wolfchild

Amazing how so many people call themselves " real cyclist and serious cyclists" and hide indoors when it gets cold.

wolfchild

Have to ?..says who ?...So if a guy lives to be 80 years old and happens to weigh 180 pounds he has to be able to squat a 180 pound barbell ??. I don't think that's realistic for majority of people in real life. It looks like social media and internet is putting some serious demands on older folks.

Rolla

Amazing how many straw men you introduce in your posts. I pity your insecurity.

indyfabz

Real and serious at the same time?

Nice try, rydabent. You really need a new pair of Bombas.

ofajen

I already shifted to running, walking and workouts at the rec center. The walking is the highlight of the day for the dogs. One of our kids likes to go work out at the rec center, and I’m much fitter for doing that several times a week this year. I’m also pleasantly surprised that running is working well because it’s easier to manage in the cold, dark half of the year. Mostly a matter of better shoes and better technique.

The rec center has an indoor track so I have the option to run indoors. My preference is not to use stationary machines except for a bit of stair climber work at the rec center and elliptical at home. I ride down to about 32F if there is no ice, but it’s mostly taking a back seat to the other options.

Otto

Troul 

once the snow hits & sticks, it's indoor riding until the weather breaks. Too much vehicle traffic to deal with in the slippery cold icy conditions.

Hermes

SoCal…The same all year round except for wind and rain, then set up the indoor peloton.

Attilio

Live in the Northeast so it gets cold and snows. I don't change hugely just take shorter rides, wear more clothing and use thermoses w/ hot liquid. I go a lot slower and burn more energy in winter so the rides are less ambitious. I might do a couple centuries a month March-Oct/Nov. Once Dec-Feb cold hits rides won't be as long. Also I avoid places with a lot of snow that isn't removed. I have a fat bike that I use as my MTB but more than 4-6 inches of snow tops it gets impossible to move so unploughed roads or bike paths become off limits those months unless there is a major thaw. But otherwise still outside 12 months a year. I *AVOID* trainers and don't even own one. Winter riding has excellent training potential between the cold and extra clothing. We can argue until we're blue in the face about advantages of a lighter bike, carbon wheels, or going up to Dura Ace or SRAM red, but believe me the layers and boots you put on in winter make a HUGE drag and difference in your performance. Accordingly I took up the sport seriously about 3 1/2 years ago (recreationally as an adult maybe 1-2 years before that) and been riding almost every day regularly since Spring 2019. My best "gains" every year are in March/April when those layers come off.

Mtracer

I ride about the same amount as I do any time of year. It's dry where I live (Albuquerque, NM USA) so snow and rain aren't much of an issue even though relatively more so in the winter months. I just dress warm and ride later in they day, versus the early morning in summer. On really bad weather days, I'll ride indoors, Though I loath riding indoors. It's just bores me to tears. So, unless it's super windy, ice on the road, or actually raining, I'll ride outside.

SpeedyBlueBiker

I relocate to a warmer climate and then come back in late March early April.

scottfsmith

We only get a couple weeks of ice so I am biking most of the winter.. rides are in the afternoon, as opposed to early morning rides in the summer heat. I bought an indoor trainer but only use if there is a very long rain or snow spell. I hate the trainer, the monotony numbs my mind. I need to be balancing turning watching etc. I thought Zwift would make things better but it doesn’t, I hate that plastic land.

Tomorrow it will be high 50s in the later afternoon, great for biking! Our highs are almost always above 30 or so meaning long rides are pretty easy with good gear.

indyfabz

There is no argument: SRAM Red is the warmest group.

big john

It rains so rarely here that rides are seldom rained out. If it's a light rain I don't mind riding the mtb.
Same if it's very windy or we have a road route we do in front of the San Gabriel mountains which is somewhat shielded from wind.
I have a dumb trainer but I can't remember the last time I used it, certainly not since I retired.

Attilio

Honestly for winter I destroyed a Claris now upgraded to Sora gravel bike but have started to use a single speed Salsa Stormchaser. Chain lasted 3k miles and bottom bracket 3500. That is also my rain bike I take out in precipitation. I oil and clean it once a year even when it doesn't need it. You're supposed to clean and oil the drivetrain every time you take it out in "bad" conditions". Calculating what I earn per hour and the oilings and cleanings I didn't do on that bike it has saved me big bucks. Time = money.

MNebiker

It's Minnesota. Hang the bike in the garage when the temps go below 40 and wait for the spring thaw!

Attilio

Error post

KPREN

If you are talking salted roads and slush, then electric is not better. If you are talking fat bike studded tires off road, then hell yes electric is better.

wolfchild

The battery will discharge a lot faster in the cold and then you're stuck pedaling a 70 - 80 pound bike through the snow, I also question the reliability of all the electronics when exposed to salty spray and slush.....The best bikes for winter riding are singlespeed or fixed gear or IGH bikes.

kcjc

NorCal so it gets cold enough to be annoying and unpleasant. Excessive sweating here, so not a fan of riding in the cold and are on the trainer mostly in winter with tons of sweet spot.

locolobo13 

Ride as much as I want to

Broctoon

Around this time last year I bought a good indoor trainer, and I used it a lot that winter. I'm about to set it up and start using it again. I ride outside a little in the winter, just not often and not long distances. I run outside in the winter, sometimes more than summer. I've never been one to go to a gym often. I have free access to a nice one, but it's not my thing. I have a rowing machine and a few weights at home, which I actually use, more in winter than other seasons.

Edited to add: My trainer is a TACX. Although it will work with Zwift and many other apps, the only one I've ever used with it is the TACX app. I ride lots of virtual routes in Europe. They even have challenges you can sign up for, to ride a particular group of routes within a specified timeframe. If you do it, they'll send you a real (not virtual) embroidered patch. I am astounded at how hard I'm willing to work for a patch. They really know how to market their service to keep people subscribing and using it. At least they have my number, so to speak.

MixedRider

Ride outdoors when i can. Wet roads are ok and so is a super slight drizzle. But anything more than that i stick to the rower in the basement. Plus, in the PNW, the sun rises after 8a and sets before 6p, so alot of lunch time rides the winter months.

Iride01 

Even 65°F (18°C) is a little on the cool side to me. But I do have stuff that keeps me warm and comfortable down in the 40 degree range (4 - 10°C)

I probably in November, December and January can count all my rides on the fingers of two hands plus the toes on one foot. Thumbs count too for some years! <grin>. My mileage drops even more compared to the drop in number of rides. So I'm doing shorter and/or slower rides.

I do get on a stationary bike, but that's more rare than the actual riding during any one month.

I've bought some better cold weather gear. So maybe I'll get out more these next few months than I did in years past.

I envy those of you determined enough to ride when it's colder and snowy.

Broctoon

My wife has been sick and almost completely unable to ride lately. Prior to this, we went out together fairly often. One of our favorites is a Saturday morning ride to a local diner for brunch. We'd do this even in winter, with temps as low as 30 degrees F.

The hard part isn't getting out. It's riding several miles, sitting down to eat, and then going out to start riding again. Sometimes we step out of the diner for the ride home and she gets so cold she sends me to get the car and come back for her, or she just calls our daughter to pick her up.

We're both becoming pretty big wimps about cold weather. And yet, I still consider myself a "real and serious cyclist." I went out for rides last summer when temps were in the triple digits, just avoided big climbs. As I age, I find I can tolerate hot temps better than cold. I see the trainer as a really good option in the cold, dark winter. I see jogging as another. I've never considered myself a "real" or a "serious" runner, but I don't get nearly as cold when running, so it's a fallback activity.

Champlaincycler

Used to ride down to 15F or so, but I've realized that no matter the clothing/boots/gloves, I just can't ride more than an hour in cold weather before toes and fingers start to freeze, chest sweat freezes up on the downhills etc. I'll still go out occassionaly if the roads are clear, sun is out and there's little wind, but it's more to get out then for serious exercise. I like to get outside every day ,so hiking and xcountry skiing fill the gaps and get me into the woods as well. I'm lucky in that I can do all of those from my back door or maybe a short drive away and rarely go to a ski center. Love my indoor rower as well.