Coldest temperature you've ever rode in

[Trek_5200]

i have to try lobster gloves. i was totally comfortable in 14 degree temps except at the end and only my hands got cold

[gearloose]

13 degrees F at night for me. That was back when I was gainfully employed and had to ride after-work rides to get my miles in. Now that I'm retired and living 8 hours south of the work location, I don't have to worry quite as much about cold rides.

[blackfrancois]

have ridden

this.

[MaxKatt]

LOL. You actually believe this B.S. story?

Hmmm, my mtb with Avid hydro brakes sitting in my garage with current temps of -1F (and -20F low temps the last few nights) is fully functional.

Hey! I resemble that remark.

Apples and Oranges my friend.

I have no idea where your garage is, but I'll bet the atmospheric level of Kelvin where you are is not the same as Mt. Ventoux. Couple that with the altitude...Whammo! You get that Total Protonic Reversal DaveG referenced.

To be fair, in my case, I'd say it was only a partial reversal, as I survived. I'm not aware of anyone ever surviving a full reversal.

[Hiro11]

I forget the precise temperature, but I'll never forget a bitterly cold decent of Mt. Ventoux. Gray day. Wind chills. Hydraulic fluid froze rock solid in the brake lines. Failing to navigate a turn, I crashed hard.

Awoke in a hospital with a sack of dust and components on the chair next to me. Doc explained it was so cold the brittle carbon just shattered into countless tiny bits. They swept up what they could and brought it to me.

I don't buy it. I've used both Shimano (mineral oil) and Sram (DOT 5.1) hydro brakes below 10F without issue. Shimanos get very mildly sluggish but they work fine. Sram Guides don't seem to be affected. Also, judging by the number of carbon fatbikes I see around here being ridden sub 10F, I think carbon does just fine in very cold temps.

[old_fuji]

LOL. You actually believe this B.S. story?

Hmmm, my mtb with Avid hydro brakes sitting in my garage with current temps of -1F (and -20F low temps the last few nights) is fully functional.

[QuiQuaeQuod]

-20f, with wind. Not far, just to work, but that was far enough.

Stupid cold, but by the tracks I was not the only idiot out on those days.

Edit to clarify. I meant -20f, then wind chill on top of that.

[mmoose]

(Minnesota) Cross bike out in the open gravel roads is ok to about 0*/WC -25*. Snowbike, right clothing and equiptment thru the trees (windblock) and no wind chill is find for another 20* or so.

But the "coldest rides" are not like that. It is usually not about the air temp or windchill, but the body temp. 0* and dry is SOOOO much better than wet and under 40*. Neighbors went for a road ride in early November and rain came out of nowhere, caught unprepared. Temp was never under 40*, but they were much colder on that ride than any deep winter ride.
I'll not forget BTC 2011 Trail Ridge Road. Sure, it was almost a blizzard at 12,000'. But I was dry. On the descent, it warmed up enough to rain, which made me much much colder than I was before. Lots of hypothermia and rescue going on that day.

[Bob Ross]

i have to try lobster gloves. i was totally comfortable in 14 degree temps except at the end and only my hands got cold

My wife has some Pearl Izumi lobster claw gloves that are astonishingly warm; I've tried wearing them, and if I put them on while still in the house my hands start sweating before I can even make it outdoors!

The problem is, I find them impossible to operate STI levers with.

[Trek_5200]

My wife has some Pearl Izumi lobster claw gloves that are astonishingly warm; I've tried wearing them, and if I put them on while still in the house my hands start sweating before I can even make it outdoors!

The problem is, I find them impossible to operate STI levers with.

that does it . i'm screwed

[velodog]

that does it . i'm screwed

All ya gotta do is get yourself a fixed gear bike and you won't hafta worry about no shift levers.

[Fredrico]

All ya gotta do is get yourself a fixed gear bike and you won't hafta worry about no shift levers.

Or, ahem, go to down tube shifters.

[velodog]

Or, ahem, go to down tube shifters.

As in Simplex Retro Friction.

[marathonrunner]

Another Minnesotan here. I've commuted in negative 4 degree actual temperature once. (9 miles each way).

My outdoor activity Nov-March is xc skiing, and I'll do that when it's colder. This winter I've become addicted to zwift racing and haven't biked outdoors since December 4th. I think I'm going soft. I would much rather ski than fat bike.

[Fredrico]

As in Simplex Retro Friction.

Perfect solution to the problem. But wait. Do they come in 10, 11 speeds?

BTW, nice bike!

[DaveG]

my garmin says my ride started at 16 and got as low as 10. did that for 2.5 hours yesterday. i don't plan to ever break that record. what's yours?

I know it wasn't that cold but if anyone ride today in the east during the "bomb cyclone" they get maximum flahute points

[velodog]

Perfect solution to the problem. But wait. Do they come in 10, 11 speeds?

BTW, nice bike!

Thanks.

They may have enough pull to make it to 8spds, but I don't really know because this bike only goes to six. I do have another set of the levers stashed, just in case I need them. I'd never go back to the Campagnolo non indexed after using these.

[Fredrico]

Thanks.

They may have enough pull to make it to 8spds, but I don't really know because this bike only goes to six. I do have another set of the levers stashed, just in case I need them. I'd never go back to the Campagnolo non indexed after using these.

Yep, those were trick back in the day. They were introduced in 7 speed days. But I'll stay with friction. I have a set of unused Campy friction levers ready to go, but the old ones haven't worn out yet. No big deal with 6 speeds. Would hesitate to try friction with 9, 10, or 11 speeds.

[velodog]

Yep, those were trick back in the day. They were introduced in 7 speed days. But I'll stay with friction. I have a set of unused Campy friction levers ready to go, but the old ones haven't worn out yet. No big deal with 6 speeds. Would hesitate to try friction with 9, 10, or 11 speeds.

These are friction, but they're spring loaded so the pull, up or down, the freewheel has the same feel. They also don't loosen and slip due to derailleur spring tension overpowering them.

They are really sweet to use and I would recommend trying a set if you can get your hands on them. I don't think that you'd be disappointed.

[Fredrico]

These are friction, but they're spring loaded so the pull, up or down, the freewheel has the same feel. They also don't loosen and slip due to derailleur spring tension overpowering them.

They are really sweet to use and I would recommend trying a set if you can get your hands on them. I don't think that you'd be disappointed.

That's right. They came out before click shifters. They're "counter weighted" by the spring, so won't try to shift on ya when the chain stays flex. Rider never has to tension the wing nut on the fly, failure to do so being the demise of many a shift, IME. Very nice.

Gee, ain't progress great?

[BCSaltchucker]

1st gen grip shift was pretty good too though with mittens and an extra wrap of cork ribbon. I remember a few guys had them on bar end drop bars. I used them on my mtn bike starting in 1991 .. and still use it to this day on mtn bikes. Like downtube shifters you can swing up/down the entire block in one action.

boutique small biz making plastic shifters ... became the near-billion dollar SRAM we know today

[velodog]

1st gen grip shift was pretty good too though with mittens and an extra wrap of cork ribbon. I remember a few guys had them on bar end drop bars. I used them on my mtn bike starting in 1991 .. and still use it to this day on mtn bikes. Like downtube shifters you can swing up/down the entire block in one action.

boutique small biz making plastic shifters ... became the near-billion dollar SRAM we know today

Yeah, I remember those. SediSport chains too, speakin' of SRAM.

[bvber]

Is there minimum distance to qualify as a ride? If not, I rode 3 miles on my beach cruiser last night in 5 degree F. with windchill of -16 degree F. It was to the gym and back.

[DaveG]

Is there minimum distance to qualify as a ride? If not, I rode 3 miles on my beach cruiser last night in 5 degree F. with windchill of -16 degree F. It was to the gym and back.

Unless you are decked out in full kit it doesn't count. Its kinda like trainer miles

[Fredrico]

1st gen grip shift was pretty good too though with mittens and an extra wrap of cork ribbon. I remember a few guys had them on bar end drop bars. I used them on my mtn bike starting in 1991 .. and still use it to this day on mtn bikes. Like downtube shifters you can swing up/down the entire block in one action.

boutique small biz making plastic shifters ... became the near-billion dollar SRAM we know today

Grip shifters were mechanically simple, the clicks held up, they never got trashed in a crash, and were virtually maintenance free, and repairable. The trouble was, rider's hands would slip on them hitting a bump or rough terrain, and they'd shift by accident. Didn't SRAM come out with a longer stationary grip, so this wouldn't happen?

Haven't seen them on new bikes for years, probably mostly due to marketing. Riders used to make fun of grip shifters, probably because they were replaced by trigger shifters on more expensive bikes, and relegated to cheap dept. store bikes. Triggers were a functional improvement, the trade off being they were more expensive, broke in crashes, wore out in two or three years, and yes, rider has to shift through the gears one by one, no swinging "up or down the entire block in one action."

Grant Peterson lamented automating functions on a manual instrument, the bicycle, is taking control away from the rider, philosophically the wrong way to go. Hence a curious resurgence of single speeds in the '00s among urban hipsters. Bike messengers started the practice, though. Convert an old beater to fixed gear and ride it like a ballet routine. Some of those bike messengers had amazing control on their fixies. They could get anywhere in the urban jungle in predictable times, true masters of the environment, an inspiration to we mortals.