Essential winter commuting clothing/gear

[crazycanuck]

*evil cackle* *evil cackle*

Heheehehehe....winter awaits you my pretties...hehehehehheeh

May the snow force be with you...

Light-what are you on about it being cold in brissie...It's not cold in aust...go to my hometown in Canada in the middle of winter & you'll understand cold. Or you could trade places with CWR...

summer awaits me...

c

[betagirl]

Heheehehehe....winter awaits you my pretties...hehehehehheeh

See that's not nice I noticed you're in western Australia. So, not knowing any other cities in western Australia I looked up average high's and lows in Perth.

According to weather.com, August is listed as the coldest month for Perth, January for Chicago.

Average August Hi/Lo in Perth: 64F/46F (18C/8C)
Average January Hi/Lo for Chicago: 31F/16F (-1C/-9C)

What's your hometown in Canada? I went to toronto in November once and about died. It was just a whole other level of cold.

Gee, who "wins" that competition? Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Ok, not thinking about it. It's still August.

[Nanci]

I have a pair of windproof in the front tights from Performance that I LOVE. They are super warm, and good in light rain, even. My PI Calientoes are good down into the 50's, but lower than that I'd want more serious foot warmth. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out what that is, yet. A Bolero would be good for days when it is cool in the morning then warm in the afternoon. I also have a jacket from Early Winters that is fleece, but windproof in the front/breatheable in the back- that's nice to layer. I have a couple wind vests- but I don't know how much good they do. I wouldn't buy one of those unless you have money to spare. But I have a nice Shebeast wind jacket that is super light that layers nicely.

[crazycanuck]

sorry to hijack the thread for a moment...

Hey beta,

Wow! I didn't expect anyone to look up the weather for Perth..

Right, first of all it's not cold here. People look at me & think when i wear shorts and it's 5c. (Also, there is a huge difference though betwn houses here(nz included) & in North america...you have central heating...we don't.)

I'm from Edmonton, Alberta and my idea of winter is when temps get below -20c...plus the windchill. I miss Canadian winters....snowdrifts, windchills, black ice, chinooks, toques, parkas, plugging the car in (people are amazed when we tell them about this..)

Oh yeah, layering is good...

c

[Geonz]

Coldest I've ridden in was four (Fahrenheit), but I only have a 7 mile commute. Any further and I might hvae to resort to those lobster gloves; so far reasonably thick full-fingered gloves have done the trick. Unfortunately, they ended up near the toaster and melting, so I have to invest (there's another, good pair **somewhere** - maybe near my big light - so I hate to replace with other good ones just yet).
I have also managed to get by on unsophisticated layers, though I've picked up one or two "fancy wicking fabric" base layer tights that I use on those colder days. It'll be snug tights, looser tights, and sweats on the bottom; up to four layers on the top.
I got a Gore-tex rain suit given to m e this summer that will be a sweet outer layer those times, too.
Something to cover ears and face is necessary... my little ears are very sensitive.

[Lise]

I hate that we're talking about this.

I'm going to remember this thread is here, though, so I can refer to it when I'm ready to deal with reality.

I don't plan to commute when there's snow and ice, but I sure do hope to ride much longer in the cold this year, and earlier next year.

[mimitabby]

it must be odd for those who are in 100 deg weather, sweating, etc, writing about insulated gloves inner liners and helmet covrs

[Triskeliongirl]

Aaah, but those of us riding in 100 degree weather NOW, have just our arm and leg warmers and wind vests to look forward to for the bulk of winter! But yes, wherever you live, layer, layer, layer. Over the years some of my favorite pieces I've collected include: arm warmers, leg warmers, ear warmers, glove liners (all drilyte type fabric), light wind vest, heavier weight wind vest, gore tex jacket with pit zips. I've used these pieces in various combinations touring all over the world. Breathable fabrics and ventilation is a MUST, as I find overheating can be just as big an issue as being cold. In the mountains of chiapis we would go from arm and leg warmers in the morning, to shorts and a short sleaved jersey by afternoon, to a goretex jacket by evening, over the course of single day! It can be expensive to put all this stuff together, but I did pick up a few nice pieces on ebay.

[Evie]

Do you wear anything over your face?
...I'm clinging to summer like all get-out.

[alpinerabbit]

I need suspenders for my PI amfib tights , as they droop in the back exposing my kidneys.

I did not buy bib tights as I am looking forward to running in them too.

[farrellcollie]

If you wear glasses - that stuff that makes them not fog up is essential in my opinion - I go through a lot of it in winter because of wearing face mask fogs glasses up pretty quickly

[DebW]

Agree on the helmet cover over, liner under. Keeps head nice and warm.

For core, I usually wear a long sleeve wool jersey, a thin fleece vest, and a windproof jacket down to about freezing. The vest keeps your core warm, but lets you dump excess heat to the extremities when you start to overheat.

[chickwhorips]

Light-what are you on about it being cold in brissie...It's not cold in aust...go to my hometown in Canada in the middle of winter & you'll understand cold. Or you could trade places with CWR...

hey it doesn't get cold here, it just never warms up!

like everyone else (all year round) i layer. cold times i have the PI tights with the waterproof/windproof front and breathable back. very comfy here. top i have an REI light weight jacket that i can layer up thats windproof and waterproof. everything her has to be wind/water proof. even some of that stuff doesn't hold up in our weather, but it helps.

[Nanci]

The inside of the Performance windproof tights is cuddly and fuzzy, though!

I am looking forward to wearing a couple new LS jerseys I bought on sale in the spring- especially the pink Terry Cashmina...

[SalsaMTB]

I have not commuted in winter, but I have done some off road rides in winter. I would highly recommend getting some foot warmers to put in your shoes. Even with the covers and wool socks, my feet were still cold. The warmers did wonders!

For my legs, last year I just wore my bike shorts, long john, and cheap tights you can get at any sporting good store. It worked out well. If you need to go cheap, it works, if you have some extra money, splurge for the nicer, cycling cold weather tights.

For days with ice and snow, I personally wouldn't commute. I can't even imagine riding on roads that are hard to drive on. Way too dangerous!! If you have the bike lanes that are not next to the road, that might work. I'll mountain bike off road in snow and ice, no way would I even go on roads with my mountain bike in those conditions. If I had sidewalks the entire distance of the commute, I could see doing that, but remember they wouldn't be plowed!

Lastly, depending on the hours you work, you'll probably need a nice light if you do not already have one. The days are getting shorter, so you'll probably be riding in the dark. I would highly recommend splurging on the the head light!! Oh, and don't forget a tail light also!

Oh, one more thing. I don't know how they handle snow and ice in your area, but here, they use a lot of salt. I would imagine this is pretty rough on a bike. DH and I plan on doing a decent amount of road riding this winter and will not be using our nice bikes, instead we'll use our older mountain bikes. If they use a lot of salt in your area, be sure to clean the bike after each ride or build up a retired frame with retired components you have laying around and use that Other girls might have more experience on this though, so feel free to comment. Like I said, I have only been off-road during the winter, not much road riding, but salt just seems like a bad thing for a bike.