jppe

I'm a hot weather person....the hotter the better for me. I play golf in temperatures 100+ and love it. When the temps drop below 60 I'm dressed like an Eskimo around the house.

But when it comes to riding I enjoy riding in colder temperatures. It's refreshing to be out in the cool crisp air. Most of my riding buddies quit riding this time of year. It has taken me a few years to figure out what clothing and accessories work best but I think I now have all the right combinations. When I started this morning it was 30 degrees and was kind of slow to warm up. I was very comfortable all day. I'm definitely slower in colder temps but for me this time of year is all about time in the saddle as opposed to speed. Just trying to work on endurance and fitness.

I do like it better when the sun is shining. It's also better if the wind isn't blowing too hard.

Any others?

JimF22003

I'm not sure I'll ever come to believe that riding in the cold is actually fun, but it beats not riding at all

And there's no question it beats the trainer. The biggest hassle for me is when there's a wide variation of temperatures during the day. Yesterday started at about 25 degrees, and got up to about 50 by the end of the day. That means I typically need to bring face/head gear and gloves for two completely different conditions.

Also I hate that the shorter days and cold mornings limits the distance I can go. It's usually too cold to start before 9:00am, and the afternoon sun angle glare and shadows make riding much past 3:00pm pretty sketchy.

But other than that, yeah, lots of fun

freedomrider1

You want to have some fun come up here .

NOS88

Riding in heat, rain, wind, cold, or snow are ALL more fun that not riding. When I come in from an especially challenging ride made so by the weather, I tend to feel that it's a victory of sorts when I don't let the weather conquer me. My wife thinks it's being stubborn; I think it's being tenacious.

bruised

I'm liking the cold-weather riding a lot.

In some strange way it's almost like a different sport (activity, pastime or whatever you want to call it).

Fat biking the winter trails is an entirely different experience, even to riding my MTB. It's not just the temps it's the physical exertion of pedaling that 40lb beast around in the snow - I'm using different parts of the leg muscle, I'm getting a tougher upper-body workout, I feel physically and mentally fatigued after a much shorter time in the saddle. The riding demands are different and it just feels altogether different, in a good way.

The weather/clothing becomes a bigger part of the puzzle. It's much more critical and integral to the to the overall experience and has a much larger bearing on the outcome of the ride.

Hydration becomes more of an issue than riding in warmer weather, which seems counter-intuitive at first. You seem to lose the warning signs for hydrating and for eating, so you need to pay special attention to it along with solving minor issues like having a frozen water bottle!

Oddly enough I've 'bonked' three from the five times I've ridden this week, and I've only ever bonked once before in the whole of the Summer. And I'm only averaging around 18 mile rides, mostly single-track at 6/7 mph, versus 50 mile average rides through the summer. Yesterday I crashed the whole day, slept for two hours in the afternoon and barely moved from the couch. I slept-in 'til almost 9am today and I never sleep past 7am as a rule !! My legs and arms are aching, but it's that 'good ache', if you know what I mean....

I don't know if any of this sounds familiar to other folks, it certainly isn't what I was expecting after a summer of riding 200 mile weeks.

I'm tentatively planning for an overnight camp at one of the State Parks locally, to see how that experience compares with the summer camping I did. Should be a blast!

It's all good.

rick458

I dont like riding in the "cold" but I do really like riding in the "cool".
I need to get some good gloves, long sleaved jerseys, and a decent windbreaker.
I rode the other night in shorts, shoes, a light rain jacket, and my fingerless gloves.
Frost was forming on the cars, but I was comfortable save for my fingers, which were turning red, and very uncomfortable.

Gerryattrick

While I love riding in the heat of summer with its early morning light and long days I also get a great deal of pleasure cycling on bright winter days, where it can seem like an added bonus.

The only problem I have is is cold hands when it gets near freezing - but good double layer gloves are an absolute necessity.

gif4445

I dislike the winter with a passion, but have done a little cold weather cycling. 20 degrees seems to be the dividing line as far as temperature. Wind is the real wildcard. If I didn't have the day to day obligations, I think I would try a little winter touring just going with the wind each day. Then figure out how I'm going to get back home.

cobolman

Last week I went out for a 20 mile ride when it was 30 degrees. No wind and blue skies. Great riding weather. As long as you have the clothes there should be no problem. A riding hat helps a lot as does warm gloves or better yet lobster claw gloves.

Jim from Boston

One day when I was preparing for a snowy ride, my wife chided me, "You just want to ride today so you can write about on Bike Forums."

IMO the above higlighted quote sums it up. I posted to this thread last year:

An enjoyable experience of winter riding that I find peculiar to the winter, especially in the dark, is what I call “cocooning,” where I hunker down on my bike, aware but oblivious to the external environment. I focus on my experience of visualizing the road ahead and in my immediate vicinity, listening to my ambient sounds, and contemplating my thoughts. The difference with summer riding is that then I am more in the tune to the wider external environment.

scoatw

I started winter cycling in 07. Never knew it was possible until I discovered BF which led me to studded tires. I'm dissappointed that I wasn't able to do it years ago. Makes for a great winter activity for someone who doesn't have any ski slopes nearby, or any mountain ranges to go traipsing around in. Hitting the MTB trails in winter when its about 20 degrees outside and snow everywhere is like being in another world. I enjoy the stillness and serenity of riding in falling snow at 4:30am when I ride to work.

sludge7

I've been commuting to work since May now, and this morning was my first day riding with frost on the ground. I'm fine about it from a safety perspective, but it seemed to me a much more physically challenging ride than normal, even allowing for the wind, etc. My boss (who also bikes) said that he thinks the frost makes the road "stickier" hence creating more resistance... Any truth to this or is there some other reason or it is all in my head?

Also, anybody have any ideas how I can distribute the warmth from the sweat running down my back to my icy fingertips?

jimmuller 

I don't mind riding when the temperature falls, but there is always a limit. For the last 30 years or so my sweetie and I have been x-c skiing most weekends, generally in New Hampshire. We've seen temps as low as -30F, never tried skiing in that though. Have skied in -5F many times, even -10F. You learn how to dress. When you've done that enough, biking at 30F doesn't seem so hard. But you do have to dress for it.

VNA

Cold temperature can do without!

Under 40 degrees becomes uncomfortable and so is over 95!
For some people with hypothyroidism generally don't like cold even with the correct amount of medication!
Besides: days are shorter, the sun is lower and the trees look sad without their leaves! ; - (
Nothing can replace that nice pleasant warm sunshine!

John_V 

You guys can keep that cold weather riding up north. Went out for a bike ride yesterday morning and it was 74º at 7:00 AM. It's in the 70s now but getting ready to rain pretty hard so I'll wait until later in the day for a ride. I'll take my hot and humid, Florida weather any day over snow, sleet and ice.

jimmuller 

Right now we don't have any. My commute in this morning was in the mid-50's. The air was humid and the roads wet from yesterday's storm. Today I wear my skunk stripe proudly!

capejohn

I don't mind the cold weather at all on a still day. Add wind to the cold and that changes everything.

JanMM

Got out today for a ride in breezy 32ish degrees. Five miles was enough. Prefer gawdawful hot to freezing cold.

freedomrider1

I have a question about the stuff they put on the roads to prevent ice, i think it is called brime. Can it harm a bike and or components? I was out to day and noticed it and just wondered.

Whataguy5431

I'm not sure FUN is the correct adjective but now that I have all the proper layers and clothing it is more enjoyable. I kind of look forward to the accomplishment. Here in Central Texas, 25-32 is cold, normal winter at 33 to 40 is not a problem, with the right gear. Worst part of riding in < 50 degrees is my times are slower, cadence average is 5-8 less, but ride is pretty enjoyable. Since my time is limited, most of my 5-6 rides a week are 12-18 miles, but I'm always happier that I Went rather than I Didn't. My goal is to still get in 250/month during winter.

Wanderer

Riding in the cold was never a problem for me. Doesn't take long to start making enuf heat to keep warmmmm.

But a couple crashes because of ice, one requiring 17 stitches in my face, changed my mind...... I do cold, but don't do snow and ice any longer...... I just move to the beast in the basement................ till Mar-Apr, once the snow flies.

Jim from Boston

Just this morning I posted about our Thanksgiving Day Ride with studded tires:

BluesDawg

I'm about to find out. I planned a day after Thanksgiving ride for the club and it will be about 40F at ride time. Probably a short one with a small group.

rumrunn6

had a ride in the 30s a couple weeks ago. nice sunny day and I had the right clothing so the ride was most awesome. I guess my ideal range is between 75-30 degrees

Wanderer

I've ridden in wintertime (snow and ice) for 60 years without studs. After the second crash in a few weeks, two winters ago, I required a visit to the ER..... Don't need to be out there---- LOL.

I checked into studs, and decided it was just too much hassle because of fenders.

At 69 years old, I decided to just tough it out on the Airdyne during snowy weather........ I can just polish and wax bikes, to get them all ready for spring....

My wife is happier, too!