kc0bbq

Thanks to the cold I know exactly what temperature the starter in a Fiat 500 won't spin fast enough to fire up the engine. For mine it is a bit below -15F. Doesn't seem to like the cold much.

My bicycles stayed inside in the warm.

Sunday is supposed to hit 35F, that might drag me out. I normally wimp out at 40-45, but the 60 degree temperature swing will feel like heaven. Even -10F felt pretty good this morning. I'm not old enough for old man knees, but I have crappy genes, and they don't like riding in the cold very much.

dstrong 

With the available cycling clothing available in my closet, my minimum is 45 if it's cloudy, or 40 if it's sunny. I did a lot of riding in December (370 miles) with temps in the mid 40's and was marginally comfortable.

Seattle Forrest

Cyclists just refuse to deal with cool weather. There was a thread about how cycling is the toughest sport in the world and roadies are the ultimate bad asses, Merlin was trying to tell me riding a bike up a hill is harder than climbing Mount Everest, but apparently some of us won't ride a bike outdoors when it's 60 F!

zymphad

I really wanted to ride today. But 10F with windchill of -20, no thank you. I've been riding nearly everyday this winter and cold usually doesn't bother me much. But c'mon, -20F windchill riding at 18 mph blowing into me? If you can do that, kudos to you. You won't ever convince me to do that unless for some really odd reason, someone's life was at stake.

As for cyclists being the toughest? That's just stupid talk. I don't think Lance Armstrong worked harder than someone who wins gold in a marathon. It entirely depends on the person how hard they are willing to work at whatever hobby/sport they chose. Except for stupid sports like Football and Baseball where you change out every 10 minutes sitting on your butt doing absolutely nothing with more downtime than play time. I don't even consider American football, baseball and basketball sports anymore since players spend more time doing nothing than doing something.

Sixty Fiver

You need a winter rated battery... cold affects the amperage available and our car will start at -35 without being plugged in, not that this is good for the starter.

I am going for a ride after dinner... think the low will be 0 F.

Sixty Fiver

Commuters are the ultimate badasses... I know folks who ride every day regardless of how cold or nasty it is.

Those folks in the east are having a tough time, especially when they have never seen cold like this in their lives.

Cyclelogikal

I have done 32 degrees/freezing point. But not in - weather and surely not with negative windchill.

zymphad

Bike parts also get sluggish in this weather. I noticed it's much harder for my to shift my front deraileur in this cold.

Cyclelogikal

This is perfect trainer weather with SufferFest!

zymphad

Training for what? Where do you race in sub-zero temp? Suffering through cold isn't the same as suffering through pain in your lugs, mental and legs.

2manybikes

The other thing RI is good for is..................uh.........um..........uh.....


Anyway, I want more ice on the bike path.

Cyclelogikal

Man do you people read what people post! I said this is perfect weather for riding your damn trainers as in indoors while doing your favorite cycling video! Geeeez do we competents need to spell everything out!

Cyclelogikal

And BTW- Sufferfest is a video collection like Spinervals so you know! Going to head that cattle off before it reaches the cliff!

2manybikes

How does one know if the lugs are suffering? Do they squeak?

jon c. 

Being a few hours north of you, I have to go as low as 50. Although if there's a stiff north wind, I'll revert to the 60 standard.

qcpmsame 

30°F when I rode this afternoon, winds were NNW at 10 mph so it was fairly cold. Did 17+ miles just to shake out the brain kinks from work stress, felt excellent.

Bill

BoomMcNasty

The high today in Tampa was only 43°. Even if i wanted to ride in the cold i don't have the gear.

ajemm

My threshold for riding is around 45. The temp this morning as I left for work was 6 with a nice stiff breeze! As I'm sitting at the light a commuter goes by me on his hybrid. I almost got out my car and saluted his awesomeness.

MegaTom

Trainer. People tend to use them indoors.

katsrevenge

nah... I went out yesterday and today in the -20 to -30 temps. ETA This was windchill. It was -2 to 3 today, less yesterday.

But, I had on heavy socks, thick leather moccasins, heavy corduroy pants, thick cotton leggings (under the pants!), a shirt, a thermal fabric zip up with hood... thermosulated wool gloves and hat and a pashima (its a blend of silk and cashmere, VERY warm/windproof) wrapped about my face and head. Oh, and a long, heavy wool coat that very nicely cuts the wind.

My forehead got cold and my glasses creaked. Bike creaked too. I don't think the chain liked being left outside when I popped into the store. Other then that, I was GTG. Kept the ride short, didn't want to burn my lungs.

And! I wasn't the only one out on a bike! But, some guy did call me insane, heh.

Long Tom

HTFU, dog!




I'll ride in the 30's (just did) but ice stops me..... wait for it........ cold.

Long Tom

I've hiked into the woods in the predawn dark at -15F to hunt elk.... I'd fill my water bottles (on my pack) with warm water but they'd still freeze solid in a few hours... controlling body-generated moisture from hiking was absolutely crucial; you had to either go real slow, or you had to do the hike in HARD without your outer layer(s) and just hope you wicked enough moisture outwards through the layers to evaporate quickly enough that when you put your outer layer(s) back on, you'd be at least relatively dry, and there was at least hope you'd win the running battle between warmth and moisture evaporating....

I found this spot. It was a spring that came up, then ran down a fairly steep side of a ridge. The resulting little creek formed this kind of a strip of swamp that the elk didn't like to cross- but only for a couple hundred yards; then it petered out. So, it would funnel any elk traveling sidehill up and over the spring. I figured this out because of fresh snow showing me the movement patterns.

Side note: if you find what seems like a GREAT spot.... look around. If it's that good, the bowhunters will have found it, sneaky bastids that they are. Sure enough, this spot had a home-made tree stand up above the wallow in a big tamarack. Keep in mind I'm 4+ miles into a designated Roadless Wilderness Area here. This foo' packed in the materials for this tree stand.

Anyway. This was a great spot; I'd see elk every time I sat there..... if I sat there all day. It's really, really hard to hike into a spot 4+ miles with no trail the last couple, then sit on a north-facing slope at -15F all day. Ok so it warmed up to "whatever" during the day.... zero maybe?.... it was intense.

(The anti-hunters here will be glad to know that this spot only produced adrenaline for me. No elk were kilt in the freezing of my ass off. While I'd see elk, they were never an elk I had a tag for.)

Side note #2 : elk going by in the woods at 10-75 yards is one of life's great adrenaline rushes.

.....and I will now self-administer 20 lashes for going way, WAY off topic.

Machka 

Since I have ridden in temps as cold as -40C/F and was fine ... I imagine I could ride in temps colder than that.

Essex

I saw some kids ride their bikes near the North Pole at Resolute Bay, Canada. The bikes were usually MTB, no brakes as they had long corroded out. The kids were able to stops theri bikes using their Sorel boots in various ways. Hats with flaps, mitts, wind pants etc were the garb of the day. They were riding in blizzard conditions a lot of the time within the village. They were also smart enough not to ride outside the boundaries of the village lest open themselves up to polar bear attack, or other hazards of sub zero temps.

All this said - the residents up there are masters of survival in constant sub zero temps.

Machka 

Maria Leijerstam ... her bicycle ... and the south pole ...
https://www.icetrikes.co/community/ic...rld-record-set