Yo! Aussie & Kiwi Ladies-how is "winter"

[crazycanuck]

Hey ladies,

I believe "Winter" has arrived. (at least i think it's winter?)

I'm not complaining about "winter" if it is here. Who can complain about 20C daytime temperatures in winter! Ok, it might be 5C at night but that's not cold. pwah!

Are you ladies still on yer bikes? Thistle, are you still out there commuting?

Whilst we're at it, why is it that only one body part gets cold in the morning? Only my ankle gets a bit cold for some reason.

Bring on the rain I say. I'm ready: I have my extra set of cycling gear at work for those crappy rainy days, my oh so nice MEC rain jacket ( http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1179651914261) , Witches Britches(well they're on thier way..) for those coldish mornings, my AV buff and a nice Ground Effect sweater (http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/produc...84af2b1552a5c8)

How is your winter?

C

[nomummytummy]

It's not really winter here yet - even in NZ. Usually it's really cold and we'v ehad a few southerly storms by now - but it just keeps on being nice. As a newie to cycling, I am a little unsure about the winter getup. I have some ground effect jitterbubs - they are shorter than witches britsches - and leg warmers, which i took out for the first time today. Not really sure the leg warmers were needed, but it looked cold from our window. (Doesn't the idea of owning something called "witches britches" just sound great!)

I get really hot when I exercise & am unsure what to actually buy for winter. too much clothing & I will want to give up & cool down, but not enough won;t be much fun either. What do you experienced riders wear? Who else gets really hot compared to others you know & how do you face winter?

Many thanx

[crazycanuck]

Hey!

I was wondering if it was fall..It's the same weather here during both fall & winter over here in Perth!

Where in NZ are you? Welcome to TE! Always nice to have another chickie from the Southern Hemisphere on the board.

I agree with you about it being hard deciding what to wear cycling during fall/winter. I have an idea of what certain temps feel like & know if i'll need my arm warmers or just my vest.

Hard to explain but I guess you just get used to knowing what to wear. If you're in Auckland I'd suggest some serious wet weather gear! Either that or float with the ducks. If you're in Christchurch i'd ask KiwiGirl but if you're on the North Island ask RoadRaven.

Happy cycling!

c

[Thistle]

hey crazy

i havent been back on my bike since coming down with whooping cough

am thinking i will get back on for a ride next week. am going stir-crazy not being on the bike.

winter is definitely here, i'll be rugging up next time i ride. DH rode in the other day with his balaclava and hurricane-force gloves... but admitted he was a little over-dressed. we havent had any sub-zero temps yet.

[kiwi girl]

I went to Hanmer for the weeked - BF had to go there for work and I got to take my bike and hoon around the forest

There was a touch of frost about there on Saturday - but then it is 20 degrees C in Christchurch today - weird. We haven't had a frost here yet and so far I have only needed my full finger gloves on a couple of commutes.

The good thing is that going to Hanmer meant I finally put the knobblies back on my mountain bike after using slicks for my Aussie adventure - because my mountain bike with knobblies is my snow bike if needed (hopefully not for a few months yet).

[kiwi girl]

hi there noMummytummy

I get really hot when exercising too (and that was even before the hot flushes I've been getting of late )

I am a ground effect chick through and through - and for me (in Chrsitchurch) witches britches are enough even in winter on the bottom.

On the top in winter I go for a starfish with a jetson over the top. I have a fleece (the womens version of the cadence which I can't find on the latest website) which I wear for my short (3.5k) commute, but I find it too hot for a longer ride

[lph]

aaawww - looky them, aren't they cute, calling it "winter"....

20 C during the day and 5 C at night is the same as the lovely balmy days of early summer we're having here...

(But to be slightly on-topic - the most important thing to me when it gets chilly is not many layers, but a single windstopping layer all over. I'll use long tights, full-finger gloves and a thin skull cap long before I start adding extra layers under my jacket.)

[crazycanuck]

Thistle! I do hope you feel better soon I know what it's like not to be able to ride.

KiwiGirl-how was your mtn bike ride in Hamner?

I am impressed with Ground Effect & will continue to shop with them. Their customer service is great & they're oh so friendly.( I think one of the chickies is Canadian )

Lph-The reason i say "Winter"is..I'm Canadian & winter is not 20C!!!! Its -20C!!! I giggle when I see people with heavy coats & gloves on when it's 15C outside!

Happy riding!

c

[mimitabby]

Does it ever snow down under? Sorry for the dumb question.

[RoadRaven]

Well, very mild here in the Bay
But that is not good news for me/mine.
We are on a farm, and the ground is rapidly getting too cold for the grass to grow even if it does rain
We are at the beginning of a winter drought, and our stock are facing a tough few months.
We cant sell any more as everybody is quitting their animals, so we'll just have to try and carry them through as best we can...

If we weren't farming, I would be loving this "winter"
(Its winter solstice in just a month, so def winter here)

[Laterider21958]

Icy, gusty winds with episodes of heavy rain on the way to work. Lots of icy wind during the day and then a heavy downpour as I got home from work. Must say, I was glad I drove the car! (I guess I'm not a dedicated cyclist yet.)

[beetle]

Well for a soft Sydneysider I think it is definitely winter - well at 0600 on sat mornings it feels like it.

CC - I ordered some GE witches britches the other day too. Am a big fan, I got to try them on a couple of not too early rides in Canberra on the weekend. To be honest I won't bother with full tights after using them, they will be quite enough for an aussie winter. I am going to have to sort out my feet though, even in a very daggy pair of toasty hiking socks my toes were v numb after 90mins.

Notummymummy - love your avatar! is that your bub?

On the snow topic, my husband comes from Hobart and yes one Christmas when visiting his parents there was snow on top of Mt Wellington.

[RoadRaven]

So, icey gusty sleet and snow in Invercargill today
Torrential downpours in the last week or so north and west of me here in the North Island.

But here in Hawkes Bay we are entering our 10th month of low/no rainfall.
We had 7mm in May, and non so far this month.
The ground is dry and brown and my son complains it is hard to hunt rabbits because of the crunching underfoot (dry grass) as he walks.

There is virtually no food left for our animals, there have been gale force westerlies for nearly a week.

This looks like the summer parching of February, or the Spring equinoxal winds ... not like the approach of mid-winter and solstice

[crazycanuck]

RR-I do hope you recieve some rain the next month or so.
I saw the news story on the NZ Herald site about the severe weather warning and didn't see any mention of rain
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/...ectid=10444151

I think most of the farmers in Australia understand how you feel about very little rain.

Here's hoping for rain in Hawke's bay!

C

[Oscarjane]

Rode this morning and must admit it was the coldest I have ridden this year. This is my first winter on the bike so don't know what to expect, but this morning was very very cold, but at least once the sun came up it was a clear day and not foggy. Temp was around 2 at 6am this morning