rsbob 

In my 20s, riding in the high 80s and low 90s was my favorite. Ride hard, drink lots, and be drenched in sweat like you had done twice the work.
As a bike commuter during the winter (converted hard tail mtn bike with slicks, fenders and lights) I was happy at 35*+ and not so much below that due to cold extremities.

Now in my mid 60s, I am finding that those high 80s and low 90s really sap my energy and make riding longer than 1.5 hours a drag. Similarly since I don’t have to bike commute for many years, road biking below 40* is not enjoyable, but mtn biking is because I can warm up faster and stay warmer.

So what temps do you now decide to avoid because it saps your energy and enthusiasm? Providing your age as a data point would help. Inquiring trolls want to know.

P.S. This thread is not intended as a debate of who is more macho, worthy, wimpy or just right, so please don’t go there.

Mulberry20

Cold bothers me more. Below 40 I don’t ride outside.

mcours2006

Being a year-round commuter my comfort zone is pretty wide--from 30*C to -30*C, which pretty much covers about 95% of the conditions under which I ride. I've only ridden in -30 like once, maybe twice. It's not pleasant, obviously. But once the temp drops below -15*C, I start questioning my own sanity for riding.

tomato coupe

That's like telling a kid "Whatever you do, don't eat that candy."

P.S. I have my smart trainer set up in a 0°F walk-in freezer, and I use multiple fans to simulate -20°F wind chill.

Maelochs

Both. I hate when it is both very hot and very cold.

Maelochs

As for being macho .... not me.

However, I simply won't go riding in conditions which won't guarantee my death.

Speedway2

I'm from the same area as mcours.
With me it's not really about how hot it gets but how humid it is. I can handle the heat (slower pace...lots of proper liquids) but I won't ride in single digits (intentionally) especially if there's a wind chill factor.

BkSaGo

Cold affects me more than hot. Although everybody’s definition of “cold” and “hot” are different.
Cold affects my lungs, might have mild exercise-induced asthma which is made worst by cold air.
I do well when it’s “warm” enough to warm up legs a bit.
Living near the beach in SoCal, don’t really have to deal with temperature extremes.

JohnDThompson 

Cold, definitely. Cold triggers Reynaud's phenomenon in my hands and feet that can take hours to resolve.

Reflector Guy

Cold ordinarily doesn't bother me (I worked outside year-round for many years) but on certain days the cold wind bothers my eyes and makes them sting as if I'd been stabbed there with needles. I think it is a complication of Rosacea.... Some days are fine; others are awful even at mild temperatures like 50 degrees.

tclune

I find I'm more bothered by heat in the summer and by cold in the winter.

delbiker1 

Here south coastal Delaware, for me, it is definitely the heat. This area gets a lot more extreme heat/humidity than extreme cold. Of course, the caveat to the cold is wind velocity, and to some extent, the direction.

DMC707 

49 years old - cold is much worse for me.

cold has been bad for me since my late thirties. I used to tolerate it.

hot weather i just drink more water, take more rest stops and keep pedalling

jaxgtr

Cold, I live in Florida and just don't have the gear or the ability to deal with it like I used to. As I have gotten older, my ability to handle cold temps has really has gone down.

dieselgoat

I live in the south (US) and I have yet to see a day during the summer that has been too hot or too humid for me to ride. However, I've seen plenty of days in our "winter" months that I just will not ride. I have ridden in the low 30s with 15-20 mph winds, but I didn't like it at all. At 58, I now will not ride in temps less than 50 F. There are far too many nice days here for me to have to ride when I really don't want to.

PaulH

73 years old. Cold makes no difference -- just put on warmer clothing. Nothing one can do about heat, however.

Steve B.

Heat affects me more. I can dress for the cold, go mt. biking at 15-20 degrees and be OK. Yet anything over about 85-87 degrees in a hot humid day and I’ll skip it.

Toadmeister

I can’t handle the 90-deg hot, humid heat in the sun. When I’m sweating so much I can’t get enough water and electrolytes back in me, I’m done. Several times I’ve taken off early before sunrise to beat the afternoon heat. I want to be done before that afternoon sun bakes me.


Although I enjoy the summer bicycling more, cold doesn’t actually bother me too much when dressed properly. The winter has other problems like snow, ice and lack of daylight that will keep me from cycling as much.

Troul 

I'm bitter in the cold. You'll get the warm & fuzzy from me in the heat.

jamesdak 

Well I'm in northern Utah. I can't think of a day that it's been to hot for me to ride. But even when living in southern AZ I ran everyday afterwork and seemed to tolerate any heat just fine.

Cold makes things interesting but here again it's not a temperature limit in the winter. I've enough years of winter riding to know what I need to wear. In winter the only thing that stops me are unsafe road conditions.

It all really boils down to I hate working out inside. Never been a gym rat ever, hate working out on machines. I have rollers but hardly ever use them.

mdarnton

Grew up in northern Michigan with the snow and cold and still love it. Never really experienced temps above 75 or 80, and now when it goes above that I crumple, still.

gregf83 

I commuted year round in Vancouver for a little over 6 yrs, 60km round trip. I don’t ever recall a day that was too hot. I like having my arms glistening in sweat. it doesn’t often get above 90F here. I had to visit Yuma, AZ for work a few years back and wouldn’t have wanted to ride in 115F.

You can dress for cold but going down a hill at 60+kph when it’s 3C and damp still makes my face hurt. Now that I’m working from home I ride in the dry only and preferably in the sun. If it’s wet I hop on the trainer.

Ghazmh

My fingers, toes and running nose doesn’t like the cold one bit. I can ride comfortably into the upper 20’s and uncomfortably below that. Anything above 90 and perpetual insatiable thirst makes it less than enjoyable, Overall I’ll ride anywhere between 0-100 degrees.

coffeesnob

Given the choice heat over cold but I dont really give riding in the cold fair chance I do not have the correct clothing for cold weather.

mercator

At 62, I'm certain that heat has the biggest impact on my performance.
On the other hand, when its really cold I have a hard time working up the enthusiasm to get out the door.