Mark's Bike Tock: February 2018

I consider myself an avid cyclist. I ride for relaxation, enjoyment and to keep active for health. I have mostly been a fair-weather cyclist. I have ridded short rides of just a few miles and done rides over a century. I have ridden in New York City and desolate trails not seeing another person for miles (and no cell service!). I mostly rode in good weather and only very occasionally in winter.

I don’t enjoy time on my stationary bike but did it to maintain some activity over the cold winter months. This winter I made more of an effort to get out. I purchased a couple of additional sets of “base layer”, good cold weather gloves and a couple of balaclava. I also purchased a set of studded winter tires for one of my bikes.

The result of this was more outdoor riding this winter. I rode in the coldest temperature I have ever ridden, 10F. I rode with snow on the ground and in a snow storm. I still don’t enjoy these rides as much as a nice warm weather ride but it does beat the stationary bike.

In my years of riding I have been caught in many rain events from light drizzle to heavy deluge. The emphasis is on caught. I have not intentionally started in the rain. That all changed a couple of days ago. The forecast was for moderate temperatures with no rain. I got out early to get an hour or two of riding in before I had to prepare for work. I dressed, loaded my bike and set off for the trailhead. I arrived just in time for the beginning of a steady drizzle. I was so looking forward to this ride and the forecast said no rain so I went for it. I got on my bike and rode in the rain. This marked the very first time I have ever intentionally started a ride while it was raining.

So now I have a question. Does this make me obsessed?

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.