Cold weather commuting?

Quoted message said:

I just got into biking an hour or so to work each way over the
summer. Tommorrow is supposed to be quite a cold day, 42 F, compared
to the usual balmy weather I have been commuting in. Do I need to
dress differently, or will my body heat quickly rise once I start my
uphill pedalling? I dont have any fancy fabrics, apart from usual
cottons and some 'dry-fit' sports shirts.

I used to cycle an hour or two per day in Chicago winter weather with
no special gear. 42F is nothing. You'll warm up in no time. A good
shell is all you need. A long sleeve something underneath and maybe a
third layer you can take off as needed. Just keep the pace slow enough
to keep from sweating and fast enough to keep warm.

A good shell and warm shoes, and you're good to go. I like Blundstone
boots in the winter. Shined up, they're presentable with pants, and
they're waterproof.

Quoted message said:

I just got into biking an hour or so to work each way over the
summer. Tommorrow is supposed to be quite a cold day, 42 F, compared
to the usual balmy weather I have been commuting in. Do I need to
dress differently, or will my body heat quickly rise once I start my
uphill pedalling? I dont have any fancy fabrics, apart from usual
cottons and some 'dry-fit' sports shirts.

At 42 F, I'd have my knees covered for starts. Maybe grab the full
finger gloves. Probably put on a light Merino sweater and
close-fitting windbreaker. I could shed the sweater or windbreaker
later. A fleece vest is pretty useful from fall to early spring.

Dressing in layers is the way to go.
--
zk

Quoted message said:

I just got into biking an hour or so to work each way over the
summer. Tommorrow is supposed to be quite a cold day, 42 F, compared
to the usual balmy weather I have been commuting in. Do I need to
dress differently, or will my body heat quickly rise once I start my
uphill pedalling? I dont have any fancy fabrics, apart from usual
cottons and some 'dry-fit' sports shirts.

Temperature response seems to be very individual in terms of actual
degrees, but it seems to me everyone responds more or less the same
way, just at different thesholds in a way. The only way to find out is
to try for yourself.

You will probably warm up pretty quickly as long as you have some wind
resistant outer layer. Bare skin at 42 isn't going to work for most
people. I'd want gloves too. I like a zip front shell as the zipper
allows adjusting according to temperature.

If you allow yourself to get hot and sweat, and then stop and get
cold, you may be in for some unpleasantness. So regulate your temp
underway.

Here in Norway there is a saying: "There is no such thing as bad
weather. Just bad clothes."

Have fun!

Joseph

In article <[email hidden]>, Zoot Katz

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I just got into biking an hour or so to work each way over the
summer. Tommorrow is supposed to be quite a cold day, 42 F, compared
to the usual balmy weather I have been commuting in. Do I need to
dress differently, or will my body heat quickly rise once I start my
uphill pedalling? I dont have any fancy fabrics, apart from usual
cottons and some 'dry-fit' sports shirts.

At 42 F, I'd have my knees covered for starts. Maybe grab the full
finger gloves. Probably put on a light Merino sweater and
close-fitting windbreaker. I could shed the sweater or windbreaker
later. A fleece vest is pretty useful from fall to early spring.

Dressing in layers is the way to go.

Good advice. Further, don't embark on a ride toasty warm as you'll
quickly be sweating profusely. This doesn't apply to feet and fingers
though, in sub-zero riding my experience is that if you start a ride
with cold feet or hands they'll likely freeze soon afterwards.

Quoted message said:

I just got into biking an hour or so to work each way over the
summer. Tommorrow is supposed to be quite a cold day, 42 F, compared
to the usual balmy weather I have been commuting in. Do I need to
dress differently, or will my body heat quickly rise once I start my
uphill pedalling? I dont have any fancy fabrics, apart from usual
cottons and some 'dry-fit' sports shirts.

I'm in the same boat for tomorrow AM 39 degrees with 10-15 mph winds.
I'm definitely going with gloves. Sweatpants over the bike shorts and
probably three light layers (jersey/.cotton/windproof shell) up top.
No headgear yet that would still mae me to warm. I do need warmer
socks, my feet were cold even today.

Quoted message said:

I just got into biking an hour or so to work each way over the
summer. Tommorrow is supposed to be quite a cold day, 42 F, compared
to the usual balmy weather I have been commuting in. Do I need to
dress differently, or will my body heat quickly rise once I start my
uphill pedalling? I dont have any fancy fabrics, apart from usual
cottons and some 'dry-fit' sports shirts.

Everybody's different, and while 42 F is almost freezing in September,
it'll be toasty warm come March. Having said that, at 42 I'd have on
light tights or heavy knee warmers, a wind shell on top, and long
finger gloves.

Pat

Email address works as is.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I just got into biking an hour or so to work each way over the
summer. Tommorrow is supposed to be quite a cold day, 42 F, compared
to the usual balmy weather I have been commuting in. Do I need to
dress differently, or will my body heat quickly rise once I start my
uphill pedalling? I dont have any fancy fabrics, apart from usual
cottons and some 'dry-fit' sports shirts.

Temperature response seems to be very individual in terms of actual
degrees, but it seems to me everyone responds more or less the same
way, just at different thesholds in a way. The only way to find out is
to try for yourself.

You will probably warm up pretty quickly as long as you have some wind
resistant outer layer. Bare skin at 42 isn't going to work for most
people. I'd want gloves too. I like a zip front shell as the zipper
allows adjusting according to temperature.

If you allow yourself to get hot and sweat, and then stop and get
cold, you may be in for some unpleasantness. So regulate your temp
underway.

Here in Norway there is a saying: "There is no such thing as bad
weather. Just bad clothes."

Hey, we say that in British Columbia.

--
JF, Norwegian

PS. Santaniello is awfully Italian looking surname for a Norwegian.

http://velominator.spaces.live.com/

"Patrick Lamb" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I just got into biking an hour or so to work each way over the
summer. Tommorrow is supposed to be quite a cold day, 42 F, compared
to the usual balmy weather I have been commuting in. Do I need to
dress differently, or will my body heat quickly rise once I start my
uphill pedalling? I dont have any fancy fabrics, apart from usual
cottons and some 'dry-fit' sports shirts.

Everybody's different, and while 42 F is almost freezing in September,
it'll be toasty warm come March. Having said that, at 42 I'd have on
light tights or heavy knee warmers, a wind shell on top, and long
finger gloves.

Don't forget the toque (skull cap/beanie/ski cap).

--
JF, prefers liner gloves under regular, open fingered cycling gloves

http://velominator.spaces.live.com/

Jim Flom said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I just got into biking an hour or so to work each way over the
summer. Tommorrow is supposed to be quite a cold day, 42 F, compared
to the usual balmy weather I have been commuting in. Do I need to
dress differently, or will my body heat quickly rise once I start my
uphill pedalling? I dont have any fancy fabrics, apart from usual
cottons and some 'dry-fit' sports shirts.

Quoted message said:

Temperature response seems to be very individual in terms of actual
degrees, but it seems to me everyone responds more or less the same
way, just at different thesholds in a way. The only way to find out is
to try for yourself.

Quoted message said:

You will probably warm up pretty quickly as long as you have some wind
resistant outer layer. Bare skin at 42 isn't going to work for most
people. I'd want gloves too. I like a zip front shell as the zipper
allows adjusting according to temperature.

Quoted message said:

If you allow yourself to get hot and sweat, and then stop and get
cold, you may be in for some unpleasantness. So regulate your temp
underway.

Quoted message said:

Here in Norway there is a saying: "There is no such thing as bad
weather. Just bad clothes."

Hey, we say that in British Columbia.

--
JF, Norwegian

PS. Santaniello is awfully Italian looking surname for a Norwegian.

It is actually an American name, very similar to Ng and, Warshawsky
and... ;-)

Joseph

Quoted message said:

I just got into biking an hour or so to work each way over the
summer. Tommorrow is supposed to be quite a cold day, 42 F, compared
to the usual balmy weather I have been commuting in. Do I need to
dress differently, or will my body heat quickly rise once I start my
uphill pedalling? I dont have any fancy fabrics, apart from usual
cottons and some 'dry-fit' sports shirts.

I commute year round in NYC, and this site has a lot of helpful cold
weather advice: http://www.icebike.org/. Most people look at me like
I'm nuts when they find out that I bike through the winter, but it
really isn't cold or I wouldn't do it.

During the really cold months I use battery-powered mittens because my
fingers just get too cold (15 miles each way). I also have heated
(hotronic brand) insoles for my shoes since my toes also hate
frostbite. I seem to be more sensitive to cold than some other folks
though.

That isn't necessary for 42f of course. I would wear gloves though,
and a wind breaker is very helpful. You'll heat up very quickly so
don't overdress. Layers.

One thing to bear in mind is that Cotton Kills. Contrary to what
someone else wrote, don't wear cotton when things get cold. It absorbs
and holds water rather than passing it along to the outer layer. You
don't want cold soggy clothing near your skin, you want nice
breathable stuff that stays dry. I tend to hit the coolmax imitation
stuff from Target - their C9 brand seems to be good stuff done cheap.

The only real biking clothes that I sprang for is a bright yellow
windbreaker/light jacket for the outer layer. It has lots of zippers
so that you can open under the armpits and even zip up from the bottom
of the main zipper as well as down from the top. It's funny, but even
in the coldest weather I find that I need to open up some zippers.

Have fun.

I use windbreaker shell and some number of sweatshirts under it, depending on
temperature. For 40 dgrees, it would be one sweatshirt. If the sun is out, it's
still Bermudas for pants, otherwise sweatpants over Bermudas.

Polartek mittens are good down to about 32, are warm when wet, and leave you
fairly dextrous still ; below 32 I wear a mitten shell over them. No gloves,
it's either these mittens or nothing.

Face mask under 15 F. That would be 3 sweatshirt territory.

Carhartt model A111 wool ``boot socks'' (88% wool) solved my cold foot problem,
whether in boots or regular shoes. I gather it's the high percentage wool that
matters. Most wool socks are pretty low in wool and high in nylon or something.
--
[email hidden]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Ron Hardin said:

Carhartt model A111 wool ``boot socks'' (88% wool) solved my cold foot problem,
whether in boots or regular shoes. I gather it's the high percentage wool that
matters. Most wool socks are pretty low in wool and high in nylon or something.

I'll second the recommendation for wool socks. They are definitely the
way to go for cool/cold weather cycling.

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
X windows. Flaky and built to stay that way.

"Dane Buson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ron Hardin said:

Carhartt model A111 wool ``boot socks'' (88% wool) solved my cold foot
problem,
whether in boots or regular shoes. I gather it's the high percentage
wool that
matters. Most wool socks are pretty low in wool and high in nylon or
something.

I'll second the recommendation for wool socks. They are definitely the
way to go for cool/cold weather cycling.

Heck, I wear wool socks year round. I have thin ones for summer, thick ones
for winter.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Claire Petersky said:

"Dane Buson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ron Hardin said:

Carhartt model A111 wool ``boot socks'' (88% wool) solved my cold foot
problem,
whether in boots or regular shoes. I gather it's the high percentage
wool that
matters. Most wool socks are pretty low in wool and high in nylon or
something.

I'll second the recommendation for wool socks. They are definitely the
way to go for cool/cold weather cycling.

Heck, I wear wool socks year round. I have thin ones for summer, thick ones
for winter.

I have to admit that I do also. I find the wool more comfortable in
general, even if it might erroneously mark me out as a retro grouch.

Well, the socks and the barcon shifters.
Well, the socks, barcon shifters, and steel bike.
Hmmm, the socks, barcon shifters, steel bike and square taper BB...

--
Dane Buson - [email hidden]
"Violence accomplishes nothing." What a contemptible lie! Raw, naked
violence has settled more issues throughout history than any other method
ever employed. Perhaps the city fathers of Carthage could debate the
issue, with [censored] and Alexander as judges?

In article <[email hidden]>,

Dane Buson said:

Well, the socks and the barcon shifters.
Well, the socks, barcon shifters, and steel bike.
Hmmm, the socks, barcon shifters, steel bike and square taper BB...

You must have an awfully heavy bike, what with
all that steel.

Landotter should take note.

And, living in the PNW, our Western Cordilleran 10%+
grades should be more trivial to you than those short,
little Anglo 30%+ humps 'n bumps of which Tony Raven
speaks. Hell, getting up Oak St from 1st to Broadway
is sort of do-able. Wouldn't wanna have to continually
o it, though. Comes a time when one should consider
multi-modal transportation.

Phffftt :p

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

I just got into biking an hour or so to work each way over the
summer. Tommorrow is supposed to be quite a cold day, 42 F, compared
to the usual balmy weather I have been commuting in. Do I need to
dress differently, or will my body heat quickly rise once I start my
uphill pedalling? I dont have any fancy fabrics, apart from usual
cottons and some 'dry-fit' sports shirts.

A fleet of pullover sweaters in a range of thicknesses
is a wonderful asset. Get 'em cheap from your local
Goodwill/Salivation-Army shop.

In cooler temps, some sort of full-finger gloves helps
keep the windchill off yer hands, too.

A lot of cyclists talk about cotton like it's the
work of Ol' Harry. IME, cotton stuff is okay in the
warmer & drier months ('cuz you can readily take off your
skanky cotton tee-shirt & jeans, and put clean ones on.)
But it really can be an evil textile in the winter,
especially if it gets wet. During the winter, rain-soaked
jeans take at least three days to air-dry, hung up in a
Vancouver basement. The worst of the worst of cotton
clothing is probably cotton sweatshirts/pants. 'Cuz with
their thickness they retain even /more/ cold wetness.

Polyester and other synth fabrics are good in cold & wet,
but have a tendency to become olfactorily unpleasant.
I find a gentle machine washing with a shot of vinegar in
the wash water mitigates that effect. Some folks use
baking soda, but the vinegar thing actually works better
for me. And it doesn't leave shmutz on my clothes.

For some subconsciously intuitive reason, I'm personally
averse to anything neoprene, like booties and gloves.
I guess I figure a cyclist just shouldn't have to dress
up like a scuba diver.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 17:04:36 -0700, [email hidden] (Tom Keats)
wrote:

[---]

Quoted message said:

Polyester and other synth fabrics are good in cold & wet,
but have a tendency to become olfactorily unpleasant.
I find a gentle machine washing with a shot of vinegar in
the wash water mitigates that effect.

Do you add only vinegar to the wash, or also a dose of washing
powder/liquid?

In article <[email hidden]>,

Andrew Price said:

On Sat, 22 Sep 2007 17:04:36 -0700, [email hidden] (Tom Keats)
wrote:

[---]

Quoted message said:

Polyester and other synth fabrics are good in cold & wet,
but have a tendency to become olfactorily unpleasant.
I find a gentle machine washing with a shot of vinegar in
the wash water mitigates that effect.

Do you add only vinegar to the wash, or also a dose of washing
powder/liquid?

I put in a little bit of Tide or Sunlight[tm] before
the machine fills up with wash water; then I add a
dollop (a couple of estimated, unmeasured fluid ounces)
of vinegar once the machine has filled-up with wash water,
but before it starts agitating.

It's plain white vinegar.

I save the malt vinegar for my fish 'n chips, the
balsamic vinegar for salad dressing, and the rice
vinegar (+ red sea salt) for a bowlful of paper-thin
cucumber slices and Tom Thumb tomatoes.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca