Around -4 F. If that's the equivalent of -20 C. Depends on humidity and wind, of course. At -4, it must be close to no wind, and it must be rather dry, or the cold will be unendurable. Some of the worst weather is actually what we have on a typical Danish winter morning: Wind around 10-15 m/s, temp around 30 F, and sleet. That's plain depressing.

The coldest temperature I've ridden in is -40C/F ... commuting to work (it warmed up a bit on the way home).

Never less than 85 deg. f., sunny, no wind, cool beach to ride to.....

Unless you'er talking skiing.

It's the clothing not the temp.

Have commuted to work in the single digits (8 or 9 Fahrenheit) but it's sort of a hassle to get enough gear on to ride in those temps, and I don't want to invest in cold weather riding shoes or boots, so the teens is about as cold as I go now.

Having said that, it's 27 degrees this morning and I probably won't ride because of the sudden drop from mornings in the upper 30s. This year I'm feeling a fair bit older than I have in previous years. Not sure why. Well, actually, work has been pretty intense this last year. Funny how that can be a distraction in other parts of life, including riding.

Try motorcycle goggles. I use a pair when it gets chilly, because otherwise I can water a garden with the stream from my eyes ;-)

I will ride in temps above freezing. I live in Canada and can deal with a bit of cold, but icy roads are another story.

Cheers,

Brian J.

Denver, I'm a native of the city of Denver and lived lots of years out to the SE of town. I've ridden my titanium Xizang mountain bike across Cherry Creek and Chatfield lakes, as well as the Platte River. That's the same bike that's been along the southern coast in salty air. As a native, I should have been used to the cold, but the cold on my face and ears is just too brutal. Watery eyes, runny nose, ear aches, etc. aren't my cup of tea.

Though I can ride when it's 20 F out, across large bodies of water frozen with 3-ft. thick caps of ice, I prefer the warm breezes, sand, palm trees and even those flying rats - the seagulls - who dive bomb me.

32.... no wind or rain.... must have sun :)

Good idea. How do you deal with glasses? Prescription goggles?

I don't mind 40 degrees if the sun is out and the wind is not blowing me all over. But that requires a true freak of weather here in the midwest. Normally, winter is cloudy and windy. That had few positives, until my area became wind-farm central.:lol:

I kind of broke my own rule today. 58 and Sunny, so I did 21 miles. Legs were fine, upper body was freezing! Had a T-Shirt, Long sleeve short, and another bike shirt on, and was still cold.

Three winters ago, I rode to work (9 miles one way) in -5F with -35/-50 windchill; I was out there for an hour, felt some pain, but still had a smile on my face; since my job is now only 2 miles away, I don't see any more adventures like that one on the horizon. But I'd do it again!

I chose -9 to 0°F, only because that's the coldest I've ridden, and it's not really likely to get much colder than that around here. The lake (Lake Ontario) moderates our temperature. If it freezes solid across, then all bets are off.

You need a wind breaker - truly - even the lightest makes a huge difference.

That is such a rare occurrence that it has actually happened only twice in recorded history, and neither of those winters were within either of our lifetimes.
The real kicker is that you guys usually get more severe winters on the south side of the lake than we do up here.

+1 Any colder than that and I move.

If I wasn't such a wuss, I'd carry my bike with me on the road all winter, but I have no desire to bring a wet slushy bike inside my cab.
But, if I did bring it with me, I could probably get bragging rights for riding down to -35 or so, as I routinely venture into such temps on my travels.
I have seen folks cycle commuting in -40 in Places like Saskatoon and Yellowknife. Brrr!

I don't honestly know my low-temp limit for cycling - haven't gotten there yet. For the record, it was 19-20 f when I left for work (on the bike) yesterday and today. And IIRC, I've ridden in single digits. Must by my Norwegian genes: "There is no bad weather, only inadequate clothing."

SP
Bend, OR

Willingly? By choice not necessity? Something more than a couple miles?

I want a minimum of 60 and sun.

I voted 10+. In the single digits my fingers freeze too fast, I need heavy boots, and exposed facial skin freezes. Kinda takes the fun out of it.
However, I did invest in ski goggles recently. I hope they're worth it.

I went out on the MTB 2wks ago when it was 40deg and steady rain. Came home wet, good warmth and big smile on my face knowing I did a tough ride while everybody else in town was inside.

Not sure how much I'll continue or how cold. I'm a 99% roadie.

I clicked on 1 - 10 but that is to get somewhere in the city, not for recreation. I figure I am out in the cold for a shorter time if I cycle to the store, library, bank or whatever, than walking. For a fun ride it can't be much below 32F.

Was there any cotton - the hypothermic fabric - in those layers?

In 21 miles you sweat and it will get caught in the cotton.

I'm trying really, really hard to get Panama for my next and final marina management gig. I think maybe the coldest they've gotten in recorded history has been down into the 60's. Up in the mountains. Dead of winter. Cloudy day. Rain.

Last weekend: breezy, bright sunny day, rolling hills, 35 degrees, 34 miles. Turned out to be a great ride. Wore base layer covered by long sleave jersey, windbreaker and vest. Booties over my shoes, full gloves with handwarmers. Much more enjoyable than expected.

I hate cold weather riding. I have a pair of tights, and could bundle up but I hate it. I am basically a t-shirt and shorts rider. If it was a club ride or something like that I might ride at 55, but not anything lower.

Same here. We normally don't get under 5F, and when we do, it's not for many days.

When I rode at 0F a few years ago my gear wasn't as good as I have now, so I expect to do it again with less suffering.

But I will likely take the more direct route to/from work under those conditions, to cut down the time of exposure. My feet are the weak link and due to them I have trouble staying out there longer than about an hour when it gets really cold.

I now live in San Jose, where there is never any weather that I will not ride in. I moved here from Maine, where I rode at temps down to 0F. My commute in Maine was 15 miles, and in the winter it took me ~1hr 15 mins. At 0F, putting warm water in my water bottle and storing it in the cage upside down, it would be fully frozen by the time I got to work.

I've wondered: Does really cold weather put undue stress on spokes, chains and bearings?

Voted 51 - 60. We Floridians are wimps. I actually considered voting 61-70.