Dressing for Winter Riding

Perfect clothes for a windy 25 degree gravel ride: skull cap, thick buff, fleece-lined coat,
thick gloves, windproof tights, and insulated boots. 

I've recently moved from Golden, CO to a different biking mecca: Harrisonburg, VA. As the temperature dropped, I was reminded that 30 degrees in Virginia feels like 20 degrees in Colorado.  This meant rethinking my usual wardrobe choices, and buying in some new riding boots.

Investing in a winter riding wardrobe can be expensive, and is best handled by adding a bit each year, especially as technology improves.  You'll figure out what you need pretty quick, and the local bike shop and riders will have good ideas for the particulars of your riding area.

The basics of a good wardrobe are: head cap, buff, winter jacket, wool under-garment, winter gloves, windproof pants, and good boots.  As temperatures drop, garment thickness increases as do layers.

Always err on too much gear and too thick of gear.  Being cold sucks.  You can always take things off or adjust as needed.

For the head and neck, a head cap and buff are critical.  A good fleece-lined jacket is perfect for cold temps, keeping out the wind and keeping in the heat. You can vary a t-shirt, light wool, or heavy wool under the jacket depending upon the temperatures.

Head & Neck: Upper left: thick buff. Upper right: thin buff.
Mid-left and right: Head caps, with and without brim
Mid-bottom: Balaclava
Very bottom: Helmet rain cap 

Upper garments: Top left: Mid-weight wool. Lower left: light-weight wool.
Upper right: Fleece jacket. Lower right: Long sleeve jersey.

There are a zillion options for keeping the hands warm.  Light gloves, light gloves with mitten covers, heavy gloves, over mitts, heavy-duty mittens, and finally, handle-bar mitts.  I prefer heavy gloves if the weather is below 40, and light gloves with mittens otherwise.

Handle-bet mitts. These are amazing in very cold weather.

Different assortments of gloves and mittens.

For the bottoms, there are windproof tights, leg-warmers, and 3/4 leg-warmers with high socks.  Or a combination if it is really cold.  And for feet, there are toe covers for shoes, full covers for shoes and insulated boots.  In my opinion, boots are the best investment one can make for winder riding; nothing else will keep your feet quite as warm.

Wind proof tights, full leg warmers,
and 3/4 leg warmers with tall socks.

Top: Toe booties. Middle: Shoe booties.
Bottom: Insulated boots

The now-departed Steve Tilford offered the following winter riding rule: 1 mile for every degree Farenheit.  He was professional bike racer, so I adjust to weekend warrior level and for sport. For mountain biking, I adjust this by .4 and for gravel, by .65, and for road, by .75.  Still, good advice.

Finally, keep the possibility of mechanicals in mind.  Unless you are super burly, stay reasonably close to safety with options for rescue.  Changing a flat in 20 degree weather gets you cold real fast, and is both a miserable and memorable experience.  And one not worth repeating.

Stay warm and happy riding!

Commuting in the dark...

Commuting in the dark is a whole different ballgame than commuting by day. You need a whole different set of gear and some forethought to get where you're going and back home again safely and comfortably.

First of all, the goal is to be seen. If cars can't see you, it won't be pleasant for you (or them!) A minimum of the following is necessary:

A bright headlight, especially if you're taking dark paths or streets;
A red tail light, the more blinking and obnoxious the better - you want the cars you encounter to be able to see you when they're coming up behind you.
Preferably a white helmet - the better to be seen with.
As much reflective gear as you can! 

If it's cold, as it tends to be when we need to ride in the dark, a warm jacket, hat, gloves, and warm shoes (hiking boots work well!) go a very long way to make you comfortable.
Here's my setup:

Another thing to keep in mind when commuting in the dark is the route you're going to take. I've found it helpful to ride it once or twice in daylight so I know where I need to turn, etc., as well as random things I might encounter that I may not see in the dark. When riding a bike path that goes under bridges, it's good to keep in mind that sometimes there are people sleeping under them! They're not always so visible in the dark...

At the end of the day, the views you see if you're willing to think things through a little bit can be beautiful. Sunset is one of my very favorite times to ride. Look at that sky!

Christmas lights can be kinda pretty, too:

With a little planning, you can get all the pretty views, too!

Health Benefits of Bike Commuting

Health Benefits of Bike Commuting

There are many reasons to bike to work, and it should be no shock that biking to work improves overall health.  There was one particular study done, involving over 200,000 people in 5 years.  It looked at those who only bike to work, people who bike and drive to work, biking and walking, walking alone and driving alone.  It was found that people who biked to work experienced a 41% decreased risk of dying than those who took public transport or drove.  People who solely biked to work had a 46% lower risk of developing and a 52% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who used public transport.  Bike commuters enjoy a 40% decreased risk of dying from cancer as well.  

People who biked and used public transport also retained a benefit of 24% decreased incidence of dying from any cause, as compared to those who used public transport.  The above benefits increased as the distance traveled to work increased as well.

Biking, which is known to be great exercise in of itself, will result in better cardiovascular health overall.  Even bike commuting short distances with improve baseline metabolic rate and cardiovascular output.  This improves cardiovascular health, decreases blood pressure, and leads to improved lean muscle mass and weight loss.  Additional benefits of bike commuting include improved digestion, better sleep, decreased anxiety and depression, and an boost overall sense of wellness.  Those who bike commute are less stressed overall,  and more productive  than their non bike-commuting counterparts.  These benefits are seen both at work, and in the household. 

 

Giving yourself the extra time to bike to and from work allows for some mental down time in between work and home.  One's ability to immediate focus at work is great, and to relax once home, and let work go, is enhanced.  Interactions with coworkers family members are more pleasant.  It is impossible to be in a bad mood after even just 5 minutes on a bicycle!  No matter how long or how short a commute is, making a least some of it on a bicycle is always worth it.