How cold is too cold?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

25-28 F with no wind is generally my lower limit for rides of 1-2 hours.

[silver]

25-28 F with no wind is generally my lower limit for rides of 1-2 hours.

I'll ditto that.

[mimitabby]

we're all different.

If you're concerned about sheer physical limits, like will you die if you ride at temps below freezing, I just don't think it's a problem.
The stronger riders around here tend to not ride when it's freezing because of all the dampness that turns into black ice.

Me, below 40 degrees, I'm not very happy. having said that, I rode 70 miles this weekend at temps between 38 and 42.

[RoadRaven]

I'm with SheFly... its never too cold...

Mind you, here in almost sub-tropical Middle earth, north of Rivendell... temps only get to freezing (0'C - whats that? about 26'F???) a handful of days per year... so as long as I am wrapped up against the windchill - never too cold

[HillSlugger]

For me it's got to be above 32F/0C and it can't be too windy. Sunny is a real plus.

[GLC1968]

Apparently, 25F degrees is too cold for me as I skipped my lunchtime ride today. I really think it would have been fine, but this is the first cold day we've had all year and I'm not even remotely acclimated! (or, that's my excuse, anyway).

Tomorrow it should be in the 30's around lunch and I'll ride then, instead. I have commuted at colder temps, but that's mostly because I had to get to work. It's much harder to motivate myself outside when I don't truly *have* to.

Once I'm out there, I usually enjoy it. I'll take a 25F day over 100+ heat every time.

[Crankin]

Truthfully, I don't like road riding below 40. I've been mountain biking in the 30s. My coldest road ride was around 35, with flurries coming down. Well, I was on my mtb, on the road.
It's going to be warm next week, so I probably will ride my commuter bike to a couple of appointments. I really don't want to get my Kuota all dirty from the road and have to take it off of the trainer.
I like doing different outdoor sports when its cold. I hike and walk during the "in between" times before there's any snow. Once March comes, I'm more apt to go on a ride if it's close to 40.
I give credit to you hardy folks who ride when it's 17!

[KnottedYet]

I love reading the Ice Bike thread on BikeJournal. And watching Howard's videos of riding on ice/snow is a hoot!

[SalsaMTB]

There was only one day last year that Dh and I decided it was just too cold to ride and turned around after about 1 mile. The temp was -4F/-20C. I had a little bit of exposed skin on my face, just above my eyes, and was hurting. So, from that day on, Dh and I have set out limit to 10F. Anything below, we stay inside.

[tulip]

When I commuted my 28 miles RT, I would call it quits at 25 or so, although sometimes in the early am it was colder than that. However, waiting for the bus in those temps was worse than riding. I enjoyed riding in the cold, once I learned the proper layering system (Pearl Izumi lobster gloves, by the way, are the best for me).

Now I'm a bonafide wuss. I moved south, slightly, and work from home. I no longer have a commute to work. I thought, great, I'll just go for a bike ride!. Not happening, except on nice weekends.

Thank goodness for spinning, is all I can say.

[divingbiker]

I've set a lower limit of 20F for commuting, but it was colder than that this morning and I still rode. (Apparently the thermometer on my deck reads a bit high.) Very cold toes, but otherwise it was ok, so I guess I have to lower my limit.

My limit for recreational riding is about 40F.

(As an aside, I got a bunch of "Hotties" toe warmers for Christmas and they suck. By the time I got to work they were ice cold (hence the very cold toes above). The "Heat Treat" brand from REI seems to last a lot longer.)

[solobiker]

I guess it depends on where I was living. Back east where I am from where there is humidity the temps feel colder then here in CO. So, since i am in CO where the 20s feel like the 30s in NY I would be fine in the low to mid 20s. In NY the upper 30s. That damp cold air chills me too much.

[LadyinWhite]

I'll take a 25F day over 100+ heat every time.

Not me! I'm just the opposite. I can't stand the feeling of cold on my face and breathing through a buff is OK but only in the 40's and above. My cold weather gear does keep everything warm but the face and that's all it takes for me to be instantly miserable.

I don't mind the heat at all! Last summer I loved the hot hot days, stopping at intersections with the heat just rising up off the pavement. So hot that the only thing that makes the heat bearable is cutting through it on a bike.

Love it.

In fact - don't laugh, but I have skipped my trainer rides for 2 days because I don't want to go down in the cold BASEMENT! Can you say pansy???