Warm Winters
Way back in my first winter in Massachusetts I commuted by car. It sorta went like this:
It was easy to never be dressed for weather. And easy to misplace things like gloves.
Once I moved into the city that changed. Even before I started biking I found myself walking an average of 4 miles a day to get to public transit and everywhere in in between. It was horribly cold. Then I realized the weather wasn’t bad. My clothing was. All my disposable fashion was just that, disposable.
However, it’s not always easy to find good winter wear these days:
I suspect many fashion designers are drivers. And live in Los Angeles. They’re not designing for my lifestyle.
I need functional fashion. And it doesn’t have to look like this:
There are some warmer winter options out there if you really look. I still make sure to pay attention to the details:
Because there is a difference between looking warm and being warm.
So after several winters in the city I have finally built up a quality winter wardrobe of quality winter items and approach that works for me:
Winter is much warmer now. And I no longer lose my gloves.
First off, Orange county is *not* Los Angeles. Two different counties, bikeyface. Secondly, I happen to commute in Orange county via public transport and bicycle and I can tell you that while it does not snow here, the temperature in January fluctuates between 35 – 60 degrees depending on what time of day and whether the sun is shining or not. 35 is cold regardless of whether you’re in Minnesota or Orange county, CA so be very careful about your misperceptions of weather elsewhere. Unless you have personally been there to experience it on a bike/bus, you really shouldn’t be making smarmy comments.
35 is not cold (just kidding)
….except when humidity gets involved. What has caught me the most off guard biking in the winter is adjusting for the days with high humidity mixed with low temps. I’d rather have temps in the teens with dry air than temps in the 30’s and high humidity.
By the way, if you can catch them on the cheap, get some merino lined leather gloves. They’re bulletproof.
Nope. 35 is actually shorts weather in Minnesota.
Except that Bikeyface didn’t equate Orange County with Los Angeles. We have a picture of a model who is saying “it’s cold here in Orange County”, and a text speculation below it that most fashion designers live in LA. That’s actually completely plausible.
Actually, OC and LA are the same. Invisible county borders don’t mean anything in a mess like that.
Bamboo / merino leggings.
I wear them over tights (under dresses / skirts) or under jeans to keep my knees and thighs warm. It’s the only time I ever wear leggings, and it makes the world of difference when the wind kicks up.
Earmuffs too – for when it’s cold / breezy enough to get earache, but too mild for full snuggly-headedness – and they keep my hair out of my face. *bonus*
First of all YEAH! a new post. Awesome and funny as always. Second when it comes to staying warm it comes down to two words for me -Merino Wool.
Hooray! My first Bikeyface fix for the year!
I have one potentially useful and gender-neutral comment. However you feel about synthetics, the thin synthetic caps which look like one is wearing half of a popped balloon are nonetheless at least somewhat warm and compatible with a helmet.
Now, gender biased as it is, I must still comment that most of your items won’t work for me! Same concept though – layers: t shirt, turtleneck, baggy, ugly, but still warm fleece or sweatshirt appropriate for a stodgy balding middle-aged heterosexual caucasian male engineer, my beloved bright yellow Endura jacket decorated with sufficient bicycle grease to be appropriate for same. Underarmor if cold, heavy khakis, and bright yellow baggy Tyvek overpants with sufficient bicycle grease to match the Endura if rain, snow, or salt slush so dictates. And, critically, breathable waterproof lightweight hiking boots and smart wool socks to keep my feet dry through all of that miserable salt slush.
Thanks, as always, for your blog! Happy New Bicycling Year!
I went to Orange Country and LA last year and it seemed to be one giant integrated city.
I just got some of these pants in October for my birthday for biking in cold weather: http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/product-detail-RAN-LON.htm they are excellent as they just look like normal pants.
I always wear merino thermals, and they just go in the normal wash no problems. I like them as they don’t get smelly and don’t go all pilly like synthetic thermals. Wool is more natural and better for environment too. Plus it is fire retardant as well for additional safety if you are doing welding or something.