Coldest I've commuted is 2 below (F) for my seven miles. 44 below is so cold that it's a higher number than the same Celsius... wow

I brought hand warmers in case something happened and I had to be out longer or fix something. Haven't used 'em yet. Ski goggles and balaclava. Four layers was enough ... two pairs of socks and my "winter squall" shoes (I *think* - I might have worn my duckboots from LL Bean), but my hands and feet are *much* better than most folks' with cold. Gloves were some cannondale full-finger gloves with some novelty Christmas gloves on top.

I figured out that it takes between 7 and 11 minutes for my inner furnace to kick in, at which point I can usually keep the warm going out as fast as the cold is coming in (for that 35-40 minutes). Between the three minutes it takes for the cold to penetrate the 3-4 layers (thermal underwear, tights, sweats and my Gore-Tex rainsuit) and that kick-in my hands will hurt and I'll be cold, except when I've planned properly and do 7 or 8 minutes of something ferociously aerobic before I walk out the door, so the furnace is rolling already.

I have a big fat winter coat that I can't even find because it's just too warm for anything a bove zero if I'm riding, and here in sultry Illinois it doesn't get there that often during the day.

I was rather surprised at how cold I *didn't* get when riding. MOtorcycles... they're cold@!@@ But I didn't want to go without the hand warmers because at that temp it's physically dangerous to be out in it.