How Cold is too cold?

[flesh]

-5 this morning and I have just had new tyres fitted to the FZ1.....funnily enough took the car 

[bigsteve]

I had to remove ice off saddle before I rode home tonight

[JZS 600]

As long as the grit on the road hasn't frozen,,,,,,

[Fazerider]

I was glad it wasn't a workday for me today, but it's -3º and foggy out there tonight so tomorrow's commute will be by car. A degree or so below freezing isn't too bad if you've got suitable gear, but as others have said, if there's a risk of ice the tin box with a wheel at each corner is a much more sensible choice.

[chaz]

I ride for fun, don't mind if it's cold, prefer the road to be dry, dry in places can be worse than all wet. I have ridden in snow to get to work before I had a car, that wasn't much fun,at least it's pretty flat round here, went to Whitby the other week, wouldn't fancy going up or down Blue Bank or Saltergate if it snowed or was icy.

[Lawrence]

At least -5 this morning, visor kept icing up in the fog and when I got to work my front was covered in frost 

[JZS 600]

Yep it was a wee bit cool this morning but once under way and the grips heated up it was fine, actually felt colder once I stopped and took off the lid and gloves...

[Robbie8666]

I remember winter of 98 riding my super dream to work in snow ( a grand distance of 6 miles) by the time i got to work I was looking like a snowman! had to wait for someone to unlock the office as I'd set off early.
lucky my boss was next in and made me a tea with a good slug of irish in !!

[Fazerider]

Decent gear makes a huge difference. Six months after I got my first proper bike in 1985 I had to help rig an outside broadcast near Cardiff for an early morning shoot. It was a week before Christmas and I got thoroughly chilled overnight with all the hanging around in sub-zero temperatures. After that was a three hour motorway and country lane trip home, though it was probably a degree above freezing by then.
My gear at the time consisted of a couple of sweaters under a waxed cotton jacket plus two pairs of jeans, I didn't really appreciate how cold I'd got until I tried to dismount. I struggled out my clothing with limbs that didn't seem to be mine anymore and into a hot shower... after 15 minutes I'd warmed up enough to start shivering. Wish I'd taken my temperature... must have been well into the zone of hypothermia. It was stupidly dangerous riding a bike in that state.

[Fazer on kill]

On mine 5degC or where I cant trust microclimates


On yours when hell has frozen over

[Grahamm]

I was out yesterday evening and when I got to the bike to come home around 10:30pm there was frost on the seat!

However with a combination of Wolf Racing textile jacket with inner liner, Wolf Racing textile trousers with jeans underneath, Anti-Freeze windproof under jacket and shirt underneath, neck tube, Heat Holders socks and Gerbing heated Gloves I was perfectly comfortable, even when doing 80 along the motorway with an outside temperature around freezing

[pitternator]

its the risk of crashing which bothers me most , rather than the cold. Plus the effect of all that salt on the bike...I have done the riding in snow etc many many times, and have had my share of spills because of it. That was in the 70s when bikes crashed quite well, easily straightened up and off you go. These days a spill could be a thousand quid or more ...so its stupid to risk it.
 
My worst experience was in switzerland in 2011...we had to ride to our next stop in austria...over the passes which were snowbound ! Luckily the ploughs had been out and it was navigable...but 0 degrees and driving blizzards do not make biking weather..plus dense fog. Alps can be very scary in bad weather.wet, cold,foggy, slushy ...and thats in july ! 

[stevierst]

My worst experience was in switzerland in 2011...we had to ride to our next stop in austria...over the passes which were snowbound ! Luckily the ploughs had been out and it was navigable...but 0 degrees and driving blizzards do not make biking weather..plus dense fog. Alps can be very scary in bad weather.wet, cold,foggy, slushy ...and thats in july ! 

Be honest with yourself Pitternator, I bet you loved the challenge really.

[Fazer on kill]

Crashing/salt bothers me more than cold.


FULLY FAIRED FAZER


Dropping it on the side at slow speed would involve about £1500 at least I reckon.


The miles I dont do in the winter are made up when warmer.

[fireblake]

My first bike was a Honda XL 250s and i was 17 (1981) We had heavy snow but i still had to ride to work. The roads were so poor i ended up riding on the grass verge, the semi knobblies coped brilliantly and i was never late. I had some odd looks as i undertook all the cars.


Mickey