Hey, thanks for stopping by! If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to the RSS feed. You can also subscribe to BikeHacks by email. Thanks for visiting!
Matt’s got some good tips on winter riding. ‘Course, here in the PNW we’ve got winter, but we don’t have Winter. Some of you Midwest and East Coasters have totally got us beat. But still. 30° is 30°, y’know?
Anyway, Matt’s tips are worth checking out, and be sure to scroll through the comments for a few more perspectives. He’s a fan of the napoleon pocket and so am I–all three of my primary jackets have napoleon pockets and they’re perfect, as Matt says, for an iPod or phone. I also keep my All-Ett in there for easy access.
My only addition to the list is my winter helmet choice. I roll with my snowboard helmet on. It’s just way warmer and it’s got adjustable vents. Sure I look like a dork, but….well, I look like a dork.
2 comments for this entry ↓
1 Ryan // Feb 15, 2008 at 7:09 am
Those are some great tips. I’m still not a comitted winter rider, but this year I have ridden in colder temps than I used to. Correct gear is the difference between suffering from the cold or having a great ride.
I was sad to see how expensive ‘bike specific’ cold weather gear was at my LBS. I went to my local motocycle gear outfitter (http://www.cyclegear.com/) and picked up a ‘motorcycle’ balaclava. It is super-warm and fits under my helmet just fine. The cost was about 1/3 of what the bike shop wanted for a similar ‘bicycle specific’ model. MC balaclava’s usually have the “bib” that tucks into the collar of your shirt keeping your neck warm too.
If you have some motorcycle stores in your town, it is worth a few minutes of your time to check out some of the gear they sell.
2 Matt // Feb 15, 2008 at 11:50 am
I used to be only a fair weather rider but since committing to full-time commuting in a cold winter locale, I can honestly say that I enjoy cold weather commuting more than summer riding.
In the summer, with the humidity of NYC, you have no choice but to sweat like crazy. In the winter, you can regulate your temperature by layering and unzipping vents.
As an added bonus, the colder the weather, the fewer people there are on pathways. This means fewer rollerbladers, dogs, and baby carriages to maneuver around. It’s a steep learning curve to ride in the cold, but if you stick with it I think you grow to like it.
Leave a Comment