After summer/fall riding..
#1
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After summer/fall riding..
How many of you continue to ride as often (or almost as often) in the winter months as you do in the other months? To people out there who live in climates with actual winter Say like lows in the teens (F) and highs in the 20s/30s.. And no snow or ice on the ground..
#2
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Winters aren't too bad in SC, so I ride year round, just bundle up. I've ridden down into the 20s without issues. If it's raining or icy, I'll stay inside.
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#4
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I used to run in the winter instead, but knee doc told me to stop. This coming year will be a test to see how riding works. I worry about the unseen slippery spots. Temperature isn't really a worry, just put on warmer gloves and a face mask. Since I ride/run before work the other issue with winter is making sure I have charged up a couple of lights to see in the dark.
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Between mid-December and mid-March, 90% of my time on a saddle is in front of a tv on Zwift.
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I do as much as I can.
I've learned to be careful and not go at a race pace or I might freeze my throat (inside, not outside).
Too often I seem to catch some black ice and sprain something, even though I have lots of experience. Last time I checked weather & radar, all looked good, but then it started a misty rain on the 2nd 1/2 of my ride, and I learned that black ice and wet streets basically look like the same thing (especially on gravel). ugh.
I have studded tires, and really should use those.
Its the freeze/thaw cycles that cause the worst ice. if it stays solid cold, the snow doesn't turn into ice. Biking in a snow storm is a blast, a totally different immersive experience than any other bike ride - even if I stay within a mile or two of my home.
The other nice thing is I can bike places in the winter that are too wet/muddy to bike any other time of the year. Sometimes I even bike on lakes (definitely with studded tires in that case). It kinda surprised me that with high torque acceleration on ice with good studded tires, I was pullin a wheelie instead of spinning my wheels.
But, if I don't like the weather, I'm blessed with an indoor velodrome that lets me do 20-40mph any time I want to get my heart rate up. I don't know what it is about that thing, but I can get a better workout on the velodrome in 30 minutes than I can get outside in an hour. (well, having someone to chase helps too).
I've learned to be careful and not go at a race pace or I might freeze my throat (inside, not outside).
Too often I seem to catch some black ice and sprain something, even though I have lots of experience. Last time I checked weather & radar, all looked good, but then it started a misty rain on the 2nd 1/2 of my ride, and I learned that black ice and wet streets basically look like the same thing (especially on gravel). ugh.
I have studded tires, and really should use those.
Its the freeze/thaw cycles that cause the worst ice. if it stays solid cold, the snow doesn't turn into ice. Biking in a snow storm is a blast, a totally different immersive experience than any other bike ride - even if I stay within a mile or two of my home.
The other nice thing is I can bike places in the winter that are too wet/muddy to bike any other time of the year. Sometimes I even bike on lakes (definitely with studded tires in that case). It kinda surprised me that with high torque acceleration on ice with good studded tires, I was pullin a wheelie instead of spinning my wheels.
But, if I don't like the weather, I'm blessed with an indoor velodrome that lets me do 20-40mph any time I want to get my heart rate up. I don't know what it is about that thing, but I can get a better workout on the velodrome in 30 minutes than I can get outside in an hour. (well, having someone to chase helps too).
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I transition to mt. biking and more dirt road/gravel bike riding in later October usually, once the ticks have gone more dormant. We have bad ticks here on Long Island (as well as poison ivy). If we don’t get much snow, I ride thru to March. Low temps don’t bother me, when I’m only doing 10 mph in the woods.
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How many of you continue to ride as often (or almost as often) in the winter months as you do in the other months? To people out there who live in climates with actual winter Say like lows in the teens (F) and highs in the 20s/30s.. And no snow or ice on the ground..
#10
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#11
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I ride all year. Snow it what stops me because of day melt, and nighttime refreezing. But I am out all year.
Summer is rougher to me......It was brutal today, and will be much worse by late week.
Summer is rougher to me......It was brutal today, and will be much worse by late week.
#13
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I love the cold and am an avid skier but winter cycling is bull****, if it’s below 55 I’m not going and NO I’m not “bundling up”.
zwift solves all problems in this regard. Can’t recommend it highly enough for poor weather or getting a quick ride in between other responsibilities.
zwift solves all problems in this regard. Can’t recommend it highly enough for poor weather or getting a quick ride in between other responsibilities.
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Where I live the weather is somewhat erratic. We can get nice days even in January/February, so I never really stop riding completely...I just don’t ride as much due to days where it isn’t so nice. Since I run too, I tend to run more in the winter, which I am comfortable doing well below freezing, and ride more in the summer when the humidity makes running nearly intolerable no matter what time of day.
One challenge I seem have with riding in the winter is that the gravel roads don’t dry out as quickly, so if it’s been rainy you really have to commit to doing some cleanup after. Not a big fan of being caked in mud, especially if it’s cold. At least with running, I seem to have better paved options when it’s wet.
One challenge I seem have with riding in the winter is that the gravel roads don’t dry out as quickly, so if it’s been rainy you really have to commit to doing some cleanup after. Not a big fan of being caked in mud, especially if it’s cold. At least with running, I seem to have better paved options when it’s wet.
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In Michigan: I never did until just this last winter. Typically I hang the bike up late October when it starts getting rainy and cold and don't get it back out until April (often rainy and cold too heh). I decided to try some winter riding this last season and it was okay but not very enjoyable. I really only averaged 1-2 rides per week for a maximum of an hour/15 miles or so, but it's better than nothing I suppose. I only went when it was dry, the temp was 30F or more, and the wind was 10kt or less.
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I'm in Chicago. I typically bike commute all winter, but skip the snow days until roads have been plowed. I'd say my temp cutoff for winter commuting is 15-20 degrees. I don't ride as many recreational miles outside in winter and spend a lot more time on the trainer in front of Netflix or Zwift, but I do try to get out for rides whenever the roads are dry.
Our CX season runs early September - mid December. We race in all weather and I'm usually ready to hang up the CX bike after that for a few months.
I've been thinking of picking up a fat bike to do some winter MTB rides, but there seems to be a lot of in-between weather here where it's too sloppy for MTB trails, and not yet frozen up.
Our CX season runs early September - mid December. We race in all weather and I'm usually ready to hang up the CX bike after that for a few months.
I've been thinking of picking up a fat bike to do some winter MTB rides, but there seems to be a lot of in-between weather here where it's too sloppy for MTB trails, and not yet frozen up.
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Cool weather rider here. I have a very low tolerance for high heat/humidity combination (and it seems to get worse with age) and rarely ride in the summer anymore unless it's really a beautiful day outside. I'll just work out at the gym. I do most of my riding in autumn and spring. Hiking and walking when it's in the 20's and 30's F. in the winter.
Last edited by smurfy; 06-29-20 at 12:10 PM.