Phloom

First blast of frost this morning. I still wear just a windbreaker and within a few blocks, I am opening it up to keep cool. As far as serious cold weather goes, I will just have to wait and try it out. Serious means -40C and at that temperature, driving in a car is unpleasant. I have the proper gear for -40C temperatures, a goose down parka with down overalls and honking big snow boots. But, I can't even get my leg over my bicycle in that outfit. I will try out some ski stores and see what they have that might work for bicycling in the winter.

I am still biking and it is October 22. Almost 7 straight months.

OldsCOOL

I'm rockin' on 8. Frosty cold here, too. Brrrrrr.

kini62

+1

jwarner

You might try riding in a pair of neoprene gloves before resorting to the plastic bag. I use them ice climbing when I know it is going to be cold, and that my hands are going to be wet all day, but I need them to work for setting screws, tying knots, and gripping ice axes. you can make the palms/fingers more durable and tacky by spraying them down with a coat or two of spray-on tool dip.

I don't really bother with waterproof gloves on the bike, but I'm pretty weather tolerant.

Cyril 

Temperature is not the limiting factor;ice is.
Even though studs will keep me upright on a slick street, even in an ice storm, most of the
folks driving in cars have a difficult time controlling their cars.
I'd rather not be hit by a sliding car.
In those conditions I just stay home.

Phloom

Northern Michigan, eh. Yes, you do know what cold is. Back when I was in my 20's, I did ride almost the entire winter. But when it hits -40C which is -40F, I would take a bus. My bike at those temperatures would get really stiff. The brakes do not work and the chain would come off many times. Biking would not be much faster than walking.

GeneO 

Was 37 when I left tis morning. I actually dressed a little to warm, but it wasn't bad. I think I could go quite low, it is just at what point is it so unpleasant it is not worth it. That depends a lot on the wind and precipitation.

An additional factor for me is how long it takes to get ready to commute. Since the cold days are the short days, this factors in a lot for me.

OldsCOOL

I was only thinking "stay warm" on this March 3rd morning.

Bob Ross

^^^This...although I did go for a ride at 11°F a year or two ago and it was kind of uncomfortable wearing that many layers. Practically speaking I don't even hesitate until it gets under 20°F, and I've got enough clothing to easily ride down into the single digits, but it almost never gets that cold without lots of ice/snow on the ground, and that'll give me pause long before a number on the thermometer will.

And screw wet riding, I don't even like summer rides in the rain!

rumrunn6

since I don't commute anymore I do call it quits when the temps go low. cant remember exactly what temp is my cutoff, I guess if regular full fingered gloves aren't enough then I'll rack the bike for the winter. I can cover my legs and my ears and my head, and torso of course but I don't want to mess with lobster gloves or such. plus I only have the weekends and good road conditions on weekends gets scarce this time of year. when I was commuting I was hard core and nothing stopped me. that was a fun time, really fun

jimblairo

About 5C with regular shoes and tights. With Lake boots and thermal tights I'm good to -10C.

rando_couche

Temp by itself won't stop me riding. Icy roads, on the other hand...

SP
OC, OR

digibud

-10 or -20F depending on how I feel. I used to commute 15mi down to -30F but now I don't ride when it's real cold.

ddeand 

I'll find out tomorrow when I ride to work. It's supposed to be around 35f when I leave. Should be OK unless the windchill gets me!

Jim from Boston

Sorry to hear about that rr6. You used to ride from Maynard to Natick as I recall, a good distance, and hopefully was a pleasant a ride. In my limited schedule, it’s only commuting that gets me out for winter riding.

JohnJ80

This.

In general, my two passions are cycling and alpine skiing. So when it's getting too cold to ride and I have to worry about ice on the road, then it's generally time to start skiing anyhow.

I start in March as soon as the roads are reliably free of ice.

Temp isn't a factor but in general, that means riding down to freezing or into the 20's.

J.

climberguy

I went out once last winter when it was 7 degrees F. I dress well and keep my rides short in those temps. For what's comfortable, down into the 20's F is OK with me, though again the rides are shorter in duration than in warmer weather.

Leebo

Too cold? I have done 0F and would consider colder rides. Too much snow is usually more of an issue. Keep the head, hands and feet warm, all is good. I have 2 dedicated winter commuters, studs for the my mt bike plus a fat bike. Wool and fleece make things bearable.

ddeand 

OK - I rode to work yesterday (26 mi. round trip), and it was 31f when I left home. While the ride was chilly, it was also pretty pleasant since the wind was barely blowing. The trip home OTOH, was brutal - warm but 25 mph gusts in my face! I was a sad puppy when I got home! I probably won't bike in weather any colder than the 31 degrees, though.

Straightblock

In central California, the temps rarely drop much below 30°, so it's not too cold for me to ride. We do get blinding fog in the winter, though, so sometimes I choose to wait a few hours for visibility to improve and take a shorter ride.

Sixty Fiver

We just came back from the U.P. and the guys at the bike shop said that with over 300 inches of snow per season, biking was nearly impossible a good part of the time and the cold temperatures were just icing on the cake.

Phloom

With 300 inches of snow, you need snowshoes to get around. A few inches of snow makes the going on a bicycle rather tough. I see you are in Edmonton too. Still riding? I am still riding. It was brisk this morning crossing the High Level bridge. Going home tonight will be much more comfortable.

LuckySailor

Earlier this year, I rode on a glorious day at -20C (-4F). It was a fabulous March 31 day, as I saw cross country skiers, a motor cyclist, snowmobiles, and lots of people walking-some with kids in strollers. Needless to say people were itching to get outside after a long friggin cold winter.

Sixty Fiver

Back in YEG for the winter... by comparison our 50 inches of snow is just a little skiff.

Phloom

You must spend the summer in the Antarctica if you spend the winter in Edmonton. Notice when we get our first snowfall, it will be like nobody has ever seen snow before. 100's of car accidents and cars in the ditches.