#bikeschool: Win a Pearl Izumi Elite Barrier Jacket

01
Dec
2011
By

Hey #bikeschool classmates, here’s your chance to pick up an incredible Elite Barrier cycling jacket from Pearl Izumi.  It’s available in both Men’s and Women’s sizes, comes in seven different color options, and is described as:

Wind-proof and water resistant, this comfortable and breathable Barrier Jacket provides lightweight, packable protection from a wide range of weather conditions.

Enter to Win

Contest is now closed.  Thanks for your entries and sharing your cold and wet cycling experiences with us here and at #bikeschool.  @CharlieQuimby is the lucky winner of the Pearl Izumi Elite Barrier Cycling Jacket.  Congratulations, Charlie.

 

First – We need you to send out a quick tweet on Twitter letting us know about the coldest temperature you’ve ever ridden in.  Be sure include the #bikeschool hashtag in your tweet.

Second – Leave a comment below telling us a story about the coldest and/or wettest ride you’ve ever experienced.  Give us all the details (date, location, etc…even attach a picture if you have one) and let us know exactly how you felt while you were out there.

Contest is only open until tomorrow (December 2, 2011) at Noon EST…..Enter Now.

Enjoy Your Ride
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  • http://twitter.com/CharlieQuimby Charlie Quimby

    Thanks, guys & to Pearl Izumi. I gave my puffy parka to my son now that I’m wintering in Western Colorado. The new jacket will be much appreciated.

  • Anonamcd

    My coldest was listed on twiiter @Thedirtywheel but the most memorable was the wettest and the was a surprise snow fall in May of 2010 up in Big Bear, Ca ….  I felt like a 12 year old boy playing football in the mud for the first time … then it started coming down so bad we realized we might not get off the mountain… Getting loaded back up and down the hill was a nightmare.

  • Biff

    The first sub-freezing ride of the year is always the coldest.  Throw wind in the mix and my eyes water just thinking about it.  I honestly think some of my coldest feeling rides have been those soggy rides around the freezing mark where there is a lot of moisture in the air and wind to boot.  It is always amazing how those first 30-something degree days in March feel so warm.

  • Anonymous

    My coldest and wettest ride I have ever experienced was about two falls ago during November. It is a ride that I will never forget, the temperature was down to about 29 degrees (pretty low for texas) and it was pouring rain with 20mph winds. I was having a bad day and said to hell with both the rain and cold, I jumped on my road bike and rode 16 miles.  By the time I got home I was miserable. Soaked from head to toe, with numb toes and fingers. I can remember riding across a bridge over the lake near my house and having people slow down next to me and ask if I wanted a ride. I declined of course. Awful ride, but great memories.

  • http://twitter.com/JeepGorilla Sonny Williams

    Not the coldest, but definitely the muddiest! Just a few weeks back I was caught on the Northshore trail in North Texas as the sun was going down, the temperatures dropped dramatically, and the rain started falling, and falling heavy. One of those “It’s floodin’ down of Texas” type of rains. My small block 8s lost all climbing traction and the creek beds were becoming treacherous with running water. In no time I was cold, wet, muddy, and tired, and I even laid the bike down on a gooey turn. I could of cursed it, but as I lay in the mud, I just started laughing. It was just a change in perspective. I mean, how often does this happen? I managed to have a blast the rest of the way home, sliding on the slippery berms, powering through mud-caked ruts and just having a mess of a time. No harm to bike or body.

  • http://twitter.com/ErinElberson Gluten Free Fitness

    Wettest ride was here in south Florida, can’t remember the date but about 7 years ago.  Charity event, metric, tropical storm warning.  Very wet, very windy.  I was grateful to have kept the rubber side down by the end of that one!

  • http://twitter.com/paulcyclesworld paul ashley-unett

    coldest temperatures I’ve cycled in is -20C (if not lower) during winter in Toronto, Canada. Would not recommend it!! and the wettest was as I cycled across Canada last summer. I was caught in a torrential thunderstorm whilst cycling around the Great Lakes, this was Pancake Bay off Lake Superior

  • http://www.weiland.net/ Weiland

    I don’t have the exact date but take your pick from 1992 to 1996 while attending the University of Wyoming I rode my bike to class year round. Some of the colder days would get to 10 below if not colder on occasion. I’ve lost some of my ability to withstand the cold since moving to Texas. 4 years ago I didn’t own any cold weather gear as I could handle the 40 degree weather. The weather doesn’t keep me from riding at all but I do own arm warmers now.

    When I win can I get the jacket in xs or small? One of my junior racers would get good use out of it!

  • http://twitter.com/jodycb jodycb

    So last night I tweeted that the coldest temp I ever road in was 14 degrees. I went back to look at my blog & I guess it was 12 degrees. It was January 10, 2010. I was looking for an adventure and was out of groceries so I decided to bike to the grocery store with my cruddy winter bike and kitty litter panniers. I had a great time but wasn’t too good at navigating the off road sections in the snow. But it’s true that there’s no bad weather, only the wrong clothes. Here’s a link with the full story and some pics. http://pixilateddesign.com/jodycb/2010/01/snow-riding-attempt/

  • Anonymous

    Altho I am not in the running here, my coldest ride last year was ~-25C or -30C + windchill, I was wishing I had chosen mitts instead of gloves on those days and was very happy I had no skin showing. Morning commutes get that way here and will be getting that way again soon. Good times!! Was glad to see snow on this mornings commute!!

  • winsettz

    Started winter riding with the TCBC (twin cities bicycling club) last year. I’d say my worst ride was in January 2011 (after the Metrodome implosion), where the salted water formed standing pools in the bike lanes and turned into glass-smooth ice. We biked through on studded tires; and after slipping twice (and cracking my helmet the second time) I called it quits and went home. I still kind of regret not finishing that trip.

    ~Charlie from mpls (and formerly of Los Angeles)

  • Rcmckill

    Tweeted both. @rcmckill:disqus 

  • Carolandbob601

    Coldest ride for me (so far) was 24F last Feb. A great ride. Was out for about 90 min. As long as you’re dressed properly ( like w/ this jacket!) you’ll be ok.

    Looks like temps will be in the mid-teens (F) for my #bikecommute this coming week. :^)

  • Ian Redmond

    The coldest climate I cycled in was last winter -11 degrees it was very cold I had bout 5 layers on and I was still cold … One of my bottles froze wit the cold.. I was out for about 3hrs on a sunday with my team and I was glad go get home

  • http://www.jeremyridesbikes.com jeremyiridebikes

    my coldest, wettest ride was in Colorado.  I was trying out my newest bike at the time the Felt Breed.  I wanted to touch the foothills, but only ride dirt to get there.  I lived in Superior at the time and rode west on the dirt trails near town.  They eventually link up to other trails and can get me pretty close.  I am out in the middle of cow country and I see this typical summer afternoon thunderstorm rolling in.  I figured I’d be able to continue on as it looked like it was moving North of me.  I was wrong it was coming towards me.  Luckily, I was in a patch of sparse evergreens and was able to shelter for a little bit under a small pine tree.  

    The rain and hail kept coming and coming.  I was going to wait it out, but it kept on going which was odd for Colorado.  So another foolish mistake, I decided to backtrack and get home.  So the storm must have been traveling at the same speed as me and the rain/hail kept pounding and pounding me.  I got back to one of the trailheads and was able to find shelter in a public trail bathroom.  At that point I excepted my fate and just waited it out in the stink.  The storm ended and I had to ride home soaked and cold.  BUT I rode home with a smile on my face as that was a pretty darn cool little adventure.

    Here is a picture of me after.  The light was flat so I threw a sepia on it to bring out the contrasts so you could see me.

    http://j.mp/uwgxqE

  • Trevor Szewczyk

    House of Pain in the rain in 2010. The road spray was incredible. I’m too lazy to put on fenders so i was eating mud for most of it. Then I got a flat. Then I went home

  • http://twitter.com/ride2morrow Lourdes

    Giro d Vino 2010 – Nov 7, 2010.  Lodi CA.  It poured.  I never got dry throughout the entire ride. At one point, there was a truck that hit a puddle on the opposite side of the road.  All I could manage was close my eyes and mouth as the water splashed across the street to me.  In addition to the rain, the winds were brutal!

  • http://twitter.com/bikeviewca BikeView.CA

    Coldest I could find in my Garmin history is -25˚C (-30˚C wind chill) on Jan 17th, 2011 http://connect.garmin.com/activity/63888644 At this temperature, the enormous amount of salt this city puts down has no effect.  If it hasn’t snowed then the roads can actually be pretty dry because the humidity just gets sucked out of the air. I always leave the house cold with the intention that I will be warm in 10 minutes otherwise you get too hot and when you sweat your moisture freezes before getting to work.  Unpleasant.  Ski-doo mitts are great but sometimes hard to control the brakes.  Also, my water bottle which I fill up with hot water is pretty much frozen by the time I get to work.  I’ve got some video on my site of another pretty cold but windy day riding http://www.bikeview.ca/2010/12/27/dec-27th-crazy-wind-and-cold/  Just put the studded tires on today!

  • Eric Hutchins

    Coldest was 20 Degrees and sleeting while riding in Glacier National Park, with my wife Pamela. It was not bad as we started up the hill in the park, however it got colder and colder as we went (not just from altitude) until it started sleeting. We rode back DOWNHILL in the biting cold. By the time we got back to the car my hands were in a claw position. I dont think I could have operated the brakes if I needed to. My wife wrote about the trip in http://pamelahutchins.com/2011/02/27/look-out-theres-a-floater-in-the-water/ there was a lot of cold on that trip!

  • Jodiengle

    My example isn’t from serious cycling. It was the day after christmas, when I had received my first 10 speed bike. This was in Minnesota but I was determined to ride it right away. I remember slipping and sliding every which way on the snow and ice. Now I live in a warmer state but it still gets chilly on my rides.

  • Bikeboy999

    Coldest, would be sub F zero  temp heading to my school bus job a few years back.  I was using an upright three wheeled trike, had on sandles with wool socks in a pair of NEOS overboots.  I was lucky to have a place to leave bike unlocked because locks do not work well that cold, and neither does bare skin working the keys. 

    Bikeboy999 aka brian

    • Bikeboy999

      My wettest ride was also a lesson in how the stoker on a tandem is protected from the elements. It was a 7hr ride in the rain. When we got to the stop over point, I washed my legs 3 times in the shower and still could not get the dirt off.  My son who was stoking, had no road dirt on him and one shower worked. That was a good trip, I learned how to dry off shoes over night for the return ride.

      B

  • http://jonvick.com/ Jon Vick

    While not the coldest ride I’ve ever done (-6F on my birthday a couple years ago, because I was determined to ride on my birthday that year), one of the most memorable and retold stories came a couple years earlier. I was in Italy in 2006, hanging out with a couple of my colleagues in Trento before the Giro. We set off to ride Monte Bondone, which was going to feature as a mountain top finish a couple weeks later, a stage won in memorable fashion by Ivan Basso. The 90km route headed out around the mountain and finished by climbing over and descending down the mountain. We set off in beautiful, sunny, 70 degree weather, with little for extra clothing and ticked away the first 60km under clear skies. As can happen in the mountains, the weather changed on us rapidly as we started the climb. 60 degrees, 50 degrees. No worries, I had a wind jacket along, we’d be fine. 40 degrees. Dang, getting pretty cold for short fingered gloves, but at least we’re climbing. Rain. Now this is just unfair. Then the temperature continued to drop, the rain continued to fall, turning pretty soon to snow. Being May, there wasn’t much open at the ski area, but we found a little bar near the top where we warmed ourselves with hot chocolate before the descent. The bartender had some newspapers to stuff down our jerseys to insulate us from the cold wind. We began the descent, woefully unprepared for the cold that we encountered. I wasn’t two switchbacks into the descent before my fingers were so cold they didn’t want to operate brake levers, not a good combination when descending an extremely steep mountain on snowy, wet roads. We did the only thing that came to mind to counteract the cold, broke a cardinal rule of descending in the mountains, and rode our brakes as hard as possible down the descent, stopping every couple hundred meters to warm our hands on our rims. I’ve never appreciated a hot shower at the end of a ride as much as I did that day.

  • http://cellowireless.blogspot.com rorowe

    Last year, during the few work days between Christmas and New Year’s, the temps were in the single digits, with negative degree wind-chills. Before moving to Boulder, anytime we had serious cold in Philadelphia, there was usually snow/ice along with it, so (obviously, lol) I wouldn’t bicycle. But, after deciding my car was for emergencies only, and I didn’t consider extreme cold and emergency, I braved it. Of course, it was only a little more than 2 miles to work, but it was still COLD! 
    I don’t know if I could do negative degree rides like people do in the northern states and Canada…

  • http://www.cyclelicio.us/ Cyclelicious

    My coldest bike ride occurred on January 19, 1994 in Champaign, Illinois, when it was 25 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (or -32 degrees C). I know this day because it’s the record low there.  Windchill was something like 40 below.

    I lived less than a mile from work so it wasn’t that big of a deal, but still it’s pretty cold!

  • http://twitter.com/CharlieQuimby Charlie Quimby

    Is it cheating to add one more? I rode home from downtown Minneapolis in a blizzard described in this post: http://greatdivide.typepad.com/across_the_great_divide/2007/12/soft-pedaling.html

    A few days later, I talked to a guy in the neighborhood who had been trying to drive out of the city about the same time I left. Despite my travails, I got home before he did. (He was in his car so long, he had to pull over and run into a school to make a pit stop!)

  • Twall78

    Coldest I have ever ridden was a little over a month ago at the end of October.  I believe the starting temperature was 36 degrees.  We weren’t quite ready for the frigid air on our hands and had to stop after about 20 minutes and put our hands in our arm pits for a little while to warm them up.  We have since learned about layering at various temperature points. :)

  • http://twitter.com/CharlieQuimby Charlie Quimby

    Coldest ride was a -10°F commute in Minneapolis more than once in 2010. (My wife makes me take the bus at anything lower.) A helmet with liner, balaclava, lined choppers, Goretex boots with wool socks, fleece-lined jeans with tights underneath and a puffy parka that’s too hot to wear most of the winter. Riding a single-speed Frankenbike with fat tires.

    As winter riders know, there’s a window of cold where sounds and light seem amplified. You hear every inch of your tires rip through the dry snow and the sun surrounds you like a halo — its reminder of warmth is somehow enough. When you see the incredulous gazes of car riders you want to laugh, because at the same moment they are seeing crazy-impossible, you are feeling this-is-how-we’ve-made-it-so-far.

    • Anonymous

      Congrats!! Oh and that is a great way of putting it “window of cold”!!

    • http://lovingthebike.com Darryl is Loving the Bike

      Congratulations Charlie…..I know you’re going to love the Jacket.  We hope to see a whole lot more of you at #bikeschool in the future.

  • http://twitter.com/techknowgn Ben

    Coldest ride I ever had was a commute to work on a Friday in the dead of winter in Boston in January of 2010. I hadn’t planned it. There was too much ice and snow for my liking. But the truck was acting up and I didn’t have my laptop at home; so a bike to work was my only choice. The busses didn’t come often enough. I was fortunate that I had just invested in winter tights, but I didn’t have a lot of practice at winter riding, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I didn’t expect was for me to have my fastest ride ever to work. The path along the river was clear, almost no one else was riding, and I was so freaking cold (15 degrees before windchill), that I rode as hard and as fast as I could. The snow turned to rain in my last half mile, so I was more than a little wet, but the shower at work was nice and warm. It warmed me up enough to do the commute home later on when work cancelled early.

  • Bethel

    Sorry from my cell phone with low battery. Elect at home is out.
    Coldest tiding temp was 25deg

  • Anonymous

    Living in a ski resort means there’s plenty of snow around during Winter – after a La Nina season that kept us off of our bikes and on our ski’s and snowboards for way too long, I’d had enough. After a few days of rain the roads were clearer and the night before the weather forecast said it was going to be warm in the morning. I was out of practice with my commuting “organisation” – with all the excitement, I madly organised my backpack, grabbed my bike and ran out the door in shorts and a t-shirt.

    Three quarters of the way to work it really hit me – it was bloody cold outside! Turns out it was -3C that morning. Lucky I had a nice and short commute!

  • Anonymous

    Coldest and wettest ride was Ride Around The Buttes in 2007. I was so cold and soaked that I got the chills at one of the rest stops and almost had to DNF.  Finally recovered and made it through to the end. Swore I would never do that again.

  • Koifla

    In miami If it’s much colder than 60 i think I’ll just run but grew up in toronto biked in the snow and ice

  • BrennanAnnie

    The wettest ride I ever rode in was in England. It was thundering and lightning and people were driving by splashing big puddles of water up on me. I was 50 miles from home and 25 miles from the train station. I opted for the train station. Got there only to find the platform was up 30 slippery metal stairs. Luckily some nice man took pity on my and carried my bike up the stairs. It should have been a horrible ride but it makes a great memory.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Craig-Clark/1240057485 Craig Clark

    Wettest ride was the2006  Cheat Mountain Challenge in West Virginia.  Qbout 3″ of rain that day, ~10,000 ft of climbing.  That was great.  The temperature was 65 degrees. in the valleys at the top of the last climb it was about 55 and still pouring.

  • Chad Ulrick

    my nose jaw, and toes were in pain last january we were out for a gravel grinder for “breakfast” which means all day beers.  we found a “restaurant” bar with a fireplace and ended up staying for 5 hours while socks and toes thawed out just southwest of the Des Moines, IA area in a little township of Booneville, IA

  • MarkBeaky

    My coldest ride was a commute to work at 4.30am in -3c. It was the only time I was happy to get to work. the fog had made my clothes wet and by the time I had gotten to work, It had frozen and I was covered in ice.

  • Jonathan Banks

    Coldest ride was in Flower Mound Texas (near Dallas). It was cold and the roads had some icy spots. About 15 minutes in my hands were numb but I was out with friends and having fun. We stopped for coffee to warm up. It was a great but very cold 4 hour ride with friends.

  • Chandler Snyder

    As my tweet stated it was the winter between 08-09 and i was back downtown for a bit running packages here in denver.  we got smacked like bitches by a winter storm and the following week is was -20F for about 2 days in a row then -0 for the rest of the week.  9hrs a day in that shit! my profile pic is from that time actually which is funny cuz i just changed it!

  • Juicelee337

    28d in Auburn, CA…tri training group ride in May…snow all around us, but the roads were safe. Dressed warm enough that the cold was not a negative factor. It was a beautiful 65mile ride.

    • Bethel

      Good luck on your marathon Sunday. Run good and strong. Have Amy post updates.

  • http://twitter.com/BikingBrian Brian D.

    Coldss

  • D2boyd

    I rode up to the car rental place last February. It was a cold, snowy ride and I remember wondering if I’d be able to keep my tires under me. Wet jeans, a camping raincoat were not the best wet-cold cycling gear!! I’d be willing to ride again with a nice PI jacket!

  • http://twitter.com/icemanbb Bob Burpee

    Coldest ride, so far, was in January of 2008, it was a bike commute and was actually prretty uneventful. People at work were flabbergasted.

  • Eric Peters

    Just started riding in the cold last year. I never go out when it is below freezing because I don’t have the right gear for it. I’m slowly acquiring bits and pieces. A good jacket would help…. Just sayin’

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Sugar Alternatives for Energy and Hydration

Question: I am using the homebrew sugar formulations (sometimes added to green tea).  I am also trying to wean myself off 1/2 dose adrenalean ”lip tonic delivery system” (biorhythm brand- caffeine, hoodia g, synephrine, yohimbe) capsule for energy.

My question is other than juice, can you suggest modifications in lieu of table sugar for energy and hydration.

Answer:

Both raw/organic honey or agave can work great in the homebrew (substitute in the same quantities for the sugar, or to taste), but you do have to shake well in order to make sure they don’t settle out.  Have you tried either of these?  Also, make sure to use at least the minimum amount of salt recommended in the homebrew as the temps rise, you need the sodium replacement if you’re sweating.

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