Originally Posted by
Dangerous Dave
Using the 60 threshhold would mean I hardly ever get to wear shorts. The average July temperatures where I live are 56 for the low and 72 for the high, although the sun rises very early, so it will probably be warm enough by the time I get out. That rule would restrict shorts for every day wear to July/ August, with the range extended to June-September for an afternoon jaunt. The May high is 63, but there's be too much risk it wasn't above 60 all day. Personally, I would feel thoroughly miserable and hot cycling in a pair of trousers at 59 degrees.
Aren't the legs also where the heat powerhouse is? They're doing all the work. 60 is barely below room temperature, so combined with vigorous exercise will generate a lot of heat. Also surely sweat soaked trousers will remove heat more quickly than dry air thus increasing damage Please don't tell me the damage I did that morning I cycled in shorts at 35-40, because it would be 50-55 later.
Sorry to offend anyone on here, but 60 is nowhere near the region I was looking at when I posed the question. Can I have some more realistic answers please?
I've heard the 65 degree cut off before and my first reaction was exactly like yours. The theory behind the number is that the workings of your knee are not well insulated from cold and that the air movement generated by both pedaling and forward motion doesn't allow your knee to warm up properly in cooler temps.
I've also heard that some cycling coaches require that knees be covered in anything below 70 !
Now is it something backed by science or just a myth started by cyclists who lived in a climate where 65 is genuinely considered cold?
I've seen conflicting information so I don't know.
To me 65 is pretty close to an ideal temp as far as strenuous outdoor activity is concerned so I'm a little skeptical. I can't imagine for example starting a marathon at 8:00 am wearing leg warmers when the temp is 60. That just seems ludicrous. Of course running is different than cycling but does the cooling effect of moving at 15 to 20 mph make that much difference at 60 ?