How to deal with motionless moments?
 

In motion staying warm is easy. But, in winter, what to do when your activity levels drop? E.g. early morning chill, coldness at your destination (work)

Obviously one can drink something warm and put on a scarf etc. Or quit da job and get back to sleep ;-)
But I was wondering how you guys deal with that.

I would like to preserve body heat while being ‘motionless’. How can I approach this practically? Maybe I need to shield my midlayer with a non-breathable jacket? Down, something technical ... ? How to layer / adjust layering for these inactive moments? Any tips on how not to cool of too rapidly? Thanks!

3 speed I can down shift while stopped .. Parka , Hoodie, I'm By the PNW coast, not Siberia..

I've been commuting year-round for 28 years since moving to Colorado and I haven't experienced the problem you described. Once I warm up I'm warm for 15 minutes or more after stopping. Stoplights, trains, locking up the bike at a store, putting the bike away in the shed at home...I don't get cold doing any of those things down to 5F.

But then I remembered stepping off a curb on Dearborn Street in downtown Chicago two winters ago. It was only 20F, but that wet, icy slap in the face from the wind blowing in off the lake reminded me how cold winters the Chicago winters of my youth were. Walking around Northwestern Hospital and Michigan Avenue seemed impossibly cold for the temperature reading. Even 10 miles away from the lake it was bone chilling.

If you are at a long light I suggest hopping off the bike and running in place with high knee bends.

Other than that...layer, I guess. Over the years I have ditched heavy clothes, for more layers of thinner material, and the most important thing...

...a wicking base layer. Staying dry is staying wam.

My workplace is heated. Between locking up the bike, lifting panniers off the racks, and carrying everything inside, I don't get cold there.

Long (2 minute) stop light is my biggest problem. If it's cold and windy, I've learned to zip up the jacket when I stop, and unzip it a few inches after I get across the intersection.

So right. Thanks for sharing your experience. On an average cold winter day, I wear a base layer, a shirt, a fleece, and a thin jacket. Not too heavy!
I do carry a packable emergency layer.

This winter I will keep a log to determine when I experience cold in the workplace and in what way, to what extent.

I also carry an extra layer for emergencies.

But it sounds like you commute in the clothes you will wear at the office. Is that what the situation is?

Are you able to keep sweaters and jackets at work?

If it's a matter of waiting outside for a building to open, then it is worth working out a system where you can carry a winter coat, hat and scarf or extra jacket with you on your ride. That may mean a 2nd pannier, or larger backpack, or a deeper basket or a front porter rack or a frame bag or....

I have the opposite problem when stopping after riding in winter. I overheat if not carefully layered. When I stop at traffic lights, or elsewhere, I have to open my jacket to spill out the warm air or I'll be too warm.

Very cold temperatures require layering and a way to quickly dispose of excess heat. When taking Arctic Warfare Courses in the army we were always told that sweat can kill. Thus I try to avoid sweating in the winter when riding my bicycle.

A quick-release rear rack attached to your seatpost, and a trunk bag on that rack gives you a place to put extra layers you shed or need to put on.

Cheers

[ [MENTION=151366]BobbyG[/MENTION]]

Indeed. I may change into a fresh shirt, but that’s pretty much the situation. However, I can and do keep a cheap but cozy fleece at the office (even a hat). I believe it helps simply because it is less breathable than the thin fleeces I usually wear when in motion. But sometimes I still cool down after some time. Maybe I just need a better, thicker piece for inactive use? But what exactly... Again, I’ve been thinking about keeping a log this time to pinpoint what my problem is exactly, and have a few ideas I want to try out. I don’t experience problems when commuting, not even when stopping.

I stash a light down puffy in my pannier, never know when a stop may happen.

Sounds like a serreptitious vaping/smoking device.

Never have this problem. However, there have been cold winter days when everyone in my office decides to go out for lunch and the light overcoat I rode to work in was insufficiently warm for a short walk outside. Brrrr.

Colorado's got nothing on Massachusetts in the "light down puffy" department these days

Your problem is being cold at work? You must have a chair-based job. I sorta envy you. It’s better for your body to be standing and moving as much as possible.

Yoga ball in lieu of chair?

one of those desk riser gajobbies that people tell their employers that they have back issues to obtain?

or just bring/leave there a thicker fleece/wool sweater, hat, & socks.

really, hat & socks can be surprisingly effective.

so too can be once every half hour doing three or four 5-second heel squats.

Wool socks on my winter commute, and usually left on all day. I ride with hiking boots, which are warm and water proof. I keep a mid-weight jacket, gloves, and hat in the bike locker, for the walk across the parking lot to the office. Hot shower generally warms me up. Wool sweater in a desk drawer in case I'm chilled. I also have a change of clothes in there in case I screw up, but that's another topic.

I did convert to a stand-up desk a couple years ago. It helps a little.

As far as during the commute, in the pannier is a wool sweater for emergencies, like a flat or mechanical. My commute often has ridiculous cross-winds coming to or from the gorge, so at lights I'll stop twenty feet or so back from the intersection so I'm not getting blasted by cold air coming down the cross street.

When commuting - stopping, after some time of pedalling, usually makes me even more warm, at least for the first 5 or more minutes.
Preventing extra sweating is my main worry on those occasions.

At work, or at home - warmer clothes. However, if I get cold, and there's no heating, or it's inadequate, past a certain point, just adding warmer clothes doesn't cut it. Not before getting warm, getting the blood flowing again. Sit-ups and push-ups are a good way of achieving this.

Some strong liquer, like rakija, helps as well - but it too is temporary, just like push-ups, you need to have good warm enough clothes.
For just sitting in the cold, you generally need at least one more layer of clothing, compared to walking in the cold.
If it's windy, that means 2, or even 3 more layers of clothes (like sitting below just a roof, with no walls, or not even a roof).

Flannel is both warm and compact making it the ideal extra warmth to bring along for roadside repairs or other lengthy delays.

For long red lights, it's usually sufficient for me to get circulation to my feet and hands by bouncing up and down with my ankles and clenching my hands into fists. A warm-up that increases my heartrate before going out in the cold reduces the need for it.

[ hsuBM ]

Desk job, yes.

It's not winter yet so I can't say much more now.

But my strategy is the following: Unfortunately I can't take a shower at work, but if I sweat (e.g. neck or skull) I dry myself off. I often put on a fresh shirt. One of the things that helps – and actually makes sense – is that I try to seal in the heat (from commuting, 45–60 min.) as much as possible by putting on a fitting midweight fleece or something. A scarf also helps. Because that scarf also helps to maintain body heat. In winter sometimes I'll add a hat, if only for my sensitive ears.
I'm not quite sure anymore, but I thought my skinny forearms were particulary cold too. Maybe from sweating there, I'm not sure. Might have a look at that, and wipe those if necessary. I'm thinking of closing the sleeves a bit more in one way or another too and wrist warmers are on my wish list. Another thing I do is to start the workday with a warm coffee or tea.

I think most important of all I have to preserve body heat. Of course I always have to remember not to sweat too much either, to think carefully about my layers.

I'll definitely learn more this winter and will keep you posted.

I dress a little heavier then most and ride at a lower intensity to prevent and minimize sweating...I also carry some extra layers with me in my backpack just in case I find myself in a situation where I would have to be outside for longer than expected. ..I also avoid cycling specific clothing because it is not designed to keep you warm if you stop moving. I wear regular outdoor winter clothing. I always bring along an insulated vacuum bottle with hot drink.