Tech tips »
Dressing for cold weather cycling
As I mentioned in my post on wet weather riding, my gear selection doesn’t need to change a whole lot over the winter. Sure, there are some cold days when I need to break out the knee warmers or a beanie for the climb up but, by and large, I don’t need to make any special adjustments in autumn and winter.
Of course, that’s not the case for many of you. Some riders use winter to focus on fitness training, while many riders simply hang up their bikes for the winter so they can focus on activities like skiing and snowboarding. Others take the change of seasons in stride and head out with appropriate gear and a different mindset. Bicycling Life has a good writeup on winter riding that discusses not only the winter-riding mindset but also the type of gear cold weather riders should consider. SheCycles has a great entry outlining the importance of, and ideas behind, wearing an effective base layer underneath your winter gear.
In addition to doing some basic research on the ‘net, the best thing you can do to find appropriate gear is to pay a visit to your local bike shop. A good shop knows what kind of gear works best in your area, and they’ll usually have it in stock so you can try things on and make sure the fit is what you’re looking for.
1. Posted by Dressing for wet weather riding » The Biking Hub | 10:53 pm, 28 November 2005
[…] Other things? Some people swear by GoreTex socks, neoprene gloves, head covers, hydration pack covers, and stuff like that. All you really need to remember when you’re heading out in the rain is to be prepared and, just like in colder weather, it’s better to be overdressed than the other way around. I know from experience that “wet and cold” definitely isn’t better than plain old “wet”. […]