Winter Cycling - What kind of temperatures do you guys encounter?

Where I live, it is typically never less than 25, and under 30 is rare, but I have read around a little and get the impression some of you are much more hardcore, ride on feet of snow, and cycle win well below 0F. What coping mechanisms do you use? How many clothes do you guys that cycle in under 0F wear. Is it true that supercooled bikes become so brittle that bits fall off?

I have commuted in -40C/F, but this ride was in -32C/-25F ... I talk about my coping mechanisms, what I wear, etc.

http://www.machka.net/brevet/Coldest_Century.htm

I've heard that plastic parts can become that brittle, but I've never had any bits of my bicycle fall off.

Man alive, that's jolly cold. -25 is incredible. I'm suprprised you still sweated enough to have to change your third layer all the time. I hope that sweat didn't freeze. If you had to change your top jersey every few minutes, wouldn't two have been sufficient?

Here in Cincinnati, the temps stay around 30 F for winter average, we get blast down to teens and an odd day below zero. I ride mostly at night on my commute so it's normally around 20-25 F. It gets easier and much more comfortable as the season continues; after a couple of days at low temps, 30 F feels nice...

We've hit -14 with windchill of -35 so far this winter in Minneapolis, and it's only gonna get colder. Honestly though, once you hit 0, anything below feels pretty much like the same ol' thing. Thankfully those kinds of temperatures don't last, either, and are more a once every other week sort of thing.

-35 is cold. I find with a waterproof jacket, that's also windproof. Do you still account for windchill even if your top layers are waterproof. A 21 degree difference is quite a lot and surely layering too much underneath could result in excess sweating/ hypothermia if you have to stop?

typically its single digits to teens in the morning in the winter here.

last monday it was 18 below.

that was rough.

Right now it is -8F with a wind chill warning of -25 to -35F.

I will wait until noon or so before I head out shopping. I want it to warm up a bit. ;)

Where do you guys all live where you have it so cold? I feel bad moaning about English weather and having to wear long trousers.

I went out last night, about -25C with the wind chill. It was fine. Windproof is the key for me. My only problem lastnight was my head was too warm and was sweating.

wisconsin is damn cold. i think theres something wrong with me when it gets up to 20'f and i think its warm out

-3 c was the worst ... like ever

It does not get that cold here.

wisconsin is damn cold. i think theres something wrong with me when it gets up to 20'f and i think its warm out

Yup. I live in west central Wisconsin and we have had a bit of cooler weather this week. I understand we are looking at a snow storm again tomorrow.



Sheboygan? I grew up in De Pere.

Yup. I live in west central Wisconsin and we have had a bit of cooler weather this week. I understand we are looking at a snow storm again tomorrow.



Sheboygan? I grew up in De Pere.

actually im 15 miles west of sheboygan. de pere isnt too far away bout an hour. i wonder when this snow madness will end. or atleast just the frickin wind! snow removal is pointless when every thing drifts over in an hour and my yard looks like it has white sand dunes on it. its like -4 now before windchill.

With the wind it was a -20C ride into the wind this morning, arrived somewhat sweaty. It's always a tradeoff but at that temp, windproof is the boss. I am riding in the city with plenty of options in case of breakdown. If I were all alone out in the middle of nowhere, I'd be somewhat differently geared.

Ha Ha Ha im glad I wasnt there The longer thay build bicycles the crazyier the rider's get[under statement of the year?/Kenkayak

I had my first 0 degree ride (not including wind chill) this morning and my kona jake the snake was creaking like an old tall ship in the movies. I haven't had time to properly go over my bike to see what the issue may be but it seemed to be coming from the crankset/pedals/bottom bracket area. Do any of you experience something similar in the somewhat extreme cold or should I be expecting a more general issue?

Oh yea, things creak that don't creak in the summer. On the bike too.. :lol:. Give it a good going over and it should be fine. Some stuff does contract in the extreme cold. I had an older worn front der shifter that wouldn't engage once it got to -15 and the guts contracted. I also shattered wireless computer fork mount while bombing/snowbanks last year in a fit of whimsy/fun. Remove such things before heading out for snow fun rides.

Here in the Louisville area we had single-digits this morning. It was 6 degrees (F) when I left this morning. This is not normal for the area, but happens sometimes.

I was somewhat prepared, but I'm not sure I want to repeat the experience. Despite working to find stuff to keep my feet warmer, they were still painfully cold.

Another oddity: My cell phone battery (freshly charged) went dead in the cold. It perked up later once it warmed up. Luckily, my DiNotte lights worked just fine.

Another oddity: My cell phone battery (freshly charged) went dead in the cold. It perked up later once it warmed up. Luckily, my DiNotte lights worked just fine.

You must be new to the cold ... batteries die when they are cold. Cameras don't work, lights don't work, cell phones don't work ...

You have to carry anything with batteries in an inner pocket, next to your body, to keep them warm.

My front light didn't work two weeks ago in 28 degrees. Thankfully, there were no police and the area was well lit, so I could see. The red light still worked, so I could thankfully be seen. I looked at the light next morning and it was working again in the 37 degree weather. The light has worked perfectly in 31 degrees, so it seems there is a cutoff around 30. Maybe something or other freezes, and at 31 it hadn't quite had enough time to freeze. I also forgot my hat that 28 degree evening, which meant my ears hurt a lot by the time I got home.
I have been follwing Northern USA/ Canada weather and it has looked unseasonably cold.

if anyone cares, ive found that the cygolite dualcross holds up pretty well in the extreme cold. my commutes around and hour and i've been able to get two days on one charge when its really cold, usually get 4 or 5 hours.

Here in Buffalo the Winters are milder than one would expect considering the reputation we have. Thanks to the Lake Erie (primarily and occasionally minor influance from Lake Ontario) the temperature extreams are limmited till the lake(s) freeze over. During the Summer we have a hard time getting over 90F and during most of the winter the morning temps tend to be mostly between 15F and 32F. The only time things get REALY cold is when we get the air coming straight from the North (AKA from Northern Canada). That is when the temps can over in the single digits for a few days. I will admit... that is COLD. I call is crispy cold. At those temps the snow under foot just sounds different. You also can tell because you practically feel the moisture in your nostrils start to freeze if you breath in through you nose.

15F to 32F is no big deal. I wear a T-shirt and my Foxwear Evap coat. On my legs I wear Foxwear Power Shield pants. For shoes I wear my summer walking shoes. My riding shoes are almost all mesh... that works great at preventing hot sweaty feet in the Summer, but they are completely incapable of holding in any heat. I put on pedals with clips in the Fall. For days that I know the temps are going to stay in the low Teens or colder I'll wear my winter boots. They don't make the best riding shoes, but for 5 miles each way they will work just fine.

Hands - An old pair of Kombi Gortex Ski gloves work pretty well. The biggest problem I have with the gloves is that they don't let anywhere near enough sweat out and they get damp after longer rides. I am going to look into getting some pogies in the next few weeks and see how that works out.

I just wear a beenie cap hat most of the time. That work fine except my face starts to get pretty cold at 15F or lower. I just got a balaclava (I have to wait till tomorrow to officially unwrap it. That will provide my cheeks with more protection. For realy cold weather (low single digits) I will wear a PSolar face mask. It does add a little more resistance to breathing, but pre-heating the air you breath at those temps is VERY nice. Your lungs are much happier. I do have to "suck" the air a bit to get a full breath, but compared the the lung burning effects of 2F air, that is worth the effort.

I normally just wear my Tifosi glasses (clear lenses most of the Winter as the light is either low or completely gone when I ride). These don't fog up during riding except if I have a long stop at a traffic light. For realy cold days I will use my Ski goggles to ensure that I have every square inch of ski covered. At those temps + my riding speed the wind chill gets to be pretty crazy and it would take very little to get frost bite on any exposed skin.

The bike itself doesn't seem to mind much. It helps that my garage keeps the temps around freezing, and then at work I defrost the bike completely. That helps as I usually get most of the wet road conditions during the morning commute (thanks to lake effect snow).

Happy riding,
André

I have been follwing Northern USA/ Canada weather and it has looked unseasonably cold.

Yes, unfortunately, it is.

Honestly though, once you hit 0, anything below feels pretty much like the same ol' thing.

I can't agree with this. I can tell the difference between 0F and -15F. I can commute my 5 miles to work wthout completely covering my face down to -5F. Once it gets any colder or any significant wind chill I need goggles for the area my perscription glasses don't seal to. I give up trying at any windchill below -25F. So far this year we are averaging 10F colder than a normal December. I can't wait for January.

My front light didn't work two weeks ago in 28 degrees. Thankfully, there were no police and the area was well lit, so I could see. The red light still worked, so I could thankfully be seen. I looked at the light next morning and it was working again in the 37 degree weather. The light has worked perfectly in 31 degrees, so it seems there is a cutoff around 30. Maybe something or other freezes, and at 31 it hadn't quite had enough time to freeze. I also forgot my hat that 28 degree evening, which meant my ears hurt a lot by the time I got home.
I have been follwing Northern USA/ Canada weather and it has looked unseasonably cold.

Do you leave your bike outside? If so, take your lights off and bring them inside with you. If not, sounds like it's just time to replace your batteries.

My lights have regular ole alkalines in them and work fine for my five mile commute in even below zero temeratures.

My front light didn't work two weeks ago in 28 degrees. Thankfully, there were no police and the area was well lit, so I could see. The red light still worked, so I could thankfully be seen. I looked at the light next morning and it was working again in the 37 degree weather. The light has worked perfectly in 31 degrees, so it seems there is a cutoff around 30. Maybe something or other freezes, and at 31 it hadn't quite had enough time to freeze. I also forgot my hat that 28 degree evening, which meant my ears hurt a lot by the time I got home.
I have been follwing Northern USA/ Canada weather and it has looked unseasonably cold.

Although my phone died in the cold, my AAA powered PB SFs continued to work, as did my LI-ION powered DiNotte lights. I'm not sure why the difference.

I've reconsidered not riding in single digits. I will do it, but I want actual boots and better headgear first. :)

I'm surprised at how comfortable I am in temperatures well below 0 F. With a couple good layers on the legs, three layers on the torso, 2 balaclavas, some nice warm mittens, a couple pairs of warm socks, and boots, I'm actually very comfortable riding down the road at -30 F.

I have cycled in -15C temperature with the windchill, yet, I still managed to stay really warm. The 4 layers and the ski mask help a lot.

I'm surprised at how comfortable I am in temperatures well below 0 F. With a couple good layers on the legs, three layers on the torso, 2 balaclavas, some nice warm mittens, a couple pairs of warm socks, and boots, I'm actually very comfortable riding down the road at -30 F.


Shhhhh.....Let them continue to think we are superhuman or something. LOL

My coldest ride so far this year has been -36 degrees Celsius not counting windchill. Just for reference, you Americans, -40C=-40F. Riding in temperatures like this certainly has its challanges, ski goggles, an insulated snowboard helmet plus mask (or two) make things much more tolerable.
I've also switched to a fixed gear drive train this year. There is nothing worse than solidified grease in a non-engaging freehub. Low temp or liquid grease in the hubs also makes things roll a little smoother in the cold.

I've actually had some really enjoyable sub-30 commutes. The snow is dense and fast rolling as smooth pavement and there's little traffic because nobody's cars will start!

It was so cold here last night I had to wear socks to get out to the Hot Tub.

It gets pretty cold where I live, often -30C/-22F and occasionally -40. Its not real humid so adding a layer or two allows me to stay warm. As others have pointed out, the trick is blocking the wind. If you can manage to cover up every little crack and crevice and still breath and see, then you're golden.:)

My coldest ride ever was done at - 46C.

For the non metric folks that's -51F

So after riding 10 miles in this (my commute) I went to work and spent a good part of the day outside and then rode home 10 miles in pretty much the same and perhaps even colder temps... some reports said it got as low as -54C in some places.

-54C is -65F

Our typical winter weather is not nearly that severe and I usually set up my gear so I can handle anything down to -40C which is where the C and F scales meet.

We have been seeing a lot of -30 C weather of late and the high wind chills have been bringing the temps pretty close to -40C.

I still think some of you guys are superhuman, with 3 layers on the torso at -30 degrees. As for riding on top of snow how do you do that? The minute I hit black ice, I'm off. People panic if we get significant snow where I live. We probably get 2-3 snows per year. Some years, it hasn't snowed at all.
By unseasonably cold: What temps have you had? How does that compare with the norm for your town? People complain about the cold if it i)gets below 30F at night, ii) doesn't get above 40 during the day. That said, summers here are prone to crapiness. The average August high was in the 60's this year, and there was rain or showers over half of days. Half the dry days were overcast. The normal July/ August high is 72. I seem to get very little variation. People panic when it gets over 80.

You guys out west have been getting the frozens alot this year, here in Toronto, we're digging out .... again. 1C this morning and rain forcast it's gonna be sloppy.

By unseasonably cold: What temps have you had? How does that compare with the norm for your town? People complain about the cold if it i)gets below 30F at night, ii) doesn't get above 40 during the day. That said, summers here are prone to crapiness. The average August high was in the 60's this year, and there was rain or showers over half of days. Half the dry days were overcast. The normal July/ August high is 72. I seem to get very little variation. People panic when it gets over 80.

Normals here at this time of year are:
Max: -5°C
Min: -16°C


Since December 13th, these are the maxes and mins (in Celcius, of course)
-13.1 ... -29.9
-26.1 ... -34.3
-15.7 ... -30.4
-9.0 .... -17.7
-9.8 .... -23.6
-19.9 ... -27.5
-23.5 ... -31.1
-25.1 ... -35.0
-21.3 ... -35.2
-20.2 ... -23.2
-18.2 ... -27.3

And it's been windy too, so the windchill factor has been down in the -35 to -45 range.

As for riding on top of snow how do you do that? The minute I hit black ice, I'm off. People panic if we get significant snow where I live. We probably get 2-3 snows per year. Some years, it hasn't snowed at all.

Snow (and even ice) gets less slippery when it gets colder. It's really worst, by far, when it's just above freezing. Also, if you live somewhere where there's snow cover on the ground for several months every year, people are pretty much used to it.

Just back from a couple of hour ride.

It was hovering just around freezing ... and I felt like I'd been teleported to Maui :)

We're up at a mile high, so ... whether or not the sun is out makes alllll the difference in the world.

A couple hours at 0F or below is pretty darned pleasant, when it's sunny and calm.

OTOH, 35-40F can get downright miserable when it's totally overcast and the wind is whipping off the Front Range of the Rockies.

Never a dull moment....

Just to rub it in, I'll do the comparison given above. Normals for the time of year: High-48, Low-38
13th: High44, Low32, heavy rain
14th: High41, Low36, sunny intervals
15th: High43, Low34, overcast
16th: High-6, Low41, overcast
17th: High44, Low43, sunny
18th: High50, Low41, sunny intervals
19th: High50, Low50, sunny
20th: High52, Low50, sunny intervals
21st: High52, Low48, overcast
22nd: High50, Low48, overcast
23rd: High48, Low43, overcast
24th: High46, Low39, overcast
today: High43, Low37, sunny intervals
It has often been overcast at night and sunny during the day, hence the fairly small variation in temps. The sun does little to warm the air at this time of year this far North, and the cloud stops the temps dropping at night. To rub it in further, I have been able to ride on some days in shorts and a t shirt, and still have sweat patches.

So I take it those aren't minuses in front of your temperatures. The "-" in front of mine indicates below freezing. :D

The coldest, that I have seen it around here is 0, with some dipping due to wind chill. On Monday, I rode in 1 degree temperatures. It was cold and I need to upgrade my gloves, because the current ones do not keep my hands warm at that temperature.

I have commuted in -40C/F, but this ride was in -32C/-25F ... I talk about my coping mechanisms, what I wear, etc.

http://www.machka.net/brevet/Coldest_Century.htm

I've heard that plastic parts can become that brittle, but I've never had any bits of my bicycle fall off.

When I was out in -40C last year the plastic clamp for my planet bike blinky light cracked. Not the part that wraps around the handle bars but the platform that the light slides onto. I ended up just taping it on with electricians tape to get home that night.
I've got to say, to me, -25C is fine, but -40C sucks...

Wow, extremes.

Last Monday I rode to work in 6F temperatures. Today, I took a midnight ride and it was 60F. I was only wearing one layer. It was a beautiful night.

60F is impressive for a midnight ride in the Winter. Where, I live the average low is 56 in summer, so it's probably around that at midnight in summer. You do seem to have some extreme temperature fluctuations. It's down on temperature slightly from last time. We're settling into a rhythm of highs of around 40 and lows of about 30 for the next few days. That said, we have clear blue skies. November and December were have both been rather gloomy. We need some frost to kill off the viruses, as some horrible stuff has been spreading like wild fire because of the mild, humid conditions, making a nightmare for the NHS.

rode in -47 yesterday here in inland ALASKA... and its going to get colder :( im from FL and im not use to this thin air and cold so im getting my butt kicked!

I'm surprised the dreaded freehub freeze hasn't been mentioned yet. The cutoff for that on my Jake is -25c. I have to switch to my old rocky mountain after that since for whatever reason, it never freezes.

I also second that there's a huge difference between "just below freezing" and "well below freezing". Just below freezing, all I need is a toque, well below freezing means no exposed skin anywhere.

I also second that there's a huge difference between "just below freezing" and "well below freezing". Just below freezing, all I need is a toque, well below freezing means no exposed skin anywhere.

For me this is where the Fahrenheit scale becomes moderately useful. Below zero is when I know I need goggles.

The coldest I've ridden in is about -20 *F. There's nothing really magical about that temp, it's just that it hasn't gotten colder than that on the days I've ridden.

My biggest problem with really cold temps is my goggles icing up.