@MarkBrigham has a poll:
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@bikenite @cpm @ascentale I do too. In my Boy Scout years, I winter camped in sub-zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures, horribly under-geared, and thus “earned” a BSA Zero Hero honor. I borrowed the term from that experience
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@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite
When I lived somewhere we reached these temperatures I had some rules: if it was first thing in the morning it had to be above ~20F, if it was going home from work (and the bike was already at work) it had to be above ~10F. It has to do with the convenience of having my bike where I'm located (don't want to walk it somewhere or leave it somewhere) and whether I was showering in the morning and would have wet hair. My hair might be pretty short, but even pretty short hair will literally freeze if it's ~10F and you ride for 15 minutes. It was kind of disturbing to take my helmet off and have my hair feel crackly as the ice broke up.
TLDR: The difference from 32F to 0F is pretty big from a comfort perspective.
@bikenite @SRLevine @ascentale Agree. It’s a massive difference. Could split it up finer. Could also step down in ten degree increments to -41 degrees (where °C & °F intersect). But that’s for the comments, or another poll developed by someone way more masochistic than I.
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@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite A3. It doesn't get below freezing where I live now. In my time in Minneapolis, though, 32°F/0°C was my cutoff for riding for pleasure. On a rare above-freezing day in January, I would go for a long ride to savor it. Below freezing, I would only ride where I needed to go as quickly as possible and then hurry inside to warm up; that, I still did as low as 8°F (it was a relatively mild winter). #BikeNite
@scott @ascentale @bikenite In grad school at UMN, I lived 2 miles from my building on campus. Fair weather, I rode my bicycle. Cold, rainy, or otherwise horrible weather, I walked.
Cycling offers efficiency and speed (conditions allowing); walking offers near insurmountability in a wider array of weather conditions.
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@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite A3. As a rule of thumb, I won't ride in below freezing temperatures, because in Portland, that usually means the roads are sheets ice, and my e-bike back tire likes to slide out from under me if I brake too hard when it's slick.
@yantor3d I'm the same way up here in Seattle. I'd get studded tires, but they're needed so infrequently that I'll just stop riding on these rare days. Tho I am curious to see how well they work. Would still be cautious as I don't trust drivers in such conditions.
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@MarkBrigham has a poll:
Q3. How low do you go? (Coldest temperature in which you willingly cycle).
#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite
@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite
25f don’t know how I settled on that but lower is too cold!!
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@MarkBrigham has a poll:
Q3. How low do you go? (Coldest temperature in which you willingly cycle).
#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite
@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite #BikeNite A3. This is my 5th car-free Winter in New England. If I have to go out, there is no choice but to bike or walk.
If it's below 0°F, I still go, but although it has gone as low as -25°F here, with -50°F wind chills, it doesn't usually go much below 0°F. Tomorrow night, the forecast low is -6°F, with wind chills as low as -30°F.
Sunday's forecast high is 9°F, and I have at least 3 events to attend downtown. No worries, so long as the roads are dry.
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@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite
25f don’t know how I settled on that but lower is too cold!!
@bikenite @MCDuncanLab @ascentale Agree, but my cutoff is higher. You’re tougher than I am.
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@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite #BikeNite A3. This is my 5th car-free Winter in New England. If I have to go out, there is no choice but to bike or walk.
If it's below 0°F, I still go, but although it has gone as low as -25°F here, with -50°F wind chills, it doesn't usually go much below 0°F. Tomorrow night, the forecast low is -6°F, with wind chills as low as -30°F.
Sunday's forecast high is 9°F, and I have at least 3 events to attend downtown. No worries, so long as the roads are dry.
@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite I'm going to a local bar for the Superb Owl, but because the bar is close to my home, I will probably leave the bike home, so I can walk home tipsy, and don't have to worry about the fact that the bar doesn't have a decent bicycle rack, anyway.
Oh, and FTR, I *still* haven't bothered putting on my Winter tires.
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@ascentale @bikenite @radaufheber I agree, but I’d also say it’s both. I hate cycling in sub-freezing temperatures. Much respect to those who make it work, and I strongly believe our walk & roll infrastructure should be as fastidiously maintained as car infrastructure. But I just don’t enjoy cycling when the Celsiuses have all flown south.
@MarkBrigham @ascentale For short trips up to 5 km I don't really care, but longer than 10 km is also not my pleasure at all. Depends very much on the road conditions (as you said) and how warm & cozy is the place at the end.
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@MarkBrigham has a poll:
Q3. How low do you go? (Coldest temperature in which you willingly cycle).
#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite
@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite #BikeNite A3: I cycled at somewhere between -6℃ (21℉) and -8℃ (17.5℉) for at least 10km (6 miles) during my winter holidays. I would try cycling with even colder weather, but I haven't tried yet, so I actually can't tell my lower temperature limit. For the mentioned -18℃ I probably need some more clothes, maybe something Neopren-like…
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@MarkBrigham has a poll:
Q3. How low do you go? (Coldest temperature in which you willingly cycle).
#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite
#BikeNite A3: I've been out in slightly sub-freezing temperatures (-5C) and it's not unpleasant if I've dressed properly. The worst is the cold air funnelling down my coat, from right under my chin. Chills the whole body.
But give me summer temperatures (30C) any day!
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@MarkBrigham has a poll:
Q3. How low do you go? (Coldest temperature in which you willingly cycle).
#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite
@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite A3. I have a bad habit of getting really sick when I ride below 10/50. My body revolts. Happens every time so I just stopped.
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@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite I'm going to a local bar for the Superb Owl, but because the bar is close to my home, I will probably leave the bike home, so I can walk home tipsy, and don't have to worry about the fact that the bar doesn't have a decent bicycle rack, anyway.
Oh, and FTR, I *still* haven't bothered putting on my Winter tires.
@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite I've posted about this many times before, but what I usually wear in Winter is regular lingerie, 120 denier blackout tights, and a sundress. Over that I wear Lands' End Squall insulated snow pants and parka, heavy waxed leather UGG boots, insulated leather motorcycle gauntlets, and a scooter helmet with a full flip-up face shield.
I add a sweater, wool socks, a neck gaiter, and a helmet liner, or switch to my heavier parka, if necessary, but it usually isn't.
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@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite I've posted about this many times before, but what I usually wear in Winter is regular lingerie, 120 denier blackout tights, and a sundress. Over that I wear Lands' End Squall insulated snow pants and parka, heavy waxed leather UGG boots, insulated leather motorcycle gauntlets, and a scooter helmet with a full flip-up face shield.
I add a sweater, wool socks, a neck gaiter, and a helmet liner, or switch to my heavier parka, if necessary, but it usually isn't.
@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite I tuck my sundress into the snow pants, so that way, when I arrive at my destination, I can shuck the snow pants and not be overheated, especially if I'm going to be indoors for a few hours at a meeting or event. Usually, I have a cardigan or denim jacket under the parka, to protect it from my armpits, because my sundresses are all sleeveless.
If I'm running to the market, I'll wear a t-shirt and/or jumper under the parka, and that's usually enough down to 0°F.
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@MarkBrigham has a poll:
Q3. How low do you go? (Coldest temperature in which you willingly cycle).
#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite
@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite
A3. Realistically, my minimum temperature is probably closer to -10C, mostly because my gloves and face are not up to the task.
But if they were... I'd be willing to try some -18C biking
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@MarkBrigham has a poll:
Q3. How low do you go? (Coldest temperature in which you willingly cycle).
#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite
@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite My coldest commute so far this year was at 0°F. My commute is 9.5 miles. Will absolutely ride shorter distances below zero. #BikeNite
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@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite My coldest commute so far this year was at 0°F. My commute is 9.5 miles. Will absolutely ride shorter distances below zero. #BikeNite
@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite If I could just keep my damn toes warm, I feel like there is no lower limit to temp. Hands are good, head is good, face is good, core gets too hot actually, but I cannot keep my toes warm. #BikeNite
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@MarkBrigham has a poll:
Q3. How low do you go? (Coldest temperature in which you willingly cycle).
#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite
@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite I've done -40 before. Much prefer <-10C to -10C - 0C as the snow and ice is dry instead of slushy slop.
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@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite I tuck my sundress into the snow pants, so that way, when I arrive at my destination, I can shuck the snow pants and not be overheated, especially if I'm going to be indoors for a few hours at a meeting or event. Usually, I have a cardigan or denim jacket under the parka, to protect it from my armpits, because my sundresses are all sleeveless.
If I'm running to the market, I'll wear a t-shirt and/or jumper under the parka, and that's usually enough down to 0°F.
@bikenite @ascentale @gcvsa Zero Hero!
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@MarkBrigham has a poll:
Q3. How low do you go? (Coldest temperature in which you willingly cycle).
#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite
@ascentale @MarkBrigham @bikenite Honestly, the worst temps for riding are those just around 32°F (0°C) to 40°F (5°C), but that's because my Winter gear is too hot in those conditions, and my Summer gear is too cold.
I don't have good Spring/Autumn gear, yet, so it ends up being a hodge-podge that is never quite satistfactory.
For fitness rides to burn calories, wearing just activewear, my limit is about 50°F. I do my fitness rides exclusively at night, in Summer.
