wphamilton

I was over-bundled for 5° and had to shower off when I got here. For me that's pretty cold - allegedly the coldest morning here in 18 years - so I was winging it.

What I didn't realize, other than more is not necessarily better, is how exhausting it is with that much clothes encumbering you. I felt like I'd finished a good workout, slow-motion that it was. On the bright side the plasti-dip experiment on my running shoes worked excellently. You cold-weather guys should try it. The cloroplast handlebar box also did the trick (I have no gloves for this weather), but it looks so goofy it's not staying on after this passes.

arsprod 

Yeah, and not because I wanted to. Lost power Sunday at 6p, as of 10a Tuesday still don't have it back. Coupled with -14F actual temps (-40F windchill) I haven't worked this week - holed up at a friend's house. The bright and bizarre - the MUP was cleared yesterday even though they can't treat the streets. Bureaucracy at its finest!

MEversbergII

8F this morning when I went out. It's nothing compared to some of your guy's negative temps, but the coldest I remember Maryland ever being.

M.

squegeeboo

-2F, -26F with windchill at the start. Layered good except for my toes, per usual. With the headwind/cold/bundling took me 75 minutes instead of 50-55 or so it usually takes.

Greg M

4F with a 30 mph headwind for 12 miles = no commute for me today. Yeah I wimped out
but I do have to be outside in this during the day. Tomorrow the forecast is for 8F with an
10 mph wind. We'll give that a shot.

PatrickGSR94

This morning was 7F but little wind so it said there was no windchill. Still didn't ride. I have to figure out something for eye wear and cold toes before I ride again at sub-freezing temperatures.

mjw16

Didn't ride today and am feeling kind of guilty about it. Actually, it's been 2 days. I made a 'go/no go" decision on Sunday morning when checking out the trail. It was still frozen/slushy in too many places for me to feel comfortable exposing myself to the cold for a slow ride in. I know I'll feel bad when I go to pay the attendant the $22 it takes to exit the parking garage at work. I tweaked my knee a couple of weeks ago and could use a couple of days off the bike-this just happens to be a great day to do that. I saw a cyclist out there on my way in this morning, that's when my pride took a big hit. I'm planning on getting back on the bike tomorrow.

thermalattorney

My commute is really short (2.5mi each way) so I braved the 6-9º temps wearing the same gear I'd ride in the low 20s. Oof, my hands were coooooold. On the upside, the pair of PI AmFib tights I ordered last week showed up at the office. Totally going to give them a rest run on the ride home.

mister

No ride today, but yesterday's was good. I was able to use some of the gifts I got for Christmas that finally arrived in the mail Saturday. My legs seemed really heavy and it took awhile to really get them going. I'm still trying to figure out a solution for my numb fingers and toes that will work that doesn't involve sandwich bags.

scoatw

Day two of sub zero temps. This morning it was -11°f. I had the new insulated jacket on, which worked great against these temps. I didn’t feel any wind or cold. I wore my usual cold weather gear to start out. Just in case. I brought extra gear with me. The snow pants and the NEOS overshoes. About a ½ hour into my commute, my face and my feet were getting cold. And my penis was getting uncomfortably cold. I almost stopped to put the snow pants on but I only had about another 5 or 6 minutes to go until I reached my little oasis in the night. Which is a gas station I stop at every morning to buy a newspaper. My usual cold weather pants are a pair of Sport Hill XC pants . In temps below 20°f I’ll have my work pants on underneath those and a pair of leg warmers for an extra layer on the outside. It works good down to about -5°f. And once again I had the Visorgogs on, which didn’t fog up on me again. That was good. Note to self: below 0°f, double up on the balaclava. That’s why I have four of them. 2 thin ones, and 2 that are a little thicker. Wickers brand from Sierra Trading Post. Cheap and comfortable.

dcb23

A definite improvement over yesterday. Almost no wind. 15F / -10C. I dug out some old foot warmers I found...stuck them in my gloves...palms got way too hot!

tarwheel 

Coldest commute in several years, and I tied my record coldest ride at 15 F. I wimped out yesterday because the temp was 9 F with -10 F windchill, and that was probably a wise decision as my hands and feet were borderline on the ride this morning. That was my main reason for not riding yesterday, because I wasn't convinced that my gloves and shoes were warm enough in temps below 10 F, particularly with the wind blowing like it was. The trouble with riding in extreme temperatures is that it can be uncomfortable to dangerous experimenting. Today I tried wearing my new PI Softshell Elite gloves with some thin liners underneath, but my hands were colder than if I had just warm my old standby PI Amfibs with no liners.

As I was leaving home this morning, I had the nagging feeling that I was forgetting something. Double-checked my gear, and everything seemed to be in order, so I headed on. When I got to work, I realized what I had forgot -- my eyeglasses. Fortunately, I leave my computer glasses at the office. I can get by OK during the day without my regular glasses, and my cycling glasses are prescription, so I'll be fine on ride home.

rumrunn6

interesting read. you are so right about not experimenting during extreme dangerous conditions. I'm interested in your gloves and why the liners weren't better. I guess the other glove option is better. funny how no matter how often one goes through a routine, still sometimes something can be overlooked. sometimes a pretty significant item. thanks for sharing

mconlonx

5 F today and where I'd normally drive on a day like today, situation demanded I had to bike to go pick up a van, about 10 mi. Coldest commute for me.

Upper body, four layers; lower body, three layers. Snowmobile gloves with liners and wind/waterproof motorcycle two-finger overmitts; insulated boots and thick wool socks. Balaclava + helmet. Pretty much just right. Maybe even one upper body layer too many--probably could have ditched the lined wool vest. And my toes were cold by the end, but nowhere near frozen. Not a bad commute at all, although I don't like having quite so much between my hands and the bars.

Greg M

Okay, 5f with 10-15 mph headwind this morning. Don't know what the wind chill was. Starting from the top
down thin helmet liner, wrap around ear muffs, neoprene skiers face mask, yellow lense wraparound safety
glasses, .wicking t, heavy long sleeve jersey, nashbar wind front softshell, snowboard mitts, cycling tights,
Novara wind front pants, heavy wool socks chemical toe warmers, shimano winter MTB boot.
Started out with a cold head and everything else cool. By 3 miles everything was comfortable, by the end of
12 miles I had worked up a.bit of.a sweat and my fingers were a little cold.
So later is forecast to be 20 and stay there for to morrows morning commute. Then slowly warm up each day
Well I now know I can do single digits, but I would change the face mask, leaning over and looking forward the
mask pulls in the nose and it traps a lot of moisture while restricting the breathing. Probably try a thin
balaclava next time it gets that cold.

timvan_78

wow, I'm getting cold just reading all that!

This morning's ride in was dark, 7degC/44degF with a fine mist falling. (turned to light rain about 30 mins into the ride)
So much for the "frozen Canadian" stereotype, eh?

tarwheel 

I think the liners didn't help because they made my gloves fit too tight. I also had not worn the new gloves (PI Elite Softshells) in temperatures colder than about 25 F before, so I wasn't sure if they would be warm enough. They were fine in the mid-20s, so I figured it was worth a test. My old PI AmFibs are incredibly warm but a size too large, so my fingers are kind of fumbly when I wear them. However, they have kept my hands warm in temperatures down to the mid-teens in the past. I'll be wearing the AmFibs if we get any more weather this cold.

OrionXavier

Around 0F with about 2-3 inches of compacted snow/ice on most parts of the road. Winter tires are pretty useless on that stuff. It's not solid enough like ice for the spikes to grip, but it's solid enough to prevent the tires from sinking to the pavement where it could actually find traction. Fell down twice on the way to work, and that was being careful. The tire ruts in the snow also violently knock the bike around resulting in loss of control or a fall.

I stayed warm though so I can't complain too much.

mister

I thought about being lazy and driving but thought of all the commuters riding through the snow and found the motivation to ride in. It had rained last night so everything was wet. Of course I don't have fenders so I got to work and looked like I crapped my pants. A point my employees promptly notified me of. On the plus side, I broke down and just used my ski gloves and had toasty warm hands the whole way

spivonious

Another drive in today. I thought about riding but it was still single-digit temps this morning and I really don't have proper hand or footwear for temps that cold. I will be riding in tomorrow though, and trying out the bike goggles (https://kroopsgoggles.com/collections...cycling-goggle) and the "glo-gloves" that I got for my birthday (gloves overtop of my ski gloves, of course).

Bluish Green

Do you have a link for the plasti-dip product? I have an old pair of leather shoes I might give that a try on.

I am going to hang a big ol' goose egg for this week. I am doing telework and vacation days. The streets in my city are murder right now. They allowed traffic as the foot of snow we got fell before they did any real treatment, so now it is a mish-mash of icy chuckholes, rutted snowpack, semi-slush, and ice. Road conditions are a reason I will cancel for. Not riding sucks, though. I miss it.

loky1179

Sunshine + tailwind + -14°F is a lot easier than -1°F + 30 MPH headwind. Headwinds are nasty in the summer. In the winter they're downright evil.

wphamilton

It's on home depot, just search for it there. I used the spray, there is also an actual liquid that you can dip things in. I won't guarantee that it will work the same on leather but that would be awesome if it did.

dcb23

Very pleasant 32F / 0C and zero wind.

mjw16

28 F. never felt so good in fact, I wore shorts today. It was cold and, don't get me wrong, I hate cold weather but, it was much warmer than the last couple of days. I've worn shorts all but 3 rides thus far this Winter-I guess I'm enduring the temps better than in years past-this is good. Even though my riding is down 20% (telework every Friday) it's been good. I may have to change my route soon though as construction will soon close the close off the trail as it passes under Route 1. Not sure when this is going to start but, it shouldn't be a big deal.