how cold is too cold??
379
Member
359 days
stewarba posted 21 weeks ago.
50 degrees for the bike, 40 degrees for the run and don't even ask about water temperatures. But, I guess its all relative. I live in the south, so we tend to ask the opposite question ;-)
Seriously, get out there and see what you can tolerate!
Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines – Brian Tracy
2008 Sprint Tri A race goals
S: 500m in 10:00 – FS Stroke only
B: 22mph avg over course
R: 5K <= 25:00
Place top 50% for my age group
12
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176 days
WarMachine posted 21 weeks ago.
It is only too cold if YOU think it is too cold. I live in Northern Illinois, grew up in Wyoming, and am at the end of the spectrum that most might consider "insane" I've mountain biked in the snow (even with friends who enjoy it as much as me, of course), I've ran in 10 degree weather, seeing other runners, and, well, swam indoors of course :) The question, what can you tolerate. Frost on my eyebrows is "cool" to me, and my equipment has always held up to the cold...except for the occasional gear shifter sticking (lube generously). I've never heard any real detrimental effects, except for the obvious, and i find once you get going...it is not that bad. Spring will be here soon enough so get out there and "put another penny in the piggy bank". You'll be glad you did.
36
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175 days
Chiflado posted 21 weeks ago.
I've been riding in the 30's. When it's cold I where a pair of bike shorts and a pair of Under Armour cold gear tights. for the trunk I put oh say two or three (this is approximate I'm not sure exactly how many layers I wore.) sweat wicking shirts then maybe a regular long sleeve shirt then my riding jersey (has a pocket in the back where I keep my cell phone) and then this nice cycling wind breaker that I got for Christmas. The wind breaker is REALLY nice for cold weather. Actually with the wind breaker I don't know that I even would need the regular long sleeve shirt. Oh yes, I also wear booties, this baclava type thing (though I pull the part that's supposed go over your nose down underneath my chin) and for the gloves I wear my regular short fingered cycling gloves and then put on these fleece type ones over top of those. I don't have any problems getting cold. :D I think I could probably go in the 20's like that.
2
Member
552 days
tako2 posted 21 weeks ago.
it's never too cold - layer up, throw on a shell, and you're set.
take extra care in cleaning your WHOLE bike when you get home, as salt and other road debris are bad.
afterward you wonder why you didn't go out before.
262
Member
1119 days
triNick posted 21 weeks ago.
It's tooooooooooooooooo cold out there for me right now, I like to stay nice and warm. Bundle up if there is wind, that's the killer, epecially if you are going at a fast pace.
Last year I did a week of training in nice and warm weather in Argentina, it was upper 70's. I just got back from Pucon, Chile where I was out riding in upper 80's. Can't beat that for conquering cabin fever.
stay warm
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894
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1057 days
PJT posted 21 weeks ago.
I'm a cold weather wimp when it comes to road biking. I'll hop on the trainer/rollers in anything under 45F. My rationale: I just don't concentrate on the workout very well when I'm fighting to stay warm, plus the roads around Milwaukee are usually pretty awful from about mid-November until April (even if there is no snow around, there's tons of salt & sand, as well as killer potholes). I'll go on the MTB trails in anything above 40, but not in the snow since I have neither disc brakes nor a death wish.
As far as running, I tend to get warm pretty easily, so I only head to the indoor track if its under about 5-10 degrees (15 if it is really windy).
If you do choose to bike, maybe think about getting an insulated bottle? I know my fuel belt bottles tend to freeze on my long runs when it gets below about 20.
1405
Member
1260 days
brittda posted 21 weeks ago.
What ever is too cold for YOU. My PERSONAL cut off is freezing ie if there is frost on the ground or on the car windshields in the neighborhood. Big reason is I just don't want to be sliding across the road (hubby did this a couple of winters ago and broke his arm). You can always bundle up. Typically a pair of bike shorts with running tights over and a warm cycling jacket that is windproof works great. This is for Road bikes. I have ridden in much colder, snow /ice with my mtn bike and studded tires of course.
Running I will do in all temps. Back in my college years I was out all winter in Fairbanks Ak. Really its about layering up and what you can tolerate.
I would rather be out in the cold than inside on a trainer or a treadmill, but that's just me.
4
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252 days
Newbie 615 posted 21 weeks ago.
Too cold is relative to the person. I have been biking in the high 30s and running in the high teens. The main reason I am willing to bundle up and get outside is my hatred for the treadmill and trainer. Two factors that really play a role in whether or not I will go outside are: 1) is the sun out? 2) how windy is it?.
My advice is to bundle up, get outside whenever it is reasonable, and hope for an early spring.
The New Guy
3283
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1266 days
RV posted 21 weeks ago.
25 degrees is not bad to ride in - IF - you have proper cold weather gear to stay warm with. Especially gloves and those foot warmer/bootie things. Biggest issue is the salt and sand on the roads. Also there is usually less shoulder on the road - from the plowed snow.
If you do ride out in the salt etc - make sure you really clean the bike well afterwards.
Rollers are a nice alternative to the trainer - I'll ride both throughout the winter.
And never too cold to run in... I did some fairly long runs when we hit -40F w/c here - again really not bad if you layer up properly.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
1392
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943 days
tri-ac posted 21 weeks ago.
riding i don't sweat as much, but running i sweat buckets...i have more problems with getting cold from being wet than i do with the actual temps...if you can dress for it, go for it
for running down to 30deg: shorts, short sleeve tech shirt, long sleeve tech shirt, thin beanie or breathable ball cap, gloves (but these end up coming off after i'm warmed up).
my winter issues with getting outside have more to do with the dark and short days
15
Member
177 days
TonisFirstTri posted 21 weeks ago.
Does running/biking in cold temps help you aerobically? It seems when I run in cold temps (30 deg or less) I have a much harder time breathing, kinda like running in high altitudes. I wonder if this is actually helping my training by making it harder to get oxygen or if it just feels that way and I am actually getting the same impact as a warm weather run.
819
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1342 days
catwood posted 21 weeks ago.
I'll do normal rides down to freezing. I limit them to 2 hours at 20-32 degrees and limit them to 1 hour or so 10-20 degrees because that's when the toes start hurting. Toes are definitely my limiting factor. I'll go outside as long as there isn't ice on the roads. Its the ice that's the problem, not the temperature.
I've never been in weather that I felt was too cold for running (-5). Snow/Ice is not a problem because I use Yaktrax.
Ok so I live in Minnesota and it hasnt been above 30 degrees since like november, I started my training in January and all my long bike rides have been on the trainer... ugh... but next week it's supposed to get into the mid-20's and i'm dying to get outside!
So, how cold is too cold for a bike? I mean will my components freeze or damage if I ride in 25 degree weather?