Originally Posted by
tarwheel
I lost my beloved balaclava yesterday after stupidly leaving my seatbag open on the ride home from work. Usually I wear it when temperatures are below 40 F, so I've got some cold rides ahead with the winter we are having. Temperatures are supposed to be in the low to mid-20s F for the rest of this week, which is colder than I have ridden without any face protection. Do I need to worry about frostbite at those temperatures? What's the coldest temperatures you have ridden in without a face covering? I'm trying to decided whether to shell out $25-30 for a new balaclava or just tough it out.
Get another one.
Even at 60F you can get chilblains after repeated exposure. Don't use vaseline to stay warm either, it's just placebo. Might help with moisture
10. Chilblains
Caused by repeated exposure of bare skin to temperatures below 60 degrees
Redness and itching of the effected area
Particularly found on cheeks and ears, fingers and toes
Women and young children are the most susceptible
The cold exposure causes damage to the peripheral capillary beds, this damage is permanent and the redness and itching will return with exposure
Most people don't know they have it.