Bike Noob

Because I'm Always Learning Something New

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partners

Adjusting to Cool Weather Riding

10.27.2011 by Ray Niekamp // 10 Comments

As I write this, the wind is whipping around my home office window. I left work this evening with 74 degrees showing on my car thermometer. When I got home, it had fallen to 63. I just got back from walking the dog, and it’s now 53. We’ll be in the 40s overnight, and it looks like the weekend will be a cool one.

Riders elsewhere in the country and other parts of the globe are probably snickering. They’ve already gone through bigger temperature drops than this — and are already feeling the onset of winter temperatures.

But what happens to your bike riding when the weather changes like that?

My natural reaction is to throw on a sweater and cozy up to the TV — or maybe snuggle up with a book. I should be figuring out how I’m going to adapt my bike riding to colder conditions.

The answer is simple: Keep riding.

Some riders handle cool temps better than others. The guy left front has a windbreaker vest over a long-sleeved jersey, the woman has a cool weather jacket. The guy in black is wearing warmer winter gear, but the guy in center background still thinks it’s summer.

The daily temperature drop isn’t that drastic, to begin with. So if you ride one day in summer kit, maybe all you have to do when the weather turns chilly is put on a long-sleeved jersey and a base layer. That’s not a big change.

“If you keep on riding each day as the temperatures slowly decrease, you’ll be more acclimated to the weather each day,” says Emilia Crotty, the Education Manager of Bike New York. She says you kind of trick yourself into believing that there’s not that much difference from day to day.

“Personally,” she adds, “when I’m feeling lazy or am in the middle of a good book, getting back on my bike on a cold winter morning is difficult!  The more frequently I ride in the colder months, though, the less dramatic the temperatures feel.”

There’s an added benefit to continued riding. “The more frequently I ride in the fall and winter,” says Crotty, “the better I am at gauging how many layers I’ll need, what type of gloves will do the trick, if I need a balaclava, etc. each morning (when I check the morning temperature and wind chill, that is).”

So resist the urge to roll over and pull up the covers when the fall mornings are cool. Get out there and ride. You know it’s good for you on several levels — but you’ll also build up your tolerance for cold weather.

 

Like this:

Like Loading...

Categories // Cold weather Tags // clothing, winter riding

My Cool Weather Clothing List

12.02.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 2 Comments

Well, I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but there has been more interest than I expected in some of the cold weather riding gear posts we’ve had lately — so here goes one last one.

Some of that interest has been in the cool weather gear list I keep.  A couple of readers thought it was unnecessary, while others thought it was a good idea.  So I’m going to go into a bit more detail about why I keep it and how I use it.

I have alluded to the almost year-round warm (hot) weather in Texas before.  It’s because we are able to ride eight months of the year in just a lightweight jersey and shorts that I need the gear list.  By the time our first cold snap hits, usually in November, I’ve forgotten what combination of clothing works best under certain conditions.

In 2009, I started keeping the list.  It’s very simple.  When I return from a ride, I note the temperature, sit down at my computer and type out what I was wearing that day.  I use a simple text editor to maintain the list so it will open immediately when I click it, and I park it on my computer’s desktop so it’s always handy.

Here’s what it looks like:

Click to embiggen.

You’ll notice that I have more than one clothing combination for similar temperatures.  I’ve found that wind makes a difference in comfort, and wanted the list to reflect that.

The list jogs my memory about clothing, so I don’t make the kind of mistakes I did last week.  That is, it’s supposed to prevent mistakes in theory — in practice, as you have seen, I still manage to screw it up from time to time.

The forecast for this weekend calls for 75 Friday, 77 Saturday, and 62 Sunday.  Saturday morning, when I’ll be riding, it should be in the mid to upper 50s.  Sunday morning, the low 40s.  With my list, I’ll be able to dress appropriately, based on what I know will do the trick.

Overkill?  Perhaps.  But it’s a little resource I’m glad to have.

Like this:

Like Loading...

Categories // Equipment, Uncategorized Tags // clothing, cold

Your Extremities

11.30.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 14 Comments

After Saturday’s ride, I tweeted that just the addition of toe warmers really made a difference in on-bike comfort.  But there may have been more to it than that.

Our ride started at a temperature of about  40ºF (4ºC), which in the past has been the coldest temperature I will ride in.  I made sure to bring all the usual items you’d expect to bring for a chilly day: full-length leg warmers, a long-sleeved, brushed jersey, etc., but in addition to the toe covers, I also brought my full-fingered cycling gloves and liners.

Way back when I used to backpack, I used polypropylene glove liners under ragg wool gloves.  The combination kept my hands toasty warm.  I’ve discovered that the liners work just as well under my full-fingered gloves, which aren’t cycling gloves at all — they’re a pair of winter golf gloves.  And they’re not all that different from the cool weather cycling gloves you’ll find on the rack at a place like Performance.  I never worry about cold hands anymore.

I had more than just toe warmers on my feet — I used the polypro socks beneath my wool cycling socks.  It’s another great combination, until the temperature gets below about 45 — then I need something more.  That’s where the toe warmers come in.

I also took along a cool weather headband.  This one is also slightly brushed on the inside, and is shaped to completely cover the ears.  One thing about my ears — they’re hard to miss.  I do have to make sure they’re covered, or they’ll get cold quickly.

The headband doesn’t solve the entire problem though.  Forty percent of your body’s heat loss is through the head, so it’s important to keep your head covered.  A helmet doesn’t count.  My helmet has huge vents, and the head can get chilly if I don’t take measures.  I forgot on this ride, and could really feel the cool breeze across my noggin once we headed out.  Luckily, on this day the temperature rose quickly, so it wasn’t an issue.  Normally, I would wear a polyester doo-rag under the helmet.  Another item that works is a lightweight cycling cap.  Or, one could just tape over the vents on the helmet, like the late Sheldon Brown used to do.  One thing I’ve found is that if I keep my ears warm, a head covering isn’t that important, or if I keep my head covered, I can get by without anything on my ears.

Although the ride started in much cooler temperatures than I prefer to ride in, I was comfortable throughout.  The next day, under much the same conditions, I was cozy all over again.  Do yourself a favor when riding in the cold winter temps this year. Take care of your extremities, and the rest of you will be happy for it.

 

Like this:

Like Loading...

Categories // Equipment Tags // clothing

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • …
  • 12
  • Next Page »

Get Email Updates

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 257 other subscribers

Categories

  • Accessories
  • Bike fit
  • Bikes
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • clubs
  • Cold weather
  • Community
  • Commuting
  • Components
  • crash
  • cycling
  • Equipment
  • Favorite rides
  • fitness
  • food
  • guest post
  • Heat
  • Injury
  • logs
  • Maintenance
  • Mental
  • Nutrition
  • Odds 'n ends
  • People
  • Poll
  • Racing
  • Records & stats
  • Review
  • Rides
  • running
  • Safety
  • soreness
  • Specialized
  • Technique
  • Technology
  • Tips
  • tires
  • training
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Partners

Recent Posts

  • Getting Back on the Bike: Road Cycling Tips for Older Cyclists
  • Are BCAAs and EAAs Good for Cycling?
  • How to Fix Numb Toes When Cycling
  • How to Find and Vet a Bike Club
  • Celebrate Pearl Izumi with Big Savings in the Memorial Day Sale

Categories

  • Accessories
  • Bike fit
  • Bikes
  • Blogging
  • Books
  • clubs
  • Cold weather
  • Community
  • Commuting
  • Components
  • crash
  • cycling
  • Equipment
  • Favorite rides
  • fitness
  • food
  • guest post
  • Heat
  • Injury
  • logs
  • Maintenance
  • Mental
  • Nutrition
  • Odds 'n ends
  • People
  • Poll
  • Racing
  • Records & stats
  • Review
  • Rides
  • running
  • Safety
  • soreness
  • Specialized
  • Technique
  • Technology
  • Tips
  • tires
  • training
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • May 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • March 2022
  • October 2020
  • November 2018
  • May 2018
  • September 2017
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • January 2016
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008

Copyright © 2026 · Modern Studio Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Go to mobile version
%d