Mark's Bike Tock: Dressing for Winter Cycling

I see a lot of social media posts asking for advice on how to dress for a cold weather ride. Everyone is different and there are many factors that determine how warm or cold you will feel on a ride. First some general comments, then I will list my attire for cold weather rides to offer a starting point that you may use.

First, I am different than most cyclists in that I ride in plain jeans. I do not use padded cycling pants or shorts. I have tried the padded route but find plain street clothes and a Brooks saddle are the most comfortable for me.

For cold weather it is best to dress in layers. I have tried heavy winter coats but find more, thinner layers are both warmer and more flexible. You should feel just a bit on the cold side as you start out. After a couple of miles your body warms up and you should feel comfortable. You don’t want to sweat excessively. Layers help by allowing you to add or remove enough to stay warm but not so much that you are sweating. Sometimes that is just unzipping the outer layer.

Insulated water bottles are better than a camelback in subfreezing temperatures. The drinking spout on a camelback will freeze in cold temperatures

I choose a larger size for my outer most layer. This allows it to fit over the top of your other layers easily. I use a high visibility hoodie for this. The larger size allows the hood to go over the top of my helmet if I get cold during the ride or the weather turns nasty. I have several of these. I use a plain hoodie most of the time but have a fleece lined hoodie for very cold temperatures. I also have a high visibility hooded rain jacket that I use if there is a possibility of snow.

A hat and or balaclava is better than a hood. These allow better movement of you head for visibility. They also fit under you helmet. You may need to adjust the headband a bit however. Also in cold weather consider lobster gloves. These are a cross between regular gloves and mittens. The lobster gloves group two fingers together with a split in the middle of the mitten. This give the warmth of a mitten but added dexterity to operate shift levers and brake levers.

Consider googles to protect your eyes and cover more of you face. I wear glasses but have a pair I specifically purchased for cycling. They do a good job keeping the wind from my eyes.

Don't forget to prepare your bike. Just like your car, you must be prepared for slippery trails. I use studded snow tires. They work greak for light snow or helping get past icy runoff.

10°

I start with a base layer pant and shirt, jeans, long sleeve jersey, sweater, light jacket with thinsulate insulation, high visibility fleece lined hoodie. I add an insulated balaclava with covering for mouth and nose, hat, heavy socks, insulated boots, full finger lightly insulated gloves, lobster gloves and bar mitts.

15°

I start with a base layer pant and shirt, jeans, long sleeve jersey, light jacket with thinsulate insulation, high visibility fleece lined hoodie. I add an insulated balaclava with covering for mouth and nose, hat, heavy socks, insulated boots, full finger lightly insulated gloves, lobster gloves and bar mitts.

20°

I start with a base layer pant and shirt, jeans, long sleeve jersey, light jacket with thinsulate insulation, high visibility hoodie. I add an insulated balaclava with covering for mouth and nose, heavy socks, insulated boots, full finger lightly insulated gloves, and lobster gloves.

25°

30°

I start with a base layer pant and shirt, jeans, long sleeve jersey, light jacket with thinsulate insulation, high visibility hoodie. I add a light balaclava, hat, heavy socks, insulated boots and heavy winter gloves.

35°

I start with a base layer pant and shirt, jeans, long sleeve jersey, light jacket with thinsulate insulation, high visibility hoodie. I add a light balaclava, heavy socks, insulated boots and heavy winter gloves.

40°

I start with a base layer shirt, jeans, long sleeve jersey, light jacket with thinsulate insulation, high visibility hoodie. I add a hat, regular socks, insulated boots and full finger lightly insulated gloves.