2manybikes

The tape does not make a mess when you take it off? Is there ice on the pavement down there?

rumrunn6

that looks like a nice stretch of road. no facemask for 21 degrees?

dbg

My last three morning commutes have been below zero.

My guidelines:
Below 60: nothing changes
Below 50: maybe light ear covers, yellow windbreaker
Below 40: thin balaclava and light gloves, add coat
Below 20: thicker balaclava and good leather gloves
Below 10: balaclava w/ integrated neoprene mouth/nose cover and lobster gloves
Below minus 10: add goggles
Below minus 20: gut it out, man. defiance!

jskash

Weather is a matter of perspective and what you are used to. When I was in India, 100 degrees was not hot during the summer, but 50 degrees was downright freezing during the winter. Living in the San Fernando Valley of Southern California, we get down into the 30s early in the morning in the winter. That is plenty cold enough for me to go riding in.

Biker395 

I hear that. Low 30s is about my limit.

A bud of mine (and some others here) recently relocated to Michigan. He was hell bent to find a way to commute to work at least most of the winter.

Last night, he rode home in a snowstorm with -11F temperatures. That's hardcore. I don't even think I've skied in weather much colder than that.

Biker395 

Fify:

On the other hand, I am a lot less troubled by heat than most cyclists I know. 85 is about the ideal cycling temperature for me, and I'm completely OK with temperatures up to 110.

OldsCOOL

This is true. I wont ride beyond an hour with temps above 85. When working underground cable tv in the greater Phx area as a young 22yr old I worked outside in 115F, even went to the reservoirs and layed in the sun for the weekends. Cant do that now. I can ride in the teens ok but if it hits zero I may draw the line. Go El Nino.

JohnJ80

Yep. Same here.

Low temp riding is part acclimation, part equipment/clothing.

My ride tonight was at 7F. I live in Minnesota, if we quit riding at 50F, we'd have about a 2 month season to go cycling. It's just a question of figuring out the clothing which is not all that simple. With the wonder fabrics out now it is completely doable. Once that is done, it's just another set of conditions in which to ride.

I will say this, it's been a warm winter and while we just had our first subzero (down near -20F), when it warmed up today to 15F, it felt like a heat wave. That's acclimation for you. 15F in November feels really cold. Now? Not so much.

J.

hollywoodeskimo

I just hVe to figure out some good cheap foot protection for when it gets below 20F. I wear my neoprene socks and wool socks inside my shoes, but it just isn't enough to keep my toes from freezing up. Any ideas?

JohnJ80

Shoes or insulated cycling shoes?

It's not unusual for people get cold by adding too much stuff in their shoes. All that often does is compromise your circulation.

J.

hollywoodeskimo

That's a good point, John. I think just a bigger size shoe with the same neoprene socks and wool socks might solve the problem. Thanks.

OldsCOOL

At the risk of mentioning the obvious, be sure everything is dry before the ride. Moisture and feet is a bad winter combo.

JohnJ80

If you're using regular cycling shoes, the neoprene covers work well. A trick that might work is to them out one of those chemical packs under the neoprene but on top of the shoe. I'd imagine that would help a lot too by adding heat and stopping cold air intrusion.

rumrunn6

chemical toe warmers do the trick for me. thin sock liner, then the toe warmer on top not bottom, then thick sock. footwear sized so as not to constrict anywhere. I will even use the warmer without a liner sometimes. I use these for pretty much any extended cold weather activity like past winter commuting, snowshoeing, roof raking snow/shoveling, etc

it's also helpful to start with warm feet. meaning I like to take a warm shower before I venture out and stop up the drain to get a good soak in. I also dump some epsom salt into the tub so my feet don't get dehydrated. after drying off I cream my feet and put on warm socks or keep my feet warm in slippers while throwing socks in dryer for a couple minutes. my shoes usually rest on our floor registers to get them up to temp too. so before I head out into sub freezing temps I'm warm and cozy to start. it doesn't help to put cold feet into cold socks and shoes. when I don't have toe warmers or when I use my big snow boots I use thicker hand warmers. they don't have adhesive backing to I just tape them on to my sock. but before I do, I activate them and place them inside my boot toe area so the inside can warm up a little. this way I'm not replying just on the floor register to warm those big boots from the outside in.

then of course when you get back inside, a nice soak is wonderful :-)

berner

Sometimes there is a bit of glue residue but it comes off with a paper towel moistened with a bit of paint thinner.

berner

I have needed a full face mask so far but on very cold days I have a wool neck gaiter that can be pulled up over the lower part of my face.

OldsCOOL

It's amazing the heat loss around the neck, face and head. I have learned when hunting on stand in frigid temps that when your hands and feet get cold there is typically a need for good head/neck coverage. The old adage of "are your feet cold? Put a hat on!" aptly applies.

qcpmsame 

I like the Under Armor, Cold Gear Level 1, mock turtle neck compression top, the high neck helps keep me warm in that area and as said that helps you to feel warmer overall. Combine this top with either a balaclava, or a scalp hat, under the helmet, and its much better feeling in the cold temps. I found that the compression shirts do a good job of bringing up the body temperature as a base layer, also. I put it on as the initial layer, under my LS jersey, and its good from down to around 45ºF, and up to about 55ºF, if I have on a light wind jacket, like the 50+ Kit jacket. The gloves department got a pair of Cannondale Three Seasons glove/mitten, I can have either a full finger glove, with the usual cycling padding, or I can unroll the mitten, wind proof covers if it gets down below 45ºF, once again.

Lots of different means of covering up the neck, and the head in order to stay riding in the harsh stuff. Pick the one that lets you ride comfortably.

Bill

h2oxtc

I was thinking more along the lines of this ...

VNA

Impressive:
Do you ride with studied tires?
On flat and going up hill one can relatively keep warm, but going down particularly long descent is hard to keep warm no matter what--had the experience today coming back down from a 3,800' summit!
I hate winter and can't wait when spring comes back--but I have to ride to keep sane!

tsl

Yes. Nokian Hakkapeliitta W106 in 700x35/38. They're the width of a 35, but the deeper tread gives them the height of a 38. The carbide studs wear forever. I bought these tires in the autumn of 2006, have ridden them every winter, and they're still going strong.


Fortunately, living here on the ancient lakebed (of Lake Ontario) we don't have to worry about either long climbs or long descents. What we call hills around here, are pimples on the butt of the hills you have there.