How tough and committed are you?

[Kirk007]

I hate riding in the cold, and the wet, which is pretty much why I hate the Pacific NW this time of year, even though by any real standard it doesn't get cold and this year it hasn't been very wet either. Below 40 - maybe I'll ride if its sunny. 40 or below and rain, forget it. Below 50 and rain - sucks but maybe I'll ride

I drag my ass out to ride this year solely as a weight control measure or it I'm really going stir crazy.

[BobC]

No doubt you can dress for colder weather, but the bigger yardstick for me is my ability to handle a mechanical at colder temps.

More of a safety issue

[berserk87]

I love riding my bike. Getting outside and exercising is a must for me, and more for mental health reasons than physical health.

The coldest I've done is 0F with 17mph winds. That sucked. Went out with a friend who was also stupid and could not say "no", and did a road ride on MTB's. We were only out for about and hour and fifteen minutes. It was about 45 minutes too long. The last 45 minutes were really bad.

I rode the day before and it was 9F and do-able, so I figured that the difference between 9 and 0 isn't that much. Turns out, it is significant, and I won't do it again.

It was the only ride I've ever had where I went from being cold to having pain, and quickly. I don't wear a balaclava or gaiter and my neck felt like it had a straight razor against it. The other painful thing was my thumbs. I had a shell glove on with 2 liners. My thumbs felt like they were being crushed in a bench vise.

I learned that I don't have the gear to ride at 0F. It's not worth the money to get it, as we don't have that many days at 0. Bar mitts and a balaclava would be needed to make it work.

I've adapted to the cold for most normal conditions, between gradually accumulating the right clothing and just adaptation from getting used to it. I hate the cold, but I do genuinely love riding my bike.

My love does not include riding a stationary trainer. I absolutely don't like it. It's unpleasant to me. Some guys have to use the trainer due to consistent extreme weather or issues with daylight (i.e. can't get out to ride during the day due to work schedule). I'm not sure I could continue the sport if that was what I had to do. Thank goodness I've never been confronted by this issue.

I generally use the trainer for 5 or 6 indoor sessions per year. If I can get outside I make the effort to do it. The reason that I do some of these really cold rides is that I get stir crazy pretty quickly. We've had a week of crappy weather, with rain, sleet, snow, wind and now extreme cold.

It's starting to wear on me and I'm antsy and bored. I'm planning on getting out today. It's supposed to top out at 15F here. Some patchiness on the roads but mostly clear. I will be using studded tires on my MTB. If the roads are too iffy, we have a nice trail system here. Should be light foot traffic on it given the temps, so I won't have to worry about dodging pedestrians walking dogs on long leashes.

I don't get the toughness assertions, or accusations of self-aggrandizement. Folks are gonna do what they do. I don't care who rides in the cold and who rides on the trainer. Some don't mind the trainer and some have issues with keeping hands and feet warm. Smart trainers and different apps make it easier to be indoors. I can't justify the cost of a smart trainer right now, for the use I would get out of it. I hate the trainer but have a better tolerance for cold than some guys. It doesn't make anyone better or worse. It's a hobby.

The useful part if this discussion to me is the exchange of information about what works for folks and why, when the weather goes kaput.

[berserk87]

Originally Posted by BobC

No doubt you can dress for colder weather, but the bigger yardstick for me is my ability to handle a mechanical at colder temps.

More of a safety issue

Yeah. That's a big issue. It's a risk. On really cold days I try to stay within a tighter radius from home, and will do loops sometimes to make this happen.

[Ti Designs]

4 decades ago we had a January 1st ride that wasn't to be missed - doesn't matter what the weather was. I loved that ride.

Since then I've had a few New England winters to really figure out how it's done. I coach the Harvard team, we get new riders in September, I need to have a race team by March. Riding in the winter isn't really optional... I also product test for a number of companies, which is my way of getting clothing that works. Riding this morning at 2F on ice covered roads with 20MPH wind gusts was nothing new to me. My bike is how I get to the classes I teach, my students learned last year not to bet against me riding. What I've found is (like everything else) there are a lot of so-called experts on winter riding, but not that much actual winter riding...

One of my most memorable rides happened in the absolute worst conditions. It was coldish (below 20F), snowing that light powder, windy as hell, and dark. A friend thought it would be a good night to try to ride across the Cambridge Res, so we got out there with our mountain bikes and studded tires and headed for the far gate. From there it was on ice, directly into a headwind. As the surface was ice, I'm pretty sure it was dead flat, at times I was using a 1:1 gear. Then came the wave, it looked like the kind of wave you could surf the curl, but it was made of snow and heading straight at us. We put our heads down and rode straight into it, then out the other side. Weirdest ride ever.

[Jad]

I don't ride regularly in anything below like low 30s--usually by the time that would happen, I'm running for the winter and skiing. When it gets really cold, that satisfies my seasonal dose of self righteous smuggery.

[Lionel]

Rides below -3C are just not worth it for me. It's hard to stay out more than 2h. It takes 20 min to get dressed, the risks on the road are multiplied by a lot, you can much more easily catch a cold, etc.... So below that it's MTB (which is much better when it's cold as you do not go as fast) or Zwift (recent convert).

[AngryScientist]

haha - committed to what??

unless the commitment is specifically to suffering, there are better ways to do pretty much everything from structured training to fitness maintenance to having fun than riding in subzero temps.

if winter riding is your thing, by all means - have at it, but it doesnt make you better than anyone to do so

anything below 37 - no go for me. just not fun anymore, and i ride bikes for fun.

[Clydesdale]

I generally ride all winter outside - somewhat less this year as I am playing with Zwift. Regularly face temps in the single digits and windchill. On the really cold days, about an hour is normal, but if temps hit double digits or the sun is out it will be longer. Almost all of it is on a fatbike or cross bike with stufdded tires, and my favorite routes usually involve frozen-lake riding along ice fishing/snowmobile trails.

If we don't have snow, the fatbike is way less fun and if we have a lot of snow I'll cross country ski instead some days. Feet are usually the deciding factor for me when it's colder than 10 degrees. The funny thing is a one hour ride in the snow on a fatbike might only be 5-10 miles depending on the conditions. Lots of power work trying to keep moving forward in the soft stuff.

Once you get the right clothing and a system that works, it's just a matter of getting out there and doing it. I'm a way better human being when I spend some time outside and it helps manage winter without so much stir-crazy.

[berserk87]

Originally Posted by Clydesdale

I generally ride all winter outside - somewhat less this year as I am playing with Zwift. Regularly face temps in the single digits and windchill. On the really cold days, about an hour is normal, but if temps hit double digits or the sun is out it will be longer. Almost all of it is on a fatbike or cross bike with stufdded tires, and my favorite routes usually involve frozen-lake riding along ice fishing/snowmobile trails.

If we don't have snow, the fatbike is way less fun and if we have a lot of snow I'll cross country ski instead some days. Feet are usually the deciding factor for me when it's colder than 10 degrees. The funny thing is a one hour ride in the snow on a fatbike might only be 5-10 miles depending on the conditions. Lots of power work trying to keep moving forward in the soft stuff.

Once you get the right clothing and a system that works, it's just a matter of getting out there and doing it. I'm a way better human being when I spend some time outside and it helps manage winter without so much stir-crazy.

So there are 2 elements of a fat bike in cold temps that interest me:

1. They are supposedly better in snow.
2. It takes a lot of effort to keep it moving, so the speeds are not great.

The lack of speed probably helps take some edge off of the wind chill. Kind of like running I suppose.

Like a smart trainer, I can't justify the cost of a fat bike. We get snow here but not enough and not often enough to offset the added expense and garage space. I'd have to fall into a great deal in order to wind up with one.

I am curious about studded tires on the fat bikes - has anyone here tried this? I think they are stupid expensive, if I recall correctly.

[cmg]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

haha - committed to what??

unless the commitment is specifically to suffering, there are better ways to do pretty much everything from structured training to fitness maintenance to having fun than riding in subzero temps.

if winter riding is your thing, by all means - have at it, but it doesnt make you better than anyone to do so

anything below 37 - no go for me. just not fun anymore, and i ride bikes for fun.

so true. why suffer when you don't have to. in SA winter might last a month. you'll have 70 to 32 degree days in the same week. just wait a couple of days for it get better.

[Jaybee]

I'll echo the comments above that if it's not fun, why do it? That said, there is a bit of perverse fun in day spent in hardman conditions where you finish with snotcicles and chapped lips. The line between fun and *** am I doing out here is pretty slim though. More fun if there is snow involved, and most of my winter activity is either fatbiking, XC skiing or downhill skiiing.

For those asking above, fat bike tires in general are stupid expensive and highly specific to snow conditions (i.e. the tires that work really well on 4" of fresh sugary powder are slow, dumb and draggy on even moderately groomed trails). Add studs and the cost can get really crazy for something that gets so little use. The only upshot is that you can easily get 4-5 good seasons out of a tire since the snow wears them so slowly. When your ripping drifty corners on a fresh stretch of twisty singletrack though, the cost is the last thing in your mind.

[Luwabra]

Originally Posted by berserk87

So there are 2 elements of a fat bike in cold temps that interest me:

1. They are supposedly better in snow.
2. It takes a lot of effort to keep it moving, so the speeds are not great.

The lack of speed probably helps take some edge off of the wind chill. Kind of like running I suppose.

Like a smart trainer, I can't justify the cost of a fat bike. We get snow here but not enough and not often enough to offset the added expense and garage space. I'd have to fall into a great deal in order to wind up with one.

I am curious about studded tires on the fat bikes - has anyone here tried this? I think they are stupid expensive, if I recall correctly.

I am doing the studded tires shortly.. I live on a 1000+acre marsh that connects to 3700 acre lake. We get snow. Not historic amounts but it always happens. My dogs love to go and are for the most part waiting on me most of the time if the snow is 5”+. I’ve heard the studs improve grip immensely...so much so that another local rider rides on the lake w no snow present just glare ice!! Hoping he’s right bc they are stupid expensive yes.

[PQJ]

24F and dry is my threshold. Below this, or risk of icy roads, and I'll swim, run or do yoga instead.

[Elefantino]

It was 16º this morning. Even walking the dog was no fun. We both ran back in, her to her kibble and me to my coffee.

Rode in the mid-20s many times but now, forget it. The frozen-face thing is really hard on older skin.