Extreme Weather
- Thread starter kana_marie
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Below 20 degrees, or blowing 25-30 MPH or more. I can handle heat just fine. Cross winds are tough, and riding in extreme cold is sheer misery the older i get.
I live in San Diego, so there's literally never a weather event that makes me think twice about riding. Even in more severe rain, I'll still hit the trail for a little adventure in the mud. It's so mild (sometimes hot, though) here that there is never a bad time for riding, though I'd probably be a little less enthusiastic in snow or hail or something like that. 
Rule #9
// If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
Fair-weather riding is a luxury reserved for Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards. Those who ride in foul weather – be it cold, wet, or inordinately hot – are members of a special club of riders who, on the morning of a big ride, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile to spread across their face. This is a rider who loves the work.
http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/
// If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
Fair-weather riding is a luxury reserved for Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards. Those who ride in foul weather – be it cold, wet, or inordinately hot – are members of a special club of riders who, on the morning of a big ride, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile to spread across their face. This is a rider who loves the work.
http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/
Like Bob said, read the rules.
Nothing gets you street cred faster than riding out in the day before The Day After Tomorrow and then posting the ride on Strava for all your friends to see.
I'll ride in anything short of a sharknado just to maintain my hardman, see rule #5, status.
Nothing gets you street cred faster than riding out in the day before The Day After Tomorrow and then posting the ride on Strava for all your friends to see.
I'll ride in anything short of a sharknado just to maintain my hardman, see rule #5, status.
I've ridden through a Sharknado...riders blown off the road all around me and eaten by the ditches.
I'm working my way towards my first below zero ride. 13 above is as cold as I've ridden in and 19 degrees above the last couple of Winters. 115+ outside of Tucson (but it was a dry heat!) and 100+ in Ohio (yeah...about that humidity thing). I hate riding in the rain just because cleaning up the bike is a *****.
I'm working my way towards my first below zero ride. 13 above is as cold as I've ridden in and 19 degrees above the last couple of Winters. 115+ outside of Tucson (but it was a dry heat!) and 100+ in Ohio (yeah...about that humidity thing). I hate riding in the rain just because cleaning up the bike is a *****.
Well, if it is snowing then I'm not going out there. The last thing I need is to slip on some ice or slush and injury myself! I can handle the cold and heat, and even the rain, just fine but not snow.
The only thing that would stop me from riding would be heavy rain. Although I have been known to ride in the rain with rain gear, if it comes down really hard, and the ride is far, I will think twice about riding out. Not worth it to be in the rain where visibility and bad road conditions are bad.
I'm not into daily rides quite yet (1+ year break from riding, and my bike is in the shop at this moment), but perhaps a cold rain plus high winds might be enough. A slick of snow will do it too. Just a mere coating of it and I'm staying home. I found out a few years ago that a warm rain on a warm day is a lovely experience and I liked it. I got a drenching and it felt great on my exhausted a-bit-fat body. My saddlebag did seem to keep the contents dry.
Bob
Bob
I tried to beat a thunderstorm home once. Turns out a rare tornado touched down very close to me. Had to take shelter from the Lightning. I've ridden in temps well below zero up in Alaska.
I've spent my time in the bad stuff. A decade as Airborne Infantry, spent a bulk of those 10 years outside running around the woods/rainforest/desert/mountains/jungle in all kinds of horrid weather. I'm older now and my desire to battle the elements has faded some but I don't avoid it altogether. I did a triathlon 2 years ago in cold pouring rain and had a blast. I landed on the podium that day.
I've spent my time in the bad stuff. A decade as Airborne Infantry, spent a bulk of those 10 years outside running around the woods/rainforest/desert/mountains/jungle in all kinds of horrid weather. I'm older now and my desire to battle the elements has faded some but I don't avoid it altogether. I did a triathlon 2 years ago in cold pouring rain and had a blast. I landed on the podium that day.
Below 36 degrees is my cut off point, or over 110, or if a tornado is chasing me then I go home. I've ridden in downpours, but once it looked really bad like a tornado could form somewhere in the area when suddenly it started to hail which is supposedly a clue that a tornado could form, so I rode my bike to a nearby farm and hung out there until it passed. Hail doesn't feel good pounding on your body. I don't do snow either. I 'm also older, in my 60's so I don't do bad weather like I use to when I was younger.
Anything that I deem able to make me lose traction is when I hang it up until things get better. So normally, a bit of rain doesn't stop me. But when those roads start getting so slick that I can't even make a right turn for fear of falling on my butt, then it's time to stop
For me, anything frozen on the road, or below 25 if dry. I have gone 1 mile or less at aroundn18-19, but I have found that I need ski gloves to stay warm for more than 10 minutes below 25 or else my hands hurt so badly I nearly cry. Ski gloves however are so bulky that I feel I do not have the ability to grab the breaks as quickly because the bulk is in the way making he breaks almost too far away for my small hands.
If it is below 32 and snowing I am on skis. I have ridden at times when it was so hot that two beagles chasing me burst into flames, my water bottle melted to the frame and the white line melted and ran all over the road. The wind blew so hard one time that it blew the digital numbers off my computer but I am not much into the extreme riding.
"I did a triathlon 2 years ago in cold pouring rain and had a blast. I landed on the podium that day."
You are a member of The Club. Welcome. I can only imagine your trips to the field. The road marches with full battle rattle were probably plenty hard core in perfect weather.
Last Saturday there was a 40% chance of rain and I felt the need for speed. 11 miles out from the car a Spring downpour hit. For the next five miles I thought of this thread allowed a wry smile to spread across my face. The rain pelted down in big wind blown drops, stinging my eyes on the descents...and it felt good!
Life is not all Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards.
You are a member of The Club. Welcome. I can only imagine your trips to the field. The road marches with full battle rattle were probably plenty hard core in perfect weather.
Last Saturday there was a 40% chance of rain and I felt the need for speed. 11 miles out from the car a Spring downpour hit. For the next five miles I thought of this thread allowed a wry smile to spread across my face. The rain pelted down in big wind blown drops, stinging my eyes on the descents...and it felt good!
Life is not all Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards.
When there is a typhoon or storm, it is fun to take a ride when the roads are clear. When there is flood, that's more fun. The only extreme weather here that can force a biker to forgo biking is the heat. Like now, it is summer and the sweltering heat can cause heat stroke or dehydration. Even those pedicabs that ply the main road of our village take a vacation during summer.
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