The Paulcb Memorial Coldest Ride, Winter 2024-2025

[jdmccright]

Somewhere I recently read that this winter is supposed to be the coldest in many years. We'll see. I wonder if that means coldest adjusted for climate change? Kinda like adjusted for the cost of something adjusted for inflation.

Lol, this isn't like grading on a curve in school.

 

[dduelin]

32F this morning on the way to coffee.

 

[dduelin]

But I did see a Canadian family sunning and swimming on a 60 degree day in St. Augustine. Nobody else there that day.

Guaranteed no family sunning and swimming that day up home in Canada

 

[the Ferret]

Woke up early and out at dawn to grab a lower temp. Saw 1.6 degrees on my bikes thermometer and Accuweather said it was 2 degrees so we will go with that. Funny I ran down to the bank where I normally take my cold pics and the sign said 95 degrees. You'd think the snow would have melted by now The other funny thing about this morning's 12 mile ride is I thought it was so cold it was overpowering my heated jacket liner. When I got back home, I discovered I hadn't plugged it in to the controller doh!

 

[mudduc]

I guess I'll enter yesterday's commute. -9⁰F when I started out. Still said -7⁰F at "The Bank" stadium sign when I passed on UofM campus. My wife wanted a picture by the sign (as I do most years for her Facebook) but my hands were hurting, and I didn't feel like stopping.

Drop me to -7⁰F, please.

Should definitely use heated gloves for under 0⁰F. Had the Klim gloves with medium liners and heated grips with bar-buster wind guards on the Yamaha WR250. After 15 minutes at 70+ mph, the hands were too cold. Switched to 35mph surface roads and used the red-light stops to pull my pinky fingers unto the glove palms to warm them enough to kill the pain.

So, for under zero-F, non-heated gloves don't cut it despite heated grips and wind guards at 70 mph, for me. Need heaters in the gloves, muffs on the heated bars or to stay on the surface roads.

Again, only the little fingers were a problem. Rest of me was comfortable. I could probably have used a bit more core body insulation but for some reason I just didn't feel like wearing my big thick Minnesota Vikings sweatshirt. Left it in the garage on a last second decision.

Later,
Kent Larson in Minnesota

 

[rjs987]

So far I am very comfy with the heated grips inside the Kemimoto bar muffs at below zeroF temps. We did have 2F yesterday morning but wasn't able to pull myself outta bed early enough to get out for a ride in it. Haven't been able to get out for a ride anyway for a little while. I do plan to get out in a few days. I have to ride up to my son's house to replace a LED ceiling light that isn't working and want to do more riding anyway. I still haven't put my windshield in the upper position yet so maybe I'll do that in the next few days.

Hope you get LOTS of snow up north Kent

 

[Daboo]

So far I am very comfy with the heated grips inside the Kemimoto bar muffs at below zeroF temps.

Robert, if you're a "real man", you'll do it in your skivvies with no heated grips.

P.S. I'm a wimp.

Chris

 

[centralMN]

Happy to see folks in the new snow belt (like southern IA/MO through Ohio....) enjoying snow. Enough here to have covered the gravel road, not enough to have it plowed so with the warm temps the past few days it's getting pretty shiny to consider the two wheels going out the driveway. But a -16F predicted for the morning is tempting. Back in '96 I was commuting a mile or so uphill to graduate school on a bicycle. I recall going up a steep part covered with shiny packed snow at -10F and having no problem with traction. Banking on that working at low speed on a motorcycle with tires slightly only on the deflated side, not aired down. Who wants to get out the electric air pump at -16 with wind puffing along at 12 or 15 mph? Will see what happens if it happens.

Here's the first part of the 1.5 mile escape route to tar, which BTW has random icy sections from when the wind was blowing as temps plummetted yesterday afternoon. Or maybe it would be wise to wait until afternoon when it's -4 or so and the sun is slightly higher in the sky. Here's to enjoying winter!

 

[the Ferret]

I don't think "I" would ride on that unless I had an enduro bike.

You'll need -8 to take the lead but -4 would put you solidly in second.

We are supposed to get down to zero Thursday

Whatever you decide, be careful, it's only a game.

 

[jdmccright]

I'm waiting for a cold-but-no-snow forecast that'll let me get a shot in, but there's no competing against y'all up in the northern necks. Some handlebar muffs would come in real handy and make winter commuting in much more tolerable.

Can I ask/suggest one thing? Could the keeper of the official records time/date stamp the OP so we know when the list was updated last? Muchas gracias!

 

[centralMN]

Thanks Ferret, the game factor isn't quite as motivating as "can I do this?". So far getting a little stir crazy today after wrenching on a cable on my snowblower (in a heated basement btw) and then coming upstairs to where the sun is shining brightly. It's a KLR 650 for any ice attempt so maybe it works? Just 3/4 worn Shinko 705 tires so not planning heading into the deep 3 inches of snow and expecting any traction.

At the very least we are encouraging comrades in the mid latitudes to consider handlebar muffs. It really doesn't take much of a cover around hands to make things cozy for the fingers. I'd advocate first for handgaurds and heated grips. Those come handy in the summer on a cool wet day or once in a torrential hail (small ones, but lots. Had to pull over as it continued because the road was white marbles and vision minimal. My buddy without handguards noted some pain.).

 

[Donk]

I'm finally on the board with 23F. Going back to Florida now.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

an I ask/suggest one thing? Could the keeper of the official records time/date stamp the OP so we know when the list was updated last? Muchas gracias!

Bottom right-hand corner of every post has the date/time-stamp of the last edit. It currently states: Last edited: Wednesday at 7:04 PM
Nothing present means that the post has never been edited.

 

[mudduc]

Traction...
I'll ride any day at any temp as long as I have somewhere to go and the roads are dry or well packed down. I the past I've tried my dirt tires with light snow and found it takes almost no snow to have them quickly pack up all the nooks and crannies with snow. From there it's snow disk on snow road with no traction at all.

Can't use studs or spikes on pavement; illegal and ineffectual.
Spikes would work out on snowy dirt roads but I don't have dirt roads around here.

Tuesday is looking dry and cold for my weekly office visit. I'll try to have warm hands and see if the time/temp sign is working on my way by.

Later,
Kent Larson in Minnesota

 

[centralMN]

-18F for 57 miles with moderate wind. Thanks to Kent for advice so I just gently rolled through the packed snow/ice covered gravel road and a few random patches on the tar from drifting. Thumbnail shows the forecast that got me motivated to prepare the bike with a little heater blowing on it (thumbnail) and that matched the temp when I left. Friend who took the picture had -17.9 on their cheapo deal stuck through the window frame of their house. My cheapo alcohol thermometer with an air bubble in it (thumbnail) shows something like that as well. That is why I go with a more precise internet temp.

Gear - shown is the snowmobile helmet with breather mask that pushes/pulls air in from snorkels out the side of the helmet. Battery heated trigger finger gloves on low, heated socks and vest. Plus the visible thermoscud, bar muffs and multitude of layers of clothing. With that setup the feet and hands would have eventually been problems.

Enjoy sun in the polar vortex or if out east I hear there is some snow - Dan

 

[rjs987]

Nope, not going to win this year. Not likely to try for that -18F. Also it is unlikely to get that cold around here... possible, but unlikely. Just don't have that much motivation as I used to either. Mainly because my older body doesn't have the circulation it used to have.

Yet, I did need to go shopping at Walmart today and have yet to ride this year. So, I looked at the temp and saw most places were -2F or -3F in the area so I suited up appropriately for that. Maybe I should have worn my thermal long johns as well which I didn't. Anyway, I rode the long way to the store and the temp on my Aquarium/Terrarium thermometer showed -2.7F. My main goal in recent years is just to be able to ride in temps below zeroF so I made that goal. Tuesday morning is expecting to be -11F and possibly colder.

One of the items I needed to get at the store was frozen pizza. That was strapped on the passenger seat with my bungee net. Stayed frozen of course.

BTW- did I mention before how great it is to use my Kemimoto handlebar muffs over heated grips? It is. It works. I also use a home-made snorkel in my helmet to keep my glasses clear.

Oh, And I'm finally in the top 10 on the mileage tracker... barely. Won't last though I'm sure.
PS- And to think it was warmer than 50F on Friday!

pps- @Willsmotorcycle , think you missed this one.

 

[centralMN]

Heck, you can beat that!.... Get up here for a dawn ride on a KLR 650. Or if you want to be rather ambitious ride north, find a motel with ground level door and roll the bike in so it's warm in the morning.

Or in practical terms, just enjoy riding below zero. That impresses me for sure. It doesn't really get much different at -xx if the bike is warm enough to start. Have fun!

 

[rjs987]

So far the snow is staying way down south... and way over on the eastern seaboard.
Between this morning and now the weather reporting has changed yet again and Tuesday morning is looking to be around -13F It's only +3F right now and don't expect much more today. Maybe I will get out for some miles Tuesday morning. And I do expect the weather to change over and over again between now and then.

 

[the Ferret]

Rained yesterday and then the temp plummeted (black ice conditions) with bands of snow showers today. High of 26. Supposed to get really cold (for SW Ohio) the next few days with lows at or below zero. Cold I can deal with, ice and snow not so much. I'll be 75 this year. My New Years resolution was to ride less in iffy conditions. Think I'll test the waters in the car before heading out on the bike the next few days.

Choose but choose wisely I've been told.

 

[rjs987]

I did finally move the AK windshield to the upper position yesterday. Until then, the shield was in the lowest position for summer riding. I don't need an electrically adjusting screen since I only change the position twice a year. Low for the warmer season and high for the cooler season. An electric adjusting shield just adds more to break.