Cool Weather Riding Gear: Head and Hands

[Lise]

I get so freaking hot when running, and so freaking frozen when riding in cold weather! For running, I start out with a headband that's wider at the ears, and thin tech-fabric gloves. No matter how cold it is, I usually end up taking off both headband and gloves for the last part of the run.

On the bike, it's an entirely different story. I wear the headband under my helmet, and can add a thin wool cap. I have tried various glove combinations. I have full-fingered biking gloves, but sometime even don't keep my fingers from turning into popsicles. I just ordered some SmartWool glove liners. I <heart> the SmartWool products! I think I'm going to ask my family for an all-SmartWool-Christmas this year!

[7rider]

I get so freaking hot when running, and so freaking frozen when riding in cold weather! For running, I start out with a headband that's wider at the ears, and thin tech-fabric gloves. No matter how cold it is, I usually end up taking off both headband and gloves for the last part of the run.

On the bike, it's an entirely different story. I wear the headband under my helmet, and can add a thin wool cap. I have tried various glove combinations. I have full-fingered biking gloves, but sometime even don't keep my fingers from turning into popsicles. I just ordered some SmartWool glove liners. I <heart> the SmartWool products! I think I'm going to ask my family for an all-SmartWool-Christmas this year!

I'm not a runner, but I think that's a function of speed and wind? Maybe? I dunno!
For the fingers/hands. One think I discovered when mountainbiking in the winter (which I did before I started also road riding in the winter) was that no matter what I wore, my hands would be achingly cold. They would HURT soooo much. I hated it. But one day, when out with friends, I had a "eureka" moment. If I just stuck with it, gritted my teeth and hung with it (and every so often shook out my hands), I reached this threshold where my hands were no longer really cold and achy. I don't know when or what it is..bu suddenly, they were fine. It was like my hands reached some equilibrium. Just getting to that point sux, tho!