REALLY Cold-Weather Riding
by: sanelson@mmm.com (Steve A. Nelson)
Date: 12 Sep 1996 05:52:40 GMT
Okay, I've added an MTB to my stable (so now my "stable" has 2 bikes in it) in
hopes of continuing commuting to work by bike through the Minnesota winter.
On my road bike the ride takes about 60 minutes in the spring after the snow
and ice melts but the temp still hovers below freezing most mornings, so I'm
figuring that it will take an hour or more on the mountain bike once it gets
good and cold out. I think I've got most of the bike equipment close enough;
now it's time to start worrying about clothing. Anyone have experience
commuting for an hour or more on plowed-but-still-coated-with-snowpack-and-ice
roads in sub-zero temps? Wind happens, too. What are your favorite clothes
for this kind of riding? Feet? Warm boots and forget clipless, maybe even
forget clips? Grip-shifting makes down mittens possible. Ski goggles. But
how to stay warm in the legs and torso and arms without being too bulky to
enjoy pedaling? I need to start spending money, and I'm sure I'm not the
first to be determined to bash his way across snow and ice to get to work.
Opinions, please?
--Steve
Opinions expressed herein are my own and may not represent those of my employer.
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My commute is only about 30 min in the winter, but anyway, make sure you don't
get too hot. I used to wear a lot of clothes (big jacket, long undies, etc.)
but found that I got sweaty quick. Now, I wear a pair of jeans, a polartec
shirt (if it's pretty cold), a windbreaker, and of course gloves. A good
but lightweight balaclava is very nice for keeping your neck and face warm
(and they stop windburn). The heavyweight balaclavas make you too hot.
On really cold days, I wear wind/rain pants over my jeans, or maybe even
long johns. On your ride, you will start out cold, but warm up quickly.
The trick is not to sweat too much, or you will freeze
if you have to stop.
Hope this helps a bit. I think there's some more
tips in the FAQ.
--
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Don Finan "A real hoopy frood who knows
dfinan@ucs.indiana.edu where his towel is."
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OK.. this is what I use.. you may want to adjust
this to suit yourself.
Once there is ice on the ground I wear hiking boots with a good couple of
pairs of socks. If there is a lot of snow, I wear gaiters too. You probably do
not want clips or clipless. If the bike starts to slide you need to be able to
react fast, faster than clips/clipless will allow. (been there, done that).
You will be going much slower in ice and snow than on plain tarmac. Allow at
least 50% over the normal time.
Head: 0 to -6 fleece headband (to cover the ears), Ski goggles. and helmet
-6 to -12 same plus lightweight balaclava
below -12 same plus quaffiah (light cotton scarf) tucked under the bottom edge
of the ski mask and into the jacket.
This keeps all the wind off your face, whilst still allowing you to breathe,
see, and turn your head.
Torso: 0 to -6 lightweight thermal top (Polartec 100 would be ideal) and a
pertex windbreaker (home made so no trade names I'm afraid though Ron Hill do
a good one)
below -6 goretex mountaineering jacket. As it gets colder I add more layers
under the jacket.
Hands: around zero, full finger cycling gloves.
around -3 and below light fleece gloves inside breathable heavyweight
over-mitts (Also home made but check out people like mountain technology)(these
allow you to just pull off the mitts and your hands still stay warm). As it
gets colder, add a mid layer mitt (fleece/wool/whatever). It is easy enough to
operate any bar mounted gears with these (though grip shift may be a bit
tricky if you don't have much grip)
Legs: 0 to -6 Ron Hill tracksters (brushed knitted nylon tights, everyone in
the UK uses them for walking, climbing etc. Dead good on a bike) with a pair
of long johns.
-6 to -14 as above but with a pair of breathable over-trousers.
below -14 as above but add a pair of fleece trousers
as a mid layer.
This is basically all mountaineering gear. I didn't need to buy anything new
for the cycling.
Have I missed anything?
The bike:
Lubricate all the gears and brake cables well. If you get snow freezing into
them then they may be rather uncooperative, just when you need the gear the
most.
Lights. Both on the bike, and I also use a head torch which just fits over the
helmet.
Studded tyres on the bike. If there is ice and snow allow twice the journey
time. Have fun. It'll improve your balance wonderfully (riding on 1/2 inch of
fresh snow on top of smooth sheet ice is an interesting
experience).
.d
* David Martin - Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis research group *
* http://www.uio.no/~damartin/ david.martin@biotek.uio.no
*
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I don't know about wearing jeans in subzero winter weather. But bicycling
clothing can be remarkably thin and effective down to -15F (the limit
of my testing). Beware. Especially for a 1 hour+ commute. If you
have to stop, bicycling clothing becomes merely remarkably
thin.
For T < +15F, consider carrying a stuffable down jacket in a stuff sack.
Strap the sack to your rack. The stuff sack does
not need to be waterproof.
Gary Madine
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I wish you well, I commute all winter but in a much nicer climate. The
hands are the first to get cold, the down mittens are the way to go. I
think your torso will stay warm with minimum insulation because you are
working, layering is the way to go with a wind proof layer on top. You'll
want a ski mask type thing for your face. I wonder if you won't want
clips so you won't have to concentrate on where your feet are though the
soles of heavy shoes while riding over ridges of
frozen slush.
Keep riding through the fall and you will find yourself adapting to the
cold as it increases. I've seen postings from Canadians about riding in
the winter, hopefully you'll hear from some of them.
Tom Gibb <TBGibb@aol.com>
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I road all winter long here in the east last year. It was a long
snowy winter. I use wind proof tights that are fleece lined with
normal long tights underneath. A regular jersey with a combination
of layers according to temp topped with a windproof fleece lined riding
jacket. Ski goggles are a must in the wind and snow. I have winter
gloves from pearl izumi. Now you get very warm riding like this and
you are O.K. down to about 15° F but if you brake down or flat you
can get in trouble. The biggest problem I have is my feet. The problem
is the snow builds up on your shoes and melts freezing your feet. Be
careful not to overdress. Drive the car on those
-10° F days!
Stan Schweitzer a.k.a. Biff Master
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Bikers aren't faced with conditions that are any harsher then XC skiers
here in the frozen northland. Here's what I wear
when it's REALLY cold:
Head: head gaiter and polypro balaclava. I don't wear goggles because
of fogging. I use a Gortex helmet cover on an old Giro Prolight
Hands: Ski gloves with thinsulate and polypro glove liners.
Torso: Coolmax singlet, polypro shirt and a polyester rain jacket with
vents under the arms. Sounds like it's not much, but it's good
over an amazing temp range. If it's windy, I may wear two
polypro shirts.
Legs: bike shorts and ski tights with insulation on the front
Feet: Gortex outer socks, mid-weight wool socks and thin silk inner
socks. Don't let it get too tight or you'll reduce circulation,
which will make your feet cold.
I do use clipless because I like them. If I think a patch of road looks
too slick, I get off and walk the bike. If that makes me a wimp, fine.
I'm a wimp with unbroken hips.
If your feet get very cold, get off your bike and run it for a minute or
two.
If you feel like your a bit too warm, open a zipper or take something off.
Once you're soaked with sweat, you've got a problem.
I don't bike for a day or two after a snowfall. It takes that long to
clear the roads to the curbs. I'm not worried about whether I can get
through. I'm concerned about the folks in cars, some of whom do some
amazingly stupid things, especially if they see no
danger to themselves.
One final thought: don't get into a macho mindset. Some folks think
that the best rider is the person who NEVER drives their car and NEVER
walks their bike regardless of the road and weather conditions. IMO,
there is a difference between dedication and mindless obsession. Decide
what your goals are. If your goal is to maintain fitness, then you don't
have to bike every day. If you're riding because you enjoy it, you don't
have to ride when it's miserable out. Of course, if you want the
toughest-SOB-on-the-planet bragging rights, you must
bike every day.
Dave LaPorte
Beginning Road Racing Program
St. Paul Bicycle Racing Club
david-l@microbe.med.umn.edu
612/639-1771 (Home)
612/625-4983 (Work)
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If you're going to ride here in Minnesota in the winter, you need to
dress properly. It's really not much different from the way cross-
country skiers dress but with more wind protection since you're
going faster and using fewer muscles (thereby generating less heat).
I find that the following helps:
1. Head covering; I use a cycling cap, a polypro balaclava or a fleece
skullcap--- think "wicking!" This all fits under my helmet
pretty easily (NOT all at once <g>).
2. Hand coverings: Pearl Izumi Lobster Gloves or, if it's really
cold, poly-fleece mittens with leather chopper over-mitts
(I usually ride a fixed gear in colder weather).
3. Feet coverings: I use wool skiing socks (Fox River) and some home-
made sheepskin insoles (***Huge*** improvement). I still use
either neoprene booties or Aqua-No booties, but I'm still not
happy with either as they breathe poorly. I want to make some
sheepskin booties, too. Dry feet are warm feet!
4. Wind protection: I use a Pearl Izumi wind vest (nylon front, mesh
back), a PI (uncoated) nylon cycling jacket, etc., on my
torso.
5. Wool. Wool jersey, wool tights, wool cycling shorts under the
tights. I may buy wool T-shirts if I can find some. It
wicks wonderfully and doesn't stink after 10 minutes (though
I do have the aroma of wet dog by the time I get home). If
it's really chilly, I'll put on an old thin ragg wool crew-
neck sweater. If I keep my head warm, I can remove one layer
on my torso.
Needless to say, at less than zero I start to look like the Michelin
Man! Personally, I have never been happy with the performance of
synthetics for cycling. I have good luck with them for snowshoeing,
moderate luck for cross-country skiing...
When it's REALLY cold (like -30F) the bike stays in the house and
the snowshoes come out. You can dress as warm as you like! I wear
a lot of Ely MN products then- Steger mukluks, Wintergreen system
apparel, etc.- in great comfort. There's an excellent discussion
of how to stay warm in cold weather in _A Snow Walker's Companion_
by Garrett and Alexandra Conover (ISBN 0-07-022892-2)
Tim
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I kind of set one hour as my maximal length road ride when
the thermometer drops below 20 degrees F. I know, I am a
wimp. But I have done lots of snow rides and lots of cold
rides. Far and away the hands and feet are the trouble
areas. Oh yeah, cover your face or grow facial hair
also.
For the hands I use mittens or lobster claw gloves (two fingers
instead of four) and they stay pretty warm. They would be better if
I had a wind shield in front of the grips on my bars, but I decided
to move to San Francisco instead.
For the feet I use windbreaker shoe covers over neoprene booties
over shoes over goretex socks over real socks. Toe-clips with
a solid wind shield would probably be even better. But with this
setup I can at least feel my toes for an entire hour.
And on the snow, a regular MTB tire will be fine. They
tend to do pretty well on anything a car tire can grip
on. If it gets a little glassy you might want to have
studded tires around as well.
My hat is off to you.
--
Dave Blake
dblake@phy.ucsf.edu
http://www.keck.ucsf.edu/~dblake
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