Fifty Plus (50+) - Why is it so hard to pedal when cold

HI,
I road this am my first <45 deg ride and I was surprised how hard it was to pedal, my right foor is still cold, and it felt like the bearing greese had ben repleaced by peanut butter , it was that thick.:twitchy:
He I know I am a wimp but what a difference a few degree's make, and what size shoe cover woudl fit your average 11 1/2 shoe I am looking at neoprene XL,or XXL .At the Ebribe
PS my wool socks are on order.
Doug

Colder weather does make us slower:)

http://www.icebike.org/Articles/SlowerWinter.htm

Grease is more viscous.
You're wearing more clothes so you don't move as freely.
Your muscles have less blood flowing to them.
The air is denser.

Or is it just our imagination?

Grease is more viscous.
You're wearing more clothes so you don't move as freely.
Your muscles have less blood flowing to them.
The air is denser.

Or is it just our imagination?

While all 4 of the above are true, only #3 (cold muscles) is a significant factor IME. I'm also a XC skier, and there's a similar correlation there with temperature and ease of movement. Muscles don't work as well when cold, and joints are "stiffer" as well. Once my body temp rises, I go faster, regardless of the "vehicle" or outside conditions.

I'm interested in others' feedback on this - whaddya say? Why are we slower when it's cold?

SP

All you can think about is that warm bed you recently left -instead of the 20% hill that is coming up shortly.

The thought of a 20% early in a ride would break me out in a sweat immediately.

It takes time for the muscles and body to "Warm Up" in the middle of summer and until you get the blood flowing and everything loosened up- the body will not work efficiently. Couple that with the extra clothing and you have your reason. In the summer I would give it 5 miles before I was ready to push it- but winter and it can take a lot longer.

Hmmm I have never had that problem. I have ridden at temperatures down to 15 degrees F. Any colder and I switch to cross country skiing.

It is a bit harder but I think that is from the layers of clothing: shorts, and 2 or 3 pairs of tights. The clothing does hinder pedalling a tad.

Now I live in central Florida. We had one cold stretch though that froze my water bottles.

I do have to warn you that cold weather does not seem to affect me much. I have cross country skiid for 5 hours at -20 degrees F.

It is hard to pedal in the cold because I have turned into a weather wimp.

It is hard to pedal in the cold because I have turned into a weather wimp.

I have to disagree here. It's hard to pedal in the cold because we weren't meant to be in the cold. We were meant to live in the warm sunny days of late spring, summer, and early fall forever!

For me it's much easier to pile on layers than fill up a third water bottle.

Two reasons not listed by the article by the Ice Bikers are: 1) I ride less in the winter, therefore I'm not in the same shape as I would be in the summer, and 2) my winter bike is slower by design than my summer bikes. (Hybrid instead of a lowracer)

HI,
I agree with that web page all of the above are cause an effect, I just didn't notice till it was below 45.
Jeeze can't wait for 20..:rolleyes:
Doug

Have ridden the past few early mornings;
25 F on Sunday, 20 Monday and a whopping warm 40 this morning.
IMHO- slightly slower when the temp drops below 40;
the air is more dense, combined with bulkier clothing. For example on my commute there is a gentle downhill about 1/2 km long, which is sort of a rest spot so I usually coast down it. In warm weather I usually hit 32-33 kph, monday morning topped out at 28 kph. Same applies to any other location where you might usually coast, you go slower in cold weather.

I'd like to add stronger headwinds and the depressing onset of darkness and tunnel vision caused by bike lighting. The extra effort and time to put on and take off the extra gear (and find someplace to store it when arriving at work if you commute) is also tedious. That said, I intend to continue riding.

Unless you are a good XC skier racer, the average speeds are much slower than cycling. At 20 mph and in cool/cold temperatures it is hard to keep your legs warm, and I think it affects the chemistry of power production in your leg muscles....just my personal theory to explain why I get "winter legs"

From 80 deg. F to 40 deg. F, air density increases by about 8%. Drag is directly proportional to air density, so drag would also increase. As I understand it, the effort required to maintain a speed at 40 deg. F should be at least 8% more than it would be to maintain that same speed at at 80 deg. F. When you couple that with being bound up with clothing appropriate for the temperature, you're going to be slower. As another poster mentioned, even coasting will be slower.

Herre you go. Throw a kerosene heater in and you will be as snug (and warm) as a bug in a rug.

http://www.metaefficient.com/aerorider_electric_recumbent_bike.jpg

I ride slower in the winter because I become a grumpy old man untill spring...........

because its cold

Add to the above statements:
Your body nees more energy to keep warnm and therefore robs some of your pedaling energy.

The layers make it hard to stretch out and pedal efficiently IMO.

I shorten my reach and raise my bars in the Winter to make it a bit easier.

When it's really cold, then it's just degradation in performance.

because its cold

ding ding...
We have a winner :lol:

Two reasons not listed by the article by the Ice Bikers are: 1) I ride less in the winter, therefore I'm not in the same shape as I would be in the summer, and 2) my winter bike is slower by design than my summer bikes. (Hybrid instead of a lowracer)

Your number one applies to me:( I don't mind the cold weather as much as I dislike the additional time it takes to get ready for a winter ride. And just like a kid I need to go to the bathroom just as soon as I put on that last article of clothing:o

I ride the same bike during winter but I imagine the cold weather does slow it down slightly. Now that I have the touring bike I may use it for winter riding instead of the road bike. It shouldn't make much difference since I don't ride when there is ice or snow on the ground. We don't get a lot of that in SW Ohio so it isn't a big problem.

Colder weather does make us slower:)
True. Sometimes it makes me so slow I can't even make it out the door. :o

And why is 40 degrees in the fall so much colder than 40 in the spring?!?!

For me, I find everything tougher when it's cold. That's a big part of why I moved to the Middle East!

I remember when I was new here, first job in this part of the world in 1980, getting into a car that had been parked in the sunshine all day in about 45 degrees C - what's that, 115 or so F - and thinking "Whoo YEA, I like this!"

That was soon after leaving a little cottage in the north of England where if I didn't finish my last evening cup of tea it would be frozen solid in the cup in the morning!

The studded snow tires tend to slow me down quite a bit. Also there is the
wind chill factor, the faster I go...the colder I feel. :eek:

+1. The faster I go, the colder I feel.

I agree, a cyclist generates wind chill even on a perfectly calm day. The wind generated by riding is great on warm or hot days but below 65 degrees I think this has some sort of subconscious effect on me and I ride somewhat slower because I don't want to get chilled. At least that's the best excuse I can up with.