Riding in the Holiday Season: December Rides!

[north woods gal]

Thanks for asking. Okay, here goes. Way, way different than any other kind of bicycling.

For the legs, an outer windproof insulated bike specific legging with thermal underwear leggings underneath. Over the top of both, my padded shorts. It's important to use the shorts over the top to tuck in everything tight in the crotch area. Too much loose fabric, there, and the fabric hangs up on the seat when you mount the bike. This is actually a big deal, because mounting the bike in the snow is no easy feat since the tires have so little roll. You've got to hit the seat and the pedals, hard, simultaneously, with the bike almost stationary underneath you. You can't stand on the pedals, either, to get started. All that gets you is a rear tire sliding out in the snow. Have to have that weight on the seat for the sake of traction.

For the feet, standard, non-bike specific thermal pac boots with two layers of socks. This is why so many of us up here have ditched our clipless setups and gone with flat pedals. You can buy bike specific winter pac boots with the clipless setup, but they are insanely expensive and the ones I've seen are even heavier than standard pac boots, plus clipless is a regular pain the ### in the snow. Always getting clogged up. Even have a cheapo set of pacs from Wal-mart that work just fine. Even with these boots, I'm only good for two hours, max, at below zero temps.

Top is an old bike specific winter jacket I bought, years, ago, in Chicago. Use as many layers of fleece tops underneath as needed. Over-dressing, here, is always tricky. Even in below zero temps, I can over-dress and start to sweat after a time. That's a big no-no when it's below zero.

For the hands, I use standard, non-bike specific wool mittens underneath neoprene bike bar mitts. This is a super setup and has eliminated the cold hands problem, entirely. Mittens work fine with today's thumb shifters, all the more so on the 1x setups that most of my bikes have. No shifting needed on the left hand with a 1x.

Face and neck area are the biggest headaches. In below zero temps, any exposed skin is asking to get frostbite. I will use a balaclava if need be, but I hate them when riding. Always seem to need repositioning as a I ride. Can usually do just as well with the right stocking cap and a set of biking ear muffs and a scarf. I like the scarf. I can use it and adjust it to my liking easier then the balaclava. Lastly, in serious below zero, good ski goggles are an absolute must. Your eyes and face will take a real beating, otherwise. Same ones I use for my XC skiing. In fact, a lot of these clothing items are also used for my XC skiing. And of course, all this MUST be used with the helmet. Going down in the ice and snow at some point is almost a sure thing. I NEVER rode without a helmet. NEVER. No matter what the weather.

For sure, getting ready and dressed for a ride is not spontaneous just hop on the bike and ride thing. I've got it down to a fifteen to twenty minutes thing, now, though, when you're new to this, you'll need more time.

Lastly, yes, getting this bundled up and trying to ride robs you of a lot of efficiency. You will burn up a lot more calories per pedal cycle, not to mention the bike, itself, operating at very low efficiency. Trust me, a five mile ride on even hard pack snow, even with that snow on a paved road, is a REAL workout. My average speed on the same trails I ride in the summer gets cut in half in the winter. If you're out of shape, you won't last long in snow riding. My daily riding and conditioning in warm weather really pays off, here.

Okay, by now you may be wondering why on earth anyone would go to this much effort just to ride bike in the snow and cold. What can I say? I love the challenge. Everything in my technique gets trickier in the snow - turns, climbs just staying on the narrow trail through the snow. Virtually zero margin of error, now.

More than that, however, there's just something about hearing that crunch of the tires in the snow as I pedal, the enchanting solitude and quiet of the woods in the winter, that beautiful clean cold air. Heaven help me, I love it so.