Flip Flop Rider

depends on how long I have not ridden...over a week and I'm going regardless

plus I live in SC, so

Riveting

Another year round commuter here, where my coldest 30 minute commute was 5 F (-15 C). And my coldest Imperial Century (for fun they said???) was on New Years Day in 2018 with the local Rocky Mountain Rando club, where the start was at 12 F, was below 20 F for the first 50 miles, and never went above 27 F for the final 50 miles. That one was a character builder: https://www.strava.com/activities/1336643971

Nowadays, with all those hardcore shenanigans out of my system, ~25 F (in full sun) is my lower limit for a ride of any duration. Any colder than that requires a base layer under the winter bibpants, which makes the riding less than comfortable, due to heat/sweat buildup.

subgrade

As a year round commuter, I feel pretty comfortable down to -10°C, for 1-1.5 hr long rides. I have ridden a couple times at -20°C, but at that point some special gear becomes necessary, which I don't have (some kind of face cover, thick hat, cold toes and fingers also become a problem). My cut-off t° for commuting has become -15°C, and -10°C for recreational/fitness rides. Longest rides I've done at couple degrees below freezing have been in the 60-65 km range, the latest 2 weeks ago. Had to get off the bike and walk for a bit twice to keep my toes from going numb, otherwise it was fine.

Jax Rhapsody

Here, here, this man speaks the truthest of truths. As long as I have a car, a bike doesn't exist in the winter time. Hell... my bikes don't wanna be out there either.

tilsover

It was 2 degrees F when I rode my fat bike this morning. I do wonder how cold it has to get to affect bike components/ frame, etc. -- Good riding.

OnTheTarmac

Zero degrees Kelvin

pdlamb

Absolutely!

Herzlos

I work from home so don't commute and all cycling is leisure/fitness, so I won't go out if there's any ice (so maybe 4oC). Rain and light wind is fine, I've got warm clothes, I just don't enjoy falling off. I've got a turbo trainer set up for when it's too nasty to go outside.

Gyro

I've been in the the twenties. Only clear roads

subgrade

I reckon the main issue might be grease/lube thickening which can lead to drivetrain problems like stiff chain, freehub seizing up etc. Suspension could be affected too, and I have noticed an effect on mineral oil hydraulic brakes as well - they still work, but the lever feels different.

Regarding the toughness of materials, steel does become brittle at lower temperatures, but it varies a lot depending on carbon content and alloying elements such as nickel, chrome and others. Cheap hi-ten steel can become brittle at temps as high as -30°C, but other types of steel can lower that quite a lot. Aluminum doesn't become brittle in lower temps due to a different crystalline structure.

So you should be fine on aluminum bike, but jumps could destroy steel parts at extreme temps.

tilsover

That's good info, subgrade. Thanks.

green3ac

The temperature does not matter too much for me, as I will still commute in it. The only issue I run into when commuting when it is cold is finding a balance between staying warm and wearing too much and getting too hot.

YellaFella

My limit is about 30 degrees F.

Chubby715

25F seems to be my limit for a 60-90 min road ride in Fairfield CT. I'm already wearing 2 pairs of gloves, so any colder then my finger tips go numb, making it difficult to work my brakes and STI shifters.

green3ac

For those of you who do go out in freezing (or below freezing) temperatures, what gear have you found to be especially helpful for keeping warm (without having to stop and take layers off)?

_ForceD_

Rode 17 miles today at 20*F, windchill 17*F. Stout 12-16mph wind directly out of the north.

Dan

KJ43

40 degrees F would be my limit. I'm a California guy.

Rode today and it dipped down to about 45 degrees F. I was wearing a full length warm underlayer, thermal jersey, thermal bib tights, thermal socks, windproof full fingered glove, cycling cap under my helmet. It was chilly the whole ride but mostly rolling hills today and not a ton of climbing (1,500 ft).

Canker

Mountain biking I'll do into the teens F. The speeds are low and the effort is high so it isn't hard to say warm. Road biking on the other hand I really don't like doing bellow 60F. Windchill sucks and there is no winning. You either ease up so you get less windchill but freeze because you aren't working hard or work hard by going faster and freeze because of the increase in windchill. Road bike stays on the trainer in the winter, maybe I'll do some gravel rides when the temps bump up over 45F otherwise it is all mtn biking if I go outside.

GlennR

Started out at 20*F and ended at a balmy 26*F

Fatandhappy

Hi from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada,
My lower limit is -35 (-31 in American) which includes wind chill. Thankfully the altitude of my location means a low humidity winter with little snowfall but lots of cold. My ride is set up with 700 C tires because the snow fall is typically low here. Key equipment: gloves/trigger mitts/Bar Mitt poggies and winter riding footwear that allows me to clip into my pedals. Facial frostbite is still a risk, just can't seem to prevent my goggles from fogging up over the hour it takes me to commute to work: am open to suggestions.

Joe Bikerider

35F would be my minimum. But really if I look out the window and check my phone. I will lay in bed until at least 40F. I mean what’s the big hurry? If the sun is coming up and I’m retired and the kids are all doing what they do, I’m happy to roll over and snuggle in for a while.

cjenrick

humidity. waterproofing.

20 degrees ain't bad if the humidity is low.

if my feet are sopped from rain and it is 42 degrees like today, then i am coming in after two hours.

you do get a good workout when your kit is soaked with 20 pounds of rain and sweat, now i know why the pros just wear shorts in the rain.

if you want to be like Hinault and ride til you do permanent nerve damage to you hands then i respect that, and i will watch you do that on the TV while sipping some hot chocolate,

one thing for sure, never trust the weather forecast, doppler radar or even looking out the window because you could get zapped, and it always happens when your the furthest from home.

having to change a flat when it is freezing scares the crap out of me, so the further i get from home, the faster i ride so i can get back to within walking distance because i know that the tire levers will be useless with frozen fingers, and i do not want to quit exercising if it is cold and i am soaking wet. coordination seems to drop off when i am cold which explains all the stumbling and bumbling i experience while trying to get all that crap off when i get home.

Chubby715

Those gloves look like the same PI's i wear. They keep my fingers warm down to around 30F and then I need to add another thin layer or else my finger tips go numb.

GlennR

Tips and toes were cold but not that bad.

With wind chill it was around 9*F.

BTW... today we got 13" and counting of snow.

cjenrick

what kind of gloves are those?