Five months

[consularrider]

I tried to get a ride in a couple hundred miles south of there in Ulaanbaatar a couple of years ago at the end of January, but no one would lend me a bicycle. One of the Embassy staff did ride in the first day I was there (at -30°C).
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[Steve O]

@cyclingfool 90817 wrote:

Came across this piece on a crazy bike tour over a frozen Lake Baikal, and just thought I’d remind everyone that Freezing Saddles is just a a little over 5 months from now! Are you ready?!

There are short sections of the Spout Run skating rink on the Custis that are just like that, I’m sure.

[cyclingfool]

@Steve O 90819 wrote:

There are short sections of the Spout Run skating rink on the Custis that are just like that, I’m sure.

Are they 1,000 km long?

[DismalScientist]

@Steve O 90819 wrote:

There are short sections of the Spout Run skating rink on the Custis that are just like that, I’m sure.

Nope… No frost heaves.

[dasgeh]

You don’t have to wait five months: we have another polar vortex coming our way next week. Can’t wait!!!

[cyclingfool]

Sweet!

[Terpfan]

Luckily, I will be using bar mitts before the last month of the competition this time. So bring on the polar vortex, my hands will be toasty.

[cvcalhoun]

I’ve never understood the issue with biking when it’s cold. I have Bar Mitts (and wear ski gloves under them when it gets really cold). I have an LLBean down jacket. And I can just add layers to the rest of my body. I never got cold while riding a bicycle, even when it got below 10 degrees.

By contrast, in hot weather I have no way to compensate for the temperature. So bicycling in hot weather is a lot more uncomfortable than bicycling in cold.

Ice and snow may be an issue while bicycling in the winter. But I really don’t see how cold is.

@Terpfan 90901 wrote:

Luckily, I will be using bar mitts before the last month of the competition this time. So bring on the polar vortex, my hands will be toasty.

[mstone]

I don’t know long your commute is, but mine is long enough that it’s definitely in the danger zone in terms of actual physical risk when it’s really cold out. I have trouble in general keeping my extremities warm in the winter, and face and feet are especially a problem when cycling. After an hour+ in single digit temps with a 20+ MPH wind you can run a real risk of frostbite. When things start going that way, depending on where you are, there aren’t a lot of good options–just sitting around won’t warm you up. Conversely, heat can pose a risk also, but it’s easier to back off and drink a lot of water or sit under a shady tree or just hole up until dusk in the worst case. Some people are more cold tolerant, some more heat tolerant, but for myself I’m more scared of cold than heat (at least around here).

[cvcalhoun]

I have bicycled many hours in as low temperatures as we ever get in this area, without getting cold. For the extremities, this is what I’m using:

Hands: Ski gloves under Bar Mitts. I also wear a short-sleeved shirt, a heavy wool sweater, and a down jacket, which keeps the blood flowing down to my hands warm.
Feet: A light pair of socks, with heavy wool socks over them, with heavy leather shoes over them. I’m also wearing cycling tights with heavy wool pants over them, which keeps the blood flowing down to the feet warm.
Face: A buff covering neck, mouth, nose, ears, and top of the head. The neck is also covered by the collar of the down jacket. Then I put a wool cap that comes down over my ears over the buff, a helmet over that, and the hood of my down jacket over the helmet.

And if all that isn’t enough, it is also possible to use hand warmers and foot warmers inside one’s clothing. Of course, my riding is slower with all that clothing, but I have literally never been cold while wearing it.

[mstone]

@cvcalhoun 91403 wrote:

I have literally never been cold while wearing it.

Must be nice. I don’t know how warm my feet would be with all that, but I know my core would be soaked.

[vern]

@mstone 91405 wrote:

Must be nice. I don’t know how warm my feet would be with all that, but I know my core would be soaked.

Same here. I’d be soaked with sweat and I’d get cold from that. My problem in the cold is going home, when I have to ride up the grade. When I leave the sun is still out, so the combo of riding up the grade and the sun warms me up and I start to sweat, even when lightly clothed. Then, the sun retreats, the temps drop further, and I get cold because the sweat can’t wick/evaporate fast enough in cold temps (say, low 30’s). I haven’t figured out how to manage this yet.

[cyclingfool]

@vern 91408 wrote:

Same here. I’d be soaked with sweat and I’d get cold from that. My problem in the cold is going home, when I have to ride up the grade. When I leave the sun is still out, so the combo of riding up the grade and the sun warms me up and I start to sweat, even when lightly clothed. Then, the sun retreats, the temps drop further, and I get cold because the sweat can’t wick/evaporate fast enough in cold temps (say, low 30’s). I haven’t figured out how to manage this yet.

Just do what the pros do…

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[Harry Meatmotor]

@vern 91408 wrote:

Same here. I’d be soaked with sweat and I’d get cold from that. My problem in the cold is going home, when I have to ride up the grade. When I leave the sun is still out, so the combo of riding up the grade and the sun warms me up and I start to sweat, even when lightly clothed. Then, the sun retreats, the temps drop further, and I get cold because the sweat can’t wick/evaporate fast enough in cold temps (say, low 30’s). I haven’t figured out how to manage this yet.

Wool! if there’s anything i’ve learned is that a layer of wool between me and whatever windstopping layer is crucial to staying warm when sweaty and it’s below 20 degrees: head (rapha winter cap), feet (wool socks), hands (wool glove liners), and body (2 light wool baselayer long-sleeve shirts).

[dasgeh]

I think the point is that there’s no one right answer for everyone: some people are in the “I can always wear more clothes!” camp, some are in the “I can always drink more water/relax a little” camp.

Personally, I HATE to be cold. I don’t really mind being hot. Winter riding takes a lot of thought for me to wear the right things to stay warm but not get too warm, and also to back off when I’m riding to not sweat too much, even though I’m riding SO SLOWLY. It’s less fun. I don’t hate it and for me, it’s worth it to not drive or Metro, but I don’t love it. I LOVE biking when it’s not cold out. (Ok, I love it a little less when it’s a million degrees and muggy, and that also makes me slow down).

I really think this is a “to each her own” topic, and you can’t make general pronouncements that apply to all.

[Author]

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