sandiegowill

I'm moving to San Francisco in January and I wish to do a bike commute to work. I'm currently in San Diego, and I commute wearing a short sleeve jersey and shorts.

Knowing that it will be considerably colder in SF, I'd like to know what the consensus is on winter gear. I was thinking of wearing a base layer under my jersey, but I was recently introduced to the idea of wearing arm warmers.

What is your input?

Thanks

Stax

I walk and BART to work, but if I did commute by bike I would probably wear jeans or cotton work pants, a light long sleeve wool shirt, and a shell jacket on dry days, and swap out the jeans for rain pants on wet days. That's what I generally wear when tooling around town on my commuter. When on my road bike in the winter, I wear arm and leg warmers and take them off as I warm up, but I don't ride my road bike in the rain. I don't think I would wear arm warmers on my ride to work, but why not?

sandiegowill

Would it change the scenario if I changed once I got to work?

I ask this question because I currently wear my jersey and shorts as if I was on a weekend right - thus I wouldn't have to worry about sweating (I change once I get to my destination).

I guess my other question is, am I the only person who does this?

Stax

I work in the financial district and I don't usually see people rolling into work in full kit. But if you don't care, neither do I. If you can change at work, then jersey, shorts, and leg/arm warmers will keep you warm most days. Maybe some kind of base layer under the jersey.

Stax

You might want to post this question in the Northern California forum: https://www.bikeforums.net/northern-california/

sandiegowill

I don't know why people don't roll into work in full kit.

Is it just not cool? I must admit, I feel as if people think I'm crazy.

Stax

I'm sure some people do wear full kit, but I don't see it too often. Most bike commuters in the winter wear casual clothes, a light jacket, and a knit cap.

sandiegowill

Shoes and pedals a bad idea on a commute in that city?

On a recent visit, I've noticed a lot of straps and cages on bikes.

Stax

with cable car and muni tracks, some parts of the city can be sketchy for a road bike, but you should be ok if you are careful. most don't ride around town clipped in, but it's not unheard of.

icemanbb

You wouldn't be the only one to wear jersey & shorts in to work. I do as well. During the wqinter months I dress accordingly. I have the luxury of being able to change as well as shower once I get to work.

Stax

I assume you have secure bike storage, correct? I definitely wouldn't leave my road bike on the street.

sandiegowill

I'm really not sure about that one yet.

I'll be working on Drumm Street at the Embarcadero.

I can't just lock it properly around a sign? It's only an older touring road bike btw.

Stax

Here are some resources for you:

https://bikestation.org/embarcadero/index.asp
https://www.sfmta.com/cms/bpark/indxbipark.htm
https://bicycling.511.org/
https://www.sfbike.org/
https://www.bart.gov/guide/bikes/bikeoverview.asp

Stax

You know, it's the city. Get a couple decent locks.

sandiegowill

Thanks!

richardmasoner

I commute across the South Bay but venture up to the City on occasion.

I've never gone down on the track and have no problems negotiating them, but I've seen people go down. Carelessness born of familiarity, I imagine. I've come close a time or two when I'm not paying attention.

As others mentioned, most people around here just wear normal clothing on their bikes. I think clipless is about as popular as clips and straps -- is see plenty of folks wear Sidis with their rolled up jeans and Dockers.

If you don't have secure bike storage, get a good lock. Even with a good lock a bike -- especially a nice bike -- parked outside all day will be a target. There's a bike station at the Embarcadero BART station that's right there near the Embarcadero Center where you're working.

Winter means rain, so fenders are a good idea.

caloso

I usually wear the full kit because I'm combining the commute with training. On the days that I come directly in to the office, I'll usually just wear chinos and a sweater.

In the City I think you could get away with arm/kneewarmers most days. You might want a jacket for the rain and pea-soup fog days.

atomicbob

The best advice I can offer for commuting around here is layers.

I am not huge into bike gear but I have a really solid set of basics that gets me through.

Instead of a full kit, I tend to wear padded shorts under my regular cargo shorts + removable knee warmers (or full tights if it gets really cold.) The arm warmers you mentioned are also great - good layer and super light/small.

I use sport wicking shirts instead of regular jerseys because they're cheaper and I use them for other sports activities. This morning I wore a short sleeve, covered by a light long sleeve, then a heavier long sleeve. I always want to remove at least one layer when I get on the train to cool off. You can never tell about the city either, it can look great outside but be way colder than expected so it is nice to have options.

During the rainy season, I also carry a light weight waterproof jacket and pants that don't take up much space in the bag but are there when needed.

• As suggested above - fenders for rain.
• Make sure you have those lights - drivers around here are just as bad as anywhere else.

sandiegowill

Those tracks sound awful.

I plan to live out by the panhandle or maybe more by the park. I'm sorta thinking about going up divisidero and then east past fort mason and down embarcadero to work.

I've never biked in that city before, so I'm really just talking about of my ass.

O-Town

You don't want to ride down Divisadero...

and the tracks arn't that bad as long as you know were they are.

surfjimc

I commute in full kit. It's 55 miles r/t and I ride the good road bike. Rolling through school is a little weird, but so far no one has said anything. Leg warmers and a windshell usually do the trick for me.

harrier

I wear a breathable t-shirt (from REI), shorts, running shoes, and a tight-fitting biking jacket.

It is cold for about 45 seconds when I get on the bike then I have to almost remove the jacket by the time I hit the embarcadero. I use toe clips.

This is an incredibly easy city to commute in from a gear perspective.

zoltani

You might want to take a look at this then https://www.sfbike.org/?maps

jinws

going through Presidio to Crissy fields then to Embarcadero sounds like a better route. Anyway, I just started something that greatly improves my commute. Snowboarding socks.

richardmasoner

So do I in the summer, but we're talking about winter biking in San Francisco in this thread, which is only seven miles by seven.

Sandie, you'll get used to the tracks; they're really not a big deal.

RFM