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Winter cycling?

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Old 01-16-09, 10:48 AM
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Winter cycling?

Really?
Where I live its near impossible.
The temp have been below -40 for a while now. Even when its gets nice (-25) the wind chill brings it down to -45 anyway. And snow is up to you knees or waist in places.
Anyway, I have been out twice since November only for a loop around the block.
There really is no winter cycling here.
But in April when the morning temps are -15 or so I will be riding again.
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Old 01-16-09, 10:59 AM
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Originally Posted by ricohman
Really?
Where I live its near impossible.
The temp have been below -40 for a while now. Even when its gets nice (-25) the wind chill brings it down to -45 anyway. And snow is up to you knees or waist in places.
Anyway, I have been out twice since November only for a loop around the block.
There really is no winter cycling here.
But in April when the morning temps are -15 or so I will be riding again.
It was -21 here yesterday morning and I saw 1/2 dozen other cyclists. The roads have been really bad this year too. If it were consistently that cold or worse I'm sure the number would go down close to zero. I can certainly ride in those temps but it takes quite awhile to get dressed and it's pretty slow going. If I had to do it every day, - I probably wouldn't.

On the plus side it's no picnic walking from the parking ramp to the office either. With a bike I pull right up to the door and I don't ever have to scrape the windshield or worry about the car starting.
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Old 01-16-09, 11:12 AM
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The author of this blog seems to get out plenty

https://arcticglass.blogspot.com/
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Old 01-16-09, 11:51 AM
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Originally Posted by ricohman
Really?
Where I live its near impossible.
The temp have been below -40 for a while now. Even when its gets nice (-25) the wind chill brings it down to -45 anyway. And snow is up to you knees or waist in places.
Anyway, I have been out twice since November only for a loop around the block.
There really is no winter cycling here.
But in April when the morning temps are -15 or so I will be riding again.
The other bikeforums members from Sask., Alberta and Manitoba who regularly post on this subforum would disagree with you.
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Old 01-16-09, 12:00 PM
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Originally Posted by GGDub
The other bikeforums members from Sask., Alberta and Manitoba who regularly post on this subforum would disagree with you.
Nobody I know has been riding this winter. Its been brutal.
All of my MB friends are in the same boat. When its -45 and the wind chill makes in -50 something its just to cold for biking. I have been doing a lot on my snowshoes for cardio though. And thats a good workout.
However, my two friends that live in the banana belt (Calgary) have been out quite a bit this winter.
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Old 01-16-09, 12:01 PM
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Originally Posted by DataJunkie
The author of this blog seems to get out plenty

https://arcticglass.blogspot.com/
A lot warmer there than where I live.
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Old 01-16-09, 12:06 PM
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I used to commute to work at -40 in Winnipeg ... that wasn't too bad. But they kept the roads in a lot better shape than they do here in Alberta. At -40, the roads were often bare and dry.
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Old 01-16-09, 12:24 PM
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It's -18 right now.
I am going for a quick ride before work. And it will be 0C tomorrow?
From -43 to 0 in 24 hours. Only in Saskatchewan.
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Old 01-16-09, 12:31 PM
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Originally Posted by ricohman
It's -18 right now.
I am going for a quick ride before work. And it will be 0C tomorrow?
From -43 to 0 in 24 hours. Only in Saskatchewan.
No ... it happens here in Alberta too. It's called a chinook. Keep in mind, we get those drastic temperature changes first because that sort of weather travels west to east.

It's up to +7 here today.
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Old 01-16-09, 12:44 PM
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C or F?

-40 is the same. cool.
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Old 01-16-09, 04:24 PM
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quick question, do you folks feel that core temperature affects the way your fingers and toes get chilled in cold weather? In the morning, on my first trips, fingers get numb fast, but after
a few miles of hard work, they seem to fare much better...is it just me?
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Old 01-16-09, 04:46 PM
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Originally Posted by bloompedal08
quick question, do you folks feel that core temperature affects the way your fingers and toes get chilled in cold weather? In the morning, on my first trips, fingers get numb fast, but after
a few miles of hard work, they seem to fare much better...is it just me?
Depends on the temp and yourself.
I find that after -30 gloves are pretty much useless in wind. I wear leather mitts after that.
But even running in very cold conditions (-30 -40) your toes can freeze after 20 minutes or so.
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Old 01-16-09, 05:07 PM
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Originally Posted by bloompedal08
quick question, do you folks feel that core temperature affects the way your fingers and toes get chilled in cold weather? In the morning, on my first trips, fingers get numb fast, but after
a few miles of hard work, they seem to fare much better...is it just me?
Definitely a factor altho you can have cold core and wam hands or vice-versa.

Old skiing folklore - if your feet are cold put on another sweater.

If your core is actually cold, like you're even semi-shivering or hugging yourself then your body has probably already started shutting down circulation to the extremities to try to help warm the core up.
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Old 01-16-09, 06:35 PM
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Originally Posted by bcbcbc
C or F?

-40 is the same. cool.
-40 is indeed the same for each system of measurement.

The +7 I talk about is +7 C, of course, because ricohman and I are from Canada.
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