Originally Posted by
DrIsotope
Well that's the real issue here, most of us don't have that gear. Even where I am inland, a day with a high temp below 50º is fairly uncommon, and it wasn't unusual to have less than 20 rainy days in an entire year.
But right now it's 28º, we already have 3" of rain for the month of February, and 6 of the next 10 days are forecast for rain. I'm getting miles in by riding by Weather Underground-- I've managed to squeeze rides in where I'm in between storms several times this month. Just yesterday I got in 2 hours after it poured all morning, and after I finished, it poured for another 4 hours. The days when it's not wet aren't any easier.
If definitely come to the conclusion that I will gladly take above 90º over below 40º.
The original post was titiled "
How do you guys deal with two days straight of rain/cold?". The answer is that you can take those days off, exercise indoors or purchase the right gear. Honestly, for those rare cold days in CA, all you'd need is a long sleeve, mid-weight base layer, a water/wind resistant shell, a mid-weight pair of tights and some neoprene shoe covers. Since you won't be using them much, you could stick with the off brand or multi-sport big box store stuff and get by for about $100 and you'd be good to around the freezing mark.
If you look at the picture I posted, I'm wearing a long-sleeve Champion base layer from Target, a pullover hoodie from JCPenny, and a WalMart windbreaker. The balaklava is also a WalMart item but in your climate, you could get by with a lightweight lycra one which should cost around $6 and can serve double duty if you ever decide to hold up a convenience store
. You can't see it but I'm also wearing a base layer and SportHill XC (multisport winter pants) and basic off brand ski gloves. Wool socks and neoprene shoe covers complete the ensemble. This worked for well for about and hour and a half at -15F on a sunny day.
The air temp says 40º, which is totally manageable, but the sky is crystal clear and the sun is beating down on you, so anything in the shade is cold, and anything in the sun is hot.
I've done centuries and half centuries in the early spring and late fall when there was frost on the ground when we left and the highs were in the 30s and 40s F, wearing my normal riding gear with the exceptions of a long-sleeve jersey with a short-sleeve baselayer (form fitting poly t-shirt) underneath, full finger gloves, a skull cap under my helmet and wool socks. You might shiver and sweat during the same ride but that's just part of the experience. The Ironman century (not associated with the more well-known Ironman events) in rural St. Paul warns riders to be prepared for icy or snowy conditions in early spring, yet more than 100 riders turn out every year.