[PickeringMTB]

Went out for a ride last night in Durham Forest with a buddy....with the temp showing -12c.

One of the discussions we were kicking about as we were enjoying the ride...was....at what temp. do we call it quits?....some may say that -12c is crazy....

How cold is too cold??

 

[Braids]

When your tires shatter from the cold.
Please don't ride on the XC ski tracks. Thank you. :thumbsup:

 

[garage monster]

I was out for a road ride yesterday afternoon and my water bottle had frozen almost completely solid after less than 45 minutes. It was that cold.

I'm not sure how cold is too cold. I have plenty of gear that'll keep me toasty down into the low 20s. I've XC skied (in Edmonton and Canmore) at temperatures that were below -30 with no ill effects.

I suppose if the grease in your freehub starts to freeze and the pawls stop engaging, it might be too cold but that has yet to happen with the White freeewheels on my Winter bikes. :skep:

 

[SSteve F]

You also need to consider wind. On the road, I am good down to about -10 without wind. If it comes out of the north, I have bailed at -2.

 

[HubbaMan]

I'm fine down to about -15 or so, much more then that and I need heat packs in the gloves and shoes.
I also get worried about component failure if I'm hitting any drops, as well as poorer performance from the suspension due to sluggish oil.

 

[trailtrash]

it's to cold when lawyers have there hands in there own pockets.
it's to cold when only people like Ed and Al have enough time to write there names in the snow.:drumroll:

 

[max_29]

I was out for a road ride yesterday afternoon and my water bottle had frozen almost completely solid after less than 45 minutes. It was that cold.

when a temperature drops well below freezing i carry 0,5l thermos with warm water instead of a bottle. fits nicely in a cage.

 

[Enduramil]

Cold? I feel no cold.

Have been out in minus 30 in Toronto on the cross bike. No probs. Layers, embrocation, and proper drive train lube helps.

Though it also helps to have some places to stop and warm up if necessary.

 

[langford]

-15 C is my limit, whether it's real temp or wind chill. My hands and feet just get too cold below that. That's been my traditional commuting limit anyways, I tend to go winter mountain biking when it's a little warmer than that, say -10 and above.

 

[CptSydor]

My limit really depends on how far I am away from security. Wind chill plays a major factor as well. Nothing worse than fighting your way through the wind, working up a sweat, only to have all your heat blown away. Cold sweats, me no like. MTB in the forest helps with this.

I've flatted 40 km from home, 2.5 hours into a ride on the road. Temp was -8, -15 with the wind chill. Miserable, miserable.

In general, I won't venture much more than 10 km from home/car whether on the road or MTB when the temperature is below 0. This essentially means no road riding below 0 anymore.

I'll MTB to -5 to -12 and venture up to 5-10 km from home (1-1.5 hrs total).

I'll go down to -12 to -15 at a place like Punslinch where I am never far away from the car.

Below -15, I play some extra squash.

Commuting is another story. 11km one way (hence, my tolerance of 10 km). My limit is -25 with the wind chill. But that tolerance goes down, as the wind chill component goes up. I'm more likely to ride on a day that is -25 and calm, than -5 with a 50 km head wind in the morning. One of the few times I've flatted during my commute was the coldest morning last winter (or the past few winters) in Hamilton at -24. Blessed was the bus system that morning (and why I ride along their routes)

 

[thedumbopinion]

I haven't really found my limit on the MTB. That may be because I live in Niagara. We were riding on dirt up until yesterday. My guess is its between -15 and -20. I remember road riding last year at -12 and just about calling it quits. Obviously wind is the key factor.

As far as water freezing goes try the Camelbak Podium Chill bottle. I did a 3 hour stint at -6 with not even a hint of ice in the drink.

 

[serious]

My last rides were on Dec 5th and 6th at Albion, around zero degrees. I have not touched a bike since (outdoor or indoor). I generally sweat a lot and any riding in very cold weather is brutal no matter how I dress.

I don't know how you guys manage to ride in such cold weather.

 

[Wolfchild]

I ride to work everyday, for me there is no such thing as too cold. Weather that we get here in Ontario hasn't stopped me yet. I would love to go out to the arctic and see where the limits are. I mean is there such a thing where it would be physically impossible to ride because of the cold ?

 

[egggman]

Unfortunately my wife is not on-board with me winter commuting on the bike. Other rides pretty much happen in all temperatures. Have had the fun times of snowboarding at Tremblant in -50C +windchill... Only issue is plastic binding straps tend to start cracking in extreme cold...

 

[Ricksom]

When the tubes crack....
When the gears ice....

When you're feeling sad.....I simply remember my favourite things......

 

[osokolo]

anything above -6 is good for road riding... -10 and up for MTB riding... had a great ride yesterday at Hilton Falls / Agreement Forest in -5... Just awesome, even without studded tires...

Went out for a ride last night in Durham Forest with a buddy....with the temp showing -12c.

One of the discussions we were kicking about as we were enjoying the ride...was....at what temp. do we call it quits?....some may say that -12c is crazy....

How cold is too cold??

 

[ol-crank]

shoes and gloves are the thing..I ride at -20 with

oversize leather MTB shoes and lobster mitts and ridgid fork with stans tubeless fat tires. The oversize shoes allow for extra socks, (ski socks) and the leather is like a winter boot. It all works with eggbeaters, and the ridgid fork is because my suspension fork dosn't work at -20. Hope to ride all winter long.

 

[Dgage]

If its too cold to enjoy a couple of beers on the patio right after the ride... I'm out!

 

[Biff Pedachenko]

I called it quits on commuting when the temps were around -60 for a solid week. Not that I couldn't have kept riding, it's just getting all the extra gear on and off was a bit of a hassle when (at that time) the city bus stop was literally the end of the driveway.

We do a fair amount of riding up here in the -20 to -30 range. For me so far the key pieces of gear/setup have been:

Single speed and hyrdro disks - steel brake and shift cables freeze when moisture gets between the cable and housing

Flats and hiking boots - no combination of socks/booties that fit in my riding shoes are warm enough

Fat tires - depending on conditions of course, but I've had the best luck overall with fat tires for flotation. With a 26" wheelset you can squeeze a 3" front/2.7" rear into a Misfit frame - run at about 5-6psi - just watch it on hard pack/road corners at that pressure if your rubber isn't glued on

Hydration: Camelback under the outermost layer so your body heat can keep it somewhat warmer (be sure to shove the hose back under the layers once you're done) and a flask of whiskey (it's sort of like Gatorade for winter conditions - gives you the energy to keep going)

 

[BlackCanoeDog]

I called it quits on commuting when the temps were around -60 for a solid week. Not that I couldn't have kept riding, it's just getting all the extra gear on and off was a bit of a hassle when (at that time) the city bus stop was literally the end of the driveway.

We do a fair amount of riding up here in the -20 to -30 range. For me so far the key pieces of gear/setup have been:

Single speed and hyrdro disks - steel brake and shift cables freeze when moisture gets between the cable and housing

Flats and hiking boots - no combination of socks/booties that fit in my riding shoes are warm enough

Fat tires - depending on conditions of course, but I've had the best luck overall with fat tires for flotation. With a 26" wheelset you can squeeze a 3" front/2.7" rear into a Misfit frame - run at about 5-6psi - just watch it on hard pack/road corners at that pressure if your rubber isn't glued on

Hydration: Camelback under the outermost layer so your body heat can keep it somewhat warmer (be sure to shove the hose back under the layers once you're done) and a flask of whiskey (it's sort of like Gatorade for winter conditions - gives you the energy to keep going)

I don't know anyone besides you who would ride out to the Skyways at -30C to meet a girl for coffee! (-;