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In Cycling Tip of the Week, we'll be featuring a weekly tip aimed at making cycling safer and more fun for you. Feel free to send us your tips as well.
Cycling in Winter Is Possible
Ever since I moved from sunny Los Angeles to the East Coast, I have had friends and family constantly warn me that I would be unable to continue cycling during the long and cold winter here. However, winter bikingisn't so bad after all.
Our friends at Treehugger have offered some tips for winter biking and here at Planet Green we've provided plenty of tips as well, but I want to focus on one aspect of winter riding in particular: regulating temperature. More specifically, I have found that myself and many other cyclists have the problem of always being either too warm or too cold on winter rides. Solving this is rather simple.
Dress in Layers
Of course, the age-old advice of dressing in layers still holds true. In my experience, baselayers—I'm especially fond of Patagonia's offerings—essential, as they wick away sweat and keep you dry and warm. Layers are also important because it isn't advisable to bike in a large, bulky winter jacket; instead, wear a base layer, a long-sleeve shirt, and a winter jacket designed for outdoor sports preferably, select a jacket specifically for winter cycling. If the weather calls for warmer clothing, I usually take one of two approaches: I either wear a thin windbreaker under the warmer jacket, or I wear a vest over the jacket to keep my core nice and warm.
Regulating Temperature with the Zipper
A good point of reference for how much clothing to wear is the following: you want to feel just a tad chilly when you start the ride, because you will invariably warm up over time. This does not hold true, however, for your feet, hands and face/neck—those areas should be well protected and warm from the start.
That said, if your ride includes any uphills or downhills, chances are you are going to find yourself hot one moment and cold the other. Dealing with that is very simple. The moment you find yourself beginning to overheat, unzip your jacket enough to let in cool air (but don't unzip it all the way—that makes it harder to zip up again). When you are riding into a cold breeze or downhill, zip the jacket all the way back up.
This simple approach can keep you comfortable and on your bike no matter how cold it gets. So find yourself the perfect winter bike set up a local bicycle Triple A to make your rides safer, encourage your city to plow bike paths, and get out on the roads!
