How Was Your Commute Today?

[lph]

Layers! Make a note of which layers you need at which temps, and peel off accordingly for the ride home. I can be wearing 3 or 4 layers when it's really cold, which means it takes ages to get dressed but I can always adjust to the temps. Getting too hot and sweaty can get you colder in the long run than being dressed jsut right.

[blackhillsbiker]

I do pretty well with layers until I get to the last one. I don't have a good way of getting the down jacket home without wearing it. I carry several options for hats/gloves/balaclavas, etc. My commuter bag just won't fit the jacket. When it's above zero, I have a combination of wool, fleece and windbreaker that works very well and allows me to peel or add as needed. It's just when it's really cold that I'm stuck. I'll get it figured out before next week, though. Today I'm only going in for a few hours and I think I'm just going to go in the car with DH.

Deb

[Becky]

I don't have a good way of getting the down jacket home without wearing it.

What about a small compression sack, like those that backpackers use for sleeping bags? Down is pretty squishy and compacts well.

Or those travel Space Bag things that they're always advertising on TV!

[skhill]

My coldest ride yet! Sunday morning, 6 F, and I was going to just go ahead and drive. But then I took a look at the car, and realized it'd likely take me nearly as long to scrape the car as to get where I was going on my bike, so why not?

But no helmet, I'm afraid-- the thin but warm balaclava I wear under my helmet was damp because I had worn it on my run a little earlier. And I ended up taking off my glasses because they were so fogged up. I'm just glad there was no ice and very little traffic....

[blackhillsbiker]

More "freezing fog." I wish the balaclava and I could come to some kind of understanding. It gets wet and miserable so I remove it and my face freezes. I'm going to try a merino wool one to see if it's any better. Other than that, it was beautiful with the frosted trees.

Deb

[Melalvai]

The only reason I had to get on my bike today was to visit the bike shop for maintenance. So I did. I biked to bike! High today: 15F.

New brake pads. I love that pitch-me-over-the-handlebars new brake pad feeling.

Bike-shop-Mark refused to put on a new chain. He said he doesn't like to put on a new chain in this weather because it'll be crap by the time I get home from the salt on the roads. He knows I plan to replace the cassette in the spring anyway. He cleaned up the old one for me, which was nice of him.

Getting to the bike shop was comfortable. I went down the street for a hair cut, and getting back into my exterior layers, everything was a bit damp and uncomfortable from the sweat. It wasn't until I got to the big hill that I finally warmed up. You sure learn to love those hills, those hills that you were hating on all summer, in this kind of weather!

[lph]

Oooh. Back on bike after long Christmas vacation. Woke up to the radio guy saying -14 deg C (7 F) and a fair bit of wind, so I dressed to the nines:

- shorts, wool boy shorts, thin wool tights, PI AmFib tights
- wool bra, wicking layer with windproof front, thin wool layer, winter jacket
- wool socks, winter shoes, roomy Goretex shoe covers
- thin wool glove liners, PI lobster gloves
- vaseline on cheekbones, nose and mouth, buff-with-a-hole pulled up to my eyes and nicely glued into place by the vaseline, thin wool balaclava, thin windproof helmet cap.

It felt like putting on armour before a battle. Got on my bike and wow! I felt invincible
Romped on down over a thin layer of skiddy snow, half the gears worked - no matter, I just thumped the front der. with my heel when necessary - rolled over intersections with all my gazillion lights flashing, and just felt like the queen of the universe. Got to work 50 minutes later comfortably warm all over.

I loooooove winter biking.