I'm on tour right now. It's a few degrees below freezing during the day here in Beijing. We're going skiing tomorrow. Then we're going home. It's a short one.

I've toured through days of minus 7-9 Celsius in dry conditions. I used ski gloves and a scarf to cover my face, but even thicker socks couldn't stop my feet from suffering. In near freezing conditions with rain, snow, or fog, it wouldn't be pleasant at all considering the wind chill factor while riding.

As long as the roads are not iced up, I'm good. Back country tours (offroad) with my Pugsley could get cold enough to freeze grease I suppose. Many folks ride a bicycle Ididarod in Alaska during the dead of dark winter and survive, although they don't stop to camp generally.

Frozen precipitation that is too deep (snow) or too slick (ice) might stop you. Otherwise, with proper gear and preparation, cold weather touring is fun, quiet, and insect free.

Cold isn't a big deal if you are guaranteed sun, and the days aren't ultra short. Wet and cold is way worse than winter camping. I also don't like 14 hours of darkness. In Canada we ride our bikes in winter when the traction is ok, but one isn't worried about riding through a week of rain, or what to do with over half the day when it is dark.

This past fall I finished my cross country tour just as the northeast was having a freak snowstorm in October. The only problem I had came when I tried to ride on some designated bike paths that hadn't been cleared yet and some roads that were closed because of down trees or power lines. I have a nice tent and sleeping bag that made it cozy even with snow all around.

I ended up dragging my bike for a few miles through snow last year in Utah. I can handle cold if it isn't wet (i.e., raining). And thanks to the snow, I didn't need a kickstand to take this picture of my LHT.



You can read about my tale here.