aye its double buff time right enough! (to be said with a Dingwall accent)
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
It's freezing
(140 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
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It was -4.6C when I rode to work this morning. Almost no moisture in the air so the roads were thankfully bone dry.
The windchill calculator reckons it was actually -14C on my face when going downhill at 30mph. I thought it felt a bit cold!
Posted 12 years ago # -
Yup, no shorts here, as little exposed skin as possible in fact! Bad for it to be exposed to those sort of winds/temps... I may even have to wear warmer gloves tomorrow!
Posted 12 years ago # -
My ears were a bit nippy going from the Scotsman round to Pollock but had recovered by West Preston Street. I might need to fashion myself a pair of thumb-warmers from some old gloves to make up for my current gloves' insufficiencies but was otherwise probably overdressed this morning.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Cold cold cold...
I wore my flo waterproof until the FRB where I began to over head. I stopped in the middle to take it off and pull the buff down as I had the buff and Fleace had under the helmet. It was chilly from them on but not too bad so long as I cycled hard. Double gloves until the FRB but after than I ditched them and my hands had warmed up with warm blood flowing.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Sea is frozen over down here. Thinly, but nevertheless.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Where are you Dave?
I recall visiting Arrochar ~7 years ago. The loch (Loch Long) is surrounded on three sides by hills, and all the fresh water runs into the loch. As sea water is heavier the fresh water runn off sits on top of the warmer sea water. The fresh water froze leaving around the top mile or two frozen across to the other side. The ice was ~10mm thick, we were diving under it. The top 5m were cold ~3 degrees but it was toasty under that, at around 10 degrees. You could see our dive track as we left bubbles under the surface, leaving large 1m bubbles under the ice every ~3m.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Hah, still got the short troos on.
Main problem was too many layers on top - could have dispensed with the t-shirt under the mid-layer - I forget how effective my mid-layer + windproof combo is.
Biggest problem was similar to wingpig - cold thumbs!
Posted 12 years ago # -
I donned my ski gloves and a scarf for the first time this winter. Was glad of them too!
Posted 12 years ago # -
Cold toes and fingertips, but full length black woolen coat kept me warm. I was outdone for cyclechic though by black pashley-esque bike which overtook me as I coasted gingerly down B'field links. Very smart tailored black short coat, with rabbit fur earmuffs. Gorgeous effect.
Posted 12 years ago # -
You could tell it was rabbit fur???
You have material-fu!
Posted 12 years ago # -
Cold finger and thumb tips are my key problem in cycling at this time of year. I get a lot of dead skin on the tips of my digits in the winter, which I have self-diagnosed as being skin getting killed via mild frost bite. Does this sound right or am I nuts?
Hopefully solved it this year with some toasty new softshell gloves with a waterproof liner, to be worn with liner gloves.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Maybe the muffs still had the rabbit ears attached? Would certainly aid fur identification...
Posted 12 years ago # -
@PS not nuts at all. It's a real risk, even in Scotland!
Posted 12 years ago # -
Doubtless I should have said 'pseudo-rabbit fur'.
Posted 12 years ago # -
How do you know it was pseudo??
Posted 12 years ago # -
How do you know they were ear muffs!
Er...
Posted 12 years ago # -
For those who think in degrees C, AND mph, (or knots and degrees F) there's this Scottish wind chill chart:
http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/~arb/durc/windchill.html
This is why visitors from continental Europe think Scotland is cold, even though in winter the ambient temperature is often much warmer than where they came from.
Posted 12 years ago # -
So the difference between "Citizen" cycling at 10mph and "you're wearing lycra and killing cycling" cycling at 20mph in 0 degrees is the difference between it feeling like -7 and -13.
Copenhagenize THAT
Posted 12 years ago # -
[Brings out back of envelope]
Hmm, 20 mph, halving exposure time, but doubling thermal output.
Or 10 mph, requiring more clothes (specially bought, since I don't really do outdoorsy things beyond my commute) and longer commute.
Yep, I'll peg along, keeping clothing budget and commuting time down!
Robert
Posted 12 years ago # -
Best bet is just to cycle in the buff ;-)
Posted 12 years ago # -
Or grow a beard (ladies excepted). I find a bit of facial hair keeps the icy wind at bay nicely. Breath does condense on the beard and moustache mind, can be wet and subsequently frozen itself in the outer tips within a short space of time depending on the temperature...
Posted 12 years ago # -
I find buff cycling gets a little damp around the fizzog and therefore ultimately colder with all that warm breath causing condensation. Balaclava would be the thing, but might look at tad suspicious, and expect to be stopped by the polis!! Double gloves are good, and imperative that they are a loose fit, allowing warm air to be retained, and also not stop the blood flow to the ends of the digits, people I know who wear mitts at this time of year swear by them and reckon that their hands stay much warmer, again double up though with liners.
Posted 12 years ago # -
today I shall wear my face mask, remove the air filter so only got the neoprene(?) mask with plenty holes in to stop the aforementioned condensation problem
Posted 12 years ago # -
I pondered whether a face mask would work better than the buff. I ruled out a balaclava as I'm a bit concerned it would cause excitement for the base guards...
Posted 12 years ago # -
Base guards aside (!!), I see lots of people riding in balaclavas. Two at my office alone.
Personally I'd only bring mine out if it was a proper snowstorm, WAY too hot!
Posted 12 years ago # -
Took my gloves and buff and skull cap with me in the lorry yesterday(stealth truckin !)kept them near the night heater, so my home comute was toasty !We are given thermal socks, almost up to the knee, for use in reefers, they are great for bike, if a little less than stylish !Distinct lack of rabbit n fox sightings though !
scottPosted 12 years ago # -
The worst thing about the beard frosting is that it's translucent, so it looks like you've just sneezed watery bogies all over yourself. It only starts to frost up from the tips down, so I don't even notice it's happened until I notice my face has gone a bit crispy.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I'm finding that I don't over heat anymore. I've all on juts cycling fast enough to stay warm. I wear a long sleived Hally Henson top, a merino woll top, a lycra cycle top and a matching gillet type thing. If I wear my waterproof I overheat and get soaked with sweat very quickly. I have 2 pairs of gloves and wear my Spokes Buff as a balaclava. I have a spare thin fleece hat incase it gets very cold or snows. On the bottom I wear cycle shorts and Night Vision thermal tights. I have a new set of Endura neoprene overshoes, the MTB ones and my feet are toasty. I'm getting used to what to wear now and don't tend to wear too much or too little.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Chap in the changing room this morning cycling in for the first time since summer before last, all the way from Burntisland (looked fit as a fiddle, put my frame to shame). Complaining of the cold, said he had to stop 3 times to hold his hands in arm pits until they defrosted.
Posted 12 years ago #
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