Coldest Ride, 2021-2022 Winter

[paulcb]

1. 0° rjs987
2. 7° Willsmotorcycle
3. 9° the Ferret
4. 16° sirbike
5. 18° Bigdaddydiesel63
6. 18° paulcb
7. 21° Weaselinsuit
8. 21° Obo
9. 21° kendoo
10. 24° Mellow

Yep, we've circled around and are back here again. I surprisingly saw 46° on my dash for a couple minutes this morning on my ride into work and it reminded me to start this up, although a bit early. I also rode through RMNP in CO last week and saw 38-40° above 12k feet, and then I heard yesterday there were snow drifts on that road recently! Only had my mesh gear on both times... neither cold ride lasted long so it actually felt pretty good.

Same rules as before... just post the lowest temp you've ridden in for more than 15 miles for the 2021-2022 winter. Extra details would be nice, but not required, i.e. gear worn, where you went, etc. We're on the Honor System, so no wind chill, no handicap and no participation trophies! Don't hesitate to correct me if I miss someone or make a mistake. I'll update this first post with the names and temps of the top 10, as they are generated. All temps in Fahrenheit. For reference, last year's thread is here.

 

[Obo]

I had 39F within the last 2 weeks (can't recall the exact date), although it was a bit of an abnormality with the current weather trend. We're normally in the 50-60F in the mornings now.

Was my daily commute into work. Used the heated grips only but in hindsight would have been nice to had the neck gaiter and jacket liner in. I ended up just putting the windscreen on the 1300 all the way up.

 

[paulcb]

On my CO tip, I was riding my brother's brand new 2021 GW DCT Tour, which has heated grips and seat... I used both of those that day!

 

[Obo]

I have a heated Corbin single seat but still haven't wired it up

 

[paulcb]

I have a heated Corbin single seat but still haven't wired it up

Dude, you live in Canada... if anyone needs it, you do... I use my heated gear (gloves, jacket) in Texas!

 

[Weaselinsuit]

Had 37.4 (3C) on my ride into work this morning. Winter is approaching. Funny, there was another rider parking in the motorcycle street zone this morning. He looked over at me and said "Won't be doing this much longer". Wore my mesh jacket because we'll be over 21C (69.8) this afternoon. To your point Paul, it was actually kind of refreshing, no sweat when I got to the office. I did turn the grip heaters on though. The fact that it was a beautiful sunny morning likely helped as well.

 

[Sadlsor]

Not in the running yet here among you Canucks and New Englanders, but the first day of fall came in this week with a serious attitude, and temps averaging almost 15 below what they should be.
All this to say, I rode 90 miles after dark to a restaurant for a tablet repair. The ST read 53 degrees out, so with the windshield raised to just below eye level, wore long sleeved shirt, fleece jacket, and textile Belstaff riding jacket and a neck gaiter.
Mesh riding pants were adequate over my britches, and I wore leather gloves for the first time in months.
The weather protection on this bike is a delight, but I'll be upgrading my long-in-the-tooth Widder electrics to some modern Warm 'n Safe before too much longer.
Y'all feel free to giggle and snicker all you like, but 80s and 90s is more suited to this thin-blooded young man.
"There's a reason I don't live in Minnesota!"
I'll finish this cup of coffee, and be home again around 0115.

 

[kendoo]

Saw 49 on this morning's commute. Wore my heated jacket because I'm a wuss!!

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

Went out the long way this morning to try the new heated grips. It's going to be a great winter.

 

[Obo]

2C/35F on the commute in this morning. Had to watch for slippery spots on the road due to the overnight frost.

ATGATT. The Summer vent strips are still removed from my riding pants and the back vents on the jacket are still open. Summer gloves but with grip heaters on, neck gaiter on and windscreen 1/2 way up (or is that 1/2 way down?) I did have the jacket liner in. All in all it was a comfortable ride. The exception was until I hit some foggy spots and everything decided to condense on the inside and outside of the helmet and windscreen at once, It was a flip the visor open and let the cold clear your eyes ride from then on so I could see.

The days are numbered though.... (today is day 10.05 lol)

 

[PmodelinUS]

Had 39 for about an hour in Northern Wisconsin a few weeks ago. Had thermals on and my jacket with liner in. Summer gloves. The heated grips are nice but not quite cutting it on my knuckles. Lol. That was a cold foggy ride.

 

[Weaselinsuit]

-1C or 30.2F this morning. Snow is possible late Sunday or early Monday. It won't stick but it's a reminder that the season draws to a close.

 

[the Ferret]

Good luck to everyone playing this year. Have fun with it, but be safe!

 

[Oldbikefixr]

I'm almost embarrassed to mention it......55F ride this morning.

 

[rjs987]

@ardykay54 and I both rode out of our campsite in south Missouri a few weeks ago at 48*F. But that was the morning of September 23 on the way to ArkanSTOC. Just a wind liner under my jacket and all vents closed, but mesh riding pants over jeans and my TM Polar Tex 2.0 gloves.

It's all relative. Those who live up north should be able to handle a bit cooler temps since they don't see as many hot temp days. Those who live down south should be able to handle hotter temps better but will feel cool temps more since they are not used to that. I remember my dad would wear a winter coat when temps were only mid to upper 50s F but he lived in south AZ. I'd be out with him while visiting wearing a wind breaker or just a sweatshirt.

Read a news article about when the first freeze might come. Each decade the average date of the first freeze is happening later over the last 40 years. Climate change. But before anyone goes all ballistic about that, I know that throughout Earth history there have been times when the average temps have gone up and times when the average temps have gone down. And some of those transitions have happened much faster than we are seeing in this modern time, even though mankind was not around back then. It's like breathing. The Earth is ALWAYS involved with climate change so nothing new there.

 

[Weaselinsuit]

To your point, Bob, about temperature tolerance, I am still wearing my mesh jacket on the commute to work in the mornings. Generally, it still gets warmer in the afternoons so I don't want to sweat on the ride home. But the coolness is also nice on the ride in, I don't arrive at work sweaty either. I know riding this summer when it was 30C or 86F felt unbearable and I generally had to shower after a ride even the short commute home of about 11 kms.

 

[Obo]

It's all relative. Those who live up north should be able to handle a bit cooler temps since they don't see as many hot temp days. Those who live down south should be able to handle hotter temps better but will feel cool temps more since they are not used to that. I remember my dad would wear a winter coat when temps were only mid to upper 50s F but he lived in south AZ. I'd be out with him while visiting wearing a wind breaker or just a sweatshirt.

It's not so much the freezing temps here that limit riding as you can dress for the conditions as it is the snow and ice that are detrimental to making for safe two wheel travel.

 

[Beeflips]

Early spring I did 34°, about a 25 minute ride at 75 MPH, Alpinestars Andes 3 jacket with thermal liner, Gloves on the other were not for cold weather=frozen hands.

 

[Weaselinsuit]

It's not so much the freezing temps here that limit riding as you can dress for the conditions as it is the snow and ice that are detrimental to making for safe two wheel travel.

100% this. I used to commute by bicycle in the winter. You could dress for the cold, it's the traction, or rather lack thereof, that will kill you.

 

[cjames431]

28F on 25SEP near Crow Agency, Montana.