Cold, cold riding
 

It was 15 degrees F here in Central PA yesterday and 12 this morning. I rode about 20 miles yesterday, and it was very hard work. I'm wondering if other cyclists here ride fewer miles in this kind of weather, of if they just don't ride at all.

It's definitely more work! Shorter and slower in those temps for me, but I'll still ride.

+ 1. 30 is around the farthest I'll go once it gets below freezing. It is more work and it's tough keeping your feet and hands warm. I bring a thermos with hot tea and honey on a cold day ride. When I get to the half way point, I'll stop to drink the thermos and have a power bar. That power bar tastes great with something hot on a cold day!

That's cold. Not even close to what you experienced. Just one time at Red Rock Canyon just north of Las Vegas it was high 20's to low 30's.

Some jackets act like wind breakers and when a rider goes 17 to 20 mph, that outer shell of the jacket starts to get cold and it transmits to the inner layers. Then its a battle between your own body temperature to keep the layers warm and the cold wind to work the opposite. Over a longer period of time, that cold wins.

I would imagine that second half of your 20 mile ride was the most difficult.

Coldest for me is 23F, the heavy clothes, heavy bike and high rolling resistence just makes longer rides a torture fest. Only 8 more weeks and the Cannondale Criterium is off the trainer. That's when all the winter rides begin to pay off.

I ride through the Minneapolis winters, most cold rides are commutes (10-12 miles one-way).

Yesterday was about 20-25F and I did about 30 miles running errands on my summer commuter with winter tires (studded front), this slowed me down a lot. I typically ride this bike in the summer at 16-18 mph, yesterday was 12 mph average speed. The muscles just aren't happy at these temps.

I will go out for fun rides on cold days too, last year I did 24 miles in sub-zero weather. I have the gear for cold weather and I enjoy these rides.

Edit - after thought. I'm a Strava-geek... Yesterday's ride had a 'suffer score' of 130, similar rides in the summer have 'suffer scores' of 37. Winter riding is a lot more work for the body and there are many reasons for that. (The Strava Suffer Score is an analysis of your heart rate data.)

I used to ride down to 20 degrees f. now it seems below 40 I'm waiting for it to warm up. Spending the winter in Austin TX can do that,

It IS harder! I try to ride in all weather, but take the indoor trainer option more frequently these days. A bout or two with frostbite in the last couple of years has tempered my enthusiasm.

Less miles, less time in the saddle, but I'll bet the caloric output is at least the same as Summer. There's increased effort frrom road surfaces and wind, calories burned to keep warm, as well as the sheer terror of a car sliding into me on the icy roads (bet that burns a few extra!)

My distance and speed decreases when the temperature is below freezing. Air density increases as temperature decreases. Your frontal area increases as additional layer of clothing are added. Also, with the extra layer(s) on your legs, your muscles must overcome the resistance to movement caused by the extra layer(s).

I bike commute year-round and often ride in below-freezing temps, but it usually doesn't get much colder than about 15 F here. I actually enjoy riding in the cold -- assuming it's dry and I'm wearing adequate gear -- and prefer it to hot humid weather. However, it's definitely more difficult and slower. Cold air is much denser, causing more wind resistance. Your muscles also take a lot longer to warm up and become more efficient. My average speeds are typically 1-2 mph slower on cold days.

Colder=slower, but it can still be fun!

I don't know which is most responsible for slowing me down: resistance from tights, wind resistance from bulkier clothing, more resistance from cold in mechanical parts (lube in wheel bearings or chains, or stiffer rubber in the tires). At some point it gets so cold you find yourself carefully choosing speed to get you warmer from pedaling harder vs. slower so the wind isn't so cold.

I try to keep riding outside as much as possible in the winter. I will not ride in icy conditions, it's just not worth the risk to me as I already have one hip replacement from a bike crash. I find that I feel like I'm working harder but still going slower based on power numbers and heart rate. It's also more difficult for me to maintain a good cadence, maybe it's the tights or just the viscosity of the blood :P I drew the line yesterday when it was 11 deg with 15 mph wind when I checked the weather. I live right on the coast and a lot of my riding is totally exposed to the wind so that has a major impact.
I'll hit the trainer for intervals and threshold work a couple of times a week to maintain some high end fitness and do endurance rides outside.
So far I've been able to maintain my mileage but December was quite mild. It seems like reality is finally raising it's ugly head so we shall see.:rolleyes:

I also ride through the Minneapolis winters (well, a western suburb of Minneapolis winter, anyway). I go along with the idea that "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes." I went for a shortish 7 mile ride last night and it was the equivalent of a 15 mile summer ride. The main reason for this is switching from a road bike with 700c x 25 tires to a fat bike with 4 inch tires and several layers of clothing and Lake winter boots. Even my "fast" winter bike (700c x 32 studs front and rear) is pretty slow compared to standard road bike. Those Lake boots are probably a huge factor in speed as that's rotating weight but without them it's not worth riding! I was actually a little over-dressed last night and got pretty warm. I'm looking forward to the next few days as the temperature plummets to near-zero as it will give me a chance to fine tune the latest clothing I've picked up at various temperatures. And, yeah, it's hard, but think how much stronger you're going to be on May 1st!

Me too! I'm planning to take a 20 to 30 mile ride on Sunday. Meanwhile at TCF Stadium - Vikings home game Sunday will be one of coldest in NFL history - StarTribune.com

I'm trying to stick to ~10 mi each way commute to work (~20 mi total). If I'm early, then might do a few extra in Central Park. Yeah, yesterday was cold and was 11F for me in the morning. Afternoon felt like a heat wave at 28F. :) But 11F was pushing it a bit for me. Toes were getting numb later in the ride but was close to work so not a big deal. What do you guys wear in low temps when two wool socks, shoes and shoe covers are not cutting it? Maybe can go ghetto and try the plastic bag on the feet again...

I will ride in the low to mid 30 degrees F, but preferably if the sun is shining.

I have Reynaud's so my fingers get really cold and, freezing or below, I would have to wear gloves so thick it would make bike-handling, gear changing etc. more difficult.

I wear thick wool socks but the real trick is my Lake boots. They are roomy so the socks aren't compressed, they have an insulated insole so the cleat doesn't transmit cold as well, they come up over the ankles, and they aren't vented like a conventional bike shoe. If you are trying to cram two pairs of wool socks into your summer shoes you won't have as much luck as a single pair of decent socks. The shoe covers should block the wind but most likely the tight fit of a summer shoe and no insulated insole is probably the real problem.

My winter speeds are usually down: average speed below 14 mph versus about 16 or more in summer. I attribute it to wearing heavier and more clothing, plus facing stronger winds.

Someone above said the air is thicker. I'm not sure if that is true. I always felt like humid days were the worst for air resistance. But I would not be surprised to learn that colder air is more difficult to breathe efficiently.

[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 4"]Effect of temperature on properties of air
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Temperature
T (°C)
[/TD]
[TD]Speed of sound
c (m/s)
[/TD]
[TD]Density of air
ρ (kg/m[SUP]3[/SUP])
[/TD]
[TD]Characteristic specific acoustic impedance
z[SUB]0[/SUB] (Pa·s/m)
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]35
[/TD]
[TD]351.88
[/TD]
[TD]1.1455
[/TD]
[TD]403.2
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]30
[/TD]
[TD]349.02
[/TD]
[TD]1.1644
[/TD]
[TD]406.5
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]25
[/TD]
[TD]346.13
[/TD]
[TD]1.1839
[/TD]
[TD]409.4
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]20
[/TD]
[TD]343.21
[/TD]
[TD]1.2041
[/TD]
[TD]413.3
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]15
[/TD]
[TD]340.27
[/TD]
[TD]1.2250
[/TD]
[TD]416.9
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]10
[/TD]
[TD]337.31
[/TD]
[TD]1.2466
[/TD]
[TD]420.5
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5
[/TD]
[TD]334.32
[/TD]
[TD]1.2690
[/TD]
[TD]424.3
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]0
[/TD]
[TD]331.30
[/TD]
[TD]1.2922
[/TD]
[TD]428.0
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]−5
[/TD]
[TD]328.25
[/TD]
[TD]1.3163
[/TD]
[TD]432.1
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]−10
[/TD]
[TD]325.18
[/TD]
[TD]1.3413
[/TD]
[TD]436.1
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]−15
[/TD]
[TD]322.07
[/TD]
[TD]1.3673
[/TD]
[TD]440.3
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]−20
[/TD]
[TD]318.94
[/TD]
[TD]1.3943
[/TD]
[TD]444.6
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]−25
[/TD]
[TD]315.77
[/TD]
[TD]1.4224
[/TD]
[TD]449.1
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Ah, you have winter specific shoes. I was just using regular shoes (Bont A three). I think I bought a pair of Sidi wintershoes from my friend. Will have to dig them out...

Went out this morning and did a ~23 mile solo ride in 26°F

Well, it wasn't supposed to be a solo ride...but everyone else in the group chickened out!

Other than my face feeling really cold for the entire ride, and my toes starting to feel cold for the last 4 miles, it was what it was: A cold winter ride. As the old aphorism goes, there's no such thing as Bad Weather, only Inappropriate Attire.

Thanks. I learn something new everyday.

Temperature is just a state of mind. ;) Get the number out of your head and just figure out how you need to dress for any given temp. I basically get out every day for at least 20 miles unless the road conditions are too bad to be out there safely. But that I mean so slick I may wreck out even on my MB with snow tires and studs or snowing so hard that I can't expect cars to see me even with the lights at full power.

The "worse" ride so far this winter was 20 miles with a starting temp of -9F. Couple of layers of good ol' wool, a softshell or two, decent mittens and normal clipless shoes with neoprene covers, wool socks and chem packs. No problem.

This is how I looked when I got done and let me just say I actually was quite comfortable despite my appearance.

http://www.pbase.com/jhuddle/image/162200883.jpg

Sometimes it's more of a problem dealing with the equipment then it is the temperature. RD can freeze up and stop shifting, Cassette may get coated in ice, water bottle may freeze solid, and don't even think about letting any breath escape upwards and onto your glasses, instant ice.

This still makes no sense. We all know that air which is less dense is colder, as the equation PV=NRT shows. Temperature is clearly inversely proportional to number of molecules in the air. We see it with the cold temperatures at high altitude, like up on Mount Everest versus the extremely hot temperatures in Death Valley which is below sea level. Air up high is thin, thus colder. Air down low is thicker, thus hotter.

Now, I guess, it makes some sense that cold crystallizes water vapor and gravity pulls the heavier moisture down to ground level or something similar. But, then again, we all know hot air rises. So, hot air is clearly less dense than cold.

I'll need to google around to find out what gives here.

Ah, found it.

Holy cow. I guess its a good thing you do have a beard and moustache? Chapeau to you for sticking with it.