noglider 

This week, you ARE crazy for riding in these temperatures.

fietsbob

@ Minus 30 , its killed people ..

Hypno Toad

-30F can kill people that are not proper prepared; and many, many, many people thrive and play in these conditions with the right gear and experience. Echoing Gresp15C - I've spent 10 years working down to colder and colder rides to get to the point where I know my gear and body well enough to be comfortable and confident at -30F.

No mail will be delivered here in Minnesota, many businesses are closed, schools are closed, and I enjoyed a good (warm) 13-mile training ride.

rumrunn6

time to go outside with a pot of boiling water & throw it into the air!

parkbrav

hah, mail may not be delivered when it's cold out. It also may not be delivered when it's a sunny 70F with a warm sea breeze

Hypno Toad

yes!!

wipekitty

Yeah, no mail here (here = La Crosse, WI, or as I call it, 'Organic Valley'). Schools are closing for the fourth day in a row tomorrow - the first one was for snow, now it's for cold. Apparently, some of the snowplows broke down.

I didn't have to work (because of the cold), so I took a walk. It was kind of creepy - most local businesses were shut down.

parkbrav

Cold and clear, 5F with a light breeze here in Boston. Made it in, no worse for wear

I would just add that last night's commute was mild and clear. However, about 1 hour after I arrived home, we got 1-2 snow squalls: white out conditions and wind for about 45 minutes each. Just amazing how the weather can turn on you this time of year

rumrunn6

yeah that was weird & it got colder. I need to get another ride in soon, but stuck my nose out the back door after dinner & like my cats, I was like "nope not tonight". good for you tho!

RidingMatthew

i bet the traffic was nice! be smart and safe! <- not being a smart alec either

first time i read your post no picture showed up and when I set about replying it did.

Hypno Toad

Traffic on the roads was the lightest I think I've ever seen, with everything closed it was a like a statewide cabin fever holiday. I did see three others biking to work (based on bags), one of them is a buddy and stopped for a quick mitten bump.

Lisa was running a training event at work, so she had to go to work. The training was for a crew of new employees that flew in from around the US. They were blown away to be here for the polar vortex. She shared my pic and said it was going viral with her training group sharing it to all their friends back home. She also set them up to ask the kitchen staff at the hotel for a pot of boiling water - the trainees didn't think the hotel would understand the request, but they were super excited to help and show them the boiling water experiment.

For reference for those that don't know, here's an example of the boiling water to instant snow experiment

Hypno Toad

I have to add last night's ride to this conversation. Lisa hosted a HH for her trainees last night and need a sober ride home. So I jumped on the bike and rode nearly 7 miles at -6*F, into the headwind too. I wore the same stuff* I had on at my desk all day (home office), just adding my over-sized snowboard jacket, helmet, goggles, plus wool Buff, PI gloves, and 45NRTH boots. And it felt WARM ... 'cause it's all relative!


* stuff included wool long johns under Levis commuter jeans, long & short sleeve shirts under a hoodie, wool socks, and 'cause I'm bald, I keep my 45NRTH Greazy on all day in the house.

rumrunn6

so is that that you? the best I saw recently was someone at sunset? walks into the frame & throws it over his head, then the video changes to slow motion capturing an awesome rooster tail pattern like this

Hypno Toad

Sadly, I'm not cool enough to make a video that nice. I just boil water in the Pyrex measure cup, go to the back step, and throw it in the air (didn't even video or photo). But it is a fun tradition that must be done every time the temps go this low.

rumrunn6

ha, no worries, I've tried down here in the "South" & it's an interesting experiment even when it's not -40 cuz it does still make steam. but I'll never throw it over my head, cuz, well, that's just dangerous

Hypno Toad

+1 That over the head thing is very bold!