Broke My Rule, Biked Under 20F

[Portis]

When I decided to continue riding through the Winter this year I made this rule that I would not go out if it was under 20 degrees F. I am not sure why I made the rule, it just seemed reasonable. I figured that since our average high is usually over that, all winter long, I would be able to make it.

Well, along comes this huge blast of cold air. It has been here for awhile and highs have been in the low teens all week. So today, I am fed up. I had to get back on the bike. I headed to Target and buy a pair of WindProof fleece pants that are 50% off and add them to my normal attire.

I wore:

Head.
Balaclava
Earband

Torso

Cycling Jersey
Fleece longsleeve shirt.
Goretex cycling jacket

Hands

Cotton brown jersey gloves. (yep cotton)
Polyester Mittens that fold back to leave fingers exposed for dexterity.

Legs

Winter Cycling Tights (AMP2)
Target Windproof fleece pants.

Feet

Wicking socks
Wool socks
Thinsulate Hiking Boots

Well, I dressed a little to warm on the torso, but man those Target pants are the Shiznit. My legs never felt too warm or cold. My only real problem during the ride was that my eyeglasses had to go in my pocket. (I can see decent without them :D ) Then my eyelashes wanted to stick together.

The snow/ice was so hard that it was awesome. There was like no rolling resistance except where i sank in the snow.

Conclusion: I'll try this again. I didn't freeze to death!

[pinerider]

My limit is -15 C or 5 F. I need to buy warmer stuff to stay comfortable when it's colder than that. My fingers and toes get too cold below that temp, especially when there'w a wind with it.
I wear safety glasses to keep the cold off my eyes, they work really well, no watering eyes at all!

[keith martin]

I have that rule too .
But some rules are made to be broken. Keith .

[bg4533]

How long of a ride was this for?

I ride below 20f almost every day it seems now. It really isnt too bad once you get used to it. I have ridden down to 0f with a -15 wind chill. Granted these rides are usually 2-3 miles and always under 6.

[Portis]

How long of a ride was this for?

I ride below 20f almost every day it seems now. It really isnt too bad once you get used to it. I have ridden down to 0f with a -15 wind chill. Granted these rides are usually 2-3 miles and always under 6.


My ride is around 12.5 miles, which usually takes around an hour with those temps. Now that I have learned to deal with the cold, along comes the snow. We had 8 " on Sunday and more to come tomorrow. I haven't been on the bike since Saturday.

I have ridden in the snow but largely find it not very rewarding. I expect if I had studded tires it could be better but I have exceeded my budget for bike gear for now. So I guess I will let a little air out of the tires and go flail about this afternoon.

One problem with snow is that it changes the whole ride experience. NO longer do you measure your ride in terms of miles. One mile in deep snow can give more of a workout than 12 miles of no snow. It is a lot more like sprinting instead of jogging.

Also there is an issue of where to ride. The paved roads have been somewhat cleared but they have snow on the shoulders which seems a bit dangerous. (narrow roadway) Off road trails have as much as 10" of snow on them and that is a little cumbersome.

[Juha]

(an impressive list of clothing deleted)

Conclusion: I'll try this again. I didn't freeze to death!

:beer:

Congratulations on the correct conclusion.

Holy cow, your gear list seems adequate to much colder temperatures. I mean, with the balaclava and earband didn't your head boil? Did you have a helmet on?

--J

[Portis]

:beer:

Congratulations on the correct conclusion.

Holy cow, your gear list seems adequate to much colder temperatures. I mean, with the balaclava and earband didn't your head boil? Did you have a helmet on?

--J

Nope. My balaclava is made of some sort of PolyPro material. It is very light, the ear band just keeps the ears warm. And yes I also wore a helmet.

[landrover]

trugding through the snow, in a one hor...uh...winter rides are tougher but that's the upside for me
I exert more---i want to build stamina and consistency as i wait for spring.
My limit was 20 degrees but i rode in 16 degrees this year...as long as the wind is in the single digits, i can hang.