BobbyG

I work indoors. In my 30s I regularly rode in snow and ice down to 15°F with some experiments down to 0°F. Cable lines seized, snow and ice clogged the gears and chain; finger and toes froze. Fun but not practical. Since my mid 40s I settled on 23°F as my cut-off temp. And no more snow and ice riding. Last winter at 52 years old, after a frustrating three weeks of cold, icy weather I decided to ride to work in sunny but 15°F snow-packed streets, weather be damned. I got a quarter mile from home, slipped, fell and slid down a slight hill; and while I wasn't hurt, I realized I didn't have the right winter tires (okay, they weren't winter tires at all, but smooth 1.75" road tires). And in the 10 minutes it took to walk home my toes and fingers started to really feel it. The winters in Colorado Springs are much milder and drier than in Chicago or Iowa, so there are more biking days for me. And with plenty of memories of the fun of snow-riding, and fresher memories of my injury five years ago, I've decided to play it safe.