Finally hit the teens here in PA (Fahrenheit). I rode on Tuesday and it was in the low 20s (approx -6 Celsius). I forgot my Endura wind pants. Big mistake. I did about 30 miles the last ten in heavy wind and when I got home my legs were as red as lobsters. Went out of Wednesday and it was in the teens. Took the pants, layered up, was pretty warm. I noticed a few ice patches, so yesterday I put my Nokian snow tires on. They're noisy, heavy, and slow, but they really do grip the road. I think it's OK to reduce mileage, maybe even time on these rides. Riding in the cold weather is a lot of work, and if you add the Nokians, it's even more effort. Comments appreciated. 16 degrees today (-8 Celsius).

Strat,
Sounds like a cold weather gear testing ground up there, and through New England and the Midwest states, too. Wind pants make a big difference for me, and a wind shell was my wives Christmas present to me, a Pearl Izumi. If the wind is broken and I have on the base layer (Under Armour Cold Gear for me) I can handle the cold. One thing I learned here was to get a Baklava for my head and face, UA has one in the Cold Gear line, there are many others available.

Please be careful in that ice, we don't need any threads about injuries form slip and crash from ice, here. BTW, you members up in the North, Midwest and Great Plains have my admiration for your initiative in riding in these extreme temperatures you are having. It was 65 here yesterday and supposed to hit 70 today.

Bill

I am thinking that it's OK to hit fewer miles. I did close to 30 yesterday and it took me at least 20 minutes longer than usual because of the tires.

What could anybody possibly say that would make you think otherwise? Yet it sounds like you're seeking approval or confirmation...really, it's fine, you're allowed to dial it back during the worst parts of winter, no one will revoke your Cyclist Card.

OK ... howz this? You guys are nuts. But in a good way, of course.

There's no set formula for normal road bike miles vs. winter miles. Just listen to your body, enjoy your ride, and get a good workout.

Yes, it's possible to enjoy winter rides. Particularly when it's a balmy -6 °C.

Enjoy your rides like usual. I have been doing this in sub zero temps for a long time and I still slow down alot in the cold. I put on my Nokians after thanksgiving and they stay on through March. My average speed drops by about 3mph and my normal 1 hour commute ends up being 1 hour 20 mins. The worse part of that is I'm out longer in the cold and its DARK out. Warmer and longer days are coming and this Arctic air will pass and we'll return to basking in the 30's again.

Just do it man!!! I would love to be out, it's only 20 degrees F here. But I got a cold or something and tried to cough up a lung yesterday, so staying inside and will play a little old man's basketball over the lunch hour. Subs will be needed!!

If you didn't slow down with the studs, I would think you were stretching things a bit. I'm running on them myself and they slow me down more than I thought. When spring comes it is great though. Narrow slick tires are a boost for my ego.

I enjoy this thread. I've slowly been lowering the tempterature I feel comfortable in. I'm down to about 30F. Much colder than that and I can get pretty frosty. Smartwool undergarments help. Still working on how to keep the feet warm. I wear wool socks and neoprene shoe covers, but as a bent rider my feet take the wind straight on.

I'll probably ride tomorrow, in temps of 25-30F. I'll be proud to get 20 miles in. If I wasn't such an addict to this stuff.....

or you could always try this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTxA-xeR3_w

Here is a hardy rider

We are not having COLD but it is none too warm. Rode last week in 25F and I layered up but only wore KNickers on the legs. My calf muscles rarely feel the cold so just covering the knees was enough. But the ride was slow. Wind still got onto the face and the number of layers restricted movement. Roll on Summer when we can get some of that warming rain.

I've been riding here in SE Pennsylvania under the same conditions this week. My mileage and time out always go down in this kind of weather. However, my time in "layering up" increases!

My rides have been starting with temps in the mid 20's but warming up to the low to mid 40's. I've found I just put on a whole additional layer and I'm fine. Such as I wear tights over leg warmers. But all the bulk and low temps really does slow you down.

It's getting chilly locally. Currently -30F. Hopefully it won't get COLD because that would be another 20 or 30 degrees colder and then I wimp out.

I understand that clipless pedals are many pounds lighter, offer a 100% boost in power transfer, and result in 10 to 20 mph more speed than toe cages, but I still ride with toe cages. That allows me to switch to an old pair of Reeboks when temperatures are in the twenties. The old Reeboks have a lot thicker soles than do the cycling shoes, and they will accommodate a couple of pairs of socks without crowding; therefore, my feet are warmer than they would be otherwise. If I'm feeling particularly susceptible to the cold, I'll add some toe warmers over the end of the tennis shoes and add some chemical toe warmers inside. This has worked for me. YMMV.

Personally, I think it is better to ride frequently than to ride far or fast.

So, with that in mind, I will often shorten a ride (both in mileage as well as time) for a number of reasons:
-- Cold
-- Rain
-- Other, important things to do
-- Feeling tired
-- Feeling bored
-- Feeling uncomfortable

So, rather than push myself to do something I do not want to be doing at the moment, I would rather cut the ride short and try to do better the next day.

I guess the macho crowd would scoff at such a whimpy attitude...

But, I am (hopefully) in it for the long haul -- and I think keeping it safe and fun is more important than any single accomplishment.

Instead, I try to set a mileage goal (20-30 miles/day) and a frequency goal (5-6 days a week). But I don't want to kill the golden goose. So, if it isn't working that day, then I think getting in 8 miles is better than no miles. And, hopefully tomorrow will be better.