Solvent-based contact cements are rubber dissolved in a volatile solvent (often xylene or toluene). They dry by evaporation of the solvent to leave sticky film on both surfaces which coheres on contact to make the bond.
The initial drying thus depends on how fast the solvent can evaporate. It will be very slow at lower temperatures and much faster at higher temperatures, so if it's cold it will just take a lot longer to be ready to bond. You can speed it up with e.g. infra-red lamps, but don't use any form of heating which can ignite the solvent vapour - it's very flammable. Also use good ventilaltion - the solvents are not good for you.
Water-based contact cements are rubber dispersed as an emulsion in water. They dry by evaporation of the water and/or diffusion into the substrate if it's porous. Much the same applies, though if you freeze the water-based ones they tend to coagulate and become useless.
