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And I had a nasty cold last week, like difficult to breathe nasty.
Road bike? Not a chance in hell I'm touching any of the roads round me with my road bike until there's been more thaw. MTB? Yep, enjoy a rare mud free outing before the slop returns!
Deffo MTB mate
-4 and poorly breathing? Doesn't sound much fun to me.
I'm a glutton for punishment and I'd think to myself the sooner I ride, the sooner I can sweat or burn it away!
Knobblies on. wrap up well and get out.
You never know what tomorrow might bring...
MTB and start off steady.
I’ve been feeling a bit low but an hour out last night did me good.
No. Go and sit in front of this:
If it’s just a head cold, take it easy but good to ride.
If you have a chesty cough, stay home.
The view at work today is that even the trails are icing up at the moment. So I’m going for a swim tomorrow
Had a few days off the bike as I was scared to go out in the freezing temperatures. It warmed up a bit today (reached -2/3. Went out for a steady hour on the mountain bike. Fairly lifted my mood felt so much better after that. Just be careful though as it is slippy out.
Night ride last night, -5. Still shorts weather.
. So I’m going for a swim tomorrow
I'll be impressed if that's wild swimming!
OP, go, but go steady. If you feel bad go home. It's been cold but dry here in the East Midlands so my weekly trip to see parents is on tomorrow night but I'll take it steady on the corners.
Warm your muscles up properly first. I went out early Friday morning -5. I just could not get warm (not hills, just a tow path ride).
You can always turn back if you don't feel well or it's too slippery.
One of the lads in work is riding his motorbike to work. The wind-chill numbers have been interesting, we've told him to slow down rather than complain about how cold it is
East Kilbride at it's finest
I went out at 6am yesterday gravel riding even double bagged in ski gloves my hands were frozen. Looking for heated gloves on Amazon tonight late Christmas pressie
On ungritted roads? Nope.
Off-road, probably.
I came off on black ice on New Years Eve 3 years ago. Properly battered & was lucky not have broken my hip. Had to phone for a lift 8 miles home, off work for a week.
Never again.
Off roads ok though.
Whilst everything is frozen, I'd say go for it. The trails in South Oxfordshire are frozen solid and, as such, as good as they're likely to be for months.
deffo. it is only bloody cold weather, just a different coat.
and there will come a day when you are unable to go out.
The trails round my end of the Calder Valley have been perfect this week so I say yes. Give it a go, if your chest doesn't agree, just find a great view and sip your hip flask 🙂
Went out, it was great. Went on the half fat ebike and wore more.
Fresh and frosty and fingers soon warmed up.
I was out this morning in -7. Any sign of a chesty cough and I stop all forms of exercise until it's been and gone. My kids are young and have a habit of picking up anything and everything there is doing the rounds in school so naturally I end up with it as well. Boils my pi$$
I ride all year round every year but the times I dislike the most of when minus temperatures due to risk of falling off on ice. Decision made for me so far this year as caught Covid last Thursday just as the temperatures dropped and probably won't be up to cycling until at least the weekend when it is back to double figures in the day. Nice timing.
Boils my pi$$
Is one way to stay warm I guess.
We were out last night, -5 or so. Definitely a chilly one but the trails are properly solid, not a hint of mud or splatter in nearly 3 hours of riding. Couple of pints and Chicken Wings at the pub after... 👌
Frozen days are some of the best for riding mtb
But only you know how bad your cold was
Pretty sure i shouldn't even have driven to work this morniing, -16.
Opening the front door was a bit of an "ooofffft" moment when the cold air hits your lungs and freezes the moisture in your nostrils.
If you had the cold I had last week you won’t be out for a few weeks, as far as I’m concerned I’ve been “right” for about 8 days now and still get out of breath walking at a fast pace and walking up stairs. Still coughing like a dickhead even now.
Had the non Covid Cough for two weeks. Been hard work riding MTB but mud free is a big bonus this time of year. And when you're in the woods, doesn't take too long to get warm. Our local trails worse after the snow, really rutted now, way better last Weds night.
-5 when we started, dug out the Endura Stealth for the 2nd time in about 5 years. Was fab to be out, clear skies, lights reflecting off the snow, warm pub to follow. Not looking forward to next weeks above zero mud fest!
My garmin isn't very impressed with my exercise/cold regime. I've decided to ignore it.
Oh and trousers. Definitely trousers!
Definitely trousers!
Nah, 3/4 shorts over full length base layer.
Yes you should, because I've got Covid and have had to miss all the frozen fun of the last week or so.
Assuming you're better of course.
Oh and trousers. Definitely trousers!
I'm still cycling around in shorts, it's fine when it's this dry cold....
It was -10 on Tuesday here, but lovely, sunny and no wind AND I had the day booked off.
Did 35 miles & 4500ft on my MTB - just wore an extra layer.
Nah, 3/4 shorts over full length base layer.
Having just watched the Grumpy MTB dog attack video I'm suddenly reconsidering this.
Minus 8 last night Mike, opted for the gravel bike so I could ride up and go to the pub and sit by the fire after. Frozen ruts are interesting....
Superfoil
Multilayer foil insulation has some advantages over rockwool, glasswool etc .
https://www.superfoil.co.uk/vapour-control-multi-foil-insulation/
Minus 7 lastnight when I was out my Vimto froze. Would I do it again .. in a heart beat, no mud. snowy ground, top fun.
just do it
Evening shifts, so I'm battering myself locally on the Calderdale hills. Yesterday was getting a bit chilly by the time I finished.
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Today I finally put on the pogies (no idea why I always wait so long before I do this). Total game changer, along with a couple of those stick-on toe warmers the supermarkets are selling. Just got back from 43km in total comfort.
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These are my favourite riding conditions, I love this kind of weather.
-4 I probably would, providing I wasn't chesty. but I'd also be keeping a close eye on how cold I was and where i was going. fixing bikes in cold conditions is no fun at best and at worst can put you into the cold zone where you never seem to heat back up.
it's been consistently below -5 here in the mornings and evenings so I've canned riding for now until it gets nearer something more reasonable. partly due to having persistently cold feet and <-5 deg will mean I'd last about 30 min even with the best insulation. but mostly due to my rides being solo rides and I am a bit concerned should something go wrong that I'd really suffer.
I'd also had a recent conversation with an orthopedic surgeon who said she has to stop herself from shouting at people running/cycling on icy paths as they are a steady flow into surgery. It's pushing waiting times for others back and is avoidable with a bit of thought and consideration.
that said. i am planning on going riding tomorrow morning, it'll be -2 and snowing, positively tropical from the -10 the other night.
Just to add. if it was persistently cold, like for weeks at a time, I think I'd be more able to judge what i needed to take along with me and manage riding in these temps better. but as I'm not that used to it, and it's only really for a short time it's not worth the risk. If it were daytime riding, probably different, but in the dark it's a not if I don't have to.
I’d also had a recent conversation with an orthopedic surgeon who said she has to stop herself from shouting at people running/cycling on icy paths as they are a steady flow into surgery. It’s pushing waiting times for others back and is avoidable with a bit of thought and consideration.
Oh right, is that the current manifestation of 'no car, no gnar, not far'? I'll protect the NHS by keeping myself fit and healthy, thanks, seems to have worked for me (and them) for the last 55 years.
Oh right, is that the current manifestation of ‘no car, no gnar, not far’? I’ll protect the NHS by keeping myself fit and healthy, thanks, seems to have worked for me (and them) for the last 55 years.
it's a bit of a balance I think, keeping fit and healthy is one thing, taking risks when it's more risky is another.
It's difficult to judge on forums, but your response seems a bit annoyed by what I've said. To be clear, I'm not telling anyone to do anything, just saying what i consider, as part of the mix of opinions. everyone gauges everything slightly differently.
sorry if what I said irked, that's not what it was supposed to.
Fair enough. I was taking the piss, but I also think we as a society are becoming just a bit timid, and I strongly believe a large part of the NHS's problems are that we are a nation of fat, unhealthy ****s that is eating and drinking its way into a state of chronic ill health, secure in the knowledge that 'our' NHS will fix it. No it won't. We don't have a National Health Service, we have a National Sickness Service. It deals with the problems caused by unhealthy lifestyles rather than the causes of those lifestyles.
I’d also had a recent conversation with an orthopedic surgeon who said she has to stop herself from shouting at people running/cycling on icy paths as they are a steady flow into surgery. It’s pushing waiting times for others back and is avoidable with a bit of thought and consideration.
I use to work in our local Health Board, pretty much full of old folk - yes, A&E was more mixed, but still no where near the numbers.
minus 4 you say
’d also had a recent conversation with an orthopedic surgeon who said she has to stop herself from shouting at people running/cycling on icy paths as they are a steady flow into surgery.
Yesterday was freezing rain here and the trails and pavements plus some bits of road turned into ice rinks. Had to help an elderly lady who'd slipped on an innocuous bit of pavement, gone down and broken her hip - there were people already with her and local residents had come out with blankets and umbrellas. Took an age for the ambulance to arrive cos they were inundated with similar incidents.
I'd hoped to do that Restrap Solstice Century thing on Strava this weekend but there's not a chance that I'm riding in these conditions.
The most I've slipped around this winter was whilst walking to the station on Friday (late morning) on my way to a Christmas lunch.
I've been out numerous times hill walking and cycling and had no real issues - was lots of fun though.
I am sensible to a point though, I wouldn't go out on the bike after it's rained on top of snow and ice. Much safer waiting until it's all frozen again.
I only cycle off-road this time of year though, much more grip.
As others have said, much better sticking to the woods, so much warmer. It's the open areas like hills and moorland that are so much colder.
just been out for a hour, on a route from my back door, all offroad, a nice 2 mile loop, i ride it for a hour. just coming to the end of lap 2, i went round a corner on a track junction and bit too quick whilst daydreaming.
next instance, i was laid on my back having skidded on black ice. landed on my right knee and elbow.
was ok to carry on.
set off, and i thought to myself 'i can small dog shit'. guess what i had landed in ?? all over the back of my coat............... ;o)
That's a bastard Ton, did much the same but on foot on Tuesday. had to get the pressure washer out in the freezing cold and blast the coat or I was going to vomit trying to get it in the washing machine 🙁
Yes I get you love your dogs people but FFS clear up after them.
I went out yesterday -1c not bad under the trees but in the open the corners were lethal, nearly came off once, manged to dab a foot down and save it.
Guy on an E bike was riding past I warned of the corner coming, he just gunned it away flat out, well heard the crash through the trees way before I got to him picking himself up, he was a bit battered and was a bit slower after that.
I gave up when my cleats were freezing up didn't feel too safe then.
Freezing this morning but dry. Decided to play safe(safer) & go round the block on the FS, I knew It would be a million times more comfy than the gravel bike on the frozen solid rutted farm tracks.
I'd forgotten just how much more comfy, though slower.