DaveQ24

Have you considered ski goggles? I've got a couple of pair, found they work really well for comfort. As a bonus, one has interchangeable lenses for different light conditions, and that helps a lot with glare in bright sun (although I don't actually ride much in the sunshine, but I do XC ski) or to enhance dim light on dark days/twilight/dawn.

SlinkyWizard

+1. We have really long bike paths here that follow rivers, so I can literally ride 100's of km without ever sharing space with cars, and in winter, these bike paths are virtually empty, compared to summer, when every man and his dog are riding.

The coldest I have ridden in so far is -15 Celsius, but still I'd ride to work on a -15 day, over driving any day.

Leebo

Yup, got some with lots of ventilation so they don't fog up as much.

rumrunn6

reminds me of the 1st winter I commuted thru. in the fall, I told my family & friends this was fun, don't know how long I'll keep it up, but I'm NOT buying studded tires. of course the 1st morning I experienced black ice I ordered studded tires & would go on to ride thru a typical NE winter. nothing like spring thighs after riding thru the winter! get those studded tires before they are on back-order ;-)

2manybikes

Once you have the clothing figured out it's a blast to ride in cold weather. Last Sunday I did 108 miles on a road bike.
Arriving home it was 31 F. I ride in the ice and snow as much as possible. I don't stop riding in any conditions. But only use road bikes if the ground is dry and clean.

Scarbo

+1

This is the crux of the thing.

I actually prefer it when the weather turns sincerely cold instead of all the in-between stuff (cold-warm-cold, etc.) because this way you dress for the conditions straightaway that will be appropriate for your entire ride.

SloButWide 

Yep, there's something magic about putting the first set of tracks in freshly fallen snow. It seems so calm and quiet, especially away from the road. My personal low is 7°F indicated.

Scoreboy

Ruined a yellow shirt like that, the print comes off.

morfeeis

Same here, I thought I could do it, but anytime it's under 60 I don't want to go outside let alone bike...

nycphotography

With my core this is dead on, with my hands and toes it's the exact opposite.

Toes seem to do ok with thermal MTB boots (NW Farenheit) and thick merino ski socks. But I struggle to find ways to keep the hands warm. There are no gloves made that work, including Izumi Amfib Lobster claws, even with extra liners.

I think I'm borderline Raynauds. I have heated glove liners on the way hoping they do the trick.

I also get a hacking cough after High Z3+ efforts in cold dry air. Considering if I should pursue asthma treatment / steroids, or a try moisture recycling balaclava.

I have committed to a long season of base training this year, and I am deeply committed to reducing the unpleasant aspects as much as possible. If I can get the cold managed, then I will truly enjoy being able to ride all winter.

DaveQ24

1) Heated gloves - absolutely LOVE them. I've got a couple of different brands, Columbia and AlphaHeat, and, IMHO, they make a big difference in the cold. I guess I can say this much ... I learned quickly that I sure missed the heat if I didn't remember to pack a spare, fully charged set of replacement batteries for longer rides.

2) I have asthma - a lot of things trigger it (getting even a tiny bit of cigarette smoke is one of the worst, actually) - cold, cardio training, allergens. I take symbicort and singulair - and it's night and day difference vs. without them. Personally, cough isn't really one of my symptoms in cold or otherwise, it's more chest constriction, tightness, and at its worst wheezing and gasping. I'm not a medical professional by any means, so all I can say is it is a question you should pursue with your doctor if you think that is a possibility. The diagnostic tests are easy and painless - basically just breathing into a number of different devices to get measurements. Worst case one is arterial blood gas, which is painful only in that it's a difficult one for techs to draw, so they have to kind of "fish around" with the needle to get it some times - but I don't think that is even routine for asthma diagnosis, seen it on my mom when she had other lung/heart problems going on.

rmfnla

Exactly...

jefnvk

Cold doesn't bother me.

Unfortunately, cold is very often combined with wet precipitation and wind, and the three of them in parallel do not amuse me.

Awl

I kept thinking I'd stop riding as the temperatures went down here in St Paul. Took my usual 13mi ride today and it read 31F. I figure until the snow gets deep enough to turn my 28c's into rail casters I'll keep riding.

Hardrock23

Yeah, my fingers, toes, & ears/cheeks/nose suffer the most. If I can find good solutions to all of those then it would be even more enjoyable riding in this weather.

My fingers are frozen the entire ride, even in just the 40's...Iv been shopping around for gloves for a couple weeks now though, and looking at liners. Iv yet to try winter cycling gloves and/or liners. I'll have to check out the heated ones now after seeing so many say they work great.

I'v been using a fleece headband for my ears and it works good, but I haven't yet ordered a "nose warmer". I get ear & jaw pain along with headaches when my face is in the cold/wind too long. I also get the cough you mention if I'm not careful. Iv already had it this fall for 3 weeks, just over a month ago now I think. Breathing into a cover of some type helps a bit, but its not very pleasant on a longer ride.

travbikeman

Looking forward to trying these toe covers out tomorrow morning. Hoping they work well enough. My gloves, coat and under helmet hat have been great!

https://www.aerotechdesigns.com/neoprene-toe-cover.html

02Giant 

Will they fit inside of your shoes? What temps do you expect?

travbikeman

I'm going to find out tomorrow, but they should fit over my socks inside my shoes. They're not too thick. I'm hoping to be able to ride when the temp is down to around 25 degrees F. I'll be testing further when it gets colder.

jamesdak 

I end up looking like this after every ride, I hate it!




Seriously though, riding in the cold is no big deal once you are prepared for it. I ride outside all winter long. Yesterday was 41 miles and the temps never got above 25 degrees.

wipekitty

I'm a fan of riding in the cold. Once the snow comes, I tend to stick to trails and in-town rides; our beautiful road routes get a bit dicey in the winter.

On the other hand, I strongly believe that temperatures over 80F with any amount of humidity are cruel and inhumane, and my family waits until I leave to turn up the thermostat...

Jiggle

I have a notebook with temperatures and humidity and what clothes to put on.

exmechanic89

I'm a hill climber in general, and when it's chilly out (the 40's lately) I head for the hills quick(!), lol. A few hard climbs really do wonders to warm your body. I've found if I can keep my core warm I'm usually go to go, but if your core is cold it becomes really difficult to ride, IME. I also wear wool socks and insulated gloves. I agree riding in colder weather is fun, you just have to dress for it.

02Giant 

Have you been able to get out and test the toe covers? If so, at what temperature?

travbikeman

I did try, it fits comfortably over my socks and into my shoes. I don't believe it's been cold enough to really test. It's been in the upper 30's F and my toes seem to be warmer. I'll know better how well this is when the temps start dipping the 20's.

SquireBikesalot

Once the leaves all fall off the trees the wind doesn't stop howling until May. I'm not a big fan of wind, if I'm honest. On one side of the city is a big ole lake, on the other side is flat farm lands, so yeah not much to slow down the wind. Once there's snow on the ground there's no more weekend rides for me but I do commute through the winter.... plus there's only so much time to ski between finally getting snow and then it turning to slush.