Ok, apologies to those who know all this already(!), however while I was “enjoying” my ride into work this morning in a still air temperature of -5deg F my thoughts fell to wind-chill and how cold it can feel on a bike.
So here’s a little table to show you just how cold it feels when you are over 60mph and it’s -5 on the thermometer…-40 deg!!
“So what”? I hear you say.
Well the problems with this are two-fold. Firstly it becomes difficult to maintain your core temperature, now this is fairly obvious, and on a commute of half an hour or so unlikely to be a major factor if you have halfway decent gear and you start warm. Of course if you start cold, have inadequate gear, spend a long time on the road…. Then it can be an issue! Shivering is good, it’s the body trying to warm you up. If you stop shivering without being warmed by some outside influence then you are in the initial stages of hypothermia (really!). Your reaction time is slowing down, your thinking is becoming woolly and you will shortly want to go to sleep, you may well be experiencing mood swings and sudden bursts of enthusiasm/lethargy. These are all bad signs and none of them are making you a safer rider.
Stop and find some way of warming up!!
The second problem is far more likely however. You’ll notice on the chart that there are shaded areas marked frostbite times, 30, 10 and 5 minutes. You will also notice that on a bike in winter we can quickly get into the ten minute zone!
This chart shows the likely time by which you will start to suffer frostbite when skin is exposed to that temperature and windspeed. “No problem” you say, “I have a nice warm jacket/trousers/boots”, except that wind is curling round the visor you opened a little to prevent misting, it’s ripping round the chinpiece and numbing your chin/lips/cheeks…
Now remember, I’m not talking about going numb, or frostnip which will clear once you warm up. I’m talking about frostbite where the skin/tissue actually freezes, this causes permanent cell damage and will not get better!
This can happen inside just TEN minutes in the weather we had this morning.
If your skin is blotchy/marbled then that’s a bad sign, waxy and white is also very bad, ultimately in extreme cases it will shrivel and go black and, call me vain… but, that’s not an attractive look!!
Personally I suffer a little from vibration induced white finger, (google it for more info, or ask Bill
), which means I mostly don’t notice the numb bit but instead seem to go straight to the feeling you got as a kid when you’d been out in the snow and then came in and ran your hands under a warm tap…ouch(!) When I then warm up my fingertips go a pronounced red / pink colour and are “tingly” and oversensitive for a few hours, another indicator that I’ve done permanent damage
So… what should you do?
First, well we’ve managed this bit, be aware. Remember it’s not just Antarctic explorers, it can happen to YOU here in the UK.
Second, maintain your core temperature, have a warm drink (ideally not caffeine which goes right through you! Something like hot chocolate is good), wear lots of thin layers not one thick one (yes you have an excuse to wear the missus/gf’s tights!) avoid tight clothing and consider wearing some sort of windstopper/scarf which will protect your neck/chin.
Most importantly, if you feel your face becoming sore or numb, even if you are just feeling a sharp cold draught on one part then move your facial muscles, pull faces, frown, grin, grimace, whatever… just keep them moving. It will keep the blood flowing and help slow down or prevent frostnip and frostbite, and no-one is looking inside your visor anyway so it’s nothing to be shy about
Stay safe out there…
Smudge
ps, sorry for another boring post. Back to stupidity soon
