Winter cycling- bracing cold

[shootingstar]

Today cycled only 10 km. to attend an opening event of a new light rail train transit extension line with 6 additional new stations. I forgot how friggin' cold it was to bike.... -15 degrees C (or 5 degrees F) which in our dry air and wind chill is -22 degrees C. No wonder, why my cheeks felt nearly frozen for such a short distance. I was riding the whole time, kinda of slow. At this time of the year, I tend to be like this in case a tiny ice patch should bring me down.

But I was so glad to cycle to spankin' new station and lock up my bike to their new bike racks there before hopping onto train for free ride for an additional 15 km., with everyone else..plus have there, hot chocolate and cookies.

Many parents brought out their children to this free event. It's a great way for suburban families to experience...transit if they don't use it often --yet. I noticed that stations out in the SUBURBS on this new line were crowded with quadruple the people, compared to the downtown station where I began my rail ride.

Could I have cycled the same route along new LRT? I don't know the all new bike routes that parallel this route. I wasn't going to try it in such COLD temp. and maybe even get lost an extra half in such freezin' temperatures!

[Cyclingfun]

Phew - I realise I don't know the meaning of 'cold' now! We tend to do -2 or -3, occasionally going lower. But by the sea we do get chilly winds. bbbbrrrr! Respect to you for getting out there regardless; the event sounded lovely and how lucky you are that the railways are taking cyclists seriously by providing bike racks. I wonder if you're allowed bikes on trains too, like they do in Europe? Here in the UK, our infrastructure is proving very reluctant to provide for cyclists either by rail or on the road and some drivers behave as if cyclists are just there to annoy them. Mind you, some cyclists' behaviour leaves a lot to be desired, riding on pavements, weaving in and out of cars, jumping traffic lights... so we're not all on the side of the angels!

[shootingstar]

Well, this just light rail within our city. LIke many major cities, bikes are permitted during off-peak hrs. on transit trains.

I cycled again today ...further. Towards the end of my 14 km. ride, my fingertips inside my lobster mitts were starting to hurt. That means it was enough! At the same temp. as yesterday in the earlier post.

[Cyclingfun]

I'm intrigued to learn how you cope with staying upright in such cold... What about black ice? What sort of bike do you use in the winter and what tyres? I'd like to get out more right now but don't have much experience of two wheels in slippery conditions and any information would be great.

[jordanpattern]

LRT... are you in Edmonton?

I'm a native Edmontonian who now lives in California (though soon PDX). I'm spending two weeks in Edmonton in January and am puzzling over whether I'll be able to ride at all. Any advice by chance? Lobster glove recommendations gratefully accepted!

[shootingstar]

You realize that no one here inTeamEstrogen, will be cycling as far north as Edmonton. You'll beat me as the most Northern forum member unless we have someone in Alaska... If I were you, and not having cycled in any snow/ice for a long time, especially under very cold temp., make short trips....under 15 km., especially if very cold. You'll find it's enough of a spin and you'll be happy. Wear wind pants over leggings. I'm not the type of cyclist that cycles in boots. Too clunky for me. But might work for you.

Am in Calgary.

[NbyNW]

When I lived in Edmonton I really didn't like cycling there. It's too auto-centric, and even when you get out of the city there isn't much of a shoulder to ride on, but there are flat straight roads that someone could plow over you on. There are some very brave souls who do it, year-round, but I was not one of them. The multi-use trails are a nice option to the roads, but ultimately it was challenging to find anything that connected to anything. The trails in the river valley that are closer to downtown do get maintained but you still need to watch out for ice. You can get mtb ice tires with studs. But depending on where you are the roads can be a real mess. It can be hard to ride a bike when you are dealing with really deep snow/ice ruts on the road.

[Melalvai]

I put vaseline on my face when it gets below 20F.

[jordanpattern]

Thanks, ladies!

I used to ride when I lived in Edmonton, but I do remember it being pretty hairy out on the roads. I'm going to be staying within a couple blocks of the river valley trails system, so I'm hoping to get some relatively short rides in on those. I'd love to commute to where I'm going to be training for the few weeks I'm there, but it's out towards the suburbs in the southeast part of the city, and I can't imagine a route out there that won't get me killed.