At what temp is it just to cold to ride

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

I know one can dawn tons of winter survival gear and ride in any weather and that can be a total blast.
But just to get out for an afternoon ride what temp do you say  "No, it's just too cold to be enjoyable"

For me that seems to be about 45F (7.2C)

[paxton coyote]

 Some friends & I are doing a 50 miler tomorrow night under a nearly full moon & it's expected to get down around 20 F but I'm actually looking forward to it (camping out at the end of the ride too!). The coldest for me was around 14 F with a 15-20 mph wind, I don't have extreme cold weather gear so that ride got cut short! It seems as long as I'm on the move cold doesn't bother me to bad & if I know I'm going to stop for a bit I carry a small Thermos of hot tea or chocolate, which really helps lift my spirits.

[Done]

At 45F, I start to grumble and whine--especially if I'm a road bike. Above that, I can still ride in shorts and a short-sleeve jersey. Below 45F, I need to start putting on more clothing, such as a windbreaker, long-sleeve jersey, tights, ear warmer, etc. When it dips below freezing, I pretty much stop riding outside and either go for a run or hit the trainer. In colder temperatures I have tough time balancing windchill with core body heat--and I often end up sweating and freezing at the same time. Since running is slower, I seem to do better with it in the winter. Plus, I figure that a little cross-training is good!

[AZTtripper]

Man I can't wait to wear arm warmers. Any day you can be cold in Tucson is a good day.

It is hard to deal with not over heating, and then getting chilled, on colder days.

On winter night rides people usually say "you need to know the trails and be will to be dropped". You just can't stop and wait for other riders like you would in the daylight, you could freeze standing there waiting. Of course somebody stays at the trail head until everyone gets back.

[mattyp]

i like riding in the cold, i think 40 is a pretty good riding temp without needing a lot of extra clothing.  below that i need more layers and it gets a little bulky for riding.  i once did a 60 mile road ride starting out it was 35; and got to about 28 by then end;  that was too cold.

[chriskmurray]

I like riding in the cold, especially if there is snow.  The coldest I have done is right around 0F, I actually felt really good other than my feet, I think anything below that you really need real winter boots.  My winter shimano shoes, even with wool socks do not cut it that cold.

I always fought with keeping my hands warm until I tried Bar Mitts now that is a thing of the past.

[Damnitman]

...if dressed properly, -20f can be about perfect...I start asking myself questions when it's -40...

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

Man I can't wait to wear arm warmers. Any day you can be cold in Tucson is a good day.

It is hard to deal with not over heating, and then getting chilled, on colder days.

On winter night rides people usually say "you need to know the trails and be will to be dropped". You just can't stop and wait for other riders like you would in the daylight, you could freeze standing there waiting. Of course somebody stays at the trail head until everyone gets back.

Haha I'll bet you desert rats can't wait for winter. I break a sweat just reading your summer TR's.
I need to head south west sometime this winter.

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

I like riding in the cold, especially if there is snow.  The coldest I have done is right around 0F, I actually felt really good other than my feet, I think anything below that you really need real winter boots.  My winter shimano shoes, even with wool socks do not cut it that cold.

I always fought with keeping my hands warm until I tried Bar Mitts now that is a thing of the past.

I don't clip in during winter. Flats let you wear any good hiking boot and sock. Much warmer, dryer and safer IMO.



For winter riding this is about as cold as I go. ~20F 0-5mph winds.
I'll usually wear cabelas silks top and bottom and railrider winter nylon hiking pants, fleece 1/4 zip shirt, ski gloves, ski helmet with balaclava.
Will pack down jacket and overpants when planning a cooked lunch on the trail. Which is usually my reason
to get out and ride in the winter.

[sfuller]

Personally, I'm good down to about 10F or so before I start questioning if it's worth it to go outside. A lot of it depends on the wind chill. It's taken me a few years to figure out what clothing layers to wear at a particular temperature, but I've got that down now. Just about everything but my innermost layer has a half or a full zip so I can open or close layers to adjust my temp. My biggest issue still seems to be getting my head covering right. Long stops also end up making for a miserable few minutes until I get moving and get the micro-climate between my skin and clothing warmed up again.

[Slim]

I find a big difference between mtb and road riding. I live in Minnesota so our mtb rides are all in dense woods and we don't have long descents to cool you off.

Road: little protection from wind and riding creates wind.
MTB in the woods, so very little wind and speeds are so low that there is very little riding wind created.

Consequently on the road, I need to wear warmer clothes and especially more windproof clothing, making sure it has a non windproof back panel or so for venting. This is easy enough, the challenge comes in keeping my nose and cheeks warm, since they are hard to cover, without covering up you mouth, leading to fogging. Around 5f/-15C it starts to become hard to do this.

On the mtb the lowest temps I have ridden in are around -4F/-20C and that was fine.

I would feel differently if I was out west riding an exposed descent for 45 minutes straight!

As mentioned before, just dress smart. Make sure your clothes can breathe and vent moisture, drop some disposable toe warmers in your boots and wear winter boots/shoes on flats and indeed, don't stop, make sure you keep moving as much as possible.

I also plan to have an extra top and mittens on when I start riding and plan to take them off after about 10 minutes or so. If you are comfy when you start riding, you are dressed to warm for the rest of the ride. In mild weather(>~20F), I just plan on be a bit chilly the first 10 minutes untill I warm up.  This doesn't work well in really cold temps though, as my hands and feet get shut-off from bloodflow so they never warm up. Hence the warm-up layer I'll wear for the start of a really cold ride or ski.

[bmike-vt]

-6F, although I think I've been out playing at -8F.


IMAG1423 by mbeganyi, on Flickr

Good stuff.

[chriskmurray]

Flats are certainly the plan for this winter. I am sick of dealing with cold feet after a couple hours.

[Slim]

+1 for flats.
For one thing you don't have to go out and buy some $300+ winter biking boots.
Second, ice and snow is slippery unpredictable stuff, I like to be able to dab quickly when a wheel decides to head out from under me.
Third, foot out drifting corners are super fun in the snow! It's the one time of year you can skid to your hearts content without damaging the trails!

[wahday]

Went out this weekend and it was right at freezing. I love riding in this weather. Anything down to about 20-25F is a pleasure and there is no one else around! Colder than that and I start needing some more specialized gear. But this weekend I just wore two polypro long sleeve tops, a shirt, fleece vest, cap and long fingered biking gloves. On my legs I wear knicker biking pants and a pair of cotton Gramici climbing pants. I was plenty warm.

My toes did get cold, but if you take sections of plastic shopping bags and line the toes of your shoes with them, it works great!

[Rabid Hillbilly]

i'll only ride in winter if i have to,(i live in a valley between two mountians,and access is impossiable in winter,except on foot.
)

[KenSmithMT]

I've ridden down to +/-10deg F.  Not too bad as long as you don't sweat out and can keep your beverage of choice thawed.  I've heard about bearing grease freezing up in the colder weather, but have not run into that...yet

[Damnitman]

The HydroHeater from Arctic Innovations will thaw a CamelBack tube once it has frozen.  It doesn't do anything for the bladder, but I've never had issues with the bladder freezing...it takes more than a few hours of sustained cold to freeze a bladder.

*disclaimer*-I assemble HydroHeaters in my spare time

[Area54]

-6F, although I think I've been out playing at -8F.


IMAG1423 by mbeganyi, on Flickr

Good stuff.

Hmm, wondering if I've left it too late to grow me one of these facial warmer things

[Tommi]

I was out last week at -24C [?F] and had an invigorating ride; old Canadian army issue mukluks for footwear, goggles a good coat and ensure your nose is covered. Big knobbly tires on the Norco Bushpilot eats up the snow, studded tires for icy days.
Once my missus and I are done parenting [ 1 year 3 months until the youngest turns 18] I look forward to a desert trip.