Ouch! That's when thin liner gloves come in handy.

We've had a steady stretch of below zero, up to single digit highs here.
If I flat, my plan is to jog the bike to my destination or inside a service station to repair it, whichever is closer.
I'm not dressed for standing outside and I'm not taking the gloves off.

Wow, is it bad that I read "19 degrees" as a sigh of relief? I changed a flat last night when it was 4 degrees (-12 with windchill) and I hope to NEVER do it again!

Consider dressing for the weather, even if you think you won't get out of your car. Because you will.

I have trouble in the very cold temps trying to get the clothing correct. I am good at wearing what works for riding, but that doesn't work for standing around fixing a flat. I have only a 5 mile commute, so now I'm throwing in an extra sweatshirt in my bag and will use my cell phone if I get a rear flat. I'll fix the front, but there is no way I'm going to be changing an IGH full chaincase rear in the dark at 5 degrees on the side of the road.

I don't blame you. 5ºF is cold, and a full chaincase must take a long time to unravel and furl.

Another NOVA commuter here. I've been chickening out and taking the metro to work all this week and last....and then jogging in my exercise room .

I miss my bike. I'm thinking about going tomorrow morning. Mostly I hate the strong winds we've had lately.

Yeah, winds suck if you're westbound. Eastbound they rock :-)

Really, the winds lately are the only problem. The people who complain about temps in the teens have never tried it with appropriate clothing. I did it with a short-sleeved jersey for a base, thin fleece long-sleeve over that, and a thin windbreaker shell. Not too bulky, and I was actually too *hot*.

Now, I do wish the rest of the dang ice on the trail would melt so I can get off the studs.

With prevailing winds here mostly from the northwest, it seems like riding a combination of the W&OD/4 Mile Run and Mt Vernon Trail from Falls Church to Rosslyn I get hit with a headwind on at least half of the ride going east or west. The worst part is that it is the second half of the ride.

On the subject of the slime tubes, I tried those for both my road bike and commuter and wasn't satisfied with their performance in really sealing a pin point hole. I got a hole in the tube in my front tire last spring and it would seal and then a couple miles later would start spitting out its goo again. Made a real mess of the top of the front fork and down tube.

Well the heat wave today wasn't much help! I'm holding out for the snow tomorrow. That ride home today felt like I rode a century tho.