ironwood

A few years ago I could comfortably ride in temps as low as -10 Celsius (14 Fahrenheit), but now I don't ride when it is colder than about -7 C or 25 F. There used to be a saying that "if your hands or feet are cold, put on a hat." I have a winter liner in my helmet and a silk balaclava . I sometimes have silk under merino long johns under cycling pants. I usually have a silk longsleeve tee under a merino Tee..my other layers might be a turtleneck and either a sweater o fleece pullover, it varies. I have lobster gloves or ski gloves; a yellow wind breaker, and I have thick socks.. If i'm too warm I take something off. It might be wise to carry something like a down jacket in a handlebar or saddle bag so when you stop, you don't lose heat and get cold.

staehpj1

Riding a mountain bike on single track helps. The lower speed equals less wind chill. Down to the teens I don't find I need much in the way of thick layers, just a warmish jersey, but do need to have a wind proof shell on top. Tights that are windproof in the front are nice when it gets to 20 and below. I wear my regular shoes with some mesh and medium weight socks. regular full finger MTB gloves are barely okay down to the upper teens. XC ski gloves are luxuirous, but my old ones wore out and it isn't worth buying new ones since I moved to Tallahassee. I had a pair for decades that I won from the prize table at a West Virginia MTB race and they were a prize posession until they eventually wore out. They'd have lasted forever here in Tallahasse

All of that assumes trail riding. On the road I'd add a layer on top, definitely wear warm gloves. and wear shoe covers in the colder temps. If it is really bad pogies are great, but I get off the road when it is really cold and have never needed them at trail speeds

rumrunn6

https://www.bikeforums.net/winter-cycling/

staehpj1

I got to rhinking maybe it would be worth having some winter gloves even though it only gets into the teens once a year or so here and I manage okay with some long finger nininsulated gloves and just trail riding where the windchill won't be too bat. Any way I was reading some reviews of some winter insulated bike gloves.and was amazed at the variability of how peoples cold tolerance was. The same gloves that some found okay for 0 F others claimed they were cold at 40 F. Given that I don't even think about using long fingered gloves until it is way below 40 F it kind of floored me that an insulated glove would be rated as not wam enough for 40 F by some, but I guess it illistrates the point that this is a very individual thing.

Any way I think I may spring for some PEARL iZUMi AmFIB full finger insulated gloves for northern travel and for the very for mornings in the high teens and low twenties here. Once it gets to the mid or upper mid twenties I am fine with uninsulated full fingered gloves.

Oh, and like shoes fit is important. If they are too tight they will be cold. With shoes, cramming in more socks will just make you colder if it cuts circulation.

stardognine

Yep, gloves are real funny, for temp ratings. I think it's all about how much body fat a person has, with hands being one of the most vulnerable body parts.

I had some really nice Pearl Izumi gloves before, with padding & light insulation in the perfect places. I forgot them, sitting on the counter of a remote mountain store, and by the time I realized it, I was way down the other side of the mountain, with frozen hands. 😭

I wasn't about to re-climb that mountain, to get them back. It would've been 2 or 3 times worse. 🙄😉

alcjphil

Maybe not. The lower speed and higher effort might have kept your hands warm. That said, I probably would have done what you did

staehpj1

Body fat makes a difference with how you get chilled when you stop for sure. When I was in really good racing form I froze if the made us sit at the start or if I stopped and didn't have a layer to put on. While riding hard I put out heat like a furnace fat, skinny, or in between. Also I know fat people who get cold really easily even in fairly warm conditions due to poor circulation. So the fat keeping you warm thing isn't all that straight forward. It may or it may not.

WilliamT

For me, if I'm riding below 25 degrees (F), I use my heated gloves liners. I recommend the Power In Motion ones. They run at 12v and generate a lot more heat than the ones that run at 7.4v. I have the glove liners in combination with bar mitts. I usually kept it running in medium heat if I'm riding for a few hours. You can run it on high, but you'll get so hot you'll have to pull them out of the mitts to cool down. Most heated jackets run at 12v and the gloves come with cables to join everything.

Motion Heat International – Motion Heat US | International

PDKL45

downtube42

Lots of things can cause hands/feet to be cold.

Cold core
Cold limbs
Restricted blood flow
Maybe cold head, I'm not sure
Poor circulation

And of course simply insufficient insulation at the hands/feet to keep the warmth in.

This past Sunday I rode 9 hours in temperatures from 28F to 40F. Depending on effort level and wind exposure, my experience included bouts of cold hands, cold feet, and perfectly comfortable. In my experience that's just how it is.

rsbob 

My understanding is that a warm core is key since your torso tries to sequester additional blood to keep you organs warm. When that is toasty then the core will not be so greedy allowing more blood to the extremities. Two big areas of heat loss I learned from skiing is the head and neck. Be sure to wear a under helmet beanie and a neck gator.

I am relatively thin (6’1” and 164 lbs) and have had difficulty keeping toes and fingers warm, so I really concentrate on keeping the areas above warm, then wear thermal tights, base layers warm gloves and either booties or shoe toe covers. Today was 45* and I was good with a base layer, thermal jersey and insulated vest, thermal legs and toe covers and cycling cap inside my helmet. However today was hill repeats with 2000’ in 20 miles, so plenty of opportunity to generate heat.

samupin

i tend to layer up as if i am going hiking with light layers but when riding primarily just doing wool base layer, flannel shirt, light jacket/waterproof/windproof build.
good luck

Lombard

This may be true. However, if my core is too warm, I start sweating profusely and then become cold. My core can actually be too warm while fingers and toes are cold. Keeping wind off my neck is key. In colder weather, I wear a hoodie under my helmet which protects the head and neck. I now have a pair of electric socks which strangely not only keep my toes warm but prevent my fingers from getting too cold. Maybe the body senses it doesn't have to send as much heat to the toes, so it goes to the other extremities?

SpeedyBlueBiker

I rarely ride bikes when it is under 50F/10C and never under 45F/7C. I end up getting a snotty nose due to the wind which is really irritating for the whole ride. I do other activities when it is cold such as running, snowshoeing, and low land hiking. Or I just go to a warm weather area and ride there. My Christmas Eve & Day rides were great! Sunny and 66F/19C early in the morning.

reverborama

Wow, you guys wouldn't like it here during the winter. Just about all my riding from December to March is below freezing. I've done several rides at -10F and below but that's about my limit for any distance over a couple of miles but I'll do a 2 or 3 mile ride to the store or the brewpub no matter how cold it is. Just layer up!

jnbrown

I live in San Diego. It is never too cold to ride, low 50’s is as cold as it gets during the day.
I can’t imagine riding in 40s or below. Rain is the only thing that stops me from riding.

rsbob 

Mountain biking might just be the answer for below freezing rides. Road biking around here has a lot of hills with descents easily over 35 MPH where the wind chill, when below zero, can have quite the wind chill. But a good workout on some of the rail-trails makes good sense.

rosefarts

Unpopular opinion for this forum. I haven’t ridden my bike in probably 2 months.

Its winter, it’s snowy, it’s melty, and it’s dirty.

I can go ski, and be warm, maybe even hot the whole time or I can go ride and pretty much freeze the whole time.

I am clean at the end of a day skiing. A bike and me are usually both filthy after a day of winter riding.

Get a touring setup, get skins, and hike those skis up. I’m not going to be out of shape in the spring.