What are your cold weather ebike limits?

aadesh799

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What are your cold weather ebike limits?
I realize some ride all winter but for those who don’t, what are the temperature/condition limits that signal you are done for the season?
At my age, it appears to be the lower 40F temps with 15+ mph headwinds. I have gloves, long underware, rain gear, under helmet cap, but it’s when my eyes start watering a bunch, nose starts running that makes it cease being fun.
We‘re expecting 40+ mph winds today!
 
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What are your cold weather ebike limits?
I realize some ride all winter but for those who don’t, what are the temperature/condition limits that signal you are done for the season?
At my age, it appears to be the lower 40F temps with 15+ mph headwinds. I have gloves, long underware, rain gear, under helmet cap, but it’s when my eyes start watering a bunch, nose starts running that makes it cease being fun.
We‘re expecting 40+ mph winds today!
I have the gear to ride a snowmobile up the side of a mountain at 100mph while it's 0 degrees Fahrenheit. What makes me put the ebike in the hangars is when the road stays covered in ice. When this happens i switch out the tires on my gas engine pedal bike to off road knobs with studs. I do notice my battery range is really reduced below 40 degrees but it's still enough for me to ride all over my small town a few times.
 
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I have the gear to ride a snowmobile up the side of a mountain at 100mph while it's 0 degrees Fahrenheit. What makes me put the ebike in the hangars is when the road stays covered in ice. When this happens i switch out the tires on my gas engine pedal bike to off road knobs with studs. I do notice my battery range is really reduced below 40 degrees but it's still enough for me to ride all over my small town a few times.
That's right, ebike batteries don't like being cold, it basically lowers their performance. Not exactly sure of the science behind this though.
 
Couple of battery tips from a Bosch manual:

Winter use – During winter use (particularly below 32° F (0° C)) we recommend charging and storing the battery at room temperature be-fore inserting the battery in the eBike immediately before riding it. For longer journeys in the cold, it is advisable to use thermal protective covers.

Storage – Temperatures below 14° F (-10° C) and above 140° F (60° C) should be avoided.
 
I can stay warm down to around 18 F or so below that it becomes hard to keep the feet and hands warm enough. I have some electric heated motorcycle gear, gloves and a jacket but it is 12V. I am just starting to look into rechargeable heated foot beds and gloves https://www.thewarmingstore.com/heated-insoles.html?msclkid=cf09c34fae2517487b5aa66248e3bd43
I don't ski alpine anymore but I have been wanting these for other winter sport for a while now and I am getting some for this winter.

Our road gets and stays snow packed most of the winter. It turns to ice when we don't get snow for a while. I bought two sets of Schwalbe studded tires, so I hope to ride through most of the winter this year. https://www.tradeinn.com/bikeinn/en...410321527&utm_content=Bikeinn USA Marcas_BING
 
I don't mind storm skiing when it's 20F and windy, in fact I like it a lot, but I really hate being on my bikes when it's 40F or below, especially when the humidity is pushing 100% (which it is most of the winter around here).
 
The picture on the left was taken by a colleague of mine while I was cycling from the South Pole Station to the observatory where I was working at the time. It was about -40 C (... or -40 F if you like. That's easy! :cool:), and just a 1 km ride that I did every day to get to work. The main problem was the presence of some sastrugi (sort of snow dune) where the rear wheel systematically... sank.

In winter it wasn't possible, because not only did the wind blow fresh snow onto the road, but any grease would freeze and destroy any kind of gear. Even skidoos were not allowed.
 
The picture on the left was taken by a colleague of mine while I was cycling from the South Pole Station to the observatory where I was working at the time. It was about -40 C (... or -40 F if you like. That's easy! :cool:), and just a 1 km ride that I did every day to get to work. The main problem was the presence of some sastrugi (sort of snow dune) where the rear wheel systematically... sank.

In winter it wasn't possible, because not only did the wind blow fresh snow onto the road, but any grease would freeze and destroy any kind of gear. Even skidoos were not allowed.
When I bike commuted on an IGH Gary Fischer urban commuter bike and it got below freezing, the grease or oil in the IGH froze and I was stuck with one gear only. I chose 1st gear (of 3) so I could make it up the big hill, and just did a lot more coasting that I did in warmer weather.

As for eyes watering, check out Wynd glasses on Amazon. The ear pieces can be unlatched and replaced with a strap to make them into goggles. They let just a little air in, to keep them from fogging up. When you stop, they'll fog up if you don't push them down a bit. They're designed for motorcyclists who don't value their heads and faces enough to get a proper full face helmet.
 
9F would be my lowest temp ridden in.
I'd keep it above 14F if i can.
 
9F would be my lowest temp ridden in.
I'd keep it above 14F if i can.
I forgot to answer the question in my above post!

I try to avoid my 2 mile bike commute when it is below 20 °F or when the windchill factor is high enough that they're getting excited about it in the news. Since it's only a 2 mile commute, I can tolerate VERY cold temps. It's only a 10 minute ride at speed or 15 if I take my time. (due to windchill)
 
I forgot to answer the question in my above post!

I try to avoid my 2 mile bike commute when it is below 20 °F or when the windchill factor is high enough that they're getting excited about it in the news. Since it's only a 2 mile commute, I can tolerate VERY cold temps. It's only a 10 minute ride at speed or 15 if I take my time. (due to windchill)
yes sir that windchill is a bear ;)
 
Since my ebike is my only vehicle I'm not able to have limits. Luckily I've never seen it get into the single digits where I live.
Can I ask you a question? Is it because you do not need anything else, because you prefer to prioritise other expenses or, who knows, because of environmental concerns?

I lived without a car for a couple of years and let me tell you, I never felt better! At the time I was living in a neighbourhood of Manchester, UK: walking, public transport and cycling, on the border of the many canals, were my only options. I also had a car-sharing card for a short time.
 
Can I ask you a question? Is it because you do not need anything else, because you prefer to prioritise other expenses or, who knows, because of environmental concerns?

I lived without a car for a couple of years and let me tell you, I never felt better! At the time I was living in a neighbourhood of Manchester, UK: walking, public transport and my bicycle were my only options. I also had a car-sharing card for a short time.
It's mostly because of anger. Pay for: Insurance, tags, etc... to get around in my 2 mile wide town, get headaches with traffic, pay for gas, watch out for cops, electronic cops too (cameras) or...
get an ebike and bypass all that.
 
Thanks for the answer. Can you tell me in which country do you live? Where I live now unfortunately is impossible, but I am planning to retire somewhere where a car is not strictly required.
 
It's mostly because of anger. Pay for: Insurance, tags, etc... to get around in my 2 mile wide town, get headaches with traffic, pay for gas, watch out for cops, electronic cops too (cameras) or...
get an ebike and bypass all that.
In a two mile wide town, an eBike sounds about perfect. On bitter cold days, you could just walk.
My commute to work is 2 miles; that's a 43 minute walk for me, if I'm walking briskly.

There are some good insulated clothes available on Amazon for not too much money.
  • Baleaf cycling pants. Wear padded cycling shorts or tights underneath for long rides
  • Heated gloves and glove liners at many price points
  • Jackets are no problem
  • A good ski helmet costs less than a good bike helmet; they're PERFECT for winter eBiking!
    • ↑ It has a snap-strap on back to capture ski goggles, which are also perfect for winter eBiking.
  • Good ski gloves are available almost everywhere. You'll lose dexterity, but you'll get used to it.
I biked or eBiked to work all winter last year, probably 80% of the time. The other days were just too cold (below 20 °F) or icy. I could've walked, but since I have to have a car for other things anyway, I drove. A car's nice to have for those big shopping trips, but I tried doing all my shopping on a bike at one time too. It works OK, except you can't buy the big bulk packs of paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, etc. and have much else on that trip.
 
Here is an event local to me: (only 4 hours north)

It's a fatbike snow race. One could probably join on an eFatty, but wouldn't be eligible to win.

I did a gravel race with my daughter up there last month, we both had a blast.

Here in Wisconsin, we have very wide limits! Got to have a wide temperature envelope to live here!
 
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