Originally Posted by VermontRides
the morning started at -17F ended 13 miles later at -7F with a 5 to 15 mph breeze, roads clear in the travelled lane but not at the edges where I usually try to ride, my head was nicely warm, torso had one thin wool top too many (but not worth stopping to correct) and again I had my shoes too tight so my feet lost some circulation and chilled (but again not worth stopping to correct)..... on the way home: started at +1F and ended at -2F, dressed the torso better, and kept the shoes loose enough, roads slightly improved, wore clear glasses rather than the goggles of the morning commute, had a great ride...the batteries on one of my taillights froze and stopped the light, when it warmed up inside it started back up, guess it's time for new batteries in that taillight.....tomorrow is supposed to be a colder morning commute, I think I'll experiment with the torso clothing again.
Alkaline batteries have this problem way below freezing even if they are new. If you have alkaline and this becomes a problem, try Lithium batteries. They are almost three times the price, but they will make the light brighter, go longer and work much better in the cold. Nimh rechargeables are better too, instead of getting weak they run shorter. but then you can recharge.