Nope, I don't like cold wet weather. - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

12-06-2004, 04:50 PM

I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
with a steady light rain. My electric gloves are soaked through and my
fingers froze. My palms were actually pretty ok by virtue of the
electric grid. Good thing I wasn't electrocuted (by a 1.5 volt battery
- not likely).

I wore my Kmart special rain pants, essentially a sheet of PVC in the
shape of pants. They did a wonderful job of keeping my jeans dry,
right until I dismounted when I got home. Then I split them right up
the crotch. Trashed. My booties did a very good job of keeping my feet
warm and dry. They are soaked through though and are now hanging on
the dryer.

It would have been better had it been raining harder since I would
have worn the Kmart special rain jacket instead of my normal biking
jacket. Instead, the jacket is soaked through, hanging next to the
booties and gloves. Water resistant is not water proof.

I would have been alright if I had some way to keep the gloves dry. I
really think that a baggie in the shape of a big glove worn over the
electric gloves would have done the trick.

As it was it almost worked ok except for the frozen fingers.

Tomorrow promises a more widespread rain but about 10 degrees warmer
(NYC). Still, I don't think the stuff is going to be dry by then so
I'll likely take the train. One uncomfortable trip per week is my
limit. Yech.

12-06-2004, 05:32 PM

dgk wrote:
> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
> with a steady light rain. My electric gloves are soaked through and my
> fingers froze. My palms were actually pretty ok by virtue of the
> electric grid. Good thing I wasn't electrocuted (by a 1.5 volt battery
> - not likely).

[snip]

Just back from a two-week road trip (car, with mtb's on the back) from San
Diego to Vegas, Denver, Lawrence, KS, and back. Ride conditions included
sleet, snow, ice, and rain.

- Clothing:

top: polypropylene long-sleeved shirt, long-sleeved jersey, fleece-lined
rain shell (Canari)
head: helmet, polypropylene balaclava (never used it), PI earband (used it)
bottom: shorts, Canari tights (windstopper front)
socks: wool hikers
feet: my cheapie touring shoes, Performance neoprene booties over
hands: PI winter gloves, Mountain Hardwear over (shell) gloves

Everything worked fine and allowed temp variability (zippers) for all
conditions, including the hailstorm between Parker, CO and Castle Rock.
Temps down to high teens, up to high 40's (Vegas, Baby!).

- Bike;

Poor things hung out back, on their rack (rock-solid Yakima hitch-mount) for
mile after mile (about 4k total) without complaint. Sprayed der's and
cables with WD-40 periodically (but not the chain). Used Pro-link Gold lube
on chain after every ride, liberal applications of Tri-Flow to der's
pre-ride. Took the bikes in with us everywhere we went (hotel, relatives'
homes, etc.) and wiped them down well. No obvious mechanical issues.
Nothing froze. Nothing important really rusted.

Kool-stop black canti pads (new before this trip) are in-cred-i-ble . . . in
any condition. Can't say enough good things about them. I'm no ace wrench,
but they set up perfectly and don't squeal at all (no toe). Now that I
bought a slimline 10mm wrench, the next installation should take
significantly less than the hour I spent this time (the right tool for the
job, the right tool for the job.....).

Wife's helmet sort of cracked after she sort of skidded on a patch of sort
of ice and sort of crashed into a sort of concrete wall. Bruises to her
body and ego healing nicely. New helmet actually a better color for her
bike gear anyway. My minor cardiac arrest in seeing the crash seems to have
subsided nicely, thank you.

Long live the winter ride!

12-06-2004, 05:32 PM

dgk wrote:
> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
> with a steady light rain. My electric gloves are soaked through and my
> fingers froze. My palms were actually pretty ok by virtue of the
> electric grid. Good thing I wasn't electrocuted (by a 1.5 volt battery
> - not likely).

[snip]

Just back from a two-week road trip (car, with mtb's on the back) from San
Diego to Vegas, Denver, Lawrence, KS, and back. Ride conditions included
sleet, snow, ice, and rain.

- Clothing:

top: polypropylene long-sleeved shirt, long-sleeved jersey, fleece-lined
rain shell (Canari)
head: helmet, polypropylene balaclava (never used it), PI earband (used it)
bottom: shorts, Canari tights (windstopper front)
socks: wool hikers
feet: my cheapie touring shoes, Performance neoprene booties over
hands: PI winter gloves, Mountain Hardwear over (shell) gloves

Everything worked fine and allowed temp variability (zippers) for all
conditions, including the hailstorm between Parker, CO and Castle Rock.
Temps down to high teens, up to high 40's (Vegas, Baby!).

- Bike;

Poor things hung out back, on their rack (rock-solid Yakima hitch-mount) for
mile after mile (about 4k total) without complaint. Sprayed der's and
cables with WD-40 periodically (but not the chain). Used Pro-link Gold lube
on chain after every ride, liberal applications of Tri-Flow to der's
pre-ride. Took the bikes in with us everywhere we went (hotel, relatives'
homes, etc.) and wiped them down well. No obvious mechanical issues.
Nothing froze. Nothing important really rusted.

Kool-stop black canti pads (new before this trip) are in-cred-i-ble . . . in
any condition. Can't say enough good things about them. I'm no ace wrench,
but they set up perfectly and don't squeal at all (no toe). Now that I
bought a slimline 10mm wrench, the next installation should take
significantly less than the hour I spent this time (the right tool for the
job, the right tool for the job.....).

Wife's helmet sort of cracked after she sort of skidded on a patch of sort
of ice and sort of crashed into a sort of concrete wall. Bruises to her
body and ego healing nicely. New helmet actually a better color for her
bike gear anyway. My minor cardiac arrest in seeing the crash seems to have
subsided nicely, thank you.

Long live the winter ride!

12-06-2004, 05:32 PM

dgk wrote:
> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
> with a steady light rain. My electric gloves are soaked through and my
> fingers froze. My palms were actually pretty ok by virtue of the
> electric grid. Good thing I wasn't electrocuted (by a 1.5 volt battery
> - not likely).

[snip]

Just back from a two-week road trip (car, with mtb's on the back) from San
Diego to Vegas, Denver, Lawrence, KS, and back. Ride conditions included
sleet, snow, ice, and rain.

- Clothing:

top: polypropylene long-sleeved shirt, long-sleeved jersey, fleece-lined
rain shell (Canari)
head: helmet, polypropylene balaclava (never used it), PI earband (used it)
bottom: shorts, Canari tights (windstopper front)
socks: wool hikers
feet: my cheapie touring shoes, Performance neoprene booties over
hands: PI winter gloves, Mountain Hardwear over (shell) gloves

Everything worked fine and allowed temp variability (zippers) for all
conditions, including the hailstorm between Parker, CO and Castle Rock.
Temps down to high teens, up to high 40's (Vegas, Baby!).

- Bike;

Poor things hung out back, on their rack (rock-solid Yakima hitch-mount) for
mile after mile (about 4k total) without complaint. Sprayed der's and
cables with WD-40 periodically (but not the chain). Used Pro-link Gold lube
on chain after every ride, liberal applications of Tri-Flow to der's
pre-ride. Took the bikes in with us everywhere we went (hotel, relatives'
homes, etc.) and wiped them down well. No obvious mechanical issues.
Nothing froze. Nothing important really rusted.

Kool-stop black canti pads (new before this trip) are in-cred-i-ble . . . in
any condition. Can't say enough good things about them. I'm no ace wrench,
but they set up perfectly and don't squeal at all (no toe). Now that I
bought a slimline 10mm wrench, the next installation should take
significantly less than the hour I spent this time (the right tool for the
job, the right tool for the job.....).

Wife's helmet sort of cracked after she sort of skidded on a patch of sort
of ice and sort of crashed into a sort of concrete wall. Bruises to her
body and ego healing nicely. New helmet actually a better color for her
bike gear anyway. My minor cardiac arrest in seeing the crash seems to have
subsided nicely, thank you.

Long live the winter ride!

12-06-2004, 05:32 PM

dgk wrote:
> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
> with a steady light rain. My electric gloves are soaked through and my
> fingers froze. My palms were actually pretty ok by virtue of the
> electric grid. Good thing I wasn't electrocuted (by a 1.5 volt battery
> - not likely).

[snip]

Just back from a two-week road trip (car, with mtb's on the back) from San
Diego to Vegas, Denver, Lawrence, KS, and back. Ride conditions included
sleet, snow, ice, and rain.

- Clothing:

top: polypropylene long-sleeved shirt, long-sleeved jersey, fleece-lined
rain shell (Canari)
head: helmet, polypropylene balaclava (never used it), PI earband (used it)
bottom: shorts, Canari tights (windstopper front)
socks: wool hikers
feet: my cheapie touring shoes, Performance neoprene booties over
hands: PI winter gloves, Mountain Hardwear over (shell) gloves

Everything worked fine and allowed temp variability (zippers) for all
conditions, including the hailstorm between Parker, CO and Castle Rock.
Temps down to high teens, up to high 40's (Vegas, Baby!).

- Bike;

Poor things hung out back, on their rack (rock-solid Yakima hitch-mount) for
mile after mile (about 4k total) without complaint. Sprayed der's and
cables with WD-40 periodically (but not the chain). Used Pro-link Gold lube
on chain after every ride, liberal applications of Tri-Flow to der's
pre-ride. Took the bikes in with us everywhere we went (hotel, relatives'
homes, etc.) and wiped them down well. No obvious mechanical issues.
Nothing froze. Nothing important really rusted.

Kool-stop black canti pads (new before this trip) are in-cred-i-ble . . . in
any condition. Can't say enough good things about them. I'm no ace wrench,
but they set up perfectly and don't squeal at all (no toe). Now that I
bought a slimline 10mm wrench, the next installation should take
significantly less than the hour I spent this time (the right tool for the
job, the right tool for the job.....).

Wife's helmet sort of cracked after she sort of skidded on a patch of sort
of ice and sort of crashed into a sort of concrete wall. Bruises to her
body and ego healing nicely. New helmet actually a better color for her
bike gear anyway. My minor cardiac arrest in seeing the crash seems to have
subsided nicely, thank you.

Long live the winter ride!

12-06-2004, 08:26 PM

"dgk" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
> with a steady light rain.

I rode to work this morning -- about 36 degrees when I left, steadily
warming up to 38 about the time I got in to work, light rain, winds from the
south at about 15 mph.

I wore a quick-wick turtleneck, light fleece vest, my jacket and reflective
vest. Wool socks and commuter shoes. Full-finger gloves. Bike shorts with
unfortunately my lighter weight tights because all the thermal ones are in
the wash.

I was really cold initially, but after the first climb, the only places that
were cold were my fingertips (numb in fact), my chin, and the band of bare
flesh between where those g.d. tights end and before the socks begin -- the
curse of long legs. I had pulled my hair out of its band and fluffed it
around my ears to warm them up. By the second climb, just the tips of the
fingers were cold, no longer numb.

I don't know where it was, somewhere on Mercer Island, either the first
climb on the Island, or the second, to the top of the lid, and I realized
everything was toasty warm by then.

I have no complaints.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Personal page: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
See the books I've set free at: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

12-06-2004, 08:26 PM

"dgk" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
> with a steady light rain.

I rode to work this morning -- about 36 degrees when I left, steadily
warming up to 38 about the time I got in to work, light rain, winds from the
south at about 15 mph.

I wore a quick-wick turtleneck, light fleece vest, my jacket and reflective
vest. Wool socks and commuter shoes. Full-finger gloves. Bike shorts with
unfortunately my lighter weight tights because all the thermal ones are in
the wash.

I was really cold initially, but after the first climb, the only places that
were cold were my fingertips (numb in fact), my chin, and the band of bare
flesh between where those g.d. tights end and before the socks begin -- the
curse of long legs. I had pulled my hair out of its band and fluffed it
around my ears to warm them up. By the second climb, just the tips of the
fingers were cold, no longer numb.

I don't know where it was, somewhere on Mercer Island, either the first
climb on the Island, or the second, to the top of the lid, and I realized
everything was toasty warm by then.

I have no complaints.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Personal page: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
See the books I've set free at: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

12-06-2004, 08:26 PM

"dgk" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
> with a steady light rain.

I rode to work this morning -- about 36 degrees when I left, steadily
warming up to 38 about the time I got in to work, light rain, winds from the
south at about 15 mph.

I wore a quick-wick turtleneck, light fleece vest, my jacket and reflective
vest. Wool socks and commuter shoes. Full-finger gloves. Bike shorts with
unfortunately my lighter weight tights because all the thermal ones are in
the wash.

I was really cold initially, but after the first climb, the only places that
were cold were my fingertips (numb in fact), my chin, and the band of bare
flesh between where those g.d. tights end and before the socks begin -- the
curse of long legs. I had pulled my hair out of its band and fluffed it
around my ears to warm them up. By the second climb, just the tips of the
fingers were cold, no longer numb.

I don't know where it was, somewhere on Mercer Island, either the first
climb on the Island, or the second, to the top of the lid, and I realized
everything was toasty warm by then.

I have no complaints.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Personal page: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
See the books I've set free at: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

12-06-2004, 08:26 PM

"dgk" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
> with a steady light rain.

I rode to work this morning -- about 36 degrees when I left, steadily
warming up to 38 about the time I got in to work, light rain, winds from the
south at about 15 mph.

I wore a quick-wick turtleneck, light fleece vest, my jacket and reflective
vest. Wool socks and commuter shoes. Full-finger gloves. Bike shorts with
unfortunately my lighter weight tights because all the thermal ones are in
the wash.

I was really cold initially, but after the first climb, the only places that
were cold were my fingertips (numb in fact), my chin, and the band of bare
flesh between where those g.d. tights end and before the socks begin -- the
curse of long legs. I had pulled my hair out of its band and fluffed it
around my ears to warm them up. By the second climb, just the tips of the
fingers were cold, no longer numb.

I don't know where it was, somewhere on Mercer Island, either the first
climb on the Island, or the second, to the top of the lid, and I realized
everything was toasty warm by then.

I have no complaints.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Personal page: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
See the books I've set free at: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

12-07-2004, 05:18 AM

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 04:26:55 GMT, "Claire Petersky"
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>"dgk" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
>news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].. .
>> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
>> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
>> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
>> with a steady light rain.
>
>I rode to work this morning -- about 36 degrees when I left, steadily
>warming up to 38 about the time I got in to work, light rain, winds from the
>south at about 15 mph.
>
>I wore a quick-wick turtleneck, light fleece vest, my jacket and reflective
>vest. Wool socks and commuter shoes. Full-finger gloves. Bike shorts with
>unfortunately my lighter weight tights because all the thermal ones are in
>the wash.
>
>I was really cold initially, but after the first climb, the only places that
>were cold were my fingertips (numb in fact), my chin, and the band of bare
>flesh between where those g.d. tights end and before the socks begin -- the
>curse of long legs. I had pulled my hair out of its band and fluffed it
>around my ears to warm them up. By the second climb, just the tips of the
>fingers were cold, no longer numb.
>
>I don't know where it was, somewhere on Mercer Island, either the first
>climb on the Island, or the second, to the top of the lid, and I realized
>everything was toasty warm by then.
>
>I have no complaints.

Maybe I need more hills. Riding to work is almost completely flat
except for the 59th Street Bridge (Feeling Groovy!).

I had one incident of sliding bike syndrome as I hit a bit of pavement
with a groove. I've learned to watch out for the metal plates and, if
I need to hit one, hit it dead on.

The ride really almost worked but my fingertips never get warm and I
really hate that. Everything else was ok. I'll check out lobster
gloves or glove liners. Something has to be done or I'm not going to
make it through the winter.

I can't figure out a way to ride with just tights. I can't wear those
at work (we have some standards) and I just don't have room to add
pants to my pack.

I am going to look into some sort of plastic overgloves. I'm sure
there is something at Home Despot that will work. I tried those laytex
dishwashing gloves but they're too tight.