Cold Weather Riding

by Phil Coleman

Like the rest of you who continue cycling while we are transitioning into colder temperatures, I've changed my dressing pattern to combat the lower temperatures.  I thought it might be useful to share some tips that make riding in times like these easier and more comfortable.

YOUR CORE
The human body is engineered to protect itself in TWO critical areas when it becomes chilled. The first is the brain, the second is the heart or cardiovascular system. These two parts of the human body (or any other warm-blooded creature), MUST be kept warm for the body to survive cold environments.

Picture an unprotected guy in an Alaska winter. The first sensation he feels is his hands and his feet become painfully cold. The reason: His body is diminishing the warm blood flow to the extremities, sacrificing them, to concentrate available body heat on preserving the head and the heart.  Of those two critical body parts the head is most important. There's an old saying among people who live in the cold parts of the world: "If your feet are cold, put on a hat!"

The brain has the least tolerance to extremes in temperature. A bike helmet does offer some protection from cold wind, but it is minimal. The best thing I found for head protection is a balaclava made with Spandex. They are reasonable in price, and easy to pack away when they not needed. When there is an increase in temperature--and head protection is no longer needed, a cyclist can pull down the covering while still riding, letting it puddle around the neck. The slinky spandex material easily slips out from a clasped helmet.  Balaclava's are used in a variety of outdoor recreational activities. There are available everywhere on-line, and at various stores that cater to the outdoor athlete.

LAYERING
Most everybody is aware of "layering" when dressing for variable cold weather, the donning of increasing numbers of garments as temperature falls. Should temperatures rise, clothing is then removed in layers.

Cyclists can't easily do layering.  Usually, the start of a bike ride is when the cyclist is the most uncomfortably cold.  Were the cyclists to put on several layers of clothing at the ride start, a short while later--as the body temperature heats up due to physical exertion--the cyclist feels the compelling need to start removing clothing layers.  But then the problem becomes, "Where do I store the extra outer garments with the limited carrying and storage capacity of a road cyclist?"  The answer is, instead of removing layers of bulky clothing, perform a clothing removal device I'll give the name: "Area Exposure." More on that later. 

Back to protecting the chest, back, or trunk from cold, you need a cycling-designed light-weight windbreaker jacket with detachable sleeves. Preferably, it has a bright color to be easily seen by passing motorists. The main advantage of such a clothing item is its versatility. Consider the following:

• A wind-resistant jacket aids in reducing the "chill factor" for cyclists who always have wind against their bodies while moving.
• The wind-resistant feature also protects the cyclist in conditions of fog and misty rain.
• Should you invest in a windbreaker with "breathable" polyester material, it also serves well as a rain jacket.

With the recommended windbreaker jacket with detachable sleeves, a cyclist can control extremes of "too cold" and "too warm." A well-clothed cyclist starting a ride on a cold day often later becomes too warm, thanks to the body generating heat through the process of aerobic level exercise. The extra heat is a waste product of the body's muscles being active. 

When this happens to a cyclist, the first moderating measure used is to unzip the windbreaker jacket to allow excessive body heat to dissipate.  This measure has limitations, however, as the jacket risks becoming a "floppy sail," which is annoying and less aerodynamic.  A second means is needed to reduce increased body heat in the trunk area. 

This is where the cyclist removes the detachable windbreaker sleeves, rendering the jacket into a vest.  The sleeves easily roll up and pack in a small pocket. Wind exposure to bare arms cause the body to send excess heated blood to that area.  This, in turn, reduces the feeling of being overheated in the trunk area.  It's much like adjusting a room thermostat in a central heating building.  Should the trunk area later become chilled again, just put the jacket's sleeves back on.

EXTREMITIES
We'll now move to the extremities, the arms and legs, and the the parts that dangle off of each.  The common point to remember with any extremity protection is, the main need is to keep the wind (chill factor) off our extremities.  Let's start with arms and legs first:

Arm warmers have many virtues.  The are relatively low cost, extremely easy to install and remove, light-weight, offer protection from sun rays and rain, and last through a thousand washes.  They fold up easily and store in a pocket with ease.  They are adjustable, after a fashion, by sliding them up or down to help regulate changes in the ambient temperature, or your changing body temperature.  I sometimes equate arm warmer positioning to a thermometer tube--but up in cold, and down when warm.  The earlier mentioned zip-off sleeves are essentially removable arm warmers, but unlike arm warmers, they can't be worn independently.  In summation, every cyclist who bikes in inclement weather should have arm warmers.

Leg warmers or tights.  The same basic virtues as arm warmers, but a bit more difficult to put on and take off.  I've seen one cyclist remove his tights while cycling with apparent ease, but that is a rare trait and rather dangerous.

The more expensive tights are custom designed for cyclists, meaning a padded seat and strategically placed pockets.  Budget minded folks can get less costly tights from outdoor and exercise equipment stores, and even dance studios.  The all-purpose tights are worn under, or over, standard cycling shorts.  Also, unlike arm warmers, tights do wear out and must be eventually replaced.

When temperatures are marginally cold, cyclists usually choose between protecting arms or legs.  The preference varies among cyclists but each person usually finds they prefer protecting one area over another.  Regardless, when you protect one extremity, the other does seem to better endure the wind-chill temperature.

Fortunately, we live in a temperate cold climate.  We don't need to explore super-insulated gloves or foot covers that our cycling friends in Minnesota or Montana must have.  Repeating an earlier mantra, just inhibiting the wind-chill factor is usually adequate for riding in these climes.

GLOVES
The standard cycling glove has not changed in design since their origination going back many decades.  The glove is fingerless, meshed, and palm-padded.  Materials have changed and supposedly advanced, but the original designers of cycling gloves got right the first time; for warm weather, that is. 

When the weather around here gets cold, the mesh fabric and exposed fingers of cycling gloves cause our hands and fingers to become uncomfortably cold, and quickly.  Fingers and toes are furthest from the blood-warming machine called a heart.  Fingers and toes are last in line to get nice warm recirculating blood, and the veins and capillaries in these digits are not all that efficient either.  We need to give our hands and fingers some help by putting on "real" gloves.

Suggestion for cyclists who have ample discretionary money: Go down to your local bike store, say you want winter cycling gloves, and you'll get a high-quality attractive pair of gloves that will keep your hands and fingers toasty warm.  Yes, they cost more, but rationalize your purchase with the fact that seasonal wearing of winter cycling gloves means that they last for years, and years, and years.  Around here maybe a lifetime. "Get it-forget it."

Now, in the name of balance and fairness, suggestions for the impoverished and tightwads, in ascending order.  Get a pair of latex gloves, those things that medical folks use. You can get them for free, if you know where to look.  On a cold day put on the latex gloves and your regular cycling gloves over them.  Amazing effectiveness for the "price."  Footnote: All cyclists should carry latex gloves.  They can be stuffed in a thimble and weigh maybe 4 grams.

The not-so-poor cyclists can go to an orange colored big-box store and get a 3-pair package of sturdy work gloves for a nominal sum.  Get a size that will go over your cycling gloves and now, you too, are set for the rest of your winter cycling life.

FEET AND TOES
When you start feeling cold, the toes and then the feet are usually the first to tell you.  The toes are geographically the farthest from you "heat pump" heart, so the round-trip of blood circulation takes the longest.

Cycling shoes, just like cycling gloves, are manufactured to protect from excessive heat, not cold.  Cycling shoes are meshed, and have small strategically placed holes to allow ventilation of generated heat to escape.  Cyclists hate getting the "hot foot."  To combat the design flaw of cycling shoes, you must counteract the heat escaping qualities the standard cycling shoe possesses.

Cycling equipment suppliers offer shoe covers that are form-fitted to go over your bike shoe and still allow the cleats to function normally.  Shoe covers also protect against rain, for awhile.  Even with the finest shoe covers, when cycling in a downpour for a lengthy time-frame, somehow water eventually gets into your little footzies.  Among other ways, water does a sneak attack from UNDER the shoe.

For our climate range here, keeping our feet warm is usually easily achieved with the socks we wear. Substitute your light-weight low-cut cycling socks with ankle-length outdoor wool socks.  Wool is a miracle fiber and has been around a long time.  Jesus Christ wore it, and folks thousands of years before Him wore it.  Wool is the only material that works in heat, cold, and rain.  You wear wool socks in cold weather, period.  I won't get into the various blends and types of wool, this is not a discourse on textiles.

FINALLY
I'll close with a true MacGyver story about a cyclist who encountered a serious cold foot dilemma on the road and needed a cure.  He was in deep trouble, he could not feel his feet on the pedals.

The intrepid cyclist went into a grocery market, bought two loaves of bread.  While eating the bread (carbo loading), he carefully slipped the windproof bread bags over each foot.  His elastic tights secured the open top-part of the bread bag.  The rider looked like a complete dork, but his feet were almost toasty warm the rest of the ride. "Form follows function."