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trying to convince the missus...okay trying to convince myself it's not going to be too cold to go riding this weekend. Met office suggests it will feel like -8 after windchill. Is that too cold or am I just being a wimp? Can't say I've done much winter riding
Layer up and man up.
You're a wimp.
All of the above 🙂
Ice for road riding is my threshold. Have tried to go out on days when it’s a bit marginal just out the door but by the time I’m a few miles up the valley it’s generally walkies time. Anything more than a touch of frost I don’t bother any more.
no such thing as bad weather just the wrong equipment.
-15 is the lowest I have felt comfortable in. Good gloves, warm socks and stopping occasionally to get the circulation going in your toes again and you will be fine!
brill. just needed convincing I think
Club road rides and my FLAB ride have been cancelled this weekend - yellow Met Office warnings are our cut off from a group responsibility point of view.
We do have big plans for some snowy off roading though 😉
The only way to find out if it's too cold for a ride is to go for a ride. When you get back you'll know if it was too cold or not 😀
Phil_H - MemberThe only way to find out if it's too cold for a ride is to go for a ride. When you get back you'll know if it was too cold or not
You are not Sean Kelly & I claim my £5 😉
Off road is great when it's well below zero, trails are fast and everyone else stays home. Just need good clothing.
On the road I follow the county gritting twitter account as they have the low down on ground temps which can vary a lot from air temps, if they are gritting or issue a warning the road bike stays indoors.
Windchill is an insidious, nasty bastard. It has max effect at surprisingly low windspeeds.
Good kit really helps but take it seriously and plan accordingly
-19.6 is my record. Thing is, to be really cold it has generally got to be dry. ice is therefore rarely an issue. Just check the road, put some decent clothes on and ride it like you stole it.
No such thing as too cold in the UK, but wind is a critical factor. A super crisp and dry -10 might be superb riding, but windy, freezing rain at 2 or 3 degrees could be the worst ride of your life.
Icy roads are a different story - get on the couch lad.
Fingers and toes, as long as they’re warm....
Depends if it's fun cold. Sometimes, even though it's relatively warm it's just unpleasant, other times it can be pete billy baltic friezen and yet it's still ace.
Agree with Garry_Lager. If it's dry then no such thing as too cold in the UK. If it's cold and raining I call it quits around 3 degrees. Worse is the commute where it's nice and sunny in the morning and horrible on the way home and you've (I've) only got a windproof top because I'm stupid!
Just go uphill, windchill is much reduced 😀
Never too cold* Just look after yr extremities with cold winds. For me this means:
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(Random pics of earwarmers, glasses and buff)
Plus mitts/gloves, thermal socks
If am on the MTB and it's ice-cold - then I ditch the gloves and use fleece-lined pogies. Heaven!
Tonight I just went out with fingerless mitts, beanie and a jersey
*unless soaked through with rain in a winter storm on a day ride across open terrain. Then you may call it quits 😉
Depends on the kind of cold, dry or wet?
Grow a beard. It makes a real difference.
(I realise it might be a bit short notice for this weekend).
A super crisp and dry -10 might be superb riding, but windy, freezing rain at 2 or 3 degrees could be the worst ride of your life.
Both of these. I've been out at -15 and colder and as long as you don't get wet it's fine (a bit of sweat next to the skin isn't going to hurt unless you are wearing shit kit).Depends on the kind of cold, dry or wet?
If it's "warm" enough to rain, it'll be far far far worse. 0 degrees and light drizzle is so much worse than -10 it's not funny.
Amusing anecdote, to save money in the late 80s/early 90s the Swedish national team ran a few of their winter training camps in the north of sweden (Åre, Umea, Skellefteå etc) rather than flying to spain. As long as the roads were clear you could actually get some pretty good training in, given that you had some decent kit on. And decent kit was cheaper in the long term than flying a dozen riders to spain.)
+1 to the cold and dry v just over freezing and wet. But both are rideable. You just need decent kit. Unless it's really heavy rain, I usually rely on windproof Roubaix type fabrics. Adjust the baselayer under to suit and it's usually enough, and without the problems of sweat build-up caused by more waterproof layers. Overshoes for feet, although one day I will treat myself to winter boots. Decent gloves and then you'll be fine. Cold crisp winter days are some of the best anyway - hard trails with less undergrowth.
-23c on my commute last week. That was too cold, I feared for my life.
The main problem is always getting to the trails, not riding them. The backlanes I normally use will be lethal in places today.
I prefer to stay off the road when it gets below freezing. I've got scars from black ice crashes and don't want any more. This can be less of an issues if you live somewhere with more cars and better gritting though.
Off road it has never been too cold. About 7 or 8 years ago we managed -15C on a night ride. It is worth taking a sensible approach though. We had a few people bike pack in (frozen freehubs). Had we had a mechanical it would have been hard to fix as our hands were freezing and numb as soon as the gloves came off.
The countryside is beautiful in the cold. Worth getting out. As above, getting there is hard.
Grow a beard. It makes a real difference.
+1 for winter plumage
[img] http://chainreactioncycles.scene7.com/is/image/ChainReactionCycles/prod80796_IMGSET?wid=500&hei=505 [/img]
how we roll .
fitted the wifes just before i left for her 6am commute.
Will fit mine when i get back if its still as cold 😀
I'm OK down to -10ish I reckon, but prefer being offroad when it gets sub zero, and as others have noted cold and dry is fine, cold and wet can be awful.
I do remember commuting in a couple of years back on a road bike, on untreated roads, during the wee small hours it was lovely an quiet but I went down hard a couple of times (once in traffic) and would on occasion arrive with ice formed in my beard and eyelashes... I prefer sticking to daylight hours during the winter if I can now.
IME below -20C and you really need to get your shizzle together as mistakes sometimes don't end well. Too much clothing and you'll sweat-through your base layers - I'm not a fan of merino wool for active wear in these conditions as it holds moisture. If you're moving sometimes just a baselayer and softshell is all you need, but extra layers needed for stopping. Don't skimp on the hands, feet and face - oversized boots and woolly socks essential. Take last winter on the 5th day of unsupported ride where overnight temperatures dropped to -27C
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Minus double figures and worth getting well organised. First it’s cold, second bits often don’t work as well, you and Bike (unless you are Iditarod stds), third if you go down - you or Bike broken then you get very cold fast... personal experience of all three.
It's 32c here. I'm off t' beach after work (in 20 mins) but I've got a hoodie in case it gets nippy. Hopefully the "beer coat" will be sufficient. Reports are it's going to drop below 20c this evening. Brrr!!!!
I've ridden down to -10 and frankly, it wasn't that pleasant. Down to -5 and I'm OK, but I'm not an athlete, I'm not training for anything and so if it's too cold I go on the turbo instead.
Saying that, crisp, cold commutes on the fixie when it's -2 or thereabouts are an absolutely treat.
Mentioned above, consider what if you have a mechanical, keeping moving is fine, but stop and need your fingers to work can get tricky (I fear a puncture!). Stay together and work quickly as a team. If on your own eat lard 😉
Offroad I'll layer up and go for it regardless.
I generally sack off the commute if it's below 3ish, especially if there's a strong wind.
in 35+ years of cycling, i have yet to reach the point where i find it too cold to cycle.
i enjoy riding through the winter more than i enjoy riding in the hot weather.
Minus double figures and worth getting well organised. First it’s cold, second bits often don’t work as well, you and Bike (unless you are Iditarod stds), third if you go down - you or Bike broken then you get very cold fast... personal experience of all three.
Stay off the tops if it's really cold but otherwise just watch out for ice.
jonnyboi -
Fingers and toes.
Ears and Nose.
Good socks/ shoes, gloves, headband or thin hat, and a buff or something round your neck.
If you feel cold.... ride faster!! 😉
This morning was not one to be on the bike! It began sleeting yesterday evening and slowly turned to snow through the night. By this morning everything was caked in solid ice. The roads didn't get anywhere near clear until we were down in the valley and on bus routes.
Never too cold. Only too hot!
This morning was a bit perky in shorts but still OK even in the headwind.
Sunday though looks promising.
I'm booked to photograph the Oxford Santas On The Run event.
It is going to be just above freezing at start time. With a wind thats 17mph gusting to 40. With rain and sleet forecast from 6 -12.
And joy of joys: I am going to be standing on the roof of Exeter College. From 8am.
Getting excited here. I have a second set of wheels and a pair or Ice Spiker Pros. I think the Ice Spikers have been used once, for about 6 miles.
I am now very smug, although if anyone sees me with them on the bike, they will think I am a tool - I live in the South East, not Finland.
I live in Hampshire and raise your Ice Spyker Pros with a pair of studded Dillinger 5s