autonomy

Which reminds of an article talking about this (can't find it now) - periods of running with the dogs (sweating or warming up) intertwined with periods of standing on the sleds (not moving). Harder to dress for.

Yeah, that's been my response to everyone saying "OMG, it's 35 degrees out! How can you bike, aren't you cold?"

Tundra_Man 

People occasionally say I'm crazy to bike when the temps dip well below freezing. My general response is, "Do you tell the people that sit out on a frozen lake all weekend that they're also crazy?"

jrickards

As I ride past them, I do.

I really like riding in the winter but right now, on this winter's first snowy commute, I'm trying to regain my snow-cycling skills so it was a bit hairy and less fun than it will be after my skills improve.

DropBarFan

Yes, somehow it's acceptable to hunt/fish/ski etc in cold weather but many folks don't realize that with all the clothing options biking in cold weather can be quite enjoyable.

OTOH the local DC-area fall weather has been quite nice lately with a -2° to 13° C range (30° to 60° F) that's much comfier than sweating on 33°+ C summer days.

bobwysiwyg 

Yes.

vintagerando 

I find its the wind, not the temperature, that keeps me from going out. I'll go out below 20 degrees, but if there is a strong wind, the ride becomes unpleasant regardless of how well you are dressed.

den230n

The coldest temperature I've ever ridden in was -33 °C.
It was my first (and maybe last) record

jon c. 

When I lived in Minnesota, I did indeed opine that I found such activity crazy.

A friend's standard response when asked if he wanted to go ice fishing was "no thanks, my wife let's me drink at home."

I respect those who can ride in cold weather, but I'm not one of those folks. It's 40 degrees right now with a 15 mph north wind. For me, it's too cold even for golf, let alone riding.

PaulH

One of the most important differences between bikes and cars is that bikes will start in all weather.

Abe_Froman

Under 10F becomes questionable territory for me. I've cycled down to 0F...but honestly I didn't enjoy it. Could be gear issues, or circulation issues in my feet.

Under freezing is no big deal though.

C_Heath

Was 32 here this morn, I rode the MTB an hour but only because it was snowing, otherwise I would stay inside and eat all day like usual on sats lol

DropBarFan

During one of Reagan's inaugurations the morning was around 0° F, far below avg for DC of course--lots of folks couldn't start their cars, some of 'em even after they had already been driving but parked for a short time. But with no wind & bright sun cycling was OK, I even took my gloves off for a while when it reached a toasty 15° F.

Perhaps a good idea for motorists to tote a bike in the trunk, esp if it's snowing & there's huge traffic jams.

vintagerando 

If your cell phone shuts down due to the temperature, it may be too cold to ride

79pmooney

There is a non-motorized sport that is far colder - ice boating. You learn quickly very small movements have huge effect at speed. And wind chill? 60 mph is not considered fast. (For a century or more, the top speed records on der sail were held by them. Decades ago it was about 160. And the best runs certainly have never been timed. It is really hard to find the sucker who will operate timing equipment when it's that cold and windy. Now my dad was clocked by a local cop with his radar sailing a skate sail, basically a huge kit on a very windy day. 60 mph. But skate sailing is not cold, at least not with the traditional rigs. You are behind the sail and doing real work.)

Ben

79pmooney

When it is really cold, ride a fix gear! When the road goes down, you won't regret it at all. So much warmer!

Edit: and really big mittens work just fine.

Ben

jrickards

I was able to ride 3x (1.5 days) last week in -18 to -24C/0 to -11F temps and it was quite nice in that there was no new snow and the snow on the ground was hard (and stayed hard with the cold) so the paths were flat, not bumpy with footprint holes, so my studded tires bit into the hard snow well. It got a bit milder on Friday afternoon as the temps went to about -10C/14F and foot prints started churning up the snow a bit and dirty snow (snirt or brown sugar) on the roads got a bit slippery so I was happy to get off the roads when I could.

Today and tomorrow are going to be mild, -2C to 1C/28 to 34F, and the paths will be a mess so I'll lay off the bike for a couple of days until the riding surfaces improve.

Daniel4

I guess it'll be too cold if all the grease and lubricants on your bike freezes so that wheels won't turn, the crank won't turn, the pedals get stuck in the same position and the handlebars won't steer.

Fr4nk

Where I live in Chicago the temperature doesn't really stop me even when it's below zero. What does stop me is the wind. Freezing wind is definitely going to keep me inside.

fixedweasel

I'm from Chicago too and have frequently commuted below zero without problems.......well....kind of. I punctured once at -10F and I can tell you it hurts fierce to change out the tube.* At one point I thought I was going to lose the digits. It also matters your distance to travel. My commute is only 13 miles/45 minutes, so doable. If it was over an hour I would consider venturing out only if it was a bit warmer.



*twice**
**the first one actually just exploded while filling

DropBarFan

My prev phone couldn't handle even moderate cold like 7° C/20° F, turned out that different models/brands are quite variable in cold tolerance.

A lot of winter bikers liked fixed-gear, say it handles easier when slippery; I find a freewheel makes it easier to restart after a slip.

fixedweasel

Fixed is like driving a manual and downshifting to help reduce your speed in the wet/snow/ice. Way more control.

DropBarFan

Well then, I'll have to get going on getting some snow tires for my MTB fixie, thanks!