What's your low temperature threshold?
#26
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Jezz! What a bunch of hot house flowers...except 1nceptor and liquorlad and Leebo (maybe a couple of others)! Frankly if I used 40°F as a cutoff, I'd ride maybe 3 months of the year. If I used 60°F as a cutoff, I'd ride (maybe) one month out of the year. Denver starts most mornings chilly.
-5°F is the about the lowest I've gone. I don't like to ride that cold because it more hassle than anything else but I can ride that cold. Below about 20°F is where I start to whine enough to not enjoy riding.
You fair weather riders need to, as they say over in Road, HTFU!
-5°F is the about the lowest I've gone. I don't like to ride that cold because it more hassle than anything else but I can ride that cold. Below about 20°F is where I start to whine enough to not enjoy riding.
You fair weather riders need to, as they say over in Road, HTFU!
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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I live in a pretty warm climate, but I do start my morning commutes in the low to mid 40s F a couple of times a year. By the time I arrive at the office a little over an hour later, the temperature has normally climbed somewhat. After a few minutes of riding, my legs warm right up. I do layer a heavier shirt and jacket over my jersey, and I include gloves and an ear band under the helmet to keep my hands and ears warm. I normally can discard the heavy shirt, gloves and ear band for the ride home in the afternoon.
#28
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This winter was the first time I've gone out in cold. I had a few rides that got down to 22° F. These are all night rides since it is dark just after 4pm.
I don't have bicycle clothing. I wear my steel toe tennis shoes since they have a stiff sole. They are ventilated not much at all for all day at work, but below 30° I could feel the cold air blowing through them. Next below 30° ride I wore wool socks, took care of the cold feet.
I have a thin pair of gloves that I use below about 35°. In the 20's, I wore regular ski gloves. That was just fine.
Clothing wise, I just have several different kinds of shirts. I have a long sleeve regular wicking t-shirt that I wear layered with a short sleeve wicking t-shirt and thin wind breaker jacket from around 40-50°. I just wear sweatpants on the lower half. Into the 20's, I have a pair of sweatpants that are too small so I wear those first layer and another pair of sweatpants over that. For 20's, the kids bought me a thermal long sleeve shirt. I'll wear that, a t-shirt over that, a fleece jacket, and windbreaker jacket over all that.
For really cold, I found that I start to overheat early and sweat so after about 20 minutes, I stop at the park and take a break. I cool down a little and let the sweat evaporate then I'm good for as long as I want.
Anything over 45° is shorts and I'll mix in the long sleeve wicking t-shirt with a visible short sleeve over that.
I don't have bicycle clothing. I wear my steel toe tennis shoes since they have a stiff sole. They are ventilated not much at all for all day at work, but below 30° I could feel the cold air blowing through them. Next below 30° ride I wore wool socks, took care of the cold feet.
I have a thin pair of gloves that I use below about 35°. In the 20's, I wore regular ski gloves. That was just fine.
Clothing wise, I just have several different kinds of shirts. I have a long sleeve regular wicking t-shirt that I wear layered with a short sleeve wicking t-shirt and thin wind breaker jacket from around 40-50°. I just wear sweatpants on the lower half. Into the 20's, I have a pair of sweatpants that are too small so I wear those first layer and another pair of sweatpants over that. For 20's, the kids bought me a thermal long sleeve shirt. I'll wear that, a t-shirt over that, a fleece jacket, and windbreaker jacket over all that.
For really cold, I found that I start to overheat early and sweat so after about 20 minutes, I stop at the park and take a break. I cool down a little and let the sweat evaporate then I'm good for as long as I want.
Anything over 45° is shorts and I'll mix in the long sleeve wicking t-shirt with a visible short sleeve over that.
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#30
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Currently 43 degrees, 8-10 mph wind out of the east ... they say the sun is coming out soon, and I'm hoping it could do so in the next 45 minutes. So many conference calls today and my window to ride is relatively small. Even if it doesn't reach the 50s the sun would help a little.
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I have become a cold weather weenie unless I am out on a non-open ended tour, in which case I have to ride or miss my flight.
#32
Uber Goober
Generally, upper 30's for me, below that, I have trouble with my hands.
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#33
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Not knowing where "here" is is a bit of a disadvantage. However, if "here" never gets below what those eskimos around the Great Lakes (and further north) will ride in, then, yeah, you need to HTFU.
No riding below 50°F is just crazy talk!
No riding below 50°F is just crazy talk!
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Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
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Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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It doesn't get that cold "here". Whether or not you know where here is doesn't make a difference. IT DOESN'T GET THAT COLD HERE......but I need to HTFU?
Pretty ignorant statement.
Last edited by ClydeTim; 03-28-17 at 05:01 PM.
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It's supposed to hit low 50's here in the Catskills today and I intend to ride in shorts and short sleeve jersey. For me, this is better riding weather than 90 degrees with hazy, hot and humid air.
#37
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However, so it doesn't get that cold where you live which is great for you. But people who live where it seldom gets that cold have very high temperature cutoff in my opinion. There's really no excuse for not riding when the temperature is 50°F. That's not cold. It's barely chilly. It's not like 50°F takes a lot of extra clothing for riding. Tights, a jacket and maybe arm warmers are about all you need. It's not like winter riding where the pile of clothes for 2 days of riding looks like this
I do find it amusing that places in the US that are tailor made for bicycling...I talking to you Deep South and Southern California...ride the least while places that are tailor made for sled dogs have huge bicycling communities that ride all year long. Yea, I know that the Deep South has heat and humidity during the summer but so does most everywhere north of the Mason Dixon line and east of the Mississippi. They still manage to ride in mostly unbearable conditions.
I've ridden in the Deep South and the far north in summer. They are both hard on a poor dryland boy like me but I can still do it. I'm also amazed at the general fact that I was doing it by myself throughout most of the South.
I'm old and fat. I wonder what their excuse is?
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#38
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I do find it amusing that places in the US that are tailor made for bicycling...I talking to you Deep South and Southern California...ride the least while places that are tailor made for sled dogs have huge bicycling communities that ride all year long.
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Consider me in the "fair weather wimp" camp
MTB outings are bearable in the 30's -- the tree cover and lower speeds make it do-able,
Road rides i'll stick to high 40's/ low 50's as my cut off point --- anything colder than that and I have a Concept 2 and a spin bike at home to use
MTB outings are bearable in the 30's -- the tree cover and lower speeds make it do-able,
Road rides i'll stick to high 40's/ low 50's as my cut off point --- anything colder than that and I have a Concept 2 and a spin bike at home to use
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Maybe if your jokes had some kind of logic to them, it would be easier to distinguish them from senseless dribbling.
Have you ever lived in Southern California? I don't think so because you really don't know what you are talking about.
Not a large cycling community? On an average 2.5 hour ride ON A DECEMBER DAY, I run across 92 other riders according to the Strava flyby feature. Of course it is not a sled dog city but if you think people don't ride year round here, you're misinformed.
Maybe there are a few fair weather riders on the forums but that does not mean ALL Southern California people are the same.
Heck, my and some buddies have gone up GMR (local mountain road) in the rain, in 30 degree temps just for the fun of it.
I agree, there are plenty of delicate flower riders but there are plenty of do it all riders out here as well. Many more than you "assume".
Some images of some of my rides. GMR at night 40 degrees with a female rider (headlight).....GMR at night 30 degrees with a bud (tail light pic).....few weeks ago, 40 degrees at night for the fun of it (bike lane pic)....GMR in the snow and rain (obvious pics)....MTB in the rain (mud pic).......after a wet ride (mud leggings).
I think you have SoCal riders all wrong. I don't ride to get somewhere as in commuting, I ride just for the fun of getting exposed to the elements. Though I do know plenty of commuters who ride in the cold.
BTW, I don't wear anything more than leg covers and a windbreaker. DON'T NEED ALL THOSE LONG FINGER GLOVES AND TOE COVER SILLINESS, it's not that bad.
So maybe you need to rethink your thoughts on our wussiness and lack of cycling communities here. AND if it did happen to get any colder here, there would still be plenty of us out there riding.
#42
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First photo, crossing over the Trans-Canada on Saturday +4C.
Second photo, stopped at a local spring along the Trans-Canada +5C refill my bottles.
Today, I will ride at +2C.
Getting my lags for upcoming touring season.
Often ride at -8C (commuter). -18C is about the stay home temp.
Thunder Bay, north shore of Lake Superior.
-Snuts-
Second photo, stopped at a local spring along the Trans-Canada +5C refill my bottles.
Today, I will ride at +2C.
Getting my lags for upcoming touring season.
Often ride at -8C (commuter). -18C is about the stay home temp.
Thunder Bay, north shore of Lake Superior.
-Snuts-
#43
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First photo, crossing over the Trans-Canada on Saturday +4C.
Second photo, stopped at a local spring along the Trans-Canada +5C refill my bottles.
Today, I will ride at +2C.
Getting my lags for upcoming touring season.
Often ride at -8C (commuter). -18C is about the stay home temp.
Thunder Bay, north shore of Lake Superior.
-Snuts-
Second photo, stopped at a local spring along the Trans-Canada +5C refill my bottles.
Today, I will ride at +2C.
Getting my lags for upcoming touring season.
Often ride at -8C (commuter). -18C is about the stay home temp.
Thunder Bay, north shore of Lake Superior.
-Snuts-
Wow, do you need special tires for that? I ask because once I was riding up a local mtn road. Cold but a bigger factor was the ice on the road. I hit a section where my tires started slipping as if I was riding rollers.
I got off my bike not realizing I was on ice. Then I started sliding down in my cleats!
Looks like there is plenty of ice on those roads.
#44
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No, I stepped off the pavement to fill my bottles at a locally known spring. This close to the Trans-Canada. I would like to find a way to mark this as so many cycle tourist pass this spot each summer. Another shot of the roads I ride (this past Weekend March 25/17).
Added a photo of my winter commuter 3 weeks ago, same overpass warm spell +7C. Wee had a spell of -24C between.
Many locals ride Schwalbe studded winter tires.
-Snuts-
Added a photo of my winter commuter 3 weeks ago, same overpass warm spell +7C. Wee had a spell of -24C between.
Many locals ride Schwalbe studded winter tires.
-Snuts-
#45
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My only issue is that I sweat within the first 7 minutes of riding, and don't stop sweating until I get off the bike. With this being said, the evaporation and wind-chill seems to be increased dramatically. I went out recently when it was ~40, but it wasn't windy and sunny and it ended up being pleasant. However when it's blowing 20+ wind from the north and it's ~50 it can be really miserable. I can ride fine in the 100's as that what we see in the summer and I am fine with it, as long as I can find water if I run out, on a 50 mile ride I will run out of water and you can find me filling up anywhere I can find. But the ~40 mark is where sometime my feet and hands are too cold unless I improvise, when it's cold and I am finished with a ride I am completely soaked with all my layers, and they are all breathable cycling gear.
#46
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Rode today ... albeit a short ride, 45 degrees, but the wind is humming out of the east at 15-18 mph ... made for a very chilly ride.
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I will say I descended a 20 mile mtn road (GMR from Baldy village) in pouring rain once. 29 degrees and no windbreaker of leg cover. Soaking wet at speeds of 16 mph couldn't go any faster with the water on the road and heavy rain.
I'm guessing being soaked and no cover made the temp feel a bit colder than it was. I was happy to be alive at the end of that ride. LD
I'm guessing being soaked and no cover made the temp feel a bit colder than it was. I was happy to be alive at the end of that ride. LD
#48
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I think I've found my limit. I did a 130 mile ride that started/ended around 5 degrees F (it was warmer midday). It was pretty windy as well.
That might have been close to my limit. I think I could hit 0 degrees F if there was no wind... but I'm not going to make single digit biking a regular thing. (Temperatures above 15F? No problem... just dress right.)
That might have been close to my limit. I think I could hit 0 degrees F if there was no wind... but I'm not going to make single digit biking a regular thing. (Temperatures above 15F? No problem... just dress right.)
#49
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Again, I wasn't necessarily poking fun at you.
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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I'm not insulted, just trying to set you straight in reality as you are very misinformed. The posters here in the forums aren't even a drop in the bucket when it comes to the amount of cyclists out here in SoCal. So you have 10 riders here who say they stay indoors when it hits 50 but you have a few thousand out on the road.
Forum based assumptions are always the funniest.