surgeonstone

This is the first year I have made a real effort to ride whether cold, dark or snowy. I have noticed my times considerably slower, even when clean dry pavement is present. We do have to deal with more wind but still I seem to have slower times with the same level of output. One variable is a new Garmin Edge 500 replacing my old Cateye Astrale 8. Could there be that much inaccuracy between the Cateye and the Garmin? Is it just due to all the layers of clothing? Am I alone in this observation. Any input would be appreciated.

djpfine

This is my first year of riding, but I notice that I'm also slower in the cold. Granted, I haven't been riding as much as when I started over the summer, but I blame it on a number of things.

- Takes me longer to warm up
- It's more painful than riding in nice weather
- Winter just feels windier
- I sometimes focus too much on my hands/toes feeling cold instead of concentrating on my riding

surgeonstone

I hear you. I have conquered the cold toes and fingers, I have been steady in my milage, yet I am a good 2mph slower-frustrating.

Jakedatc

For me riding less in the winter and wearing more clothes slows things down.

MrTuner1970

I'm also slower in colder weather. It might be because I'm not inclined to go fast now. More endurance miles anyway. It's kind of a winter "hibernation" mode.

johnny99

Your body needs longer to warmup in cold weather. Try warming up for an hour then comparing your second hour's time with your summer times.

mkadam68

From what I have gleaned (it was on the internet, so it must be true! -- actually, it was from some exercise physiologists):

Cooler air is more dense, resulting in more resistance
Clothing is bulky-er, resticting movement more
Off-season mentally, resulting in harder to motivate
Combined, these factors become noticeable.

echappist

there's more air resistance at 32F than there is at 70F. This will cost you about 0.6mph alone. Add to the fact that wind is stronger in the winter, so even when you are going fast, you need to overcome more. End result is that for the same power output on a relatively flat terrain, you are looking at a decrease of 1.5-2.0mph

Butcher

I have the same issue. I attributed it to more layering, heavier bike, fenders, and large mud flaps.
It's all good, since I look forward to the nicer days with my dry bike.

kenji666

The gravitational constant is higher during the winter months due to the position of the moon. This creates more downward (normal) force which, in turn, creates more friction between the road surface and the bike's tires. Of course, this is only a theory. It needs to be proven with empirical and/or anecdotal evidence, such as, comparisons of riding speeds in cold versus warmer weather.

surgeonstone

So thanks- I don't feel like the aging process has gown wild now.