Colorado Kid

The Bone chilling cold (And Snow in some cases.) is gripping some parts of the country. Is anyone riding through this cold wave and if so, could you share any tips with this list of how you deal with such low temps.?

PaulH

Been riding in winter since 1960. This essay gets it.
Copenhagenize.com - Bicycle Culture by Design: Overcomplicating Winter Cycling - Why It's Bad
Winter cycling -- because it's less hassle than winter driving.

bigbenaugust 

Supposed to be 19 here tonight. I am going to saddle up, layer up, and ride across town for breakfast with the guys before work.

canklecat

My part of Texas doesn't get cold enough often enough for long enough to justify much specialized winter gear. I just wear what I already have (ditto, @PaulH). But having grown up in New York and experienced many cold winters and a few blizzards, I know what works, including winter cycling as a kid to and from school and part time jobs. (I still have the Herman Survivor boots I bought at age 15, and they're still serviceable with the original soles 44 years later.)

If I'm overdressed for daytime conditions I just unzip a bit and slow down to avoid perspiring. That simple action makes a huge difference. I've seen serious cyclists wearing too little and not slowing down even for intersections in order to avoid sweat accumulation and consequent chilling. I'm never in that big a hurry.

Some of my cycling acquaintances show up under-dressed for our winter weather, which can range from the high 60s-low 70s in daytime to 40s or chillier at night. Two or three times recently I've loaned my spare windbreaker to other cyclists who were outfitted with body hugging cycling clothing from toe to head, but nothing to protect the torso from wind chill effects. I don't ride fast enough for wind resistance to be a major factor, so I don't mind looser fitting jackets. On a still day with no significant breeze I'd need to average faster than 15 mph for wind resistance to be a big factor. My average is 12 mph.

My main concession to cycling is underwear. Poly and/or nylon wicking fabric works as well as merino wool at a fraction of the price, wears better and isn't vulnerable to critters gnawing on it. One of my Pendleton wool shirts fell victim to carpet beetle larvae about 10 years ago when we first moved to a new apartment. I'd never encountered carpet beetles before and had no idea the damage their larvae could do. Before we knew it they'd Swiss-cheesed some wool and linen fabrics.

I have few cycling specific clothes, and carefully selected:

• Pearl Izumi Transfer sleeveless shirt, with their fancypants "minerale" fabric. Feels immediately like body temperature -- no initial chill while waiting for it to warm up. And it's even comfortable in summer under a casual shirt. It wicks sweat better than anything else I've tried, including soft merino wool undershirts.
• Pearl Izumi arm warmers. Only $10 from the local PI outlet store. Nothing special in terms of fabric -- this is the decade old stuff, not as good as the current PI Transfer. But very comfortable for our many winter riding days that go from warm daytime to chilly nighttime.
• Shimano Storm Jacket. Very effective in heavy rain. As comfortable as can be practical for an affordable rainproof jacket. The longer sleeves, tail and extensible tail to cover the butt and saddle make a difference over comparably effective storm jackets designed for hiking and other outdoor activities.
• Pearl Izumi Select windbreaker. Great for cool to chilly rides. Stuffs into a pocket when not needed. Far better than the generic non-cycling specific windbreakers I've tried before. And the longer sleeves and tail are better for cycling than other windbreakers with similar fabric and attention to detail. I'm not a PI fanboy, but they make excellent stuff at reasonable prices that are occasionally discounted even more.

I may add some cycling-specific shoe covers, for my lighter weight cycling shoes -- Merrell and Montrail -- mostly because those covers are made only for cyclists.

My other wicking fabric underwear are generic activewear, mostly Champion boxer/briefs and long sleeve shirts. The fabric isn't quite as good as Pearl Izumi's, but it's good enough, much better than cotton, and fraction of the price of cycling specific base layers -- as little as $8-$12 for Champion long sleeve wicking fabric undershirts. They don't get stinky as quickly so I don't need to do laundry every day. I can usually get two or three rides per Champion undershirt (I can go a week with the Pearl Izumi Transfer baselayer between laundering, although I'll launder it more often for social cycling get-togethers.)

My tights are women's generic tights from Walgreen's for $5. Plenty warm enough under shorts or trousers. Much better than my more expensive active wear poly fabric long underwear designed for men. Much less expensive than my merino wool union suit long underwear, and no worries about critters gnawing holes.

Gloves are important. I have long skinny fingers and my thumb is unusually long relative to the little finger length. So I have to be sure the glove thumb fits without binding, which usually means the little finger glove part flops around. Flexible fabric is essential to me. Stiffer gloves that bind drive me nuts. Gloves that fit snugly at first turn out to be too cold in actual use -- the slight constriction reduces blood flow. Isotoner and similar "driving" gloves are the worst for winter on me -- it feels colder than no gloves at all. I'd use tight fitting gloves only in warm weather.

So I buy one size larger and use thin ski glove liners if needed for cold days. I like Bontrager Thermal RXL thin gloves down into the low 50s, and some $12 generic insulated gloves from Walgreen's for colder days. Those generic gloves from Walmart are as warm and comfortable as my much more expensive heavy winter gloves bought years ago from sporting goods and ski stores. We'll see whether they hold up as well. My more expensive Thinsulate gloves are still good 30 years later.

I'll find out this weekend whether my few additions since last winter really help. Our weather is due to range from the 70s to below freezing over the course of a single day.

Darth Lefty 

It's a pineapple express going on here in California. Lots of rain, too warm and too soon to form snow pack, giving a danger of flooding. It seems like there's only been minor local flooding in the storm drain system and it's already crested, no disaster.

mcours2006

We've received a ton of snow (by our December standards) this week. That, combined with 50+ km/h winds and very cold temps makes for a triple threat to all but the toughest and most dedicated bike commuter. I'm not, and as much as I dislike sitting and driving in traffic the risk to my own safety is not worth it.

I'm hoping that we get some good enough weather next week to end off my year on a positive note.

tjspiel

Lots of snow last weekend and bitter cold this week, but when it comes right down to it, it's winter weather. The only thing noteworthy about it in this part of the country is that we usually don't these kinds of extended cold snaps this early in the season. But if you've ridden through previous winters, it doesn't present any new challenges.

There's supposed to be significant snow tonight and into tomorrow but I don't know that it will affect this afternoon's commute much. The nice thing is that the temperature has risen ahead of the snow storm. The bad news is that the temps will drop drastically after it comes through. It will be as cold as it's been in several years.

But by the time the work week starts, the snow will be over and the temps will have rebounded some. By mid week it'll be in the 20s which is ideal winter weather as far as I'm concerned.

I'm very happy that we will be having a white Christmas. That used to be pretty much guaranteed but not so much in recent years. My broomball season will start on time, - yay !

rumrunn6

3 degrees driving to work today. apparently I have a sore throat & "cold" that got me up several times last night. sooo not amused. not going to the gym at lunch today. not gonna risk the cold walks, hot workout & shower, wet head & cold walk back to car. too many temp changes, even tho I use the hairdryer, etc. I had grand plans to ride thru some of tomorrow's storm after getting snow tires on 2 cars but now I think I will be lucky if I can just rake my roof without making my cold worse. maybe Sunday? should be warmer & just rain ... lol

bmthom.gis

We have it, well, as much as SC gets of such things. Where the sun is out and the wind is blocked, it's fairly pleasant, but leave the sheltered, sunny areas and it's biting cold! The "feels like" temp was 20 (and I think felt even colder than that) this morning. I'm making a point to ride every day that the weather is out of the ordinary for us, bc reasons.

The most challenging thing today is there was a 10+ degree temp swing between being in a sheltered area with sun and the rest of the ride. I overdressed a bit, but was mostly comfortable.

I have thermal cycling pants, wore a base layer, jersey, jacket and for my head a balaclava. The only weak point are my feet but I'm experimenting with ways of keeping my toes nice and warm. All in all, riding in the cold can be pleasant if you layer up

fietsbob

Sea Level this week, Fine, .. Inland, The City has Show, PDX, but None out by the sea.

Had the Studded tire MTB at the ready , for 25 years .. I ride it when cold weather has Patches of Ice on the street.

BobbyG

As I sit here at lunch I can see Pikes Peak and Cheyenne Mountain are holding back the clouds.
It's simple. If it's 10F or above I ride. If the forecast calls for 3" or less, I ride. Based on the expected temperatures I dress and plan accordingly. No drama.

robert schlatte

In Columbus, it got as low as 6F this week but by Saturday, the temp is forecast at 52F. I keep riding- just layer a lot. Other than toes and fingers, the rest of me stays very warm so it is no problem at all. My commute is 6 miles each way so not long enough that toes and fingers get too uncomfortable.

AdvXtrm

So far the coldest it's been while I was actually out riding was low 40 deg. f. That's pretty cold for where I live, and that was at nighttime. Right now I'm prepping for riding in colder temps than that. I want to have a setup that gets me into the 30s or so, and be warm enough, but without sweating much. I'm new to getting seriously into cycling, so I'm figuring it out as I go along here, but I want to get to the point where pretty much no weather but the most severe can stop me.

jfowler85

My standard reply to co-workers' comments: "It's always a good day to ride."


Freezing rain/sleet/wintery mix coated the roads in the late morning with temps never reaching above 30 for a few days now, and in the fashion of my lovely city the roads were not treated at all. The entire city, including the interstate, is basically covered in a sheet sheet of black ice. There is no hope right now for tow trucks or ambulances for non-life-threatening emergencies. The hospital I work at is diverting all non-local requests and all transfers have been cancelled. All outgoing traffic was gridlocked, and I lost count of the number of wrecked/curbed vehicles after 20, in a less-than-10-mile stretch. I went down on my studded tires in a turn and could not stop sliding, like oil on glass. My 49x14 gearing meant that I would spin out quite a bit...I'm throwing the 42t chainring on for tomorrow's commute.


Layers are your friend. I rode with my padded bib shorts, under a a full length and fleece-lined winter Craft bib, under a wool/synthetic top, under a Pearl Izumi elite jacket, under a Cannondale hi-vis wind jacket. The feet had on a pair of DeFeet 100% wool winter socks and I wear 3 or 4mm neoprene covers over my spd shoes. The hands had synthetic running gloves as a liner under Descente Wombats. My head and neck were covered with a thermal skull cap and a balaclava, both synthetic and winter weight. I wore a pair of wrap-around clear lenses to keep the wind out of my eyes.


I was never able to generate any real body heat, and by the end of my commute I was about done for...the wind was brutal; felt like a good 10-15 degree wind chill. I wore about the absolute minimum I need to stay not-frozen (read: no sweat).


My wife is always nearly shocked every time I ride in inclement weather; I always tell her that the key to doing it isn't solid steel reserve or nerves of titanium, but rather I just don't think about it. I don't think about it beforehand and I don't really think about it while I'm riding. I don't suffer if my mind is wandering off occupied by something else, though I was certainly glad to pull into the ambulance bay upon arrival.


Oh, and the bike. It's a 4130 steel single speed with 44c clearance, long drop brakes, flat riser bars, geared 49x14 (tomorrow will be 42x14), running the freewheel and 42c Conti Nordic Spike studded tires, and spd road pedals.


Temps this weekend will hover around 0 for the low with an expected -20f wind chill in a couple days. You bet I'll be out there.


Get out there and ride!

Currmudge

NE Indiana. The temps yesterday & today at 9:30 AM were zero and zero. Yesterday's windchill was -21, today -15.

Layers. Studded tires to handle snow-packed-to-ice streets. Extra time. Thinsulate. Waterproof shoe covers also break the breeze.

Be prepared to suffer anyway.

canklecat

I rode Sunday night at 23F -- 10 miles in an hour, mostly looking at Christmas lights -- to test the winter gear I described above. Everything would work well enough for a 10 mile/one hour commute down into the 20s with moderate wind chill.

My fingers got tingly within 30 minutes and were stinging by the time I got home, so I'd prefer a windproof thin mitten shell over the gloves for temps below freezing.

My 44 year old Herman Survivors were fine, with a new pair of Dr. Scholl's inserts (mostly for arch support and heel cushioning, but the 3/4 length inserts add some insulation too), stocking-thin anklet socks under thicker microfiber boot socks. My toes were just a bit tingly after an hour but not stinging from cold.

My legs were fine with a pair of $5 women's fleece tights under ordinary jeans. If anything I could feel my legs perspiring just a bit, which surprised me. But not enough to feel chilled from sweating.

My core was almost too warm. I wore a Pearl Izumi Transfer fabric sleeveless baselayer shirt (highly recommended, best bit of winter underwear I've ever tried, including merino wool), then a Champion long sleeve wicking fabric pullover shirt, then an ordinary cotton sweatshirt. Over that I wore my 30 year old Columbia parka with Gore-Tex shell and Thinsulate. I should have unzipped a bit from the bottom and left the wind flaps over across the zipper. Toward the end of the hour long ride my torso was feeling a bit steamy. I'd be a little concerned that another half hour or so might lead to chilling, although supposedly this is where Gore-Tex earns its keep, by allowing vapor pressure to escape without chilling.

And I wore an ordinary paper surgical/dust mask over my nose and mouth -- the kind with elastic ear loops. Very comfortable in the cold dry air, no chapped lips or skin, no uncomfortable accumulation of moisture. I didn't even notice until the end of the ride that I'd accumulated a couple of icicles in my beard. That was a first for me. I've never had beardcicles before, but this was my first serious winter snap riding a bike. Nice thing about those paper masks is they're cheap and disposable, no need to fret over phlegmy residue on the ride back home. I usually carry one along with tissues and my asthma inhaler in a plastic baggie. If you're worried about looking odd (although these are very common in Japan), you can buy decorated paper surgical masks online for a bit of a whimsical touch.

I may try again on a longer ride, although we're not due for a similarly cold snap the rest of this month, and the temps will be back to springtime cool by the end of December.

tclune

I've switched over to my winter beater bike. It has a few features that make it preferable to my three-season touring bike for this weather (other than just being more expendable.) First, it has platform pedals, so I can wear appropriate footwear with yaktrax on over them. Second, it has straight handlebars so I can wear heavy mittens and still work the brakes and those silly twisty gear shifts so I can change gears with the mittens on. And third, it's got two-inch wide studded snow tires so I can keep on truckin' in this weather. Other things I find useful are my heavy leather jacket, which keeps the wind out but doesn't overheat me when I'm huffing and puffing; heavy wool pants that I close off at the cuff with cycling straps -- which keep the breeze out as well as keeping the pants out of my chain; a merino wool balaclava under my helmet; and a nice long scarf wrapped around my neck and face. I don't normally ride more than a few miles at a time in the winter, but that regime keeps me comfortable while I ride.

rumrunn6

wait, what? tell me more. I've got fleece tights I got from EMS that cost me $100 about 7 yrs ago

mcours2006

I have thought about just wearing my regular insulated Doc Marten snow boots, which are quite warm, with platforms, because my toes and thumb are the weak *****s in this armour, and at -13 and 60 minutes, it's just about at my limit. Normally I'll wear MTB clipless for winter riding with thick socks and neoprene shoe covers.

I ride with STI shifters with heavy mittens. It's cumbersome if I have to do a lot of shifting, but my commute is pretty flat, so I basically stay within the three or four gears on the rear, and pretty much the middle ring in front. I used to have the twist shifters, and I agree, they are easier to shift.

How long is your commute? I ask because what you said sounds great if my commute was 10 km or less. Riding the first 20 minutes I barely broke a sweat. It was -13*C this morning. But that sustained effort for the next 40 I did end up sweating. I can't imagine riding with a heavy jacket or wool pants.

spyguy

It was 3F according to Weather Service in STL this morning, but that's at the airport which is about 10 miles outside of downtown. At my house, it registered 8F. No wind to speak of, so really it was a most enjoyable ride this morning. I have about 5 miles, so not that far. Echo above statements about layering. The only bike-specific clothing item I have is a thin nylon jacket (mostly for visibility). Double-layer of socks, and thick leather insulated work gloves over thin wool gloves are great.

tclune

My work commute is just three miles each way. And I only ride where I need to go during the winter -- the grocery store, the land fill, or work are pretty much it. So I'm not exactly pushing the envelope.

Hypno Toad

As I made my way to riding temps around -25F (yesterday morning in Minneapolis), I slowly work my way down to colder temps. It took many years to work my way down to these temps, but now I don't have any issues ... kinda look forward to it.

If you lack the time to work down to the lowest temps, over dress and allow yourself to vent or remove layers if you get too hot. This is much better than under-dressing and suffering. Also focus on your core, if the core is hot, your toes and fingers should be happy.

edit: BTW - what temp is 'bone chilling cold'? Just curious since it varies from location-to-location.

canklecat

Our local Walgreen's have two "brands" in stock now (possibly same factory, different packaging): West Loop and Love Charm. Both are fleece tights, with material about as thin/thick as my Pearl Izumi arm warmers but more comfortable against the skin and warmer. The material is a bit thicker than my Nashbar knee warmers. They're $5.99 each or $10 for two on special. The Walgreen's website doesn't specify prices, so it may vary in some areas.

I'm 5'11", 160 lbs with 33" inseam and the women's M/L just about fits me. I could probably wear the next larger size but it might not fit inside my jeans as well for casual rides and errands. I've worn 'em several times, under jeans or various cycling baggy shorts. I usually wear Champion boxer/briefs against the skin. My saddles are padded so padded shorts are superfluous. No problems on rides up to 50 miles.

I actually bought them intending them for my mom. But with her 79 y/o arthritic shoulders, stiff knees and back she couldn't manage tights anymore. So I'm getting her looser fitting fleece lined pajamas.

Didn't want to waste the tights so I tried 'em on myself. Darned if they didn't fit and feel comfy. And there's no neon sign flashing "I'm wearing my mom's tights!" on the back. But I bought a couple other pair just for myself to be safe.

I don't expect the material to hold up as well as my Pearl Izumi gear, but at this price I don't care. If it gets through this winter that's good enough.

rumrunn6

bought a pair in the largest size they had, I got them on but the waist was too short and the legs were too tight. gave them to Wifey. she laughed her a*s off at the idea even tho I tried to explain the features & benefits. she hasn't tried them on yet but I'm pretty sure she will like them. just found some on amazon sized 4XL ... that oughta work!

rumrunn6

if I didn't already have standard men's running tights & the thicker tights from EMS, these would be a good cheap option. but the legs are tight. a guy with bigger legs wouldn't like them. don't know why these are so popular w women. I'll throw them in the cycling mix & maybe use them to rake the roof as well under my other various pants. they should make a legit men's version with bigger legs