coldest ride day

[killer climb]

Now that winter never really came as far as i can see ,its spring almost but not without cold rides. 12 degrees was the coldest day i rode in. Quite magical if ya know how to have a comfortable ride.  The ground is frozen rock solid so no mess to cleanup and the trails are fast. I know some of you hard core riders were exposed to much colder temps than that so lets here about it and if you still enjoyed the ride!

[Jeff Barber]

A non-biking friend saw me bike commuting one morning when it was like 40°F and he was impressed. He asked, “What’s the coldest you’ve ridden your bike? Below freezing?!”

Coldest for me was -15°F during the Polar Vortex in Wisconsin last year. I was only out for about an hour, but like you said, as long as you’re dressed appropriately it’s kinda fun.

I Tested the Latest Giant Yukon, 27.5-inch Fat Bike in Northern Wisconsin During the Polar Vortex

[Phonebem]

My coldest ride this year was about 4°F, not even close to last season’s low of -6°. Its all part of the “fun” of fatbiking…

[GJmtb]

To cold for me people, around 37 for me.

[Bike Nerd]

I’ve ridden at temperatures of down to 0 F but I don’t enjoy it much.  It has to get to at least 30 F for cycling to be fun, in my humble opinion.

[m.krupp]

I rode in 17 F once. Body was bundled up but couldn’t get fingers and toes to warm up. Only lasted about 30 minutes and called it. Without sinking a bunch of money into cold weather gear I think my cut will be around 35 F. Can’t justify investing into the gear with the limited days  I would ride in below freezing temps.

[Jeff Barber]

Hands and feet definitely tend to be the limiting factor for me. I have some winter bike gloves but for the coldest days I throw on my thickest pair of ski gloves. Wearing two pairs of gloves can help if you have the right sizes.

I don’t have any winter-specific MTB shoes so I tried a lot of stuff (duct tape to cover the vents, two pairs of thick wool socks). When I rode during the polar vortex I wore a rugged pair of hiking boots with flat pedals and two pairs of socks and my feet stayed warm enough. Otherwise I’ve found my FiveTen Hellcats with warm socks are good down into the 20s at least.

[vapidoscar]

I like 20F. Trail is frozen at that point and it isn’t too hard to get the body warmed up. The bigger problem is daylight hours. If trails close the temp doesn’t matter.

[Sam James]

Maybe like -5C? – I’ve never lived in a place that gets particularly cold winters. Currently in Vancouver ‘the tropics of canada’ and -5 is about as cold as it regularly gets here. That’s cold enough for me…. As Jeff says, limiting factor is cold hands and feet for sure.

[Jump a Stump]

Last week some of my friends from my NICA team and I went out for a ride when it was 16F, we couldn’t stop laughing because of all the ice on the trails. Two pairs of gloves, some thermal layers, and some warm socks was enough to keep me from freezing. I doubt I’ll go out that early again for a while though.

[rmap01 ✓ supporter]

For me, it really depends on temp + wind.  Riding in low double digit temps with minimal wind (which is about my limit) is much more preferable than riding in 25-30 degrees if the winds are whipping.  This winter temperatures really haven’t been a factor in the mid Atlantic/northeast as it hasn’t really gotten cold enough to matter (at least for me).

[mtnryder ✓ supporter]

Coldest ride ever was probably around 30F when a surprise snowstorm swept into Southern Utah while we were riding in St George in April 2010. Other than that, I’ve probably ridden in sub 40F 3-4 times but that was just at the start of the ride. I’m sure it was in the 60’s by the time we were done. We don’t get those cold temps very often in San Diego.

[Sunspot ✓ supporter]

Fatbiking in the 10,000′ elevation range, moonlight ride, temp was -10°-15°f.  Very frigid when the breeze would come up but manageable.

Pogies and proper layering is essential. Platform pedals so you can use something more substantial than those summer clipless shoes is an absolute must, lest ya wanna pay more than the cost of real mountaineering boots for what it’s worth.

Worthy winter clipless shoes are 45Nrth and Lake 303 but man, the 45Nrth’s are expensive!

 

[abegold]

Maybe 25F. Living in Tucson there’s just no need to ride when cold, just wait a few hours. Winter riding paradise, 600+ miles of trails. But when it is cold I get out the ski gloves, not very nimble. SWOBO merino wool tights and Ibex wool top. Wool socks are a must. 68 at 9am today, when started  a ride. Spring flowers starting to bloom.

 

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