This thread sure makes me feel like a wimp. I don't really like to ride under 65 and haven't done so this year. In a colder winter, I'll go down into the 50s. But not often.

For the commute: Whatever come up. 22 is my coldest, but was very unusual. Really cold usually means just above 32
For fun: 50ish, though I'll go lower if someone teases me or encourages me.

Approximately 50 degrees. But a lot of my riding is done in Florida so I can ride year round there.

you da man! :thumb:

But it was more fun without the studs, got to practice my falling Technic.

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Originally Posted by RVH (Post 19419716)

I feel like I am a wimp because if it's below 50 I don't ride. Do any of you ride in the cold? If so,how do you handle the layers and not getting too warm, downwind/into the wind,etc…

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As a decades-long year round cycle-commuter with a 14 mile one-way route and a busy job, cycling is basically my only exercise, and besides for fitness, getting to work is my only motivation to ride anywhere in the winter, but I do enjoy it. However this is offset by

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Originally Posted by Jim from Boston (Post 19417735)

…I also have a very convenient Commuter Rail option,including to transport the bike with me. I frequently stay over (comfortably) at work to save commuting time for my busy job...

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My lowest temperature has been 0⁰ F. Over the years I have developed a personal #1 to #6 scale of dress in approximately 10-degree increments (by ambient temperatures, not wind-chill) to decide what to wear, without even going outside beforehand.

This last Saturday was my coldest ride of the year at about 3 PM at 12⁰, with some radiant heat from the sun, into a north headwind. I started out with some trepidation because I didn’t have my winter jacket (level 6) but was comfortable nonetheless at level 5. (Just a couple days before it was in the 50’s...level 2-3) I had to ride to arrive home by about 5 PM for a planned activity, and it was too late for the train.

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Originally Posted by Jim from Boston (Post 19229023)

… I have extracted this slogan [about winter cycling] from a post by @scoatw of Ohio, "Gear and gumption." Always on bad weather days someone at work will ask me,"You didn't ride your bicycle today, did you?." :foo: :eek:

When it’s really bad out, my wife will chide me, “You just want to ride your bike today, so you can write about it to Bike Forums." :notamused:

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BTW

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Originally Posted by Jim from Boston (Post 19094435)

…Speaking of winter I have on a few posts repeated the suggestion of the definition of a cold ride as one where the water bottle freezes solid, as a function of temperature and time. For my 14 mile commute of slightly over an hour that occurs at about 15º F….

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:thumb: heard you laugh after the 1st fall but not after the 2nd :innocent:

I don't really like to ride bike in cool condition. And in winter season I don't ride them all the time. Especially morning hour.

Wimp schmimp! I'm not impressed by guys riding in cold and showing their ice covered bikes and frozen water bottles. I don't go out under 60, which will be 50s or less in the valleys or in sunless wind. I can't stand wearing layers when I ride, I'd rather hike.

Good to see some other wimps here. I'll start a ride in the morning at 40 and hope it warms up to the 50's, but 2 or 3 hours at 40 degrees or below is not my idea of fun.

I like 50 or better but being in Louisiana that's usually not a problem.

I haven't found a temp I will not ride in, I'm training for the Arrrowhead 135 and air temps for this ride can be -30F. So when the local forecast said that it'd be -22F back in December, I got my stuff ready to ride first thing in the morning - y'know, before it warmed up. Air temps were recorded at -24F and my Garmin reported -27F. I did 12 miles and would have happy been out all day, but I had schedule conflicts. I never felt cold or uncomfortable. Lisa took a pic right after I got home, much of the frost already fell off.
https://s25.postimg.org/yhnrwa1tr/IMG_2356.jpg

Truth be told, I like riding sub-zero temps so much more than wet and 30F. There's just no way to stay dry and warm in those conditions.

Full disclosure: I'm not 50 yet, but I can see it from here, and I don't see changing in the next two years.

To be clear, there's nothing wimpy about knowing your limits. Not every rider is created equal. I have some very tough riding buddies that can not handle the cold temps. I'm just one of those freaks that runs really hot; riding the extreme-cold doesn't bother me.

I do enjoy a little ego-boost for being somebody doing something unique, but I don't look down on others for not doing it.

That was actually my forth and last fall, the other 2 I missed on video. The cold was sapping my batteries for the camera, so I had it shut off at times. The temp for this coming weekend looks super cold again, so I ice trails will be calling me again.

yeah saw that but I'm not expecting to see any snow or ice anywhere. planning on Carver, MA for Sat

I occasionally do short rides on my own in the winter, just 5-6 miles, and for those I almost don't care what the temperature is as long as the roads are free of ice. But most of my riding is club rides, 25 miles or more; and for those I usually want the temperature to hit >40F during the ride as an indicator that I won't freeze my fingers off.

Eyeglass/goggle fogging is the limiting factor for me too. From my younger years, I have clothing figured out so I could (and did) ride even to double digits below zero F. I've tried most solutions to fight sub-zero fogging, but as I ride on city streets and need to stop, and that's when the fogging issue becomes unavoidable. Antifog treatments only work in my urban experience to clear the fog the first two or three times you stop, after which it kind of washes off.

But I don't have fogging issues too bad if I don't need to cover my nose and mouth, and for me my usual shortish rides, that means I'm good to the lower teens.

Don't over-dress. Have the right head, hands and feet covering. Wind-blocking tights are great. For me, riding at 25 to 50 degrees F. is really no different than riding at 65 degrees, just needs slightly different clothes.

As long as the surface is not ice or extremely slippery, temperature doesn't matter. It doesn't really get all that cold here. It's rare to get into the teens and I've ridden with temps in the teens. I don't know what my threshold is, but I doubt I'll see it living in Western Washington. Several inches of snow or freezing rain will keep me off the bike.

I am talking about cycle commuting. It's only about 7 miles each way. I really have no desire to go on long fitness rides at temps below 40 degrees (and it better be a sunny 40+ degrees.) At 50+ degrees (and dry) I'm pretty excited to get out there for a long ride.

The only deterrent that keeps me from riding is icy roads and the regions where I've lived have never gotten below 0°F (as far as I can recall) so that's my lowest so far.

I have this issue. for sub-zero rides, I typically start with glasses that protect me as I get warmed up. After 4-5 miles I stow the glasses in a pocket and ride bare-eyed for the rest of the ride.

Back in December, I decided to try snowboard goggles again. They fogged on the typical schedule, but since my route was both trails and roads; I kept the goggles on for trails and bare-eyes on the roads. This worked fine.

Fogging: the problem I'm still trying to solve.

back in the day, I did a century ride in 30F, with the wind chill factor I'm sure it was single digits. It was a miserable ride. Hated it, It cured me of thinking about riding outside in winter. Now my lower limit is 60F. And that is a hard number for me, 59F would be a no-go.

OTOH, there is no upper limit on the temp. In fact the hotter the better. I get excited just thinking about riding in 100+. For me, Triple digits = awesome ride.

I wear clear safety glasses (the more stylish ones :)). When they fog up I just pull them out/down just enough to ventilate. Tailwinds are a typical problem with fogging.

Tailwinds and stop-and-go traffic.

I find myself being a little slow at venting the glasses and once the fog is on the lenses, it freezes, and you won't have clear lenses until your inside. You'd think I'd learn.

My 'best choice' is the cheap aviator glasses I bought for a beach vacation (super cheap); their like a bad penny, I can't break or lose them. But they will not fog over quickly since they are not as form fitting and they have great visibility (peripheral).

Attachment 555257

Love it. And why do normal folk think we are crazy?? :lol:

As a teen in the '70s I wore those gas station rack aviators while snowmobiling and had two little burn marks from the nose pieces turning frigid cold. But they really were neato.