Newbie lessons learned about biking in the approaching cold weather

[OakLeaf]

I have a lot of wool, it's been kind of irking me for cold weather riding because it sort of absorbs moisture when I sweat. So I stop riding or pause, and all of a sudden I'm absolutely freezing because I'm wearing moist wool.

That really doesn't sound like wool behavior. What wool is well known for is being warm even when wet, which is why it's favored by sailors and sweaty athletes.

Is your gear 100% wool, or is it a wool blend? Even 70% is enough to keep my things warm and dry, and I sweat a LOT.

[pardes]

back to wet wool - I've gone head over teakettle into a raceway at a trout hatchery, in November (icy cold water, snow on the ground).

Now THAT is a challenging job.

On the other hand, Pardes said she's allergic to wool, so all this is absolutely MOOT! Moot, I say. Which leads us back to Catriona's suggestions.

"...absolutely MOOT! Moot, I say." That was very funny.

With all the great suggestions here, I found some great microfleece alternatives and just ordered a balaclava (that is a weird word, if you ask me) and I found some decent tights and for good measure a couple of neck gaiters (one or a hat, one for the neck if the balaclava doesn't work). So BRING on the cold weather!

[Cataboo]

That really doesn't sound like wool behavior. What wool is well known for is being warm even when wet, which is why it's favored by sailors and sweaty athletes.

Is your gear 100% wool, or is it a wool blend? Even 70% is enough to keep my things warm and dry, and I sweat a LOT.

My wool's 100% merino wool - icebreaker 260 weight. The bras are patagonia sports bras, also wicking. I was biking in ibex or smartwool short sleeve tops this summer, and I was definitely making them moist as well. Apparently, if you sweat a lot, I must sweat absolute buckets.

As long as I'm moving I'm fine, when I stop, the wind blows through it, I lose the warmth of exertion and wet wool sucks.

Wearing a camelbak on my back pretty much ensures that sweat gets trapped back there.

I've been using some pullover REI softshell top that I bought a few years back and it's working better than the wool does for me. It unzips down to my navel, so I can adjust the amount of ventilation I'm getting as I'm riding.

It's sort of sad because I've been doing away with most of my wicking stuff the last few years and stocking up on wool... And now I'm bringing all my synthetic wicking stuff back into circulation. But this is the first year I've biked this much, previously just used my wool for kayaking, camping, and skiing. Or to wear around and be blissful in my wool luciousness.

[SouthernBelle]

I think with wool and the cold, layers are the key. You need a baselayer to wick and outer layers to protect.

I also think that if you are standing still long enough, you'll get chilled.

Sometimes after a longer ride, I'll get home and be hungry so I won't change right away. I get chilled from the sweat even though I'm in my warm house.

Brrr. Winter.

[bmccasland]

I've gone head over teakettle into a raceway at a trout hatchery, in November (icy cold water, snow on the ground).

Now THAT is a challenging job.

Not really. Start with permanent vertigo. Have all your attention on the lovely rainbow trout swimming in the raceway that you need to catch, reach over with your dip-net, and discover that it's deeper than your thought ... sooo reach, reach, reach.
And fall in.

At least the water was fairly deep, so I didn't get hurt. Fish raceways are not exactly designed to be diving pools.

[Geonz]

Dumping into a trout hatchery, indeed! I'm impressed!!!

I'm much *less* allergic to cats than I was when I came out here. I shared a house with them, but kept them in other rooms, adn every time one came near me ... welp, sometimes I'd just have to pet the critter, and then I'd go wash my hands.
You know, I didn't so much as catch a cold for two full years. However, the allergies abated and so did the habit, and my immune system returned to "above average." Note to self: It's October. Pretend you're petting cats again!! (Leaving room to wash hands)

I'm still allergic to wool... and down... and pretty much anything from an animal if it's *next* to my skin.

I just splurged on a jacket from Cheepa nd Steep earlier today. I hope it gets here before Monday when we'll have a hard freeze - but I never did find my parka wehn I moved and found that wearing two jackets worked even better. I figure if I'm wearing five layers, I look like Michelin Mama but road rash will avoid me, and when spring comes people are sure I've lost 15 pounds!

[pardes]

Not really. Start with permanent vertigo. Have all your attention on the lovely rainbow trout swimming in the raceway that you need to catch, reach over with your dip-net, and discover that it's deeper than your thought ... sooo reach, reach, reach. And fall in.

Don't care, I'm still impressed. First of all rainbow trout are beautiful to behold and I think you still agree with that.....and I understand what you mean about the vertigo of rushing water. As a kid I used to watch rainbow trout in a creek and was always amazed at the disorienting feeling of concentrating on one object within a moving background. I always thought it was magic.

...wehn I moved and found that wearing two jackets worked even better. I figure if I'm wearing five layers, I look like Michelin Mama but road rash will avoid me, and when spring comes people are sure I've lost 15 pounds!

I agree. I was thinking it could even be useful to put my thin windbreaker somewhere in the middle to really block the wind. The experimenting is fun! And you are right, they will think we've lost hundreds of pounds in the spring when we stop wearing so many layers!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I never did find my parka wehn I moved and found that wearing two jackets worked even better. I figure if I'm wearing five layers, I look like Michelin Mama but road rash will avoid me, and when spring comes people are sure I've lost 15 pounds!

I was thinking it could even be useful to put my thin windbreaker somewhere in the middle to really block the wind. The experimenting is fun! And you are right, they will think we've lost hundreds of pounds in the spring when we stop wearing so many layers!

Hey you two, don't forget to pack a patch kit and a pump, in case your 'cocoons' blow a hole somewhere! Attachment 7663

[pardes]

Oh GAWD, now every time I'm wearing sixteen layered jackets, I'll see a MIchelin man...er woman in my head ready to blow a flat.

Surely everyone here remembers getting bundled up in a snowsuit by your mother so tightly that you couldn't move and looked like an astronaut who couldn't move their arms or legs and just bounced around.

God love our mothers.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Oh GAWD, now every time I'm wearing sixteen layered jackets, I'll see a MIchelin man...er woman in my head ready to blow a flat.

Ha ha! Make sure you put out that cigar, too.

Surely everyone here remembers getting bundled up in a snowsuit by your mother so tightly that you couldn't move and looked like an astronaut who couldn't move their arms or legs and just bounced around.

I was the one in ripped Salvation Army jackets and cotton pants with the sleeves and legs way too short, my wrists and sneakers getting full of snow. Snowsuit?- not in my world.
Now I'm grown up and I'm thrilled to have wonderful warm clothes. Merino......droooool....
All my life I froze and hated winter. Now I love it and love being out in it walking, biking, and snowshoeing.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

After a challenging day, nothing is better than firing up the laptop and seeing the Michelin man on a bike smokin a stogie. HAHA. He is now my wallpaper.

About wool...I have wool socks and a wool 'flimsy' shirt. This ls shirt is very thin, but it keeps you so warm. I never realized that I should be looking at more wool things because if that insulation power of the flimsy shirt says anything...

Pardes-have you checked sierratradingpost.com for leggings, etc? One of the best places to find wool stuff. I got the flimsy shirt from their store in Reno. Boy do I miss going in there!!!

[Biciclista]

I was the one in ripped Salvation Army jackets and cotton pants with the sleeves and legs way too short, my wrists and sneakers getting full of snow. Snowsuit?- not in my world.

Yeah, remember how it felt when some grownup took your rubber rain boots off your frozen feet and started rubbing them hard to "get the circulation moving again" ?
we were little, we didn't have good snow wear, but we sure wanted to go out and play!
and then when all our clothes were wet, we couldn't go out anymore; and had to watch the OTHER kids playing in our snow fort.

[pardes]

Lisa, so sorry about the bad old days. I had my share too but they didn't involve not having warm enough clothes, they were the kind you don't talk about because you are too ashamed and then you end up a warped adult and THEN start talking about it to iron the million warps out of your psyche. Finally.

Yes, I know what you mean about the joy of being able to dress warmly after being cold due to someone else's "oversight." In my case, I had surgery for a brain tumor in 1994 which was a grand success. The only exception was the fact that it totally screwed up my thermostat and I bought more coats and jackets and warm fuzzy things to wear than I bought in my combined 49 years that I had been alive before that. I'm not quite so cold-blooded now but I still buy more coats than I'll ever wear out. I think I must still be compensating for that first year after surgery when I could NEVER get warm no matter what I wore.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I'm not quite so cold-blooded now but I still buy more coats than I'll ever wear out. I think I must still be compensating for that first year after surgery when I could NEVER get warm no matter what I wore.

I think when the body is under stress it has a harder time keeping itself warm, since some energy is funneled off to healing particular areas. Great that your surgery was such a success!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

After a challenging day, nothing is better than firing up the laptop and seeing the Michelin man on a bike smokin a stogie. HAHA. He is now my wallpaper.

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