How Cold is too cold?

[Hodge]

It's not the cold that bothers me as I've done -5 on my commute in previous years but it stays parked up if it's snowy or icy.

[Kosmic Kartman]

10 Degrees is too cold but i'll add I have to ride in all wethers. It was -1 when I got my bike out the garage this morning and to me that's cold. As mentioned road condition is a deciding factor and it has to be unridable before I'll choose other modes of transport. And even then I'll try the bike first.

Snow and ice... best advice... think twice. I have riden on the pavement before (soory that should read: walked my bike on the pavement) when the road became a sheet of ice.

I feel the cold a lot more now than in my younger years. I rode to a rally in Wales once... in the snow, from London. The snow was so deep when I got to the rally site that I was able to leave the bike on two wheels without falling over.

:lol

[wezdavo]

The cold doesnt bother me, the conditions do though  
If you love your bike, theres no enjoyment to be had while riding on ice or snow, take the car or catch the bus, its just not worth smashing the bike up for..
Cars can drive much faster than bikes in adverse conditions, and for me thats where most of the problem lies, i dont fancy having a slide then getting nailed off some knacker in his car who is running late for work.
No grip, No joy

[taylor]

i used to enjoy the snow on my old honda tl 125 trials,  bu no way on the fazer, so take the transit van with two boys to push me when i get stuck. it keeps them warm/ :lol

[Lawrence]

Just got in from work, I have ice patches forming on my jacket and my feet have got to the point where they don't feel cold any more  :crazy  My hands were toasty warm the whole way home though

[flesh]

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

[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]

[glow=red,2,300]On mine[/glow] 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 !  :eek

[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 !  :eek

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

[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