Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

I moved to Melbourne from Byron Bay last winter.
There were three days when the sun just didn't make it through the fog.
I went for a ride one morning at about 10 o'clock and got an icecream headache. I just couldn't warm the air quick enough to breath rapidly enough to ride so I had to turn tail and ride home.
I now have a more efficient scarf system but I wonder if I will be aclimatised by next winter. Jeeze it's cold down here.
Is there a limit. What is the coldest you generally ride?

Robert

Quite a few mornings last winter were 6deg. Theres a sign on the way to work with the temperature and another on the club ride route. On morning was 2deg.

I was commuting to work a few days a week earlier this year and swore that I would not succumb to a Canberra winter and would keep slogging it out. The first -6 degree morning was the last morning I rode before the chirping birdies told me it was spring again.

TriggerFish wrote:I was commuting to work a few days a week earlier this year and swore that I would not succumb to a Canberra winter and would keep slogging it out. The first -6 degree morning was the last morning I rode before the chirping birdies told me it was spring again.

Makes me look like a girl but 15 degrees is my limit.

It doesn't get much cooler than that in the morning and when it does we have in-laws staying so I don't ride then anyway.

We can go for 6 months without the temperature getting below 20 degrees so it's more of a climatic reason for not riding at low temperatures than a personal decision.

In europe minus degrees are a killer however I ride with a thermo head warmer under my helmet, a thermo neoprene face mask and thermo gloves. For commuting I wear a thick jacket, steams up a bit but keeps me warm. In Sydney the temperature is much more agreeable and you get the effects of riding in snow on some sandy stretches.

The most important thing is the face mask so that the air has a slight chance to warm a little before you breath it deep down in your lungs and start to freeze your body from inside out. It also helps to keep your chest warm...

TriggerFish wrote:I was commuting to work a few days a week earlier this year and swore that I would not succumb to a Canberra winter and would keep slogging it out. The first -6 degree morning was the last morning I rode before the chirping birdies told me it was spring again.

TriggerFish chickened out - but then, I finished up getting sick.
My coldest morning ride was -8 degrees. I did 6:00am morning training rides right through winter - windbreaker facings on my jersey, longs over my knicks, skullcap under my helmet, inner and outer gloves, and wind/water-proof booties!
On foggy mornings, the windchill froze the water droplets on my gloves - but the worst thing was that it also froze on other bits!

For the likes of training rides, if temperature are likely to be less than 5 degrees, I tend to wait until it warms up a little bit.
However for scheduled events, races, Audax rides etc, I've ridden in temperatures as low as minus 4 degrees.

I feel kind of inadequate reading this thread

europa wrote:I feel kind of inadequate reading this thread

Did you leave this post out in the cold? It kind of shrunk.

Where the hell do you people live for it to get to those low temperatures?

The coldest I've ever been in was minus 6 overnight in Beechworth but I had my wife (then girlfriend) for warmth. There was still frost on the ground in the shade at 1pm the next day.

Coldest work day would have been Mt Tassie after it snowed overnight.

But these were all pre cycling.

When I worked for Telecom (it was Telecom back then before the 'keep up with the times police' make a comment) I used to ride about 5km to work and it would get down to about 10 to 12 degrees in winter with the odd single digit temperature. The locals thought I was mad only wearing a cotton short sleeve shirt and shorts but I had only just come up from a Shepparton winter.

peterrjleach wrote:TriggerFish chickened out - but then, I finished up getting sick.
My coldest morning ride was -8 degrees. I did 6:00am morning training rides right through winter - windbreaker facings on my jersey, longs over my knicks, skullcap under my helmet, inner and outer gloves, and wind/water-proof booties!
On foggy mornings, the windchill froze the water droplets on my gloves - but the worst thing was that it also froze on other bits!

lol....I sure did chicken out. Shortly before I did I had been wearing shorts until I arrived at work with thighs so red they announced my impending arrival of their own accord. Went to trakkies after that. This winter I might go for the long bike pants. I believe that you can get them with wool lining....is that true?

europa wrote:I feel kind of inadequate reading this thread

I am left feeling limp and rather flaccid meself.

Robert

I don't know about wool linings, but my winter longs are Netti 'SuperRoubaix' which have a synthetic fleecy lining. I will probably stick with them, but add a short-sleeved or sleeveless base layer, as I did feel the cold on my upper body. Gloves were the biggest issue - getting a combination that was warm and windproof, well padded but still flexible.
We can work through the fun stuff around Easter time!

They build them tough in Canberra

I've been in a Canberra winter - YOU'RE NUTS

Last winter, in Adelaide, it got so cold one day that I had to put a windcheater on over my t-shirt
My son went the entire year without a school windcheater ... though he did wear his soccer club track suit top a couple of days - got told off by the teachers and kept wearing it when it warmed up and he realised the girls liked it.

Richard

Ummm, 'bout 2 degrees and frost at 5:30 AM. Armwarmers under a long top, windproof vest, skullcap, GE's Ranchsliders on the pins and cut up shopping bags between the socks and shoes. Oh, and whoever's winter gloves that could have been designed by a welder.

What about one of those sumo suits.

Didn't need one to look like that when I was born again, way back in 95

Back in my Uni days (nearly 20 years ago), I used to regularly ride in negative temps through winter... tracksuit & heavy gloves was it. Mind you, having to defrost the tips of my little fingers and toes was a common outcome. It will be interesting to see how I handle it this year.