Winter e-biking advices

I fear my riding season is over later today... 20cm of snow forecast. And there's no way I'm riding in that, no matter what the temperature is. And coupled with very cold temperatures, it's unlikely that we'll see bare roads again for months. SIGH

(Ordered a Merino wool balaclava which I found on Amazon.ca, but didn't realize that with my glasses it might not work well.)
 
well, soft snow is indeed almost impossible to ride in.. but if the snow is compacted? I ride with that, slowly and carefully, but it's doable
 
Gonna be a schizophrenic winter for me, first one on e-bike. Planning on riding down to about 35-40F, spent a fortune at REI, still need shoe covers and something else for hands - gloves inadequate for crappy circulation old fart. Took my niece's partner, an avid mtn biker, to REI with me for shopping advice, great idea for a know nothing newbie, I'm satisfied with body coverings but vision is a problem.

I wear glasses now and it seems my choice is between fogging up with goggles or tearing up with sunglasses - but in Dec/Jan I'll be having bilateral cataract surgery, thinking of going with the distance lens and wear reading glasses. So, whatever I end up with early will probably be different come end of Winter.

Have worn glasses since I was in 1st grade, really looking forward to being able to see clearly at a distance for the first time. Anyone else had the operation? How did it affect your eyes for riding, i.e. more/less tearing, etc?
 
Coldest ride so far was 18F. I tend to pedal at 10-12MPH rather than throttle at 25 to get somewhere quicker. The wind kills!
Snowed a bit but the streets were melted quickly. Dreaming about a studded tire fat bike for ice fishing adventures on the frozen lake....hmmmmm......

Expedition parka and gear now out and at the ready. ALWAYS have the snow helmet in winter. Cages don't anticipate bicyclists in this cold weather.
 
elect said:
Which snow helmet do you use?
Click to expand...
Anon Blitz and googles.
1573499478506.png
 
I'm looking at this USB powered heating pad set for the battery and would cover it all with heat retaining jacket, mylar first as well. $13 CAD

Amazon.ca

www.amazon.ca
 
It's my first winter with an e-bike and I've already comfortably ridden at 5F. The only thing that stops me from riding is piles of new snow or ice. I can easily ride in light snow (just did it today) or after the paths and roads have been cleared.

Head: ski helmet with goggles a Merino wool balaclava. Added a scarf around my neck on the 5F day.
Torso: always my Endura Luminite DL jacket on top. The base layers vary with the temperature. The most I'll wear is a Merino wool base layer, whatever shirt I'm wearing to work, and half-zip fleece.
Legs: usually just whatever pants I'm wearing to work plus Shower's Pass rain pants. I add a Merino wool base layer if it's below about 15F.
Hands: Pearl Izumi Pro AMFIB lobster gloves. My fingers will be a little cold at the start of the ride, but too hot (at any outdoor temp I've experienced) by the time I get to work/home (4.5 mile commute).
Feet: Merino wool socks if it's really cold. Winter boots below about 35 or 40F. Just regular hiking shoes otherwise. I have platform pedals, so I can use just about any footwear.

I will stress that I've ridden like this down to 5F with no suffering involved. I put studded tires on (Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus) to deal with any crappy roads and paths I encounter. I've stayed upright so far and we've had a record amount of snow for this time of year (15 inches?).
 
Madison Dan said:
It's my first winter with an e-bike and I've already comfortably ridden at 5F. The only thing that stops me from riding is piles of new snow or ice. I can easily ride in light snow (just did it today) or after the paths and roads have been cleared.

Head: ski helmet with goggles a Merino wool balaclava. Added a scarf around my neck on the 5F day.
Torso: always my Endura Luminite DL jacket on top. The base layers vary with the temperature. The most I'll wear is a Merino wool base layer, whatever shirt I'm wearing to work, and half-zip fleece.
Legs: usually just whatever pants I'm wearing to work plus Shower's Pass rain pants. I add a Merino wool base layer if it's below about 15F.
Hands: Pearl Izumi Pro AMFIB lobster gloves. My fingers will be a little cold at the start of the ride, but too hot (at any outdoor temp I've experienced) by the time I get to work/home (4.5 mile commute).
Feet: Merino wool socks if it's really cold. Winter boots below about 35 or 40F. Just regular hiking shoes otherwise. I have platform pedals, so I can use just about any footwear.

I will stress that I've ridden like this down to 5F with no suffering involved. I put studded tires on (Schwalbe Marathon Winter Plus) to deal with any crappy roads and paths I encounter. I've stayed upright so far and we've had a record amount of snow for this time of year (15 inches?).
Click to expand...
Well Madison...it’s safe to say you’re what’s known in the vernacular as “a Youngblood”. Not me...not no more...I tried out some of my new gear...good quality Santic jacket ($80), lobster gloves (which I like), broke out the skull cap, scarf...Four miles from home The cold (40f) blowing through my legs in pants which a Short three years ago on Acoustic Worked fine...now 20lbs down my 70yr butt abandoned the ride and worked over the woodpile just to get warm...Ben Franklin is right.
 
Now, still with 40F's, strong winds are the nuisance. Good windproof outer layer always helps. I keep a pair of very warm Gore-tex pants, Gore-tex overshoes and "Arctic" kind of Northwave boots as the reserve for real winter. The Lovelec e-bike is already prepared and now I will use a neoprene battery cover, too. Thank you all for good advices, these do work!

Now I'm taking regular 26-29 mile rides with effective ride time up to 2 h 10 min and total time spent outside 3 h 10 mins and never suffer from the cold.

41622
 
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I ended up with this heating pad for the battery because it will be here in a couple of days. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07KP48TKJ/ref=pe_3034960_233709270_TE_item

The battery is more affected by the cold than I am. When I used to wear heavy boots and more expensive boots my toes always felt frozen. Now I wear mesh shoes in winter and my feet never freeze, I just avoid getting them soaked and it's not a problem anymore. I think it's because the boots restrict movement.
 
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