componants start to act up at around -25c any colder than -30c its to hard on the bike. however plan alittle trip to dawson city in march see how my bicycle holds up

I actively seek out terrible weather to ride in, but prefer nice warm weather.

I'll go out in any temp if I have somewhere to go, however riding for the sake of going for a bike ride.. I dont think Ive gone out over -30 (Usually a lot colder with the windchill of course). I dont have to worry about "components" not working, seeing that my bikes dont have gears or plastic crap and they come with the great coaster brake invention. I Keep my bikes outside year round too.. although they get some indoor time when I go to work since theres no where to keep em outside.. you should see the floor where I keep it.. covered in rust/salt/dirt stains from the melting process!

I commute all winter in temperatures down to about 10 degrees F (-12 C) and I've never experienced any brake problems (brakes aren't your friend when it's icy anyway) but I've had the freewheel pawl freeze a few times. When it's REAL cold, I spray silicon oil on the chain and in the freewheel every morning. Be aware, though, that very light oils will break down whatever grease is already in there, so be sure to re-lube with the real stuff when it gets warmer or you'll end up seizing your freewheel pawls sixty miles into a century ride.

Please don't ask me how I know that.

I don't _like_ to ride when the temp drops under 20F/-6F, but I will ride if I must to about -5F/-20C.

Close. I've done -32C myself. The hardest part was not to overdress.

I find that overdressing is a problem. It's tough to get rid of those chills in -30C

This last winter I've been commuting in temps as low as -5c. After 10 mins my body is nice and warm but i' have experienced mechanical problems with my front shifter when the temp is that low. The mech spring will often refuse to drop the front gear down from the top sprocket. Lubing does not help.

Apart from that though i'm one of those who dosen't mind cycling in the cold. As someone else stated above, in temps below zero you're at least guaranteed a dry ride which is something special in Scotland!

Winter riding rocks! I have ridden my bike down to -45F without much trouble. (Although, changing flats at those temperatures does suck) A little winterization goes a long way. Especially the freewheel likes some low temp grease - since I replaced the existing grease I haven't had any problems whatsoever.
anyway, for anybody who is interested, check out this site: http://allweathersports.com/winter/winter.html

Oh... my... God...

I thought +4 celcius was getting pretty bloody cold! I guess Melbourne winters aren't really that bad.

Oh... my... God...

I thought +4 celcius was getting pretty bloody cold! I guess Melbourne winters aren't really that bad.


+4 Celcius is the overnight low during the SUMMER here in Canada ..... that's not winter weather!!

I don't _like_ to ride when the temp drops under 20F/-6F, but I will ride if I must to about -5F/-20C.

Spot on for when I was commuting in Denver.

On a cold winter morning, I would nmormally wait until the temp gets up to about 15C before venturing out on the bike. Sometimes it doesn't even get that high, so no riding for me :)

I've been out for 7 hours in -10F with about -20+ wind chill and falling snow once. I was fine and loved the entire trip. It was about a 50 mile round trip but I was also taking photographs along the way. We don't get below -10 here. Wind chill isn't a concern. I went out once at night during a complete blizzard and had to turn back after about 12 miles cause I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I was dissapointed in myself but it just wasn't safe. Goggles are my first purchase come October.

I have yet to find a temperature that I have not been able to ride in. My record was -15F with a wind chill of about -40F.

Bring it on.

-10F here (without wind chill), but I don't like to think about that this time of year.

Coldest i would ride in would be around:

+25 F (-4 C)

I think twice somewhere around -20*f (actual). Seems to me the lower the temp the greater the odds for a mechanical problem combined with lower odds of you being able to fix it. At that temp the consequences for being stranded--even for 10-15 minutes waiting for a ride--get to be a bit steep.

I rode (Commute) Nearly every day last winter in Minneapolis, MN. It was a pretty mild winter by Minnesota standards but it did get down close to -40 without windchill on a few days. The chances of mechanical failure rise exponentially after -20 in my experience. Of course when I make my temp statements wind chill is never in effect. Wind chill doesn't really make anything colder (It just makes it harder for you stay warm) :rolleyes:

-20 Mechanical problems,

Cheap KMC chain broke twice.
Brakes (sidepull) get very stiff and difficult to use
Shifting is sluggish.

Snow Problems,

Accumulation under fenders pinching the wheels.
Accumulation on brake pads reduces effectiveness
Frozen chunks of ice/Snow in every sprocket you can imagine.

Physical Problems,

I got lost on a -20 or so day and spent 4 hours outside biking. I thought I was fine but when I got home and stepped off the bike I realized I couldn't feel my right foot at all. Just some minor frostbite, I lost a little skin, and it hurt... but not really a major injury.

I think twice somewhere around -20*f (actual). Seems to me the lower the temp the greater the odds for a mechanical problem combined with lower odds of you being able to fix it. At that temp the consequences for being stranded--even for 10-15 minutes waiting for a ride--get to be a bit steep.


Any time I've ridden when the temperature is below -30C, I make sure I'm within walking distance of shelter. I know how long I can walk in those temperatures, dressed like I would be in a winter cycling situation, (I've had a life-time's experience with that) so I know how far away from shelter I can go.

For example, my coldest ride was about -40C/F. That was a 6.5 km commute. At no point on the ride would I be further than 3.25 kms from either my home or my place of employment. Still, at -40C/F, 3.25 kms is a fairly long way to walk (a little over half an hour). Fortunately, however, at the halfway point there was a Robin's Donuts which was open, so that meant that I would have no further than 1.625 kms to walk ... just a bit over 15 minutes. That's doable in those temps as long as you do keep moving. But even better .... halfway between home and the Robin's Donuts and halfway between the Robin's Donuts and work were Mac's Convenience stores. So I knew that if something went wrong, I would be out there for no more than about 10 minutes tops, and I'd be moving the whole time.

One December I did a century entirely made up of short loops within the city. I was never more than about a kilometer away from either home or some sort of shelter (convenience store, donut shop, etc.).

When I did my coldest century in February 2003 (-31C to start with a high of -22C), I did loops out to a small town just out of the city and back. For that one, the most I was away from shelter was about 3-4 kms. I was dressed quite warmly for that ride so I knew I could walk a ways and be OK. But as night set in, I shortened my loops down to about 3 kms in total, right in the city, so that I was always very close to home.

If anyone is thinking about riding in sub-freezing temps, especially temps that are bitterly cold, I would strongly recommend taking precautions like these to make sure you can get to a sheltered location quickly.

Coldnessed i have ever ridden in was -3C for about 45min! Now that is COLD here thats for sure! I prefer riding when its 10C - 20C, never been good riding in cold, dont really 'enjoy' it.

I've never found too cold to ride.

Coldest I've ridden was about 20 F. We had a fairly mild winter so I don't yet know how cold is too cold. I'll just have to ride through another winter to find out.

I don't even get out of bed if it's below 0F outside.

I rode at a temperature of -40*C ... it'S pretty cold but with an adequate clothing your alright ( including snowboard googles)