Try to ride every day unless
 

....the temp goes below 25 or there is snow/ice on the ground. At 67 and having had five surgeries in the past 5 years, I'm not about to tempt the fates! Most of my rides in the lower temps are usually less than 10 miles, but the wind always seems to be at 10-20 mph so I feel like I've ridden a lot further.

+1

I've just bought a pair of 3/4 length mtb shorts for the winter. Leg warmers for the start of the ride can then be taken off as I warm up or the temp rises. Sadly, the gloves never come off until March or April.

Fixing a flat when it is below 40 degrees is not fun.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...terthumper.jpg

Used to ride almost every day of the year in temps ranging from -46 C to nearly 40 C... I still enjoy winter riding a great deal save for when we get 12-18 inches of snow like we just saw.

We have started a Friday morning coffee get together that is held outdoors... had I not been down with a bug I would have been down in the river valley this morning and understand the snow was so bad only a few people made it.

Lunatics.

:D

This will be my first winter season cycling but it's not even winter yet. Today the temperature started at -5C. Last week we had snow. Earlier this week, we had heavy winds. Dressed properly according to the weather, I'm not dressed anymore than anybody waiting at the bus stop. Some motorists are dressed just as heavily. In fact, because I'm building up heat as I commute to work, I'm dressed a little lighter than those other people. I'm in layers.

When winter comes, we'll see if I can still hold out.

Although I prefer a nice comfortable 75 degrees, I like riding in the cold. I like watching the scenery change with the seasons. I like seeing Christmas decorations from my bike. I like knowing that people in their cars are saying, "Look at that idiot, he must be freezing", when of course, I'm not. I rode 20 miles yesterday in 22 F temps. Took me half an hour to get ready - shorts under thermal bibs, three layers above the waist, balaclava plus skull cap, gloves, heavy socks plus toe warmers.. had to use my tongue on the phone screen to start Strava (because of the gloves), my water bottle froze with 5 miles remaining, my average speed was almost 2 mph slower than summer, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

40 degrees is about my limit. I hardly see anyone else out on a bike during winter in the Chicago suburbs, so that makes me feel pretty rugged.

Testing in a refrigerated studio found that the most efficient temperature for cycling is 55°. Yes, they used fans. I think that's very true. One can put out more power for longer if one can get rid of the heat easily. It's going to be 20° here tonight and still be below freezing Sunday morning, so we won't be going for a ride. We had a series of huge storms all week with resulting flooding, so there will be spots which were flooded Saturday morning. One go-down can spoil your whole season.

Only way to keep the hands warm is bar mitts. Work great, you can ride in light gloves.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=420494

I love riding in the cold. In fact, I would rather ride in winter than the heat of summer. Snow and ice are not nice, but we rarely get that in NC.