You mean like this?!

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...p;d=1389156673

That nail went right through my thick studs. But I happened to get that flat at exactly the right time last winter - just as I was riding by a skating rink with a warming house. I went inside and repaired it.

I don't worry about fixing flats in the winter. I can barely get those studded Mount and Grounds off my rims while I'm in the comfort of my shop - no way I'm going to try to fix a flat when it is dark, sub zero, and I'm soaked with sweat. If I get a flat, I'm calling my wife. If my cell phone is dead due to the cold, I'll hoof it to a convenience store or bus stop. I know I'll be OK if I can keep moving.

You "nailed" it on the head. I have also used the "call-my-wife" option several times.

I road yesterday with 0 Deg F on way in and 5 Deg F on way home (not including wind chills, there were also 30-40mph wind gusts). Do I do that all the time, no. For me it really depends on the wind. I would ride 20-30 below if the wind was in the right direction, like yesterday :)

A few years ago I was sitting at an intersection on snowy, cold evening. I had too much air in my tires for the conditions so I decided to let some out. I had a devil of a time getting the valve cap off because it had frozen to the valve. I finally got it loose, only to hear a loud "whoosh" when I had gotten it mostly off.

Turns out I hadn't gotten the cap free at all, instead I was unknowingly unscrewing the whole valve mechanism (it was a presta). it took me a moment to figure out what happened but by the time I did, most of the air was gone. I had two miles left to go. With all that snow on the ground I figured there was little damage I could do, so I just rode it like that.

Made it home and nothing was harmed.

i cycled to and from work yesterday 1/8 in NYC where temps were 5-10F. it was cold, not gonna lie. but do-able. i counted at least 6 cyclists on the bridge.

windy and cold today...!

3 layers top: fleece plus two underlayer

2 layers bottom: fleece and underlayer

2 layer gloves: knit liners inside fleece heavy weight gloves

2 layer head cover: baklava + skull cap and gator

1 layer wool socks

sneakers


i was comfortable for the ride today except the feet - so i'll wear a 2nd layer of wool socks for the ride back.


and wear the baffin winter boots i have for the next time, and dismantle the toe gates since the boots will be too big for them.



and my follow up for the ride back


i rode back yesterday with:


wool socks plus another wool sock over it, and double backed for essentially 3 layers of wool on the feet. this happened to be a comfortable and warm-enough solution considering i was wearing mizuno trainers with lots of air holes. (see photo to see how i double-backed it)

I rode my six mile one way commute every day this week. In central Ohio, Thursday morning was the coldest at -8 degrees F with -20 wind chill. I was absolutely fine both ways. I do worry about flats or mechanical issues when it is so cold. If I experienced anything, my plan is that I would lock up bike, walk or run to nearest place to get inside, and phone for a ride. Then I'd drive back and pick up my bike. Knock on wood, I've never had to resort to this plan.

+1 I highly recommend getting a wife if you don't already have one. They can really come in handy.

I had a similar thing happen to me few winters ago. A very sharp long screw went through my rear Nokian Extreme 294's. I just heard a big whooosh and it was an instant flat. It was hell chainging a tube in below freezing weather, I had a really hard time getting the tires off the rims and then getting them back on.

It was 10 degrees in VA, wind chill -3. I rode and this is what I took (I actually was a bit overdressed, one fewer baselayers would have been good) . It's all about the layers.

-- Lower body: Heavy-weight lined cycling tights under loose fitting windbreaker pants
-- Upper body: Tightish mixed blend nylon/wool jersey under midweight Smartwool base layer under retro cool wool Molteni sweater under wind shell.
-- Feet: Heavy defeet woolie boolie socks, shoes under tight midweight shoe covers under heavyweight looser fitting lined goretex booties.
-- Hands: Ibex wool glove liners under midweight cycling gloves under extra large loose old Fila polar fleece gloves
-- Head: Tight over ear head cover under full balaclava under helmet

make that mano a mano

Got down to 55 last couple of nights--coldest it's been since I've lived here.

I really envy you guys who get to enjoy four seasons . . .:D

It was cold in Minneapolis compared to what we've had so far, but last winter this was pretty common, I think. Three days with air temps below zero and one day with an air temp of single digits (when I went to work in the morning). If you give me the choice, I'll GLADLY take the cold over snow! With the right gear on, biking in the cold isn't too bad-- the key is having the right gear.

I was gratified at the above responses, because I’ve never gotten replies about neglecting wind chill, and I didn’t mean for it to sound like false bravado.

This morning I rode my 14 miles commute at 21ºF and realized another meteorologic factor I never consider…time of day and cloud cover. Usually I commute and arrive 7:30 AM at the latest, so I usually am in the dark. This morning I rode at 10:00 AM and the bright sun was at about 60º above the horizon and the radiant heat made me feel quite warm. Even on my early morning commute, I may catch some low sun rays, and they are noticeably warm.

It’s so rare to ride in Winter daylight that I don’t count on radiant heat, but whereas 21º would prompt me to wear a heavyweight winter jacket, today a fleece would have been sufficient. I did change from my heavyweight ski gloves into a thinner, knit pair while en route, and kept the face mask pulled down low most of the route.

Last few days I've been riding in temps of -18 Celsius below zero(-0.4 F) with the windchill factor of around
-23 Celsius below zero(-9 F). Other then that it's been an easy winter to ride , we only had one big snowstorm since December.

I haven't ridden since the start of this deep freeze, and driving to work along some of the same roads on which I ride I can see that the road conditions are not good for riding. There is considerable snow on the road which effectively makes the road much more narrow. I don't feel safe riding that close to the traffic. So for the foreseeable future there will be no riding.

I have a cold, and need to get bike to shop for new brake pads. That said, i did get to ride in the arctic chill last monday. I forgot my scarf, so i was basically breathing in the 10 degree air straight while exerting myself flat out. It's probably what gave the cold a foothold. Lesson learned, no forgetty scarfy.

As a small concession i was also up in doylestown last weds evening and walked a fair distance from my doc's office to starbucks to wait for a ride in the ~12 degrees. THAT i dressed properly for, thankfully, as that's when the cold was near it's worse with sore throat and lead lungs.

Hoping i get another crack at riding in some chilly weather this winter! :)

- Andy

When I left home this morning at 6:00AM the temperature was -21 Celsius below zero (-5F) with the windchill of around -27 Celsius (-16F). I wasn't wearing any goggles and every time I blinked my eyes it felt like my eye lids was going to freeze shut.

Eye covering in cold = souper importante.

- Andy

Also - Don't lick the handlebars.

I wouldn't say it's absolutely essential, I've never had a frostbite yet....My main problem with goggles is fogging, I haven't yet found a way to prevent fogging.

Hell! I grew up in billing Montana during the harsh winters of the seventies! We were smart enough to leave the bikes home. We hooky-bobbed to get around town!
Say...I just added another thing to my bucket list!

I had a problem with goggles fogging too. And then in the teen's it would turn to ice. I use good side coverage bike glasses. I have a neck gaiter over my mouth and breath through the fleece. I put an adjustable glasses leash on the glasses, a "croakie". I set the leash so I can have the glasses down on my nose when I want to, but they won't fall off. When I slow down or work hard, I can "open" the top of the glasses a little by pulling them away from my face, to get more circulation in, to prevent fogging. I also wear a neck gaiter. It is just a fleece tube, but, the front is
shaped to go over your nose and under your eyes. If I get fogging I can pull it down under my nose to prevent fogging, or even below my mouth to drink, and then pull it back up. If it's really cold the gaiter goes up under the glasses.

In other words you need to be able to make adjustments on the fly. I have to open for ventilation at a stop, put then close up for higher speed. I have photos of this.

Darn, i knew i was doing something wrong...... :D

Yea, fogging sucks. I've ridden with and without eye coverings in teen and single digit with pretty steady wind, and it always helps, even with fogging. Normally if it's super brutal out i forgo eye covering & just pull my hat down low and have a scarf on so only a tiny bit is exposed. I should have done that last monday, but i did nt and now ive got a cold still a week later.
-
Andy

FWIW, I frequently post about my satisfactory solution to fogging eyeglasses and goggles, to as low as 0ºF for my 14 mile commute.

With particular reference to 2manybikes

See also this post.

I have been pedaling here in Central NJ with temperatures in the teens, occasionally a little wind. Biggest annoyance is that below about 25 degrees the Shimano 3 speed trigger freezes, turning my bike into a single speed.

First thing i think of is the cable may shrink in the cold if it gets low enough. My old 4 speed was definitely not happy about the cold, but it would still shift till the day i got hit... then it became a single speed haha. Might want to also tap on it or use some silicone lube in the selector to keep it jam-free. :)

- Andy