This time of year starts to bring the cold temperatures and occasionally some form of precipitation. After a 3 year “tour of duty” cycling in the northwest I’ve come up against almost every kind of weather imaginable on a bike (including snow on a road ride). In these types of conditions you quickly find out what works and what doesn’t.
With that said, here are some winter riding tips to help keep you comfortable and hopefully outside longer. We’ll take it from the top!
Head: Beyond just the helmet there are several things you can do to keep your body warm by just covering your head. More hi-tech methods are under the helmet cycling bennies or a cycling cap. These will keep your ears warm as well. But the great thing is that they can also be easily removed when things start to heat up while you are still riding. The low-tech option is a simple bandana. These can keep you warm for about an hour but as they become saturated they loose effectiveness.
Hands: I once did a road race in the rain that started at 40 degrees and then changed to 37 degrees and raining half way through. I had worn some full finger gloves that had no insulation because I wanted to have a good grasp of the bars and didn’t want to deal with bulky gloves. Instead, I ended up with frostbite on my pinky fingers and lost sensation in them for 3 months. Lesson learned the hard way!
Your hands are valuable and should be treated with care so go a little on the heavier side with insulated gloves. If it looks like things are going to get wet bring a second pair. Nothing feels better on a long ride than putting on dry warm gloves!
If you have thinner gloves, you can also get a set of glove liners that will warm things up and can be take off later if your hands get too hot.
Body: Base layers are KEY! A moisture wicking base layer will keep your core temperature well regulated for hours. Next, your outer layer should have at least a 6-inch zipper. This will allow you to regulate your temperature on long climbs but then zip up for the decent.
A wind vest is also a critical piece of equipment that can be easily stored as things heat up as that morning rides moves closer to lunch. But it can then be redeployed for that long decent.
If you do not own a pair of arm warmers, get them. They are the best $20 – 30 you’ll ever spend and are one of the most versatile pieces of cycling clothing you’ll ever own.
A cheap clear rain cape can also be a lifesaver but not just for rain. They make a great wind blocker as well if you get caught in quickly changing temps. Need a ghetto fabulous emergency back up plan? Keep a kitchen trash bag in your jersey pocket. Rip holes for your head and arms. Put it on UNDER your jersey and tuck it in. Put your jersey back on and you now have a waterproof heat shield that will at least get you home.
Riding jackets are a little bit of a debate for me. Personally I don’t like to commit to wearing one unless I know it’s going to be EXTREMELY cold the entire day. (Which it hardly ever does in SoCal.) It’s better to use the long sleeve jersey/vest combo so you can better regulate your temperature.
Legs: Rule #1: If it’s under 60 degrees you should really be wearing knee warmers. The cold will break down your joints and if you don’t have knee pain now you will later in life. They can also be easily removed if things warm up. Same goes for full leg warmers, which are always a good idea below 40 degrees.
Feet: The cheapest and easiest way to keep the toes warm are wool riding socks. Wool does such an amazing job of keeping your temperature regulated.
For the road, toe covers can also be cheap insurance on long cold rides and they generally don’t need to be removed as the day heats up.
When things get really cold or wet, full shoe covers or booties are invaluable. They’ll keep your feet dry (or at least warm) and cut down on the pain you can get in your toes and other joints.
So you have lots of options and everyone’s body runs hotter or colder during exertion, but this will give you some guidelines to get started. As a rule of thumb you want to be a little cold at the start of a ride, then as things warm up you’ll be comfortable or a little warm and can shed layers.
Keep the rubber side down!
-Brian
