Is still shorts and T-shirt till quite a bit colder
15 years ago when I was putting out a lot more power and waste heat, a normal jersey and bibs were good down to 60F. Nowadays, older and putting out a lot less power, I need to bundle up. For 60F, I wear arm and leg warmers and a vest.
A lot of it depends on the climate you are used to. Here in the UK Iāll be quite happy in shorts at 8C which is 46F. It is notable in international events in Northern Europe thst youāll get those from hot climates wrapped as though itās winter whilst the natives are in shorts and T-shirt.
Im afraid to ask but how has that first 2 years been with cycling?
70f is on the brink of too hot. 50F is my ideal. Easy to layer for if riding z2, easy to cool off if riding hills.
Mostly good. Obviously there are waves where you arenāt riding much. 1st month was just survival mode. After a bit you settle in and get a routine.
Biggest change was shifting my riding to early morning(415-5am starts) If I didnāt get up early and do it something else would get in the way and I wouldnāt ride.
Iām averaging 4 rides a week from strava so pretty happy with where Iām at, just shy of 4 hours ride time. Iād probably like to push that time closer to 5 or 6 hours this year.
I train outside the great majority of time. Itās a record mileage year for me in part because I front loaded my year indoor. This year about 35% of my mileage will be indoor and that is more than usual. I look forward to winter training but rather be outside. Well, once we dip under 70 I enjoy outdoor rides way less. Its 67 today and dressing is always a challenge. Iāll take 100 any day.
At my old age Iām still KOM competitive so that definitely drives me outside. I just love it, too, playing in the wind and dodging chipmunks. However, I can see a day when the majority of rides are indoor. Not all of it but far more. Itās convenient and you can get in amazingly efficient workouts. My wife likes it (and so do I) because its safer. Also, cycling always bugs me because of the amount of gear you need to fiddle with. Indoor makes it easier to just ride. Anyway, thatās my $0.02.
Yeah. I lived and cycling in a few areas of the US, and except for the SFO Bay Area, there were a solid 4 seasons with hot summers and cold winters. It took a while to get used to the cold in winter and the heat in summer. In NV, riding above 85F Iād never get wet from sweat as itād evaporate so fast just leaving me with salt stained kit. Despite the heat, it wasnāt that bad at all. In New England, Iād road ride down to 32F and mtbed below freezing, and even below 0F on a some occasions. Nowadays, I tend to avoid extremes, though will try to get out and mtb below freezing when the mud is frozen. I donāt particularly like riding indoors and only do it in support of having fitness to ride outdoors
Where I live there is really no good roads to do workouts on, too many traffic lights and to get to the better road itās at least a 45-60 min ride.
Iāve done it before but after work itās a bit much.
I find it easier to do my intervals on the trainer and for the recovery and endurance rides I get outside during the warmer seasons.
If the weather is cold or wet out thereās a chance Iāll do them on the trainer too.
Also thereās times that Iām doing endurance but really want to hit the zone perfectly, for that itās back on the trainer.
Just to addā¦ nobody should feel pressured to do X amount of outdoors, or compare themselves to others. Anyone cycling at all is amazing, anyone fitting exercise in around life pressures, overcoming ill health or injury is great. If youāre fighting mental health or motivation issuesā¦ 15 mins in the saddle is a great first step. This isnāt meant to sound trite or patronisingā¦ Iāve cycled through most of the above and just do what I can for my own reasons. I love fresh air but sometimes itās just not possible.
Same here. No cars, no bad weather, no road hazards, no mech issues, no distractions. Much more efficient & effective way to complete workouts & easier to eat on the bike. I now reserve outdoor rides for trips to destinations like Girona & Mallorca.
Training to increase your power? Sure, indoors is fine if you can stomach it. Training to get faster at pretty well any racing discipline? You canāt fake handling experience or dealing with the elements. If you have no interest in getting faster outdoors, then by all means.
Personally, if I could ride outdoors year-round, I would train 95% of the time outside other than during time-crunch. Everyone is different of course.
eta: spring group rides/races are about as sketchy as they get here since riders have all sorts of power but forgot how to handle after 4-5 months of indoor riding 
I train mostly indoors (two under 2 sort of dictates that). I also got into cycling after mostly being someone who mostly lifted weights at the gym - so the minimal prep/planning required was an easy transition.
But once I started to get more and more comfortable riding outdoors and found a route I feel relatively safe on has made me feel like those times I am able to get outside are kind of what I live/train for.
Biggest thing lately is just the calm no distraction aspect. Even compared to indoors (where Iām still in front of a TV). Best time to clear my space and have quite whether Iām taking it easy or pushing it
I hit the trails and our local pump/jump track recently. The weather was just too nice and I know it canāt last. Plus I know I need to work on my skills.
Iāve essentially replaced road rides (basically just solo interval rides) with indoor rides. I will still get out a few times a month on the trails either for a race or a tune up. Gone are the days of being young and single and hitting trails 5x+ per week. My training is better quality now, though. My younger self loved hammer days and I basically did the same workout everyday.