Just curious, are there any concerns/hazards to be aware fo when riding (road bike) in below freezing temps? I am new to the sport and unsure??
If the road is clear of snow and ice, then there's really nothing out of the ordinary to worry about. Dress appropriately, of course. That will likely take some experimentation to get right for you.greenhornbiker said:Just curious, are there any concerns/hazards to be aware fo when riding (road bike) in below freezing temps? I am new to the sport and unsure??
Aside from the obvious icy roads as long as you dress yoursef up properly you should be fine.greenhornbiker said:Just curious, are there any concerns/hazards to be aware fo when riding (road bike) in below freezing temps? I am new to the sport and unsure??
Learned that lesson last year, too, with exercise-induced asthma. This year, there's no heavy breathing in the cold, very dry air.Felt_Rider said:The only other thing that I could add is if your friends lead you up a steep climb that leaves you breathing heavily in cold air. I ended up with pneumonia last winter because of it. If I had controlled my breathing or used a lower pace going up the hill I would have been fine. Lesson learned for me.
I will triple that. I never had pneumonia before in my life until last year when riding hard in the cold.frenchyge said:Learned that lesson last year, too, with exercise-induced asthma. This year, there's no heavy breathing in the cold, very dry air.
Please point out where anyone said there was.Yojimbo_ said:Also, I don't believe there is any such thing as cold weather induced asthma.
Ok, let's think about that one. If the air is always so much drier when it's cold out, does it really matter whether it's caused by dryness or cold, per se? It's still a valid caution for someone asking about the hazards of riding when it's cold.Yojimbo_ said:According to a recent article I read, it is really induced by dry air. It's just that the air is so much more dry in the winter that people think it is caused by the cold.
Then I'll remember to *also* caution people who ask whether it's okay to ride their bikes across the Sahara.Yojimbo_ said:I read that tests show that asthma can similarly be induced by warm air if it has the same dryness as the winter air.
I am not a doctor but that is how it was diagnosed from my doctor after a series of tests and was treated as such after that ride. I was healthy immediately before that ride.Yojimbo_ said:I don't see how you get pneumonia from a hard ride up a hill in cold weather.
Also, I don't believe there is any such thing as cold weather induced asthma. According to a recent article I read, it is really induced by dry air. It's just that the air is so much more dry in the winter that people think it is caused by the cold. I read that tests show that asthma can similarly be induced by warm air if it has the same dryness as the winter air.
Perhaps my doctor was guessing to some degree. He actually treated me with antibiotics and an Advair inhaler. You could hear the fluid in my chest without a scope so he didn't want to take a chance and not treat for pneumonia. I continued to train indoors, but it took about a month for my lungs to stop burning if I started breathing heavy.frenchyge said:I had mine checked twice for pneumonia, but the doctor said 'no' both times. Antibiotics didn't work, and in the end it took a steroid inhaler to get rid of it.
frenchyge said:In Alice Springs, Australia (never been there, I'm sure it's nice, but on the satellite image it's in the middle of a big ol' patch of brown, in the Northern Territory)
I was looking for a "summertime in the desert" locale to use as an example, and since all the northern hemisphere deserts are currently experiencing winter I thought it looked like a suitable place (and fortunately, weather.com lists it). I didn't want any residents to think I was picking on their home, though, just using their weather for my example.bing181 said:Been there, but don't know that I'd describe it as 'nice'. It's a real outback town, pretty much on a road between nowhere and nowhere.
On the other hand, the surroundings are stunning, in a barren, open kind of way .. though not all that great for bike-riding except for the trans-continental variety.
Of course when you breathe cold air your body warms it up which means the relative humidity plummets and it becomes excellent at absorbing moisture from your lungs. The chill probably also contributes to lowering resistance too, somewhat.frenchyge said:The moisture content in Toronto, is about 13 grains per pound of air, while there are about 34 grains per pound of air in Alice Springs. When we're talking about environmental conditions (vs lab conditions), the temperature of the air plays the biggest role in how much moisture that air will contain.
Yep, small world. 7 years in the US nuclear Navy for me, and then the last 8 years in building environments (temperature and humidity stuff) and energy conservation. Mechanical engineer by degree.Yojimbo_ said:Hey Frenchyge
I'm an engineer too. Nuclear here...what about you?
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