The ride report (yes, of course I rode!)
Thanks everyone for the great comments! I was probably inclined to give it a go in the first place, or I wouldn’t have made the thread, but the encouragement really locked in my resolve. So last night I decided to commit to riding this morning regardless of the temperature, and I got all my various gear together.
The weather this morning turned out to be a bit disappointing, but I suppose in a good way. 16F, within my usual recreational temperature limits. So I rode, and had a great time. The disappointment is that I didn’t really end up pushing my limits, so I’ll just have to keep an eye out for that opportunity later.
I did have a couple “firsts” this morning. First time riding any distance on the WTB Stout. Took noticeably more effort than my 2" Big Apple (I ride a 29). But I need the traction for the snowy bits, so I’ll keep it on, even for road riding, through the winter.
The other first was my first unanticipated sideways skid on ice without a upd. From my point of view I slid sideways about 2-3 feet before catching it and smoothly riding away. From anyone else’s point of view is was probably more like an inch. Nonetheless, I’m kindof proud of that one.
I agree with the comments about the importance of good gear. I’ve got a number of years of experience doing search & rescue in western Montana, so I’ve been able to build up a decent collection of gear and have tried out enough combinations to get it dialed in pretty well. For the 16F ride, I went with a thin helmet liner, started with goggles (but took them off pretty quick; there was no wind), fleece neck gaitor pulled up over my mouth, fleece vest over a long sleeve mid-weight synthetic long underware shirt, light fleece golves that fit under my wrist guards, my usual work pants (thin cotton-nylon blend khaki’s), knee-high wool ski socks, and gore-tex mid-height hiking boots. Small backpack for work clothes also keeps my back a little warmer. I also carry a windbreaker, but I hardly ever use it if I keep moving. At the beginning of the ride my fingers were a little cold, and at the end of the ride my head was a bit hot - so I figure I got it about right.
So the bottom line for me is that 16F is certainly not too cold to ride. I’ll have to find out about 5F some other time, but I am inclined to give it a try.