How cold is to cold to ride

Doug_W

I've frozen bottles solid on my ride it. Bottles usually put away in Nov taken out again in .. April.

Timmer

Depends how nuts you are. My commute is 8 miles each way and ride to work is mostly downhill. So I'm only out there for about 30 min. I rode in once when it was 15 below F. Hands and feet are the main issues. I was fine when I got to work, cold hands and feet no frostbite (WHEW!). Just make sure to cover up face, forhead, and layer up. Bike didn't like the cold, didn't want to shift very well at all. I find as far as being comfy in the cold, anything below 10 F above zero can be handled well. So for me It's never too cold, only snow and ice can stop me I tell ya! Oh by the way I live in upstate NY USA.

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bigpedaler

i rode in +3F last winter, 18mi round trip. that was as cold as i've had to deal with; but windchills can make that seem mild, especially when you add 10-15mph of bike speed to it. but what puts me off the bike is 3+ inches of snow, or any amount of ice -- if the snow packs and freezes on the road, that's just as bad -- i just don't heal like i used to!

my hometown has an annual event jan 1 called the chilly challenge -- we ride for about 2 hours, stopping to watch the local polar bear club get wet, and finish up with a chili potluck at a city park pavilion. i've done 3 out of the last 4, and it's one of my two favorite events of the year. surpisingly, it's always been pretty decent, temp-wise. it would have to be -1F or colder, with serious wind, to keep me inside for this event (the one i missed, i had to work -- bummer!)

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Ike90

I've had direct running gear failures due to cold weather. I do a bus and bike commute in bad weather, and after spending 40 minutes on the front of the bus, my bike sometimes freezes solid. Twice I've had shifters break because the cables were totally frozen.

To me, cold isn't so much the issue as snow and ice. Snow can really slow you down just because of the added friction. In early January, we had a decent-sized snowstorm (12 inches in some areas), but riding in it would have been fine if someone hadn't decided to plow about two miles worth of the bike path. The result was a skating rink that on one particular morning forced me to walk my bike. It was simply impossible to ride on.

garage sale GT

Try a little Water Displacing-40 to keep the cables from freezing. I don't think stuff can freeze solid unless it's full of water, though oil will thicken.

bigpedaler

synthetic motor oil doesn't thicken in those temps; as far as cable lube is concerned, i use slick-50 grease, a very light coat, and it works!

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"you may only be one person in the world -- but you may just be THE WORLD to one person."