extreme cold danger cycling
 

ever find yourself "on the brink" due to extreme cold & unable to cycle to safety? or just barely?

I was once, but the cold wasn't extreme, but it was cold & toward sundown. I was able to replace 2 torn tubes but I was out of fresh tubes & the cause wasn't fully resolved. caught a ride back from one of the last fishermen in the area, 3? miles away from my car

I once foolishly rode my bike across the Brooklyn bridge in the middle of a raging blizzard.

It was ‘96 or ‘97 and I was young and stupid. Took a bunch of pictures and then wandered around downtown Brooklyn enjoying the storm until the snow got so deep I couldn’t walk my bike, much less ride it. Had to push it home from Junior’s on Flatbush to the Seaport area, which usually wouldn’t be too bad but there was like two and a half feet of snow on the ground by then lol.

Was never in danger of freezing to death or anything, but let’s just say I prefer to do that kind of ride on a fat tired snow bike now.

One time I was riding in sub-freezing temps and the wind kicked up, so it was probably below 0F with the wind chill. I stopped and removed one of my gloves to rummage through my handlebar bag. When I went to put the glove back on, it had blown away and I couldn't find it. I searched for several frantic minutes before I found it in a nearby snowbank. It occured to me that without that glove, I couldn't have ridden on. It was too cold and I was at least 15 miles from home. Now I always bring a spare pair.

the problem with the cold is when your riding your warn but those clothes suck when you stop. wife and I would ride 50 miles when it was in the 30s and be fine but we could not stop and check things out or we would freeze. since then maybe taking extra clothes along in case?

I lived in Switzerland for a year, and one day I picked a climb that would take me most of the day, figuring I'd enjoy the descent at the end. Took me a little longer than I expected, though, and as the sun went down it got cold. Not really cold, it was early fall, but too cold for me to maintain control of the bike without shivering especially since I was covered in sweat from the climb, and I hadn't brought layers. I took a train back down the mountain and home. Kind of embarrassing, I had been looking forward to the descent all day and then couldn't do it when I had the chance.

I'll bet it was this one
North American blizzard of 1996

My 2nd year of randonneuring, 2011, I did my SR series in Kentucky. On the 400k the forecast called for rain early, clearing later, and temps dropping to 50F after sunset. I was prepared for that. When night fell, the bottom fell out and it dropped to the 30's. It was hours to the finish, I was alone, damp, wearing everything I had, and cold. It's horse country, so homes were few, far off the road, and behind unwelcoming fences. I pushed on, riding hard for warmth. Problem was, the terrain was rolling. On the climbs I'd warm up, but the descents were murder. As the temperature dropped, it got to where I'd barely stop shivering by the top of the climbs. It occurred to me that a flat tire might be fatal. Eventually the lights of Shelbyville appeared, and I made it to the finish hotel.

Since then, I always carry clothing for 10F colder than forecast, sometimes more. That means I carry a lot of clothes I never wear, but that's okay.

Wow, I think you must be right. That was a crazy-ass storm.

I remember the snow being three or four feet deep afterwards and we had to walk around in these corridors of frozen snow everywhere. It was weirdly beautiful during and right after. I keep hoping/dreading something similar will happen again so I can take some more photos.

remember it like it was yesterday :D. they closed one of the maternity wards, where we were. Wifey & I drove a newborn home on the 8th. had to walk thru knee-waist deep snow to get them into the house. mother-in-law was shouting "wait wait!" as her desperate & ineffectual attempts to shovel a path were overshadowed by our need to get in the house. brought the kid in & then went back out for Wifey. the old 4Runner earned it's pay that day

That’s a great story!

On a road ride with temps in the low 20°sF I flatted. I had all the necessary equipment to repair the flat. But, I discovered that it really couldn’t be down with my thick gloves on. And then, when I took the gloves off, my hands and fingers got so cold very quickly that I couldn’t manipulate everything to do the change. So…I went to the cell phone to call my wife for a pickup. BUT…I then discovered that I was in a rural cellular dead zone. I had to walk (in cycling shoes) about a mile before I could get a cell signal. Dressed for a cold winter ride…I was fine as long as I was peddling. But stopped (an a bit sweaty), the cold really became concerning. There wasn’t even a house nearby that I could go up to and ask to use their phone, and for shelter until my pick-up arrived.
Moral of the story: Stay in somewhat populated areas during very cold rides.


Dan

I think we'll probably see a lot of accounts where someone has dressed appropriately for a cold weather ride, gone out and gotten sweaty or tired, had to stop for whatever reason and realized immediately that they are not dressed warmly enough. The main take-away is that it can be dangerous if you don't plan for that eventuality. Whether it's knowing your ride, staying aware of the weather and possible changes, taking extra clothes, having a person to call and a way to call them, or whatever, the main thing is plan ahead.

I bring a down jacket and other warm items in my bag

thank you. I'm sure I have a photo of the 4Runner which I just drove into our parking space, which had not been cleared by the condo association. I just beached the thing & worried about it later ... was so good to get into a warm safe house. that night, the 5 of us went upstairs to the bedrooms. Mom carrying baby, Mother in law w/ her hand on her back, followed by father in law w/ hand on wife's back like a train, & me following w/ a camera ... hehe

I rode in 8 degree temps last night.

Yeah, that's the thing that troubles me. Particularly riding thick-walled winter tires that get really hard to mount in the cold, I just don't think I could get my hands to work well enough to change a flat in the deep cold. And I ride at temperatures 30 degrees lower than the low 20s. Generally, though, I don't ride alone when it's that cold.

good rider! how did it go?

I don't know too many ppl crazy as I am. had a best friend that never said no to stuff like x-country skiing at night w/ flashlights, or 10 mile beach hikes in February. but he moved away & got married

There are people here more willing than me to do really hard stuff. I missed it b/c I was out of town, but members of my group do a New Year's Day century every year. This year the temperature was -18 °F when they started, reached a high of -6°F, and was back down to -18 °F at the end. Road conditions were rough and it was slow going - I think they were out for about 9 hours. A dozen started, six finished.

Among male Alaskan natives, frostbite scars on the face are regarded as a sign of toughness, and thus the ability to care for others. At least it was that way when I was a kid up there. Maybe village life isn't like that anymore, no game, no ice. But that's something the winter rider can aspire to.

I delivered papers in Fairbanks when I was a kid, a 2 hour paper route in temps down to -65°F. As the winter got colder, I consistently under-dressed, trying to keep my skin temperatures right at numb but no colder. That built cold resistance so that I could go out when it was really cold without problems. A codicil to that is that building cold resistance does not change the point at which one gets frostbite, in fact it decreases one's sensitivity to approaching frostbite, which can be dangerous and is one of the reasons that one sees mountaineers getting it from taking off their gloves when it's -30 and blowing.

More to the point, when I'd lose feeling in my feet or hands, I'd simply start running, no matter the temperature. It took maybe 1/2 mile of running to get the blood flowing enough so that I felt warm again. So that's what you do if it starts to feel dangerous: work harder! The guy who pushed his bike over the Brooklyn Bridge was OK because that was a lot of work. One just has to be in good enough condition not to get exhausted and to start getting it on before frostbite sets in.

BTW, numb feet does not automatically mean frostbite as related above. I've had numb feet on brevets in above freezing conditions, like 34° and sleeting. That was tough because my socks got wet. Never work hard enough when it's really cold that your feet start to sweat!

My flat-tire technique on cold rides is to first take care of myself by putting on another layer, perhaps having a snack, then addressing the bike. On occasion, I've even stripped down to skin and put on dry clothes on a cold roadside stop. It makes a huge difference.

I have a riding buddy who's done hard climbs in the Andes, big stuff with snow and ice. I asked him how he managed to stay warm. Sometimes you're moving, sometimes not so much or belaying. He said the trick was to never move so fast you sweated. Just control your effort. Then when you stop, you don't get so much colder. You look at those high altitude climbers - they're wearing everything they have with them. So that's the trick - take it easy. This is not normal riding. Just doing it is life threatening, so we shouldn't act as though it were a normal ride. There was that guy recently who thought he's walk home in a snowstorm. They found his body days later.

yeah the flat tire in the cold syndrome.i just got a Ibera rack today, got hung up on the freight train in Leavenworth WA for 3 days as Stevens Pass got hammered last week.


anxiety level has already dropped and i have not even taken this setup on it's first ride.

anxiety about what?

1) did i bring everything i need to fix a flat?
2) what if the new tube gets punctured by what punctured the old tube?
3) is there a spoke sticking into the tube area such that the new tube will get punctured
4) what if the plastic tire irons snap from the cold?
5 will the new tube be any good?
6) will there be too big a hole in the tire to keep the new tube from puncturing?
7) will the CO2 inflator function properly?
8) what if the CO2 inflator blows the tire off the bead?
9) will my hands function in the cold?
10) if i can not get the flat fixed, will my cell phone work
11) if the phone works, will i be able to use it at night in the freezing rain?
12) if i get a call placed, will anybody pick up?
13) will a cab want to come out into the middle of nowhere on a rainy night?
14) do i have money for a cab, will they trust me to pay them when i get home?
15) will i go into hypothermia while fixing the flat?
16) will i be able to ride while shaking violently?
17) are the mountain lions and coyotes hungry tonight?

ok maybe you can add a few, the point is, flat anxiety grows worse with the cold, rain, snow, and night time.

so what to do? spare wheel. it is flat round here so weight is not a problem. single speed to save weight.
packing a little extra weight is better than freezing to death or having a cold weather heart attack.
and i will only use3e this in extreme conditions, ie long night rides in freezing rain.
and extra weight build strong muscle when we hop on the good weather road bike!
i have to get some toe straps , right now, just to see if i had pedal clearance, i used some tie wraps.

i padded the rack and frame at the three contact points. took it on a test ride and it works! i am happy, what about the front wheel? just have to take that gamble and hope the odds are with me. got all the stuff in the saddle pack ready to go if the front goes.

one good thing about the spare is that it covers other wheel problems like broken spokes and axles and freehub issues.



https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e6ee436c93.jpg

wheel is supported by the fixed gear spacers
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...76eba6d8fc.jpg

oh man, I may never ride my bike again, after reading all that! :twitchy: