: I live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada - hence the cold weather - but it was sunny that day !!
Mech.
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Geez, my -10F ride might as well have been in Hawaii. :) There's another guy from Sakatchewan who I'm sure'll chime in here soon enough.
But yeah, lube begins to, freeze, I guess, once it gets cold enough.
This was my first winter of riding. The lowest I attempted was 8F, with -2F wind chill.
Saskatchewan guy Chiming in... or were you referring to Saskcyclist vtjim?
Mechoption,
Nice to see another Saskatonian here!
Winter '04/'05 was my first attempt at bike commuting through winter. My coldest ride was January 14... -39c, -52c windchill. I was actually dissapointed it didn't quite get down to -40c for my ride... -40 just sounds more impressive :) This was one of the few times I resorted to "toe warmers". I also changed my route to take me past convenience stores & gas stations in case I needed to stop.
Definately a sense of accomplishment battling the elements, surviving the extreme weather...
I didn't have any trouble with freeze-up due to cold. Occasionally my rear derailer (sp?) froze up due to ice or frost buildup.
OK, I guess my -11F ride was toasty compared to you fellas. ;)
We have winter is So Cal. Seems it got down to mid 40's a couple times. WInd chill is a *****. Questioned whether thin liners for cold weather gloves was adequate?
Saskatchewan guy Chiming in... or were you referring to Saskcyclist vtjim?
Oh I'd forgotten there are two of you! Either way, you've all got me beat by orders of magnitude. :eek:
...whether thin liners for cold weather gloves was adequate?
My hands were just fine with lightweight gloves. I'm pretty hot-blooded though. I use the men's version of these:
http://www.orgear.com/home/style/orw_work/70215
Sheesh. The coldest it got here in Columbus last winter was 3F, but I did commute in it that day. I did a few sub-freezing centuries, but that's nothing compared to you guys. I'm impressed and inspired!
Definately a sense of accomplishment battling the elements, surviving the extreme weather...
Hey Sask-rider !
That's how I feel after riding in the winter :) That super cold day I was wearing the works, thermals, many layers, gortex, ski-gloves, full head 'condom' and some ski goggles! The ski-goggles are AWESOME for winter riding !!
I also screwed metal sheet screws through my junkers tires from the inside out, worked pretty well for a month or so and then I started to get punctures to often :( Next time I'm going to try lining the inside of the tire with 1-2 layers of old innertube and see how that goes!
PS: Was checking out your Ice Blog !!! Glad to see I'm not the only one willing to ride through the winter here !!!
Mech.
Agree with the ski goggles thing. I had sun glasses freeze to my nose one afternoon. Besides, ski goggles makes you look more hard-core!
I had a real chiller one morning. I believe it actually got below 50 degrees F for the first part of the ride - I almost froze to death. It's a good think I had a pair of tights!
I had a real chiller one morning. I believe it actually got below 50 degrees F for the first part of the ride - I almost froze to death. It's a good think I had a pair of tights!
YOU *******! :D
I think It reached 25 on my ride. Thats the lowest I go. It was nasty. I realized that I need a cycling jacket, a balaclava, and mucho better gloves!
My Cousin on the toher hand is a crazy mofo! It was like prob about I dont know 10+,- and he had like a long sleeve jersey, a jacket, two pairs of bibs, a balaclava, lobster gloves, homemade bootys (long socks, and plastic bags: layer) I was tlaking to him, I asked: so water? he says no last time I went they froze!
Then he went on to tell me that ti was so cold his region was completely numb and it killed when well they"came back" lets say ;)
-3 F this past winter, not my idea of fun,
It was 26 here yesterday(6/24/05), but that was F
It might have got down to about 60F once...ok, maybe just 63F. I was dreaming of snowshoeing thru waist-deep in 12,000ft powder just a year before.
you guy make me feel like a wuss. rode into a 20mph headwind with a temp of 19f. did ok but man it was cold.
Just in the middle of winter here, and the coldest so far was 1C about 32F.... I thought it was cold but was still in short knix.....
Wow, you guys in -40 (C and F are the same at that temp) are very impressive.
a
Wow, you guys in -40 (C and F are the same at that temp) are very impressive.
When you grow up with it, you adapt and it's no big deal. However, sometimes your automobile doesn't work right below -25. :)
iceland chiming in...
nevermind this winter, its july 4th and still in the low 40's!
It was 7 degrees, and snowing and I had a backpack with an Xbox, 2 Controlers, and a few games going about 20 downhill, and I was only able to see 8ft Infront of me. This was on my DK, which at the time, had GT Softcompound Race tires on it, I was sliding all over the place. This Winter Im prepared with, Maxxis Max Daddy Dirt tires.
Ill go out for a 45 minute trip here in NJ if its in the 20s with little or no wind.And my wife and neighbors think Im nuts. I can't believe the temps some of you guys are riding in.... I guess im just a wimp..
christmas day when my thighs were frostbitten. it was a toasty 10F without the wind or the cars or the sleet and freezing rain compared to my 230am ride home in 94% humidity. screw windchill, when it's cold and humid it's dern cold! i finally bought a pair of specialized gloves that were really nice. at one point over the winter (18 degrees and still riding around in a wife beater and shorts) i had to open my door with my mouth because i could not physically move my hands from the position of holding handlebars. my roomate and i started calling it the "claw phenomenon" and she left the door unlocked for me.
but i've gotta say, for this southerner there was nothing more rewarding than walking into work and ice sheeting from the front of my pants. the look on my managers face was priceless.
Well. . .here in Chicago riding dowtown it can be -20F with a wind speed of around 45+ MPH coming off the lake. Depending on which street you are riding down it can be a headwind or tailwind. I do know I tend to be eager to see the next cross alley to cut down which is out of the wind. Some days the gust will blow you over just walking!
Plus the wind is the worst since it is a "wet wind" since it is coming off the lake or river. :)
I do 3 paperoutes in Minnesota and the coldest I ever rode in was -31 below zero with a 10 mph wind! It was nasty..Thank god its 84 degrees right now :)
MAybe 10 degrees with some mild wind.:)
Next time I'm going to line the inside of the tire with 1-2 layers of old innertube and see how that goes!
Sorry to tell you but innertubes alone won't work. You actually need to install a skinnier tire with the beads cut out inside the studded tire (maybe old innertubes between the two tires won't hurt).Duct taping over the screw heads might be stronger than the innertubes. That's my setup for my winter bike and I've had no problems with them at all.
Ive ridden in 17deg temps to work one time. I rode my motorcycle in those temps too with heated gear. Im gettin older and limiting myself to 32F :D
Nothing too spectacular in winter 04/05, maybe -20C to -25C. At those temps even shifting works, although it's a bit sluggish. In very cold and/or snowy conditions my 7 gear rear mech becomes single speed in no time. Now if only I could freeze the rear hub as well, I would be riding a fixie! :D
--J
And I thought Northwest Iowa was bad at -12F. People here think I am totally insane riding in the winter. :)
Lowest wa 18F.
That's when I decided that I would not ride if it were below 20F in the the future.
I missed my ride one day to school, in Moose Jaw, and raced to school on my mtb in the -50 range. Got to school on time though but with a mild frostbite. Not a huge deal since I'm used to it from being a speedskater.
Sheesh. The coldest it got here in Columbus last winter was 3F, but I did commute in it that day. I did a few sub-freezing centuries, but that's nothing compared to you guys. I'm impressed and inspired!
I had one morning commute when it was -1F/0/+1F depending on which website I consulted.
Here in HotLanta the coldest I rode last winter was about 17°F. The only trouble I've had is keeping my hands warm enough for my ~1 hour commute. I got some lobster mitts this year and hope they do well.
How long/far to you people ride in sub zero temps?
It gets that cold in Atlanta? :) Doesn't southern molecular motion stop at 25?
My ride is about 30-40 minutes in the winter. -10F up to the 20Fs. I'm blessed with hot blood though so I never get cold.
I've biked through two Winnipeg winters now. The transit system here is quite terrible, so even when it was -50 C with wind chill, biking was the only way to get around. No complaints (if you dress appropriately), but one morning after leaving my bike outside over night (probably -40 C), my bike choose not to start up. I would turn the pedals all I wanted, but the tires wouldn't spin. I guess something in the freehub froze up. After about 5 minutes of spinning the pedals/wheels, it finally roared into action.
Also, about the DIY studded tires. All I did was throw an extra tube (cut down the middle and flattened along the tire) between the blown up tube and the tire. Sprinkle some baby powder between the two tubes to allow some sliding, and you're good to go. Haven't had any problems yet.
IR
Special benefit of riding in -40 C weather: no need to specify whether you're talking about the Fahrenheit or Celcius scales because that is the crossover temperature (i.e. -40 C = -40 F) ;)
Saskatchewan guy Chiming in... or were you referring to Saskcyclist vtjim?
Mechoption,
Nice to see another Saskatonian here!
Winter '04/'05 was my first attempt at bike commuting through winter. My coldest ride was January 14... -39c, -52c windchill. I was actually dissapointed it didn't quite get down to -40c for my ride... -40 just sounds more impressive :) This was one of the few times I resorted to "toe warmers". I also changed my route to take me past convenience stores & gas stations in case I needed to stop.
Definately a sense of accomplishment battling the elements, surviving the extreme weather...
I didn't have any trouble with freeze-up due to cold. Occasionally my rear derailer (sp?) froze up due to ice or frost buildup.
Thanks derailed.
But -40 C sounds much colder, doesn't it? :)
IR
10 degrees F...with snow on the ground which made it feel even colder. Don't get much of that around these parts. Made for nice ride scenery though. ;)
It's nice when it's really cold and the snow crunches under the tires. :)
-40 is impressive on any scale! I am humbled by your fortitude. In Northern Indiana we only get a few days below 0 F weather (and only a few degrees at that), and by the end of my 1 mile commute I feel like I couldn't go any further without a major rethink of my clothing.
Azesty: sorry for the redundant post regarding C=F @ -40; I didn't notice your prior post until just now.
-Derailed
07-02-05 09:46 PM
azesty Just in the middle of winter here, and the coldest so far was 1C about 32F.... I thought it was cold but was still in short knix.....
Wow, you guys in -40 (C and F are the same at that temp) are very impressive.
a
08-24-05 01:01 PM
IguanaRide Thanks derailed.
But -40 C sounds much colder, doesn't it?
IR
-27c, calgary, alberta.
there is nothing in the world like riding past 2 guys boosting each others vehicles trying to get them started. I just smile and wave.
-37 below/with a wind chill of -65 below riding into Lake Palcid, NY in feb 02. I'm glad it was a tail wind.
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