Originally Posted by
cogdriven
You really have to ask, "What was your coldest commute and how long was it?" You might ride for five miles at -10F, but would you want to go 25 at that temp? My commute is 12 miles and the coldest ride I've done was 7F. I won't do that again. I have two long hills to come down and thought my eyeballs would freeze me blind, ha! I rode at 11F last week just because I had been off the bike for too long due to injury. Generally I'm comfortable down to 20 for that ride.
Ski Goggles.
It's a valid question though. What works as far as clothing goes for 5 miles may not work for 25. Of course I wouldn't even drive a 25 mile commute any time of year. It's one of the main reasons I moved.
A 25 mile cycling commute, especially in the winter, would take waaay too long for me to justify, - comfort aside. Even my 6 mile commute can take 45 minutes or more if I have a lot of snow to deal with.
I've gone on 15 mile group rides in well below 0 temps. The biggest challenge is keeping my feet warm. Otherwise, the distance isn't too much of a factor because I don't have trouble keeping the other body parts comfortable. A guy at a bike shop gave me a tip about feet and longer rides. He said it helps to get off the bike every now and then and stomp or jog with the bike for a short distance to get the circulation going through them again.