http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Cycling in the cold harder work? en Sun, 31 May 2026 10:42:50 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1903#post-19668 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 13:02:58 +0000 wee folding bike 19668@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Cold air is more dense so you have to move a greater mass of air out of the way. At anything above 12 mph drag is the main issue on a bike. It varies with the square of speed. Twice as fast, four times the drag.</p> <p>Air density is important enough to have the world hour record set in Mexico City (alt 2300 m).</p> <p>You also breath in a greater mass of air but that makes little difference if you don't have the capacity to supply it to your muscles. This is the principal behind an intercooler in a car. It's like a second radiator but only has air in it. Cold air is more dense so the greater mass can support more combustion. There may be other thermodynamic benefits to do with how heat engines work but I'm not sure how important that is. My turbos have intercoolers. It's important for them because the turbo compresses the air and raises the temperature so the intercooler brings it back down.</p> <p>Anywho, you don't have much chance to make use of the denser air because there are other limiting factors so more drag becomes an issue.</p> <p>Generating heat on a bike is not likely to be a problem in cold weather unless you move very slowly. Shedding heat is a more common issue.</p> <p>As well as skeletal muscles you generate heat from brown fat, liver any other muscular contraction and... the brain. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1903#post-19653 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:53:35 +0000 wingpig 19653@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Opps. Forgot about peripheral vasoconstriction. That must help retain a fair bit. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1903#post-19647 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:31:09 +0000 kaputnik 19647@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@Wingpig - I'll get back to you after I've tread the <a href="http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Non-shivering+thermogenesis+in+humans&amp;hl=en&amp;as_sdt=0&amp;as_vis=1&amp;oi=scholart">1,950 google scholar non-shivering thermogenesis in humans articles</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1903#post-19643 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:23:57 +0000 wingpig 19643@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Does any non-shivering thermogenesis occur in the cold in adults? Apart from shivering to create heat in times of dire need, is any extra heat created by the body in the cold or does it just try to retain more via the piloerector reflex and the heat exchange mechanism in the snoutpipes? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1903#post-19640 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:18:44 +0000 kaputnik 19640@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Just had a thought - obviously it's colder so your body is working harder just to heat itself. That takes energy - more energy than on a warm day. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1903#post-19639 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 11:16:25 +0000 Stepdoh 19639@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I don't mind ambient cold, but find really cold air a bind on the lungs when i get out past the peripherique, hence the gimpy balaclava :) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1903#post-19622 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:16:03 +0000 spitfire 19622@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I love the cold. I think I can work harder without feeling the horrible sweatyness, also since someone stole my cheap cycle vest I have got a long sleeve summer heat one which keeps me even cooler beneath a thin wool jumper and thin hivis jacket<br /> I do find that the lungfulls of -5 air take a bit out of me also when it is dry like this morning I got pretty thirsty, luckily I stopped for a few cups of coffee in Peter's Yard with a few fellow CCEers </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1903#post-19620 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:23:49 +0000 amir 19620@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I find it harder going with leggings or tights than shorts. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1903#post-19619 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 07:15:02 +0000 1lesscar 19619@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>When you are cold, you're body burns oxygen a lot faster I think. Or it burns it faster or something like that. You will therefore need to work harder to exercise and keep warm. I've noticed a little rise in my commute times and I'm using same bike. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1903#post-19615 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 01:38:30 +0000 Colin 19615@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'm certain that the extreme cold drains more energy from me, especially after our spin to North Berwick on Sunday. My pal and I were pretty well shattered after it - much more so than normal. So good to get out of town after the last fortnight though. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1903#post-19610 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 01:02:09 +0000 kaputnik 19610@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'm still coming home pretty hot and sweaty, so must be doing plenty of work! Must be all that grit and oily muck on the road surface we've got to pedal through. I think all the concentration in the dark on bad roads and unpredictable surfaces that could turn into an icerink or a 2-foot deep pothole or scraped surface without warning burns a lot of braincalories also. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=1903#post-19607 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:33:42 +0000 Smudge 19607@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Just curious if t's me getting old or the weather...!</p> <p>Over the last week or so of colder weather I've been using the MTB, which is harder work, yet I've been finding it far harder than usual/I expected, is it me getting old/lazy, or do others find gulping down air below 0 deg and having the cold wind chilling their legs seems to use much more energy for the same amount of speed/distance? </p>