How cold is too cold?

lanierb

It depends on the weather. If it's bright and sunny out, 40 is not even uncomfortable and I don't even wear a base layer. If it's rainy, no way would I do 40. That's a recipe for pain. Also, the cold is worst on long downhills so it depends on terrain too. If all I had to do was go uphill in the sun, I'm sure 0 degrees would be fine.

Felt_Rider

I knew I should have asked the question before ordering.

I couldn't decide which bibs too get by reading online web information and ended up ordering Pearl Izumi Amfib bibs. The Amfib's have a fairly thick wind resistant / thermal front, which may be a little heavy for my climate. I guess I won't know for sure until January.

dsschanze

I live in FL, so the coldest I've gotten to ride in is 27...pretty cold, but then again, I don't really have the proper gear to do it. I'm sure if I had the proper gear I could ride much colder.

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jsirabella

I live in NYC and while we do not get as cold as other areas, we get those nasty wind chills from Canada. The weatherman says it is going to be 40 degrees but the reelfeel is always about 10 degrees less and since I can only really ride at 5am on weekdays it is much colder.

The other big issue for me is the condition of the roads, once we get our first big snowfall, the roads are always pretty crappy. You can never really push yourself as you too many slicks areas. I have the gear as I always commute to work via bike except on snow days but would not do a workout on alot of the days I ride to work.

Also the wind gusts down here sometimes make you feel like you are standing still...last week we were getting gusts up to 35 miles per hour. I do not see the point as I will never race nor tour in these type of conditions.

-Js

garage sale GT

I would say it's all about how much gear you want to buy and how careful and patient you are testing it out without getting in to trouble. A certain pair of gloves I had, for example, required surprisingly little dampness before losing all insulation value.

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PartisanRanger

The lowest I've ridden in is 24 degrees Fahrenheit. My gloves and shoes covers weren't much help.

Scotttri

I've ridden in -5 degrees celsius, but find the cold air hirts my lungs so try to avoid it. I live in a much warmer place now so dont have the problem anymore

Felt_Rider

recent articles on the subject.

Link 1

Link 2

buckybux

I live in Spokane. I have ridden as cold as 20 F degrees. I have toe covers, tights, thick jersey, long sleeved T, and wind breaker. However, I can only handle about 10 miles in the cold. I typically ride every month of the year, but I don't ride when the roads are icy or have snow on them.

Fujiman

I once had a science teacher tell me “There is no such thing as cold just an absence of Heat”

Anyway, I rode yesterday with the temp about 30 deg F with strong winds and was not really cold at all, maybe because I was working so hard to get home against the wind

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Bailsibub

I commuted to work for years, year round, in the Washington DC area. The coldest it gets is like 5 to 7 F (for one day or so) in the winter. You can definitely dress for and ride in those temperatures, but the problem with it is if you have a mechanical. You could get into some problems very quickly standing there in the cold. I rode in those temps because I had no other option, but if I just needed to train, I definitely would have been on the turbo.