Newbie gets frostbite on his legs

iainclark82

Hi there this is my first post and I wanted to say hello and share a experience I had as a relatively new rider. I went out for a 3 hour ride on Sunday and it was cold about 28 according to my Garmin, I wrapped up well (kinda) and set out and after 45 this cold mist came down and I started t really feel it, I thought it would pass so continued on but after half an hour I could feel the cold in my bones and I had turned a endurance ride into a hard session to keep me warm, I noticed my inner thighs had gone numb but thought nothing of it really just focused on getting home which took me in a loop and I came out of the fog almost where I went into it feeling relieved to be safe. It wasn't till I got my leggings off that I noticed 2 blisters on the same spot of my inners thighs, minor blisters I must add about 3cm in diameter but still frostbite and very stupid, not something I will every forget, always wrap up properly guys!

arthur_scrimshaw

Where are you?!!

I take it it's F rather than C so the Colonies?

slowbike

28 fahrenheight is -2°C - below freezing - although I do tend to find my Garmin reads below the actual temperature - there is still wind chill.
Yes - that's cold, yes you should layer up - I tend to wear shorts and thermal longs when it's that sort of temp.

Longshot

I was out on the South Downs for a couple of hours on Sunday. It was cold but no frostbite fortunately. I had a pair of Decathlon winter bibtights on which work really well, given the cost. I did have two pairs of socks under and overshoes over my cycling shoes though.

bompington

Unlikely to be actual frostbite at -2: or actually anywhere except proper extremities at warmer than -10.
Other cold injuries are available, often due to the cold restricting circulation.

If the skin goes black and peels off over the next few days, that's real frostbite. You could google some frostbite images if you want a barrel of laughs.

iainclark82

arthur_scrimshaw said:

Where are you?!!

I take it it's F rather than C so the Colonies?

The UK I used F because my Garmin does.

iainclark82

bompington said:

Unlikely to be actual frostbite at -2: or actually anywhere except proper extremities at warmer than -10.
Other cold injuries are available, often due to the cold restricting circulation.

If the skin goes black and peels off over the next few days, that's real frostbite. You could google some frostbite images if you want a barrel of laughs.

Thanks for the info, Its the first layer of skin just like a normal blister which has burst and peeled back so is tender but I can't see it turning black must be Chilblains

wongataa

iainclark82 said:

arthur_scrimshaw said:

Where are you?!!

I take it it's F rather than C so the Colonies?

The UK I used F because my Garmin does.

We use the celcius temperature scale in the UK. You can change the Garmin temperature units.

slowbike

wongataa said:

iainclark82 said:

arthur_scrimshaw said:

Where are you?!!

I take it it's F rather than C so the Colonies?

The UK I used F because my Garmin does.

We use the celcius temperature scale in the UK. You can change the Garmin temperature units.

you may - not everyone does. Some use Kelvin ...

figbat

slowbike said:

you may - not everyone does. Some use Kelvin ...

Just trying to get my head around this - the OP was out cycling at 6.6°Rømer, right?

Fahrenheit is still alive mind - the Daily Mail use it extensively in reporting summer heatwaves. Oddly they revert to Celcius when it comes to extreme low temperatures. It's almost like they aren't scientists at all but are simply picking the scale with the most headline-grabbing, click-baiting number. It's a wonder they don't use Kelvins - "UK SET TO MELTDOWN AS THERMOMETERS SOAR TO 273 DEGREES".*

*Yes, I know Kelvins are absolute and not measured in degrees... do the Daily Mail and their readers though?!

slowbike

figbat said:

slowbike said:

you may - not everyone does. Some use Kelvin ...

Just trying to get my head around this - the OP was out cycling at 6.6°Rømer, right?

No idea - can't be arsed to look it up, but if you say so ...

figbat said:

Fahrenheit is still alive mind - the Daily Mail use it extensively in reporting summer heatwaves. Oddly they revert to Celcius when it comes to extreme low temperatures. It's almost like they aren't scientists at all but are simply picking the scale with the most headline-grabbing, click-baiting number.

Absolutely ... they always use the extremes to headline the weather - which is why we're about to have the coldest 40 days

(of this winter)

figbat said:

It's a wonder they don't use Kelvins - "UK SET TO MELTDOWN AS THERMOMETERS SOAR TO 273 DEGREES".*

because they're too far from the norm - if there was one which went to 150° they'd use that for the summer - and revert to a different measure that goes to -75° for the winter ... for our normal 20-30°C variant ...

anyway - here you go - if you want some amusement - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/uk_weather/index.html


Apparently - 109 floods in the next 24 hours (reported last week).

They don't really have a weather section though ..

davep1

I was on the South Downs this morning, saw -3 C at one point. I had Castelli bib tights (thermal I think) and a pair of jogging leggings over them, no problem at all. Two thick pairs of socks, two base layers a thermal jersey and a cycling coat on the top half. Stunning sunrise!

slowbike

davep1 said:

I was on the South Downs this morning, saw -3 C at one point. I had Castelli bib tights (thermal I think) and a pair of jogging leggings over them, no problem at all. Two thick pairs of socks, two base layers a thermal jersey and a cycling coat on the top half. Stunning sunrise!

Yesterday was similar - but with fog too ... no sunrise that I saw ... came home after sunset too - similar fog - glad I had 3 bright lights on the back!

figbat

I was out last night for a couple of hours. I layered up and at one point checked the temperature on my Wahoo and was surprised to see -4°C (25°F). Eventually the water in my hydration backpack froze (in the pipe at least) - one other rider with me had his rear mech freeze too.

The point is, after 2 hours I was just starting to feel the cold in my toes, but was generally warm enough everywhere else. I was wearing:

UPPER: long sleeve compression top, long sleeve 'microfleece' mid-layer, long-sleeve jersey, long-sleeve softshell jacket. A buff around my neck. Skull cap under my helmet (this covers my ears too). Winter motorcycle gloves.

LOWER: Decathlon winter cycling tights, Endura Singletrack trousers. Sealskinz-type socks, shoes and neoprene overshoes.

adskis

figbat said:

Eventually the water in my hydration backpack froze (in the pipe at least)

Theres an old backcountry skiing trick for that - after you have a drink, blow the water in the pipe bcak down into the bladder. It'll almost never freeze because of your body heat.

figbat

I was aware of the insulated tube but the blowback idea is a great one, thanks.

bompington

figbat said:

I was aware of the insulated tube but the blowback idea is a great one, thanks.

It's even better if you dribble down it