topflightpro

My father has a golfing buddy who says there is never bad weather for golf, only bad clothing. I used to apply that philosophy to bicycling. But now, I'd much rather be warm and dry on the trainer than cold and wet and outside.

revchuck 

Cold isn't too bad, I'm comfortable into the 20s which is as cold as it gets where I live. If it's raining and <50 degrees, though, I hang it up and ride the trainer.

scheibo

gear matters, but short of maybe a wetsuit riding in 2C and rain for 2hrs would be uncomfortable.

as for 'hurrdurr he's a californian he doesn't understand cold' - i'm from Canada, where I grew up having to run in -40C (-40F) in 3 ft of snow while wearing ski googles. I raced national XC in shorts and a singlet at -15C, been surfing in the Atlantic in December, gone camping in the winter (quinzhee's are pretty cool) etc. However, i'm pretty sure the coldest I've ever been is on a 6hr ride in the Alps where it was maybe only 3-5C and pissing rain. Maybe if I had worn better gear I wouldn't have got a fever and been forced to spend the next 2 days in bed, but it seems that if youre going to be climbing in that weather you probably want a follow car to carry your clothes up the climb so you don't overheat and then change at the top (or better yet, just jump in the car for a descent...)

anyway, looks like i might be giving zwift a try today

Grumpy McTrumpy

This is a stupid thing to have a pissing contest about. Shrinkage, freezage, etc

TheKillerPenguin

That's the most dangerous weather there is. I have gone hypothermic in those conditions and you don't realize you're fubar until it's too late. The scariest ride of my life was realizing that I was in a foreign country 20 miles from where I was staying and in real trouble, and slowly losing coordination and balance while I rode as fast as I could. Then I got to my sister's place and couldn't even use my hands to open the door or peel off my clothes. My brother in law still gives me **** for having to strip me down, but I'd like to think that deep down he enjoyed it.

Anyway you may be from Canada but you've gone Cali soft, in the North East we call that Tuesday.

Allow Raul Julia to metaphorically school you on our bad weather protocols in these here parts.

topflightpro

furiousferret

Your brother in law gives you crap, but the real question is how do your parents handle it? I mean, they're at a penguin mixer, and the drunk penguin comes up and says, "How's that son of yours that goes hypothermic in Europe? He wouldn't last 5 seconds in Antartica!"

TheKillerPenguin

I already get the Jewish guilt, I don't need penguin guilt on top of it!

topflightpro

I'm not sure how many, if any of you guys are interested, but Infinit Nutrition is having its Buy One, Get One free sale on Friday. They do custom mixes, and I've been pretty happy with mine.

big john

I did a 9 mile climb on the mtb once and the temp dropped like a rock and it started snowing at the top. I didn't have any extra layers with me for the descent. That may have been the coldest I ever felt. I was sick for a couple weeks after that.
Been caught in hailstorms wearing shorts and short sleeves, those little stones sting!
I remember riding my off-road motorcycle when I got so cold I couldn't feel the bike. I could hear the engine but I felt like I was floating along above it. Don't know how I didn't fall.
Or when my nose runs with a full-face helmet so I can't wipe the nose and get frozen snot caked on the moustache.

rankin116

I'm in Houston for an interview at the medical center, this place is a behemoth! Anyone live here and care to comment on the quality of life? Bike friendly? Stuff to do? etc. ?

I'm anticipating an offer from this one but I'm just not sure how I feel about the living here.

spdntrxi

lightening is bad weather for golfing

Doge

Have you been in the summer?

scheibo

fair. when i go home for christmas i'll be wearing like 3 coats and still be cold. took only about a week of living in california before i thought 1C was 'frigid' instead of 'sandals weather'.

revchuck 

@TexMac is a Houston guy, he could fill you in.

Re: weather, it's pretty much the same as where I live - you can ride all year, but the heat and humidity in the summer keep your rides to morning time. Freezing weather is newsworthy. I'm originally from NY and PA, and it took about a year to adapt.

Weekend stage races always have one race in the afternoon heat, usually it's the TT. In LAMBRA, TTs tend to be 5 km for that reason.

Houston is within driving range of Texas hill country, pretty nice riding out there.

mattm

'tis the season I guess

aaronmcd

Good to know, time to stock up! No coupon code? Maybe they sent me an email, I should check.

rankin116

Thanks, much appreciated. I was in NY for 35 years, been in NC for 1.5 now and am still adjusting.

tetonrider

haha.

no pissing contest here -- just posting something to (i hope!) make everyone feel better about their situation. i still got outside.

i just have never met anyone who got an illness (bacterial) due to cold temps -- whatever "cold" might mean to someone.

TexMac

He's right you can ride all year. The humidity is what "kills" cold weather guys but that's till May-August. Houston has plenty of rideble roads especially Northwest or west part of town. There is a a HUGE cycling community here and this shocks alot of newcomers . Let me know if you are around and we can ride. Pm me.

scheibo

really? 100% of the fevers I've had in the last 5 years (I don't care about a sore throat or cough, they're hardly going to make me bedridden) came immediately following exposure too long in temperatures I was not well dressed for. 'pneumonia' is a bit of an exaggeration (i've never actually had it, but my sister did), but i've definitely gotten sick from exposure in cold weather way more than could be explained from just coincidence (though more likely to be viral like rhinovirus or influenza than bacterial)

Doge

I think that is body recovering from exposure, not temperature. So the body has to work extra hard to keep core temp going. It is similar to increasing chances of getting sick after hard physical efforts.

Or maybe you are so fit and lean that you've reach that fragile state of peak athletes.

scheibo

isn't it precisely the body being exposed to cold temperatures? if i was spending time outside at 80F i wouldnt get sick...
i mean, the doctors tend to say im on the border of underweight, so perhaps im more susceptible to these things.

tetonrider

yeah, really. you said pneumonia, so i kind of playfully ran with that... but, yes, getting sick is not related to temperature.

being underdressed (colder) might make one's body work harder so there are less reserves to fight off normal contagions, but the cold isn't making anyone sick.

@thekillerpenguin's hypothermia example is something different (and not bacterial/viral).

no, if you come into contact with bacteria and are not practicing good hygiene, you still might get sick at 80F. people do get sick in the summer, too.

maybe when it is cold people don't wash their hands as well/as long (cold water isn't pleasant), or maybe during the cold weather season you are riding/running through some puddles which might splash onto your face/hands/clothing.

i dunno -- but again cold doesn't *cause* illness.

if you are ~5% BF, that's a very delicate place to be that *usually* involves teetering on the edge of eating just enough while still often being active. not much of a buffer.

operating rooms are pretty darn cold for how a patient is dressed.

also note: surgeons don't wear parkas to stave off infection risk -- they wash up thoroughly and wear masks. ;-)

gerundium

don't know how this works out in the southern hemisphere but usually winter in europe coincides with an influenza wave. flu shots are given in autumn to combat this. I think this is where the idea of cold weather -> illness comes from.