Old school mentality and weather

29 replies · 902 views

Noonievut
165 posts
#21Jan 12, 2021, 7:10 PM
Last year I was ‘soft’ and would ride indoors if it wasn’t ideal. Since December (in Ontario Canada) I’ve ridden outside every chance I get. -5C is my comfort limit and as long as the roads are safe I ride outside. I’ve put in five rides so far in January (first 12 days) and have seen only one other cyclist (summer would have been 100+). I’m hard, 100+ are soft. I win.
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Jumbo
123 posts
#22Jan 13, 2021, 8:15 AM
I think there's something about making yourself suffer through bad weather, especially if you race. My capacity for that is lower on the bike than it is running, but whenever I'm out in something really, really terrible, and suffering because of it, I console myself with the thought that (a) my competitors might not be out in this, and (b) if it's like this on race day, I'm going to know how to handle it.

At the same time, telling others to harden up is, I think, counter-productive, especially if they're young. They have to find that motivation in themselves, and one way to find it is to see that you do it without making a big deal out of it.
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Angstrom
181 posts
#23Jan 13, 2021, 8:32 AM
One thing to consider is that riding hard when you’re cold will do more damage to your legs than if they were warm. So sure, go out in the cold, but don’t do it in shorts.

https://www.velonews.com/training/fast-talk-podcast-ep-7-cold-bare-legs-make-you-dumb-not-tough/

I’ve had some great rides in the cold, but as I get older it’s become more difficult to keep the hands and feet warm. Cold hands get to be a safety issue.

I also hate what road salt does to bikes.

Winter is a fine time to do other outdoor things — hike, ski, snowshoe.

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RadDogRoadWarrior
93 posts
#24Jan 13, 2021, 12:47 PM
Interesting feedback….OK, here are some things I have learned: It was brutal putting together a road bike during Covid and the price of everything is sky high. Took me months and lots of anguish. I was planning on getting a gravel bike, but that is going to have to wait.

But now I have a carbon road bike with mostly Ultegra, carbon shoes and high end bike kit. This stuff is incredibly nice…..and expensive. I am too poor/cheap to get my really nice gear wet, and the last rain ride I did cost me some money.

When it gets cold (here is Texas 40 degrees is considered cold) I layer up a ton in all my fancy kit gear. I really, really love my gear/kit and do everything to keep it pristine, so no rain, LOL. When doing 20 mph 40 degreees feels much colder, so I will wear my Pearl Izumy 3/4 leg bib and thermal tights over it. I will have 3/4 layers on my upper body. I have full finger gloves which are fine down to 40 degrees.

I will even throw on a puffy non biking jacket since I am only fitness riding. However, the reality is….and this is a road bike with 25 tires/slicks, I would not ride below freezing because I do not want to risk damaging my bike.

Honestly, to ride in really cold weather I think I would need a different bike, a fat bike or if a gravel bike one with the largest tires possible.
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RadDogRoadWarrior
93 posts
#25Jan 13, 2021, 12:50 PM
BTW....Although I never got my gravel bike, this is a great forum. Thanks, guys.
1
chas
1,305 posts
#26Jan 13, 2021, 7:26 PM
RadDogRoadWarrior wrote:
When it gets cold (here is Texas 40 degrees is considered cold) I layer up a ton in all my fancy kit gear....

I never will forget going back to my childhood home of Texas and doing some windsurfing wearing just a bathing suit, where the locals were in dry suits and hoodies (November). I guess it was too much wind chill for them for them.

Or just watching all the elderly women break out their mink coats when it got down into the 60's ;-)
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Shaun McNally
112 posts
#27Feb 8, 2021, 10:16 AM

70 minutes at -14 F...... Sometimes it's fun to get out in the tough stuff. That said I did get an indoor trainer this year. I find I ride harder and get better "workouts" indoors. Usually when the conditions are crappy, I'm just riding for some miles. But indoors with a structured workout program with a lot of HIIT or tempo intervals I feel like I'm getting stronger. It will be interesting when it gets warmer if the higher intensity indoor sessions pay off in the spring.
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chas
1,305 posts
#28Feb 8, 2021, 12:12 PM
I can't ride indoors*
Besides, in the winter I can get a great workout within a mile of my house - and everything looks different this time of year. (not to mention that areas that are too wet or muddy are nice and solid now - I do love putting laps of local lakes onto Strava bicycle heat maps. ;-)

From my ride yesterday (is it gravel riding if the gravel is covered with snow?)

*full disclosure - I do ride indoor at the velodrome in the winter, and that does amazing things for my fitness - but not my choice for pandemic riding
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RadDogRoadWarrior
93 posts
#29Feb 8, 2021, 4:10 PM
OK guys, changing my tune.....and did I mention, I never bought a dedicated gravel bike, but upgraded my road bike.
I did a 50 minute ride in the rain and moisture got into, and ruined my rear hub (a cheap bikes direct hub....but the carbon fiber frame kicks ass, so I keep upgrading).
I am cheap...even though I did replace the hubs with new rims and Dura Ace hubs.
However, that is it for me. I am paranoid about the rain now (plus hate getting my beautiful bike dirty). No riding in the rain, lol.
I am physically a tough guy (train/teach in MMA, other macho sports) but when it comes to money I am a pussy, LOL.

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Moparspanky
24 posts
#30Feb 8, 2021, 4:46 PMedited
My adult son and I ride together almost every weekend, usually long rides, and about half of them on gravel. We'll go out in pretty much any weather but being an older guy I do need to go overkill on the warm gear otherwise it's just miserable.

Some of our muddiest and wettest rides have been the best (in retrospect mind you, at the time it was just cold and wet), and have made for some great stories.

That being said, neither one of us pressures, or ridicules the other if one of us just isn't wanting to go get soaked or frozen or both and on those days we each sit in our respective work out rooms on our trainers and just text back and forth with "man aren't you glad we aren't out there right now".
1

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