Bracing for Winter
It will not be my first New England winter, but it will be my first biking winter. Currently the weather is unusually fall-like but I am trying to wrap my head around approaching cold and snow. After some research and talking to people it sounds like I am supposed to buy a lot of stuff until I look like this:
However what I have learned so far in my years of biking is that no matter what I always take the wrong advice and I always buy the wrong stuff.
So I have been very concerned about researching, being cautious, and making the best decision about the right gear for my commute style. I expected a long process ahead of me. I made a trip to the local sports equipment store to review my options starting with gloves. However I discovered that my gear decisions may not be that hard after all.
Apparently they don’t expect women to go outdoors until spring.
Randy of A Christmas Story.
If I really try I can not see hair, but it is difficult.
Some diving gloves work fine for cycling. Mine have a lightly-padded, faux-suede palm, thin neoprene fingers, a mesh back, and they’re not pink! These keep me comfortable down to freezing, then I switch to shearling gloves or waterproof mittens w/ wool liners.
I bicycle through the winter in mid-Missouri. We get a fair amount of ice and snow. I agree with you- bicycling specific clothing is for the birds. I use regular cheap long underwear and my gore tex pants I got in the Army. If it’s cold enough, I add another layer of cheap long underwear. Two long sleeve shirts and jacket on top. Thin stretchy gloves (from a big box store, you know the ones) and larger mittens or gloves on top. Mine have had a rip in them for a few years and I hardly notice. I wear a thin silky balaclava if it’s freezing out. I put packing tape over the vents of my helmet. Makes a huge difference. I use studded snow tires when it’s slick out. It’s easy but I do only commute 4 miles one way, through residential streets. Good luck with it! And remember- it’s not hard, it’s not complicated, it’s not expensive. People snow ski and snowboard in much colder weather and they call it “fun,” not “extreme.” Cheers!
As a friend of Charmaine, I can attest she’s flat out insane! Actually, she’s right. You don’t need a whole lot of stuff. (Although Charmaine will admit to using electric socks.) If all else fails, go to a ski store. They are way better at dealing with cold than bike stores. I ride as much as I can in the winter here in DC. I did spend a decade in Boston and Providence (BU and Brown). I even survived the blizzard of ’78 om Brighton. You can easily cope with the cold but the ice and snow will cause big problems. For snowy and icy conditions, Charmaine uses studded tires. I use a wind trainer in my basement. (Hey, it’s 15 miles to work!)
My favorite winter biking gear includes lobster gloves (waaaay warmer than regular, full fingered gloves), chemical hand and feet warmers (for below 30 degree wind chill days), a Marmot Precip shell (it’s hiking gear but it’s waterproof and even has a hood), neck gaiters (extremely versatile), and my holey wool sweater (an old sweater made of soft wool. It has a few holes in it). Performance booties (one size too big). No cotton against the skin. Open up the laces on your shoes to make room for wool socks. You want the shoes tied loosely to allow warm air to get trapped.
Last bit of advice. Lay all this stuff out the night before. Otherwise you’ll never get out the door in time.
Best of luck.
You are so right! It’s not just gloves, it’s everything—pink this, floral that, sizes XS to M. Yeah, gloves are pretty unisex, but I could never find a yellow outer shell in stock that could fit over my butt without draping under my armpits. And they wonder why more of us don’t bike!