In Atlanta, winter weather can swing wildly from one extreme to the other. In February, especially, it’s not unusual for the temperature to spike into the 60s and 70s for a couple of days before retreating back to normal highs. Those swings have led me to formulate what I call the “70-degree rule.” If the temperature ever reaches 70 in any winter month, I drop whatever I’m doing (no matter how busy I am) and go for a ride. Today’s QoW is pegged to my 70-degree rule (which I invoked yesterday, BTW!). Obviously, this is going to vary by geography, but what’s your rule? Click to go to the Question of the Week page and vote. — J. M.
Do You Have a Winter Temperature Above Which You Ride, No Matter What?
Don’t forget: You can find the weekly poll both on the Home Page and in the 3rd column in the Talk to RBR section.
I live in northern Ohio and we have genuine winters here. Temperatures in the teens and single digits aren’t at all uncommon, and occasionally dip below 0 F. Before I retired, I rode to work and back throughout the year, 36 mi. round trip per day, I’m 75 now and I’m starting to wimp out a bit. Formerly my criteria were clear roads and at least 15 degrees F. Now I don’t ride if it’s less than 20 F, and I’m thinking about upping that a little. The two secrets to cold weather riding are 1. knowing how to dress, and 2. deciding how hard you want to work the motor.