General Cycling Discussion - keeping warm/dry with no gear :p

If this weather keeps up it looks as though it's going to be very miserable for my metric century this weekend (62Mi/100km). I have no proper gear for riding in the rain/cold. I went out this morning with a singlet under my warmer cycling shirt (no zip) and a bag on, and that seemed to keep me rather warm. I didn't hoon down any hills (max speed of maybe 48km/h?) and i worked hard uphill to keep warm. It was very slick conditions (Slid a bit on a corner at less than half normal speed). My head remained warm due to lack of cooling in my helmet (gets real hot on sunny days though), and water kept out of my eyes by sunglasses. I had normal shorts on and that's where I was getting coldest me thinks. Feet got a little bit cold too. Any ideas as to what I can do/use to keep me warm/dryish (warmth is priority....a wet a$$ doesn't concern me too much) without spending too much money etc?

Brendon
:beer:

Hey NZL, I lived in Christchurch for three years so I saw my fair share of wet riding. I have a rain slicker that I wear (Trek - clear vynal). You actually still get wet, if you are riding aggressively, but it is from sweat not rain. That way you stay warm. I also recommend full fingered gloves. Even cheap ones will do. I got the slicker on a sale rack so it was a good deal.

Yeah, bike stuff is $$$$$$$$ down there.

Originally posted by NZLcyclist
If this weather keeps up it looks as though it's going to be very miserable for my metric century this weekend (62Mi/100km). I have no proper gear for riding in the rain/cold. I went out this morning with a singlet under my warmer cycling shirt (no zip) and a bag on, and that seemed to keep me rather warm. I didn't hoon down any hills (max speed of maybe 48km/h?) and i worked hard uphill to keep warm. It was very slick conditions (Slid a bit on a corner at less than half normal speed). My head remained warm due to lack of cooling in my helmet (gets real hot on sunny days though), and water kept out of my eyes by sunglasses. I had normal shorts on and that's where I was getting coldest me thinks. Feet got a little bit cold too. Any ideas as to what I can do/use to keep me warm/dryish (warmth is priority....a wet a$$ doesn't concern me too much) without spending too much money etc?

I did a metric century a month or so ago, and in the morning it was looking like a great day. It was a bit chilly so I took my leg and arm warmers, anyhow the ride was basically a out and back to a local mountain pass. As we neared the base of the mountain the weather turned cold and miserable. If I remember correctly it rained, snowed, and hailed on us, and for the most part there were winds between 25-35 mph. The decent was worse than the ascent if you as me, I got so cold that my bike was shaking because I was shivering so much. (hit about 50 mph) Eventually I had to hit a sag stop at a bike shop and put on a garbage bag to keep warm.

It was really weird, I've done a few centuries, and this metric made me feel weaker afterwards than the centuries.. the bottom line extreme temps can drain your energy and make the ride seem longer than it is.... I'd get some rain gear and leg/arm warmers if you expect it to be cold and rainy. Spend the money now, or suffer later :rolleyes:

If you really want to get by with minimalism, you might consider this.

Put on the most skin tight fitting shirt you have that you can ride in comfortably. A tight cotton t-shirt will work, a smallish cycling jersey will work better.

Cut arm holes and a head hole in an adequately large but ideally not too large garbage bag, and put it on over the under shirt.

Then pull a slightly larger jersey on over the garbage bag.

The under shirt will keep the garbage bag from driving you nuts (mainly) by preventing direct contact between your skin and the icky plastic.

The garbage bag will trap heat against your skin and keep the wind off your trunk. Yes, you will get terribly wet through sweat underneat, but it will be warm sweat and the garbage bag will keep you from over cooling through evaporation.

The outer jersey will keep the garbage bag from flapping and shreading itself, and will go at least some ways toward camoflaging the fact that you've chosen to wear a garbage bag as outdoor wear.

If you're lucky, at some point it will become warm enough you no longer need the garbage bag, at which time you can gleefully peel it away and 86 it in the nearest suitable receptical.

Having the bag snug up against your skin helps a lot. You get a layer of liquid in there from your own sweat, but since it's not evaporating and the wind's not getting in, the liquid layer heats up quickly and stays at a decently reasonable temperature even in fairly cold conditions.

You'll be glad to ditch the bag, though, and you may stink a bit afterwords depending on your body chemistry. Just don't do it too soon before it really is warm enough.

A variation of this kept me reasonably comfortable and might possibly have saved my life once when I was caught hiking in the mountains by a rainstorm I really should have planned for but hadn't.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. The weather is clearing, but I'm not sure if it will hold. I have got over my minor dehydration so the weather is now my only concerns. I'm gonna nail 'em!

Brendon
:beer: