Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
…how low can I go as the temperatures drop? This winter for example, I went out at 17° F for my 14 mile commute back in January with some trepidation. A couple weeks later I similarly went out at 12°, and this past weekend it was 3°, and 1° at my destination. I hadn’t ridden at less than 5° for about the past 10 years…
One way to bolster my confidence, and keep the decisions simple is to keep a chart of what to wear for various temperature levels. Last Saturday, I displayed all my layers for that 3° 14 mile ride [followed by Monday at 1°.]
Originally Posted by
rumrunn6
for Jim, outstanding! kinda like SCUBA diving above the surface. also what a perfect way of showing us what it takes to get the job done…I realize I haven't been cycle commuting this winter, like you, (I only did so one winter, coldest ride was 17 degrees that I can remember) so I defer to your better judgement and I only pose the layer remarks out of desire to continue the conversation…
Thanks for your comments,
rummrunn. I have previously posted two summaries of my cycling dress, especially for cold weather: my
chart by temperature intervals, and some
explantory notes about my own adaptations. FYA, here are my replies,
“to continue the conversation”:
Originally Posted by
rumrunn6
but one of my 1st reactions is to the # of layers. I'm thinking one could use fewer layers but use different layers. for example on the feet I would use a sock liner, chemical toe warmers and a thick winter sock then a covered hiking shoe. it looks like you're using 3 sock layers and a plastic bag inside the boot. also why would you cover a waterproof boot?
Three socks, light-. medium-, and heavyweight. The plastic bag and the green Goretex gaiters are for windscreen. At about mile 12 of my 14 mile commute is a downhill run of about a quarter mile, that seems to irretrievably drain heat from my feet. I never got into chemical warmers.
Originally Posted by
rumrunn6
for the legs I would use cycle shorts, full leg tights and snow pants. a little warmer and it would be cycle shorts, novara headwind cycle pants and then rain pants. I can't imagine 4 leg layers would be comfortable
The black pants on the left are plastic rainpants, on the outside, again for windscreen. The inner tights are fairly heavyweight woolen, the outer pair heavyweight synthetics, and the shorts over those. The rainpants are less pliable and do restrict motion a bit, but I’m going pretty slow anyways, and comfort is more a concern. They are most constricting when bringing my leg over the saddle, because I have a previously fractured sacrum.
Originally Posted by
rumrunn6
for your top the # of layers could be the same as me but I would have a long sleeve thermal base, fleece shirt and cycling rain jacket (not sure what would be the additional layer, maybe another thin fleece full zip top). Really curious of what looks like a simple cotton hospital scrub. I don't see that as a practical item.
I happen to have access to scrub shirts and since I ride so much including to work, I can readily exchange for clean ones, all year round. Maybe not the best material, but comfortable with convenient pockets. (Though with excessive sweat, even in the winter, the material is a bit rough, and I can suffer from so-called “Jogger’s nipples,” easily prevented with tape or band-aids, or a soft undershirt.
Note also the white athletic socks cut to make wrist gaiters to seal the gap between jacket sleeves and gloves. Furthermore I think they also serve to warm the blood flow to and from my hands, since my forearms actually perspire beneath them.
Originally Posted by
rumrunn6
for the head I would use a full face balaclava, helmet and cheap clear motel style shower cap over the helmet (or helmet cover), safety glasses & maybe a head sweat under the balaclava but probably not
Helmet, woolen cap, face mask held in place with thin nylon balaclava, and neck gaiter. Since I wear prescription eyeglasses and overlying goggles, I have literally solved the fogging problem by suspending the wide-open safety goggles as a wind screen from the blue surgical scrub cap by a Velcro strip attached to the nosepiece of the goggles. The rigid goggle earpieces also provide a support for my
two rearview mirrors.
Originally Posted by
rumrunn6
… where do you hang your stuff to dry during the day? and how long (in time) is your ride in?
Ride is 14 miles in the outbound, reverse commuter direction, and can take up to two hours in the current weather conditions, particularly as I get off the narrowed roads to make way for upcoming cars (about 1’ to 1’15” in the summer). I have indoor space to store my bike, and hang my clothes near a radiator, even access to a table fan.
Originally Posted by
rumrunn6
was in Burlignton VT last Friday morning for a college tour. the reported windchill was 30 below zero and I believe it. I forget what the air temp was. I saw these 2 guys on bikes. one was riding in traffic and the other was parking his bike at the bldg we were going in. no idea how long he had been out or how long that 1st guy was riding. note the feet on the 2nd guy! what?
I admit that single digit riding may not be impressive to our friends in Northern New England, the upper Midwest and Great Plains,etc, but I always make this inquiry:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
… One request I make of discussions of winter riding is not only how
cold, but also how
far? Distance (time) and temperature as a combined index of “cold.”
One subscriber suggested a cold ride is one in which the water bottle freezes solid. For me, my liter bottle of carbonated water is usually solid after about 14 miles (1 to 1.5 hours) at 15° F. On my 3° 14 mile ride this Saturday, I noted it frozen solid at about 10 miles as pictured below.
