Must.ride.bicycle

[Mr. Bloom]

Riding when it's snow flurrying is pretty and fun though, as long as the road stays clear.

We Know...

Chatham, New York...

Where the women are strong, the men are good looking and all of the children are above average.

[indysteel]

Listen...I was truly the biggest weather wimp in the world up until a couple of years ago.
I didn't exercise at all, I was 25 pounds overweight, had no real muscles to speak of, and all fall, winter, and spring I was COLD. Cold, cold, cold.
I would pile on 3 or 4 heavy acrylic sweaters, extra cotton waffle longjohns under my jeans, triple thick crew socks, scarves, ponchos, you name it. I looked like the Michellin man, but i was.... COLD.
Then I started walking...3 miles briskly every day. That helped my circulation and heartrate a bit, and i got a few muscles and started losing the extra pounds. But I was still pretty cold. Still piled on clothes like Michelin man.

Last Fall, with the advice of my smart DH and after some additional reading and research, I realized I needed to get better clothes for what I was attempting to do. People kept telling me "There is no bad weather, only bad clothing." Could they actually be right, I wondered? Me- the total weather wimp who huddled like a cat on sunny windowsills, in front of radiators and sitting on heating vents all my life....could I possible brave the elements on my bike and not be miserably frozen? Didn't seem like something **I** could do.

I set out to get properly equipped for the winter. Real wool was the foundation element to build upon.
I put heavy wool knee socks over wool hiking socks. Thinsulate hiking boots over those. Thick wool tights to wear OVER my chamois lycra cold weather tights. Underarmor sportsbra. Thin merino wool undervest. Thin merino wool longsleeve base layer. Merino LS turtleneck to wear over the base layer & vest. Heavy wool outer zipper vest for over that. Warm stretchy inner-fuzzy polyester wind-proof jacket. Nylon windbreaker/shell on the outside. Soft cashmere gloves (a gift). Smartwool glove liners over that. Heavy windproof ski gloves over that. Smartwool helmet liner. Full balaclava over that. A second balaclava in my saddlebag just in case. Oh, and a good face cream with lanolin (more wool!).

I know what you're thinking- and YES, all this stuff cost me a small fortune. But it will last me for many years because it's all well made and wool can last for decades if you take good care of it. Wool also doesn't smell at all when you get sweaty. (unlike polyester, which for me stinks after one ride).

It takes me about ten minutes to get all layered up to go out. But once I'm set, I can go biking for 2 1/2 hours at 28 degrees F and cloudy/breezy, like yesterday! I was TOTALLY COMFORTABLE. Some call me "brave" or "tough"....but I'm not brave at all, because I'm not suffering at all- it's easy to be tough when you are actually totally comfy! The worst thing is usually that my prescription glasses get too cold on the bridge of my nose- but I can take them off for a while and still see fine.

Another key factor here is that none of these items are bulky or stiff. They move with me and they breathe when I need it. I don't look bulked up. I can peel things off as I warm up and put them in my saddlebag. I'm always amazed at how much I wind up taking off once i warm up even when it's really cold. I think 25 degrees is about my lower limit with this getup. Some women here can bike colder than that, and I suspect they have even better layering clothes. I now beleive you can be biking comfortably down to 25 with the right clothes. I guess I could go colder if I used those chemical hand/foot warmers, but I'd hate to have to keep buying those and besides, Spring is here now- don't need them over 30 degrees!

Anyway, I hope that clarifies how "tough" I really am to bike in the cold weather. Perhaps it will encourage others to get a little "braver" and experiment, if they get TOO much cabin fever (and "itchy" legs?!- whoa!!) from not biking.

Hat's off to you for braving the cold. We had a mild late fall/early winter in Indiana (where Silver and Mr. Silver live), and I managed to ride pretty comfortably through most of it--down to about 27 degrees--so I agree that it can be done with the right clothes. The problem for me isn't the cold per se, but the wind. Once it gets over about 15 mph on a 28-degree day, it just ain't fun anymore. Of course, I feel that way to some extent on warm days too.

I think the problem for some of us in during this most recent cold snap is expectations. I expect to freeze my booty off riding in December, but in April? That's just cruel. I feel like I'm in the middle of a really long April Fool's Day joke!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

...The problem for me isn't the cold per se, but the wind. Once it gets over about 15 mph on a 28-degree day, it just ain't fun anymore. Of course, I feel that way to some extent on warm days too.

I think the problem for some of us in during this most recent cold snap is expectations. I expect to freeze my booty off riding in December, but in April? That's just cruel. I feel like I'm in the middle of a really long April Fool's Day joke!

Yes I agree the wind chill makes it colder. High wind makes cold riding impossible, but wind under 15mph isn't so bad.
I do understand about the April Fool's joke. But I try to think of it as bonus time where we don't have to cut grass or do any weeding yet! I'm pretty much ignoring my gardens because they are still semi-hibernating. That gives me more time to blow off yard chores and get on my bike!

[silver]

Silver I'm right there with you. It has been 4 days since I've been on my bike and I'm going crazy. I plan to ride tomorrow afternoon come h*ll or high water (neither is expected here in Shelbyville). The temps are suppose to break the 50's so I'm going to be brave and ride (hand and feet warmers will be activated). The rest of the week is hit or miss (cool and/or rain). I wish normal temperatures would return!

I ride over to ride with ya.....OK? a century and a half!