Bicycling in Cold Weather - Page 3

12-12-2004, 10:58 AM

>Subject: Re: Bicycling in Cold Weather
>From: "Mike Jacoubowsky/Chain Reaction Bicycles" [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>Date: 12/11/2004 8:34 PM US Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <geNud.41459$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].prodigy.com >
>
>>I want to bicycle at casual speed for 5 to 10 hours a day in
>> temperatures 20F-35F. How should I dress? This is what I think:
>>
>> 1. Wicking base layer
>> 2. 100 wt fleece top
>> 3. Waterproof shell
>> 4. Midweight running tights
>> 5. Warm streamlined winter boot/shoes
>> 6. Woll socks
>> 7. Fleece hat
>> 8. Windproof gloves
>>
>> Is this ok? I don't want to freeze and I want to have a comfortable,
>> painless ride.
>
>You've gotten a lot of good advice so far, but one thing glaringly missing
>is that, on a ride of 5-10 hours, the danger of blowing it (in terms of
>dressing appropriately) are substantial. If you're doing a shorter ride
>(say, 2-3 hours), you're never more than an hour and a half from home, so if
>things don't work out, you turn around and head back, and suffer mostly from
>temporary discomfort.
>
>But if you're four hours away from home, and haven't planned a bail-out
>option ahead of time, things could get very bad very quickly. In my
>experience, you can ride comfortably in cold weather for extended periods of
>time if everything's right (the clothing, how hard you're working, lack of
>wind, etc). But changing conditions even slightly can result in a
>less-than-pleasant experience... what felt so nice before suddenly becomes a
>terrible nightmare. And once things get bad, it seems to take your body a
>very long time to recover when things get nice again... if it recovers at
>all.
>
>--Mike Jacoubowsky
>Chain Reaction Bicycles
>[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>IMBA, BikesBelong, NBDA member
>

Dry clothes are important. You might want to pack extra socks, t-shirt and
tights, hat.
You might want to consider what's on your feet if you have to walk, or carry
along gore tex hiking boots.