When is too cold to ride your bike?

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TekNinja81 said:
I've ridden in around -25C before, on my Ninja 250R back when I had it, and a few nights on my V-Strom. Not the most comfortable, and definitely have to dial it down quite a bit vs warm weather riding, but for some reason I still enjoy it. As long as there's no snow or ice around. :P
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-25C? How did your tires even grip to the frozen ground?
 
-5C for me...
 
Stable +2 and above and after first rain (as road salt remover).
 
Nothing colder then -10
If its snowing out, or if chances are high it's gonna snow I won't ride.

Otherwise, I'll ride to work at -10 rather than take the subway/bus 100% of the time. I just need to dress properly.
 
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Live 5 minutes from my work so I will ride in any temperature just as long as there is no snow on the roads. Even to go out and enjoy riding, I will put up with the cold just because I get sick of looking at videos and talking about riding during the winter :rolleyes:. I need to invest in some warm gear for winter riding, does anyone have some suggestions on what the best options are for yourself/bike if you ride in the cold?
 
As someone mentioned. Everyone is different, it depends on your tolerance level. I've seen people whip out their bikes within this month and other riders tell me they are 'fairweather' riders, meaning they will only ride on perfect days. So it all comes down to how adventurous you are.

Personally, I can ride at -5 degrees (done it once because it was perfectly warm during the day but as evening came the temperatures dropped) at most but wouldn't recommend it unless you're willing to invest in heated gear. I tend to stick to anything in the +degrees. +10 should be good and anything above is perfect.
 
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Katapult said:
-25C? How did your tires even grip to the frozen ground?
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These guys that pull this off have heated gear and grips...I've done -10 with a windchill of I don't wanna know with just my Under Armour. The problem is not with tires, it making sure you can physically still operate the vehicle and think straight...Then again riding at those temps you're probably not thinking straight to begin with.
 
Kri$han said:
I need at least +10 C for me to actually enjoy a ride, and it has to be +12 ~ +15 in the morning for me to commute to work, but that's because my commute is 45 minutes of highway riding. I also have no heated gear, wear shorty gloves, and I have a naked bike.
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Same situation for me, except i will bear +5 in the morning if the ride home will be nice.
 
No snow or potential ice on the roads...

So for me, typically -5'C
 
LoneRonin said:
These guys that pull this off have heated gear and grips...I've done -10 with a windchill of I don't wanna know with just my Under Armour. The problem is not with tires, it making sure you can physically still operate the vehicle and think straight...Then again riding at those temps you're probably not thinking straight to begin with.
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+1

Also, once you start experimenting riding in the snow/ice, the traction at dry roads feels like Chinese glue, even at -10.
 
I usually don't ride below 0. Even below 5 is pushing it.

But how about this guy in the middle of February? He didn't take his feet off the ground the whole street. Commitment or desperation? hmm.
20130209_164823_zpsf2ef7c53.jpg
 
Grod said:
I usually don't ride below 0. Even below 5 is pushing it.

But how about this guy in the middle of February? He didn't take his feet off the ground the whole street. Commitment or desperation? hmm.
20130209_164823_zpsf2ef7c53.jpg
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Wow! Notice the running shoes and track pants. At the very least I'd be ATGATT in this weather. Its a rule I rarely break in the summer.

I'll be riding this weekend and into next week regardless of what comes. There's no way I'm putting money down for another bus pass next month. I'd sooner walk at this point. So for me, anything above 0 will do.
 
Grod said:
I usually don't ride below 0. Even below 5 is pushing it.

But how about this guy in the middle of February? He didn't take his feet off the ground the whole street. Commitment or desperation? hmm.
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Looks like he REALLY didn't want to take the bus to work/school that day....
 
Katapult said:
-25C? How did your tires even grip to the frozen ground?
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The key is running lower tire pressure (which I actually didn't bother with in the 2011-2012 winter season with it being as mild as it was), but also riding well below your normal limits. Goes without saying, but you can't take corners at the same kind of speed or lean, and you have to give yourself a fair bit more acceleration & braking time/room (also braking more softly to avoid lockups especially in the front.) This winter has been trickier with the significant increase of frost and salt on the roads, plus my tires are still pretty new and different tread than I'm used to. As a result I've had a few slips and rear lockups on the coldest days, but it's something I've prepared myself for by purposely locking/skidding my rear to get used to the feeling in the past.


LoneRonin said:
These guys that pull this off have heated gear and grips...I've done -10 with a windchill of I don't wanna know with just my Under Armour. The problem is not with tires, it making sure you can physically still operate the vehicle and think straight...Then again riding at those temps you're probably not thinking straight to begin with.
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Yes, heated gear/grips definitely help. This winter I haven't really been out for longer rides, so I actually never used my heated jacket liner, just bundled up (the Teknic Freeway jacket has awesome lining that also really helped) but the grips are usually at full blast. And yeah, I've had more than a few people give me the "are you nuts?!" look over the years. :P
 
At this time of year, I look for a string of warmer days where the morning temp is above 0 and rain has cleaned the road of most of the salt.

The big problem for riders, like myself, that like to get out early is that there's a lot of ice around snowbanks; they melt in the day and freeze at night. So, you really have to take it easy in the mornings till all the snow is gone. After that, I don't mind riding, on a clear day, at -5 (I'm geared up and electified). I don't like to deal with rain unless it's above 10 but it depends on the volume.
 
-5C this morning and snowing a fair amount in town. I'm in my cage stopped to pick up a sub to eat and see a young lady riding her bright red scooter down the road with her purse over her shoulder. More power to that girl, lol.
 
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