New to winter riding - what clothes I must have?

[OakLeaf]

Blissfully, I never have problems when riding.

Same for me - and I'm allergic to freakin' everything, too. Exertion suppresses the immune system and gives me a great deal of relief.

Now, once I get home from having pollen forced into my eyes and respiratory system at however fast I'm riding, it's another story ...

Thank my lucky stars that wool is one of the few things that doesn't bother me. Because I am a total wool addict.

[lph]

(To the OP): Poly/cotton/wool etc - When choosing a good base layer to wear in winter, you have to consider how much you sweat. And how much you will need to stop. Wet=cold=dangerous if it's cold out, so you need to keep as dry as possible. You can generate a lot of heat moving, but it disappears fast once you stop. The difference between your own heat output and the ambient temperature becomes very noticeable in winter.

If you ride slowly, keep moving and don't sweat, you can wear anything, even cotton. If you go all out and ride hard, you will sweat, and then you'd better be wearing a base layer that wicks well, and not stop more than a minute here or there. Most of us will be somewhere in between, and our suggestions will be based on what keeps us reasonably dry and comfortable.

[Seajay]

(To the OP): And how much you will need to stop. Wet=cold=dangerous if it's cold out, so you need to keep as dry as possible. You can generate a lot of heat moving, but it disappears fast once you stop.

If you ride at high exertion it is often too hot to use a rain jacket. We used just get wet in moderate rain. We had to dress as if we were NOT going to stop riding. Then we carried a cheap, non breathable rain jacket and a warm hat in our back pockets.
Flat, Unplanned stop etc....Pull that jacket and hat on to seal in the heat.

Probably not a good plan for rides alone out in the middle of nowhere, but worked well for groups near civilization.

[OakLeaf]

I keep a reflective emergency blanket in my seat pack. It stays there all the time, right next to my spare tube, because even when temperatures are in the 50s or 60s, hypothermia is possible if I should have a crash or a mechanical.

I agree with Seajay, whether it's desirable or even possible to stay dry depends on the kind of ride. If you're heading somewhere you won't be able to change clothes, then dress to stay dry and scale down your exertion to avoid sweating. If you'll be riding hard and/or long, wool and stowed outerwear are the best way to be sure you stay warm if you should have to stop.

[lph]

If you ride at high exertion it is often too hot to use a rain jacket. We used just get wet in moderate rain.

Ok, I should have specified that I was talking about sub-freezing temperatures, and getting wet from the inside, from sweating. To me rain isn't winter :-D

Which was a pointless assumption on my part, because keeping warm in cold rain is actually a lot harder than in severe "winter" cold. I agree, it's often too hot to use a rain jacket, and the only ones I've found work well have massive vents everywhere. Best you can do may be to get wettish.

[Seajay]

Ok, I should have specified that I was talking about sub-freezing temperatures

[lph]

*snork* :-D

[hike n bike]

I have just finished an excellent book : the ultimate hikers gear guide by Andrew Skurka. ( free, at the library) It has many crossover ideas for light gear in extreme and varied climates that easily apply to biking. He says for cheap price the polar fleece keeps you very warm at a low cost. I agree! I used a fleece jacket the other week in weather that ended up in hail. Most of the ride I had the jacket open then as the rain came I closed the zipper. I have an emergency rain cover that fits into a plastic ball that looks like a Christmas ornament. This ball I had clipped on to the back of my saddle. It is just a light almost "cling wrap" material that has a hood my helmet fits into. It kept me dry though it made a lot of noise! I got it for free at some feed store for riding horses out on trail but I'm sure you could find one at a super low cost. A garbage bag always works in a pinch too. None of these will breathe obviously. But they do keep you dry. This so far, is my best set up. I love my new windbreaker jacket, liked with wool- but it is either too hot or the lack of breathability annoys me.
It was hard to see however, in all that rain. I thought boy this rain really hits your face HARD! Then I realized it was hail! oops! How do you see well in rain, hail, snow while moving along on the bike? What do motorcyclists do?

[OakLeaf]

What do motorcyclists do?

It's a WHOLE lot easier when you have a face shield you can wipe off! Most motorcycling gloves even come with a squeegee built into the left index finger.

You could try RainX on your glasses, which is another thing that motorcyclists use on their faceshields to reduce fogging and allow rain to bead off. But, it leaves a sheen that a lot of people don't like, and on glasses it might be too close to your eyes and nose, since who knows what's in that stuff.

It's been so long ago that I forgot that besides peripheral vision, rain vision was another reason I decided to get contact lenses when I was racing bikes. Cheap sunglasses are easy to shake and/or wipe off, or just go without when the rain's so heavy that you can't see and you're going so slow anyway that you're in less danger from things flying into your eyes, than you are from riding into a hole or running over something you can't see.

[rebeccaC]

How do you see well in rain, hail, snow while moving along on the bike? What do motorcyclists do?

A cap with a bill will help keep rain off glasses. A friend in Portland Or. commutes year round and has a waterproof cap that she uses under her helmet on a rainy day to help keep rain off her face.

[ny biker]

I recently did a ride in light-moderate rain, and I used a Gore-Tex helmet cover. I wore it on a helmet with a visor, and it covered the whole thing. I found that the rain just dripped off the front, far enough from my face to keep the water out of my eyes.

I don't know how well it would work in heavy rain. I hope it's a long time before I find out, since I'm not a big fan of riding in those conditions.

[rebeccaC]

I recently did a ride in light-moderate rain, and I used a Gore-Tex helmet cover. I wore it on a helmet with a visor, and it covered the whole thing. I found that the rain just dripped off the front, far enough from my face to keep the water out of my eyes.

I don't know how well it would work in heavy rain. I hope it's a long time before I find out, since I'm not a big fan of riding in those conditions.

I remember reading a study that found a cover over the helmet had a little more grip on the pavement in an accident causing more load/strain on the neck, especially for children. That was a few years ago when I taught some children to ride. Maybe more studies on newer fabrics have changed that.

[OakLeaf]

Is it any cover at all? Or was that talking about the old helmets that had ONLY a fabric cover over the EPS, and no hard plastic shell? So it wasn't only that the fabric caught the pavement, but the EPS dug in. That's why those were taken off the market.

[rebeccaC]

It was on a polycarbonate shell. Compared to both a rounder and aero shape with no cover so the study was after aero shapes became popular. It only rains here a few days a year so I have no need .....personally I'd just wear a cap or maybe a helmet with a long enough visor if I had glasses.

[Seajay]

I remember reading a study that found a cover over the helmet had a little more grip on the pavement in an accident causing more load/strain on the neck,.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe there's an older study comparing the foam helmets with lycra covers. (stick instead of slide) vs the plastic microshell systems more common today. (more slip less stick)
I could see a study saying that putting a "sticky fabric" cover over the microshell may cause similar issues. Maybe this is the study RC saw.

There has been some talk about the MIPS system where torque is reduced by the outer shell rotating against the inner shell. I imagine this will catch on over time. POC helmets and Laser kids helmets have this system already.

Seajay