Bicycling 101 #6: Winter Cycling
by Liz Sands, TCBC Ride Leader
Maybe you’re bored to tears with riding the stationary trainer in your
basement, or are a frustrated cross-county skier fed up with the wimpy
winters of the past few years. If you’ve decided to try to ride your
bike through the winter – or at least get an earlier start to the biking
season this coming spring – here are some tips on how to dress in cold
weather.
The good news is, if you already have cold weather clothes for activities
like running or cross country skiing, you shouldn’t have to buy an entirely
new wardrobe for winter biking. The principal to remember is layering;
and you will learn through experience just how many layers you need
to stay warm at various temperatures. This can vary a lot from one person
to another. It’s a good idea to do some shorter rides of 30-45 minutes
to test out your gear, and see if you end up too hot or too cold, before
tackling a longer ride. You don’t want to end up an hour out in a two-hour
ride, discovering that you didn’t dress warmly enough! But you do need
to realize that you will probably be chilly for the first 10-20 minutes,
until your body warms up from the exercise and starts pumping blood
to your extremities.
So – recognizing that different people will need different number of
layers – here’s the options:
Lower body: First layer – light, wicking, long underwear or bike shorts.
Second layer – tights. Third layer - Wind pants. The best choice is
pants with articulated knees to accommodate the pedaling motion. Some
people combine second and third layer by wearing tights that have a
windproof layer on the front.
Upper body: First layer – light, wicking, long underwear top. Second
layer – bike jersey or fleece top, depending on how cold it is. Third
layer – wind jacket or wind vest.
Feet: I’m partial to wool socks, because they retain their warming
properties even when wet. There are also ‘windproof’ socks available
that have dense lycra on the outside and fleece on the inside. Most
bike shoes are designed to keep your feet cool during the summer rather
than warm in the winter, so at some level of temperature you will need
shoe covers – either the lighter ‘wind covers’ (which are nice for intermediate
temperatures, because they fit easily in a pocket if it warms up and
you want to take them off), or neoprene booties. Some folks end up with
cold feet even using neoprene booties, and their winter solution is
to take the clipless pedals off their bike, install a pair of toe clip
pedals, and wear warm winter boots. An important thing to remember no
matter which option you choose, is not to end up with shoes that are
so tight you can’t wiggle your toes (either because of socks that are
too thick or tight shoe covers). If your feet are cramped up inside
your shoes, they’re more likely to get cold.
Hands: First layer – light glove liners. Second layer – warm gloves
or mittens. If you are very prone to cold hands, you might want to try
wearing mittens and slipping a hand warmer in each one (shop around
for these if you’re going to buy a lot of them; I’ve found the best
prices at sporting goods stores that cater to hunters). If you go the
mitten route, test them out to be sure you still have enough dexterity
to brake and shift.
Head: In colder temperatures I like to wear a balaclava, which can
be pulled up to cover your mouth and nose if necessary, and provides
additional protection for your neck. Find a close fitting hat to wear
over it, that will fit under your bike helmet (you may need to adjust
your helmet straps to accommodate a hat). In warmer temperatures you
can just wear the hat or a fleece headband. Another option is a wind
cover for your helmet to keep the chill winter breezes from blowing
through the vents.
A final tip is to ride your mountain bike if you have one; you will
be going at a slower pace (creating less wind chill) while still getting
a good workout. The knobby tires are also safer on snowpacked or icy
roads.
Copyright © 2004 Liz Sands. All rights reserved.
(January 2004)
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