Who Else Is Still Riding?

[lobsterman]

How cold does it have to get before you quit riding?

For me, the coldest I've ridden was 21°F - which was pretty chilly. I think I might be willing to go colder than that when I get better gloves.

[GatsbyGirl]

The beauty of Los Angeles is that scooter weather is pretty much year round. I draw the line at windy or rainy days though. So, January, will pretty much be out of the question.

[rickyd410]

Here in Baltimore, it gets pretty chilly come Dec.Jan.Feb.. Once it hits 40, I don't even think about riding.

I'm from Florida originally, so my blood is a little thinner that most up here..

I need better gear.. Maybe Santa will bring me something nice.

[gt1000]

The beauty of Denver is the powerful afternoon sun. I make my decision in the morning. If it's not pouring rain or snowing, I'll ride as long as the temp is above 15 degrees. Even though it's frosty in the morning, I can count on it being much nicer for my ride home. Usually.

I'm lucky though. My commute is about 4 miles if I take the most direct route and on the worst of days it takes me under 15 minutes. If my commute was longer, I'd need to adjust my riding temp up a bit.

I picked 10 degrees because it's closer to my minimum temp. But really, once it hits 15 I'll typically opt for the bus.

[golfingirl]

Here in Atlanta, you can ride year round depending on the day. The wind & rain, like in California, will keep me off my scooter more so than the temperature. The coldest I've riden in was mid 50's and I was pretty chilly. If it dips into the 40's... I don't think so!

[germ]

here in colorado I ride unless the rodes have ice. I have driven in snow already this year. Had to get home somehow. The large windshield and a wind/water proof jacket are the key.

[vitaminC]

I chose 40. While I will ride in that (or cooler), I don't particularly enjoy the experience much! If I ever get around to purchasing and installing a windshield, that should improve the cold-weather experience.

Regarding rain, we typically get a fair amount in the winter, and my typical rule is that I will ride so long as it's dry in the morning. I don't mind the rain that much, but dealing with damp gear and such at work is a PITA, so why bother?

[ericalm]

I picked "nothing" simply because it has yet to get cold enough in LA to stop me. 40, I guess, would be pretty damn cold. I bundle up tight in lots of layers and go.

[Fueldrum]

40 is my stopping place. Living in Kansas we either get brutal winters or uber-mild, with nothing in-between. Scootin' is a 9-10 month season around here unfortunately!

[x-mojito50mod]

Same as the others in LA with the temperature not being an issue. I also ride in wind and rain...the scoot is my only form of transpo, so I see it like this: if I have to walk to and from the bus, I'm gonna get wet anyways! I just bring a change of clothes in a messenger bag UNDER my weatherproof jacket.

[Bryce-O-Rama]

40 is my stopping place. Living in Kansas we either get brutal winters or uber-mild, with nothing in-between. Scootin' is a 9-10 month season around here unfortunately!

I've ridden in 15°F here in Kansas City. I even had a passenger. I scoot here as long as it's dry. Once it gets icy, I tend to only scoot when the ice has cleared.

[sunshinen]

I put 32, though I would be fine at lower temps as long as there's no water on the road. Just don't want to hit ice. I try to avoid wind and rain because I still don't have confidence that I am capable of dealing with urban assault vehicles coming at me unexpectedly in those conditions.

I did ride home in the rain Saturday night (not as trafficy as my normal commute), and was quite pleased to have an incidentless half-hour ride.

It's all about the right gear... maybe I just need snow tires! Then again Northern Virginia isn't exactly a winter wonderland, so maybe just something with a better tread for the rain.

[Fueldrum]

Bryce, that's cause you're hardcore and I'm just a wuss.

[smorris]

I chose 20F. I think it got as low as 20 or 19 last year before I stopped riding. I'm still riding every day to work. It has been mid to low 30s in the morning, and mid 40s coming home. Today I stopped at a car wash on the way home and squirted some of the mud off.

As soon as they put the first salt down, I'm done until the first couple of good street-washing rains of spring.

[BuddyRaton]

In 20 years I've seen frost on my windshield once. I love South Florida! The question here is how hot does it have to get to stop riding!
Its not bad in the summer when your moving, but with helmet, gloves and even a mesh jacket it can get mighty hot at the lights! Stop riding? NEVER!!!!! Well then again, not during the hurricaines

[Keys]

Only time I use the car is to take my amplifier, keyboards, stand, mic stand and briefcase full of blues to a gig. Otherwise, I scoot all the way...

--Keys

[ebcspace]

so cal weather... still riding. noticed temperature reading of 50 coming to work the other day. noticed high temperature forecast of 50 in nor cal !
big part of the reason i don't live there anymore. no offense, nor cal.

plan to keep riding, every day, except for rainy days. don't really enjoy riding in the rain for a half hour. probably would still ride if it was half as far. as it gets colder, i wear thermal pants with snowboarding pants over, also in case of surprise rain. when i get to work, i change to shorts and a sweatshirt. the two days of the year i wear pants, i usually regret it.

usually check the internet weather forecast. if it doesn't clearly state rain, i ride. if it is the rain, i'll take the car.

have a half-helmet, and last winter, when i realized that the reason i was freezing was that my face was freezing, i got a full-face helmet. used to splash off face after arriving at work with cold water, which felt warm after chilling ride. full face helmet makes a huge difference. haven't tried a 3/4 helmet.

a good part of my reason to keep riding is to budget during the winter, which is the off-season for the company i work for, which also yields less work hours and smaller paychecks during the winter.

the gas savings, freedom, fun, ability to shave minutes off commute time, are all more than surplus motivation to endure a little bit of chill.

[hermitgirl]

Nothing- I have no choice!

Which reminds me, all day and night Monday it rained. Looks like I've done my "driving in rain" test!

[lobsterman]

For those of you who chose "Nothing stops me" and live in places where it never drops below freezing, I have two words:

Prove it!

Come visit a cold place with your Buddy. Riding changes below 50 degrees, you need warmer gloves, more layers, maybe something to keep your neck warm at 45mph. You get the idea. I still enjoy the commute on the Buddy more than the bus when it is 30 degrees outside, but it is a way different experience from riding without all that cold weather gear in 65 degrees.

I put 20 as my answer, and I have ridden at 21 degrees.

For those like Bryce who have actually tested themselves, I applaud you.

[tam]

It's not so much the temperature alone, but the rest of the weather also. Last week I rode, and it was lower 40s, which wasn't too bad. I'd probably ride in colder weather too but it's rainy now, which makes it just dangerous. My commute's an hour, so without some serious cold-weather clothes, i'd catch a cold in notime. I have a jacket, but no pants. So the car's the better option then...

[AxeYrCat]

I don't care much for riding in the sub-freezing temps, if for no other reason than I don't want to end up on a patch of black ice...


But since all the roads around here are 'congested' anyway, I'm probably going to have to wait until next year to get my ride on again.

[dru_]

For those of you who chose "Nothing stops me" and live in places where it never drops below freezing, I have two words:

Prove it!

Come visit a cold place with your Buddy. Riding changes below 50 degrees, you need warmer gloves, more layers, maybe something to keep your neck warm at 45mph. You get the idea. I still enjoy the commute on the Buddy more than the bus when it is 30 degrees outside, but it is a way different experience from riding without all that cold weather gear in 65 degrees.

I put 20 as my answer, and I have ridden at 21 degrees.

For those like Bryce who have actually tested themselves, I applaud you.

At this point, I can only say that nothing has stopped me yet, except monsoon rains and service days when the scoot is at the shop for service.

The coldest it's gotten here since I got the scoot was 26 in the morning, and I rode to work, and no, it really wasn't uncomfortable.

I won't say that I geared up all that insanely either:

- Full Face Helmet
- Wool scarf (Old Navy)
- Generic Long Sleeve T-Shirt
- Old Navy Fleece
- Six Gear Leather Jacket
- Icon Patrol Gloves (with micro-fiber liners to keep the fingertips nice and toasty)
- Levi's 501's
- Long underwear
- Sketcher Steel Toe hiking/work boots
- Good wool hiking socks

However, I do ride a People 250, and so I have a couple advantages over the Buddy, in the wider fairing, and the vents that pull the heat off the radiator onto the legs and a nice big windshield (that oddly doesn't protect the hands at all). I also only have about a 4-6 mile commute depending upon the way I go on a given day. At this point, the only reason I see for parking the scooter is when conditions are physically treacherous, eg, ice, snow or excessive rain.

I have parked the scooter one other day, for conditions. The weather was plenty warm, in the mid 50's, but it had rained the entire day previously, followed with 30-50 mph gusting windows that had brought down enough leaves and pine needles that I felt discretion was the better part of valor and left the scoot at home, because wet pine needles and leaves are just as slippery as ice. I've seen more than a handful of accidents on 4 wheels on such surfaces to know better than to risk it on 2.

[lobsterman]

dru_,

Temperature hasn't stopped me yet, but 21 is as far down as it has gone in Cincinnati so far this year. I gear up pretty much the same as you do.

I agree about wet leaves. They give me pause as well, for the same reason - they're a hazard to any vehicle just like ice. That and anything frozen on the road will stop me before temperature will.

Let me put this plainly, for those who haven't thought about it:

Wet leaves on the road will kill your traction just like ice would. Be careful this time of year.

[Bryce-O-Rama]

Bryce, that's cause you're hardcore and I'm just a wuss.

No problem with that. I've become less hardcore about chilly riding this year. By the way, you should still brave the cold for Will Scoot 4 Food when we do that. It's for a good cause.

[Keys]

Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, although I now live in Arizona (where the lowest temperature I've seen is 9 degrees), I lived the first forty-some years of my life in Colorado. I went 6 years without a 4-wheel vehicle in Grand Junction where there is no such thing as a bus system. I simply rode. At one point I worked for Coors Porcelain Company where we made ceramic substrates. We had a 2500 degree kiln in the center of the building where I'd have to stand for a while to melt the ice from my beard. Ain't no big thing. If ya gotta do it, you do it...

--Keys

[lobsterman]

Keys,

You rock man, you're my hero.

btw, I just read the bus service here in South East Ohio has announced a planned fare increase to $1.25 from $1.00 for 2007 - 2 years ago the fare was $0.75 so I am real glad I got the Buddy.

My new motto:
"I will try to ride whenever road conditions allow, regardless of temperature."

[dru_]

My new motto:
"I will try to ride whenever road conditions allow, regardless of temperature."

And there is a warm cup of coffee at the other end.

Speaking of warm cup of coffee, has anyone else made a quick dash through a drive through on the scooter and had problems with the attendant not knowing your are there. What a crisis that is..... Oh well, not a problem at Dunkin Donuts, where hot chocolate is a great warmer on a cold morning.

[Keys]

Can you believe this; there isn't a single donut shop in the whole Verde Valley here. From Camp Verde to Cottonwood to Clarkdale to Sedona! I think it's a communist plot...

--Keys

[sparty]

not me.. I live in update NY, and it's been either really cold or rainy lately. Today, we got so much rain that the county declared state of emergency. My parking lot was flooded and I didn't know that until I came home from work, but by then it's already dark. I hope it didn't to any damage to my scoot

[MNBuddy]

not me.. I live in update NY, and it's been either really cold or rainy lately. Today, we got so much rain that the county declared state of emergency. My parking lot was flooded and I didn't know that until I came home from work, but by then it's already dark. I hope it didn't to any damage to my scoot

Where in Upstate NY?

I grew up in the "North Country" (Plattsburgh, NY). It is a beautiful part of the world on Lake Champlain and at the edge of the Adirondaks and the Green Mountains of Vermont. Always good scenery no matter what time of year.

Jeff

[dru_]

Can you believe this; there isn't a single donut shop in the whole Verde Valley here. From Camp Verde to Cottonwood to Clarkdale to Sedona! I think it's a communist plot...

--Keys

Oh that's friggin' evil. Donuts are god's way of telling you that diets are not part of his/her design

[rajron]

So this is my worlds record – I know, pretty wimpy compared to some of you but to me it’s a big deal. Do notice its getting warmer, expected high around 60° F – yea for the warm.
I start work at 07:00 but head out @ 06:15 - just as I walked in to work it got the coldest

[BlueMark]

Deleted by user

[Elm Creek Smith]

Detailed Local Forecast: Mostly clear. Low 47F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.
Tomorrow: Partly cloudy skies. High 67F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Riding to work in the morning. Short day scheduled; I'll be out at 3:00 pm Central Time.

[scooterguy863]

i picked nothing but thats not 100 percent true as rain or snow will have me take car other then that its the scooter no matter how cold it is thanks to a good winter suit and warm gloves