How cold is too cold?
Discussion
Birky_41 said:
I ride all year round although haven't been out since end October as I have been on track in Spain
Last year on the MV I was fine to about 7-8 degrees before the Supercorsa took the fun out of it. We did a few rides that as it got going my mates bike temp gauge was reading an outside -1 and to be fair it was ok as long as you had the right bike kit on
Its just a much slower ride and the cafe stops are more appreciated! I think better tyres on my Ape would make it more enjoyable but the 1100 and supercorsa in this weather are a joke
You're brave to go out on supercorsas in the cold! Bet they slid everywhere. Last year on the MV I was fine to about 7-8 degrees before the Supercorsa took the fun out of it. We did a few rides that as it got going my mates bike temp gauge was reading an outside -1 and to be fair it was ok as long as you had the right bike kit on
Its just a much slower ride and the cafe stops are more appreciated! I think better tyres on my Ape would make it more enjoyable but the 1100 and supercorsa in this weather are a joke
If you're commuting by bike for a genuine reason you tend to ride all seasons all weathers. I certainly do, snow is the real one exception for me, I've been caught out a number of times over the 20 years I've been riding and it simply is not fun at all - I would never choose to ride if snow is 100% predicted or has previously fallen wherever possible.
I owned a bike as my only transport for around 3 years when I first moved to London - I used to use it in the winter generally over xmas/new year to visit the family outside London - that was some of the longest/coldest most unpleasant riding I've ever done. I knocked that on the head and got a car for the winter stuff out of town. I only ever ride my bike in London over winter.
When I didn't have to commute by bike to work before I moved to London then I purely just used to ride for fun. But that did include summer commuting to my old office outside of London because that was 'fun'
There is nothing pleasant about riding in heavy rain or very cold weather (read icy) for longer trips out of town just it is infinitely better than sharing terminally overcrowded London public transport for city riding - you need to know London and getting about to truly understand this one. You do get used to riding in all weather and become more tolerant of poorer/colder conditions and naturally skills for riding better in those conditions develop because they have to.
I owned a bike as my only transport for around 3 years when I first moved to London - I used to use it in the winter generally over xmas/new year to visit the family outside London - that was some of the longest/coldest most unpleasant riding I've ever done. I knocked that on the head and got a car for the winter stuff out of town. I only ever ride my bike in London over winter.
When I didn't have to commute by bike to work before I moved to London then I purely just used to ride for fun. But that did include summer commuting to my old office outside of London because that was 'fun'
There is nothing pleasant about riding in heavy rain or very cold weather (read icy) for longer trips out of town just it is infinitely better than sharing terminally overcrowded London public transport for city riding - you need to know London and getting about to truly understand this one. You do get used to riding in all weather and become more tolerant of poorer/colder conditions and naturally skills for riding better in those conditions develop because they have to.
Edited by sjtscott on Monday 5th December 12:06
obscene said:
You're brave to go out on supercorsas in the cold! Bet they slid everywhere.
They are the worst things ever once 5-6 degrees and gritted/wet roads. I could get them to spin up in a straight line at over 100 so yep I try to avoid it when it gets like this or have decent tyres for the conditions!
Rawwr said:
Once the roads have seen grit, the bike stays in the garage until March. Can't be arsed with cleaning every speck of salt off it every 12 minutes.
It is really pathetic if some bikes can't tolerate a bit of road salt, cars don't rust anymore and even when they did you could use them all year round.Dr Jekyll said:
Rawwr said:
Once the roads have seen grit, the bike stays in the garage until March. Can't be arsed with cleaning every speck of salt off it every 12 minutes.
It is really pathetic if some bikes can't tolerate a bit of road salt, cars don't rust anymore and even when they did you could use them all year round.I rode my MV agusta over the whole of winter. I sprayed ACF50 on it before the weather really dropped.
After every long ride I would wash it down but the bike was fine until you looked close and see some stains on the pipe and spoked wheels a bit
It was an absolute pig to get the rear wheel off too (250nm single nut) and when it came off you could see winter crap in there
Having parked the bike for 3 icy days last week and quickly bored of the alternative, I ventured back out on the bike today.....there is something deeply unpleasant about riding down a road white with frost with a late for work car driver two feet off your number plate. The main roads aren't too bad (damp saltiness aside) but the start of the journey is a couple of miles of untreated roads. Not sure which is worst to be honest, the frost or the wet leaves that until recently have been piled up everywhere.
Fair weather only for me. I used to ride to work in November and December on my 125. Given that the wheels were already pockmarked with salt damage, I didn't much care. It was f
king freezing, some days it'd be about 7'c setting off and closer to freezing on the way home. As I wobbled into my village after a freezing cold ride home at midnight, I saw the road into my estate lit up, glittering with frost. The bike was starting to slip around and tipped into the corners rather quickly. I decided then that I was done with that carry on and I knocked it on the head.
Now, I tuck my bike up over winter. The roads are filthy, covered in muck and leaves and the fun just isn't there. Not to mention I wouldn't want those dregs on my bike.
king freezing, some days it'd be about 7'c setting off and closer to freezing on the way home. As I wobbled into my village after a freezing cold ride home at midnight, I saw the road into my estate lit up, glittering with frost. The bike was starting to slip around and tipped into the corners rather quickly. I decided then that I was done with that carry on and I knocked it on the head.Now, I tuck my bike up over winter. The roads are filthy, covered in muck and leaves and the fun just isn't there. Not to mention I wouldn't want those dregs on my bike.
I went out for a ride just for 'fun' yesterday.
Personally I didn't get cold myself, but there was very, very little grip available.
My bike has Metzeler Racetec RR's fitted to it at the moment, I got wheelspin in 6th at around 70mph whilst accelerating pretty gently on the dual carriageway. Some faeces came out.
I have some M7RR's to go on that should be somewhat better but I think you'd struggle to get temperature into most tyres until it hits about 10 degrees ambient.
Personally I didn't get cold myself, but there was very, very little grip available.
My bike has Metzeler Racetec RR's fitted to it at the moment, I got wheelspin in 6th at around 70mph whilst accelerating pretty gently on the dual carriageway. Some faeces came out.
I have some M7RR's to go on that should be somewhat better but I think you'd struggle to get temperature into most tyres until it hits about 10 degrees ambient.
When I go way South and get too Doncaster its like a different world, the temperature might be the same where I live but the roads seem to have a lot more grip. I think it may be the dampness we have in the far North East of England ( I can spit on Jockistan from here)
Its just lethal up here at the minute.
Its just lethal up here at the minute.
I refuse point blank to go out on my bike unless:-
a) It's virtually guaranteed not to rain throughout the whole day.
b) It's at least 65 degrees F, preferably 70.
Used to go out in the snow, ice, rain, wind etc in my youth and thought it was great fun....not these days thank you very much.
Definitely a fair weather biker.
(600 miles (From new) in five years)
a) It's virtually guaranteed not to rain throughout the whole day.
b) It's at least 65 degrees F, preferably 70.
Used to go out in the snow, ice, rain, wind etc in my youth and thought it was great fun....not these days thank you very much.
Definitely a fair weather biker.
(600 miles (From new) in five years)
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