At what temperature do you stop

[derrick]

Commuting temperature does not really matter, but what about weekend ride, the forcast for the weekend is just a couple of degrees so should be alright for a couple of rides, do worry about ice on the road though. but if it gets colder than that i think i could be spending more time on the rollers or turbo.
What about you lot?

 

[fossyant]

Weekend, then it's ice that is an issue. Weekdays, then I have a bike for that temperature, and have ridden in deep snow and minus 15. Weekend rides have to fit in with family, and are few and far between. There is no way I'd take one of the road bikes out with much ice, would have to stick to main roads.

 

[Broadside]

I don't mind it down to about -4c or -6c, it is the risk of ice that bothers me though. If the roads are dry and no heavy frost then I will go out on the country lanes. If there has been a decent frost then I tend to avoid the lanes and stick to more major roads, providing it is early morning or late evening then they are still nice and quiet round here.

I've had a couple of bad experiences the past two winters getting caught out on icy country lanes so I avoid them when there is a heavy frost which is usually a sign that they might be a problem.

 

[Saluki]

We ride in all sorts of temperatures. If the side roads are frosty we stick to the main roads/bus routes which is less fun but a bit safer, ice wise. Falling off and breaking bones is something I can live without this winter Bout - 4 or -5 is where we draw the line as our feet and fingers get too cold after about 8 miles.

 

[400bhp]

0 K

ice is the thing that stops me.

I've had a water bottle freeze whilst out on a ride.

 

[MrJamie]

I don't cycle as much in the winter in general, but I just try to ride a lot more conservatively especially with braking and cornering. I'm lucky though I live right next to miles of shared use gravelled tarmac paths which don't really suffer from getting iced up so I use them more in winter.

A couple of winters ago I cycled about 5 miles in the snow/ice to go shopping when most people were scared to drive cars, the few that did were crawling along the main roads at 10mph and they still managed to crash into eachother. I smugly returned home without incident, got off my bike and almost immediately slipped over on the driveway

 

[ianrauk]

My commute is mainly busy roads so ice is usually not a problem. Especially in London. I have never had to not commute due to ice.
Like 400bhp my water bottle freezes now and again when the temp drops.

As for weekend rides. If it's very icy, then no, won't go out.

 

[Matthew_T]

I dont mind the cold, it is just when it is mixed with wind and water that annoys me.

 

[Boris Bajic]

I used to commute in Sarajevo all year, but I kept to the pavements or roadside paths in the really cold weather. The roads were cleared in the Federation, but often uncleared in Republika Srpska and I lived pretty much on the line between them, so I had to choose my route.

I rode down to maybe -12 or -14 Celcius for an 0700 start to my working day.

The worst that happened was my brake cables freezing in their outers and leaving me brakeless. That was comic rather than dangerous.

Now in middle age and riding on busy UK roads, I wouldn't go out much below +2 Celcius, maybe even warmer than that. I cracked a rib falling on ice the other day and I think the years have robbed me of some of the catlike agility I never really had in the first place.

 

[oldfatfool]

wrap up warm, ice and rain are the limiting factors.

 

[Boris Bajic]

My commute is mainly busy roads so ice is usually not a problem. Especially in London. I have never had to not commute due to ice.
Like 400bhp my water bottle freezes now and again when the temp drops.

As for weekend rides. If it's very icy, then no, won't go out.

I never had a bottle when I was commuting in sub-zero, but my nostrils used to make crackly noises because I had Frozen Bogie Syndrome.

 

[slowmotion]

I don't go out when it's obviously icy. Probably the coldest ride I've done was a FNRttC to Southend, in the Spring of last year, about minus 5C. The major problem was that the cold air hurt my lungs. I ended up with a buff over my mouth in an attempt to pre-heat it. Frozen fingers too.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

With commuting I'll stop riding when it gets impossible to ride, I've ridden in temperatures down as low as -11, snow up to the point where I've had to get off and walk and on ice when its got to the stage where staying stood up is difficult. On the Sunday rides Its not the temperature that’s important its the road conditions, I don’t do wet Sunday rides or ride when there is snow on the road or ice if it gets too bad, if my road is unridable due to ice I'll stay at home. Sundays are for pleasure and riding in bad conditions is not normally enjoyable.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I never had a bottle when I was commuting in sub-zero, but my nostrils used to make crackly noises because I had Frozen Bogie Syndrome.

My usual problem if it gets very cold is my beard freezing up, its not nice when I get somewhere warm and it thaws, that leads to cold water running down my neck.

 

[RWright]

Since I don't commute I will only ride down to about freezing. January is the only month here with average lows below that so I will probably only ride during the day in that month. I will not ride in ice or snow which normally we only get a couple of times a year here.