Winter Riding Wednesday 3 – Comfort
Good winter biking gear is expensive; but, if you’re willing to spend some money, you’re going to be more comfortable and less likely to give up on winter cycling.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eySvCnhRH7o[/youtube]
Once again, Kip goes into detail on what type of gear a winter cyclist should use to be comfortable during winter rides:
- a helmet
- goggles
- head gear
- jackets
- gloves
- pants
- underwear
- foot protection
Be comfortable, be safe and you’ll be a successful winter cyclist.
Excellent Stuff! I’m a Back Country and a Nordic Skier and so I’ve built a war chest of gear that transitions well between cycling and ski season. Much like we are all mountain bikers in the Adirondacks, cold is just part of life. One of the nicest things I ended up with was an old ECWCS parka from the Air Force, my brother got out with an extra one and the nikwax restored the gortex wonderfully! Which reminds me, take car of your winter gear and as the man in the movie said it’ll take care of you. The great experiment this season is going to be tires. I’ve moved from my mountains to the Southern Tier of New York and it’s hilly but most of what I’m riding for a commute will be flat, paved and plowed. I’m on Serfas Drifters 26×2″ and I’m just not sure what I’m going to get. We’ve had so little snow this season its hard to get a sense of it.
Thanks for your comments, Malachi…..looks like you’re all set with your winter riding gear. Good job.
Yeah, my only hang up with surplus gear is that it’s mostly black, OD or camo none of which helps you to be seen at night. I’m not sure who the manufactures of bicycle gear think were hiding from either. They make jerseys that would be at home in a clown car and then all the rain/snow gear is black! It’s nice being black as it soaks in some solar heat but when it gets dark the return goes down. That and sewing reflective stuff on is out too as you can mess up the water resistance by poking it full of holes. My old flight coat had a NY air guard patch on the shoulder and one rainy day’s motorcycle ride to Saratoga Springs I arrived mostly dry except for my whole left arm where the stitching let the water through under air pressure. I’m not sure what we’ll see of this on a bicycle and the velocities sustained versus a 45-50 mph motorcycle ride but it was another lesson learned, that and the water will find its way into even the smallest of cracks in the leather of your boots!
I rode 300 miles this December in New York State and I put in 50+ miles in the Rapha 500 myself. It was awesome!
Man, that looks cold….great picture, Malachi.
Good down-to-earth advice here. You’re right: proper gear may be expensive, but how cheap are gasoline, parking, oil changes and the like? I’m a full-on spandex devotee myself — and you think balaclavas turn heads — but you don’t need to go that route to get great winter clothing.
Have you seen the Rapha Festive 500 Challenge? It has captured quite a bit of attention all over the world and lots of people are taking up the challenge to suffer the winter cold to ride between 23rd to 30th Dec
Excellent video. Not that I plan on cycling in the cold and snow anytime soon….but for those who are (or are thinking about) cycling in that kind of climate, this is fantastic information. Huge thanks to Myron and Kip for getting this together.
Darryl