Me fizzer and the crew out tonight in the cold ribble valley.But when is it too cold to ride? or is it never too cold.
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when is it too cold too ride? or is it never too cold
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Posted 1 year ago #
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I used to think it was never too cold to ride, but after riding in sub-zero temperatures most of last winter and developing all sorts of chest lurgs and asthma problems, I'm starting to think that anything below freezing is not a good idea (for me)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Depends, -5 is probably too cold if all you're wearing is flippers and speedoes.
Posted 1 year ago # -
If you have the right clothing then you'll be ok... Well thats what I think
Posted 1 year ago # -
Fired the car up this morning and this was the temp
Enough to convince me it was probably too cold to be on the bike!
Posted 1 year ago # -
some days this year have been too cold.
done a minus 9, minus 8, and a couple of minus 7's
it is not very nice and surely it cant be good for you?Posted 1 year ago # -
Rode Stainburn last night at minus 9.5 (I like to round it up (?) to minus 10) and had a blast. Keep to a hilly route and you'll be reet - long flat, faster sections are where it starts to hurt a bit.
And make sure you're bike either hasn't been washed recently or is totally dried out. Freewheel freezing seems to be the most common problem right now.Posted 1 year ago # -
Well clothing aside I had my rear hub freeze the other weekend which I sorted with some proper grease. But then my brakes froze - the pistons wouldnt move much - in or out. The gear cables froze and ice formed on the jockey wheels so the chain made a rubbing noise.
It was all OK as I was in fairly deep snow so didnt need brakes and in a low gear so didnt need to change.
So actually I dont think its ever too cold - unless you get frostbite or need brakes / gears.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I have achieved -9 so far - its the ice and snow that stops me not the cold until my bike freezes up completely
Posted 1 year ago # -
Commute this week at -9 was just too cold. Physically warm enough, it was breathing hard in air that cold that seemed to be the limiting factor. Chest felt rubbish the following day, too.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Willy, I *may* be out on the ride with you & Graham too, BUT, major problem.......I've looked everywhere, but can't find my hip flask....
Posted 1 year ago # -
The pond in the nearby park is frozen solid so me and the dog were able to walk right across it this morning!
Posted 1 year ago # -
If it's below -5 just be sure that nothing is going to break - including yourself - so ride well within your limits.
Done this many times, and once or twice I've got a flat or something.
If it'll take more than a couple of minutes it's not worth the cold to stop and fix it so just shoulder the bike and make a quick exit.
Lots of short interlocking loops are best for easy bail out options.Been out in the minus double digits at 500m in the Pentlands at 10pm, solo, a few times, and it does go through your head that if you hurt yourself then you won't make it though the night.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Been as low as 13F commuting this week, which is about -10C I think. Nae bother.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Had minus 10.5 here in Liverpool when I started the car the morning before last. Tbh riding in colder wouldn't bother me as long as I had warm feet and hands.
Posted 1 year ago # -
just put my new winter tyres on and dried the bike out plenty of oil on the chain (as that has frozen while drinking from the hip flask) I let you know how we get on.Going to take my down jacket just in case we have a mechanical or accident .
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'll ride to work in prety much anything, my work collegue told me it was -10 the other night (according to his car)
However that is because I've got no other form of transport, except my feet. As long as you've got the right clothing, even riding in what I was told was -10 wasn't bad.
I wouldn't ride in that temperature for pleasure as I'd end up getting a permant sore throat and cough.
Also unlike a social ride, I don't stop when riding to work; so don't get the opportunity to get cold and I'm only out in it for 45 mins each way.
Posted 1 year ago # -
In the words of the great phil hammond -
You always put on your gear and ride. Only then do you know if it was too cold to ride.
Posted 1 year ago # -
FFS it must be christmas GAZ C is out lol
Posted 1 year ago # -
Out this morning in about -10 for an hour. Interesting is what it was, my feet started to get a bit cold, numb toes even with thick thermal socks, winter boots and overshoes.
My philosophy is for worst case. I carry a lot of warm clothes and a space blanket out with me if it's really cold, pick a route with a few bail out options if you can and if riding solo, it's especially important to let someone know where you are going and when you expect to be back or GPS track it to the web for someone to monitor if you're late.
Doesn't take long for hypothermia to set in when it's well below freezing.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I was starting to think it was too cold to ride but started wearing downhill kit for trail riding, feels OK to about -5 now.
Im going to miss not being able to wear the full face when it warms up again!
Posted 1 year ago # -
I've not ridden much recently as it's pretty icy out, but I'm still using my bike for short trips across town, one of which was probably at around -9 or so last week.
I have some cycling trousers that I virtually never use, but have had on twice in the past few weeks. When you wear enough clothes, it's not a problem - must be a good deal chiller at Iditarod etc. I'm using a buff over my face and neck when I set off, as the air you breathe in is hopefully then a bit warmer, so it's not too cold when it hits your lungs. The buff gets a bit annoying sometimes though, so I drop it down below my mouth every now and again once I've warmed up.
I'm predominantly riding my singlespeed, so no gear cables to freeze. No frozen freeweel issues thus far, probably helped by the fact that the bike is kept on the communal landing when not in use, and the fact that it hasn't been jet washed for a while.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Coldest I have ridden in was -20C (in USA) but that was on a rather shonky Trek some years ago. Simple 8 speed cassette and cable brakes - nothing much to go wrong. With enough layers was warm once you got going. There were a few of us though - would not have gone out alone.
Posted 1 year ago # -
-11 the other morning on the Wirral, nice along the Wirral way (coastal) on way to the ferry cross the mersey, 17 miles and warm as toast. Icicles on riding glasses mind and no stopping. MW80 boots, normal socks, shorts, endura stealth jacket, merino riding jumper, skin layer, bibs.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Talking to friends in Canada, their nine year old plays hockey on the local lake in the winter. Matches are only cancelled if the temperature drops below -25C.
Personally, I won't ride road any more than necessary below 0 as I find it hard to keep circulation to fingers and toes (and often another part of me that suffers from wind chill) but off road I've been comfortable down to -6.
We had -25 on a trip to Lapland and after 3 hours at the activity centre I found myself struggling to breath at all deeply. I'd been very warm playing on the ice scooters. I'm not sure I'd want to ride a bike very far in the fur lined romper suits they gave us to wear.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Good clothing makes the cold not a probelem but my lungs have not felt right since regular rides around minus 10 the other week (Combined with lurgy makes it even more worserer).
Posted 1 year ago # -
Got a friend in Irbit in Siberia who rides his Surly Pugsley in winter often below -45C
-20C last Febuary here was cold...exposed skin around eyes and cheeks burned and were left a glowey red...was great to experiance it...
Posted 1 year ago # -
Cold doesn't bother me as long as I have the right gear on. Ice bothers me though, so if its cold with a thick frost then thats fine but cold and black ice then I don't ride. Rode to work lasy year with a temp of -10, wife passed in the car on way to work and let me know the temp, had the whole frzen eyebrows and lumps of ice forming on the stem. But the ride in was fine. Rear mech and casette did start to freeze up on the ride home though as the frost had started to melt throughout the day.
Posted 1 year ago # -
If it's too cold to ride, there are other fun snow based activities
Posted 1 year ago # -
rode in minus 10 on a few night rides last year. I think it's more the trail conditions than the temp though. Currently local trails (Mugdock) are ice fest and loads of tumbles every ride, so even venturing out despite temp is dodgy at best
Posted 1 year ago # -
My hands have been a problem on commutes when it got down to minus 10. I'm sure with better hand protection it would be fine. Like some of the pogies etc. posted on here. The rest of me was warm enough.
IMO it's too cold to ride when it stops being fun. So that's personal. It's fun being out in bad weather sometimes.
Posted 1 year ago # -
-12 on Monday night was too cold for me. Despite being togged up my hands, feet and face were frozen
Looking forward to the balmier temps forecast, only -4 or -5 ish!
Posted 1 year ago # -
I rode in -12 on the south downs, 3/4 shorts too. Once you get going its no problem, but that depends on the induvidual realy. My feet need to wrapped up, but i found i could use long fingered summer gloves without suffering. I since moved to assos winter things, rated down to +6 and found them too warm at -7.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I've got a commute thats only a couple of miles so I wear shorts all year round, couple of weeks ago it had dropped to -9 and even though it was only a couple of miles my legs were that cold they hurt !
If I go for a decent ride I wear longs but if its lower than -5 I'm staying tucked up on the sofa
Posted 1 year ago # -
Out last night in a cool -6 & that felt quite cold - gloves are really only spring / Autumn ones – Thermal compression top and thin thermal under by Gore tool jacket was ok – endure windtex tights – found that find a comfortable speed hard to fine to maintain a warm balance
In the past have ridden in -9 with strong winds – wind chill enough to have ice form on the outside off my kit – calculated temp with wind chill to be about -20Posted 1 year ago #
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