My strategy for making the morning bike commute less frigid: A steaming hot shower, followed by suiting up with apparel that has just come out of the clothes dryer. Makes it seem much more bearable. Then again.. it always seems colder out than it really is.. or rather, it never feels as cold as it looks from inside the bedroom window. Today I wore my new Providence Bicycle thermal jacket (picked up Monday off the clearance rack to consummate the store's commitment to sponsor the Millwork One Racing Team) my long sleeve jersey and my one threadbare Reebok base layer. These three layers were sufficient, while it was only about 25 degrees out. I was comfortable enough that getting to work was a bummer. I was feeling like.. "Hey let's ride some more.. this feels good.."
PS: If it seems that I obsess over riding in the cold, it's because I've never done it before! It's the first time I've ridden this much in December! To wit: in December 2006 I rode a total of 3 hours.. December 2007: 28 hours and counting!
May your rides this winter be as surprisingly toasty as mine.. -Murat
1 comment:
Murat, the Husband here, not sure if you have them but I have found that winterweight tights with windproof facing are the key to winter riding (protect the family jewels) as well as goretex socks or SealSkinz socks. I used this during the winter in Cleveland when I commuted all the time and also still use it at the weekend here in NJ both off and on road. The SealSkinz socks are a life saver when its wet, they were designed for canoeists so are pretty much watertight. I buy stuff from a UK outfit called Polaris who make gear for mountain bike etc. but have found their gear to be on a par with the more overpriced and more image based brands such as Pearl Izumi etc. Their website is at http://www.polaris-apparel.co.uk/
look for the pro-bib tights
and they ship worldwide!!!
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