Cool weather tips and tricks...

[BiknBen]

As temps start to dip lower each morning we get a steady reminder that winter is on the way. Although it is getting colder, there are some secret and not-so-secret methods to extend the riding season. Feel free to share your methods to keep the wheels turning as the temps get brisk.

Mine???
Not-so-secret:
Use Arm, knee, and leg warmers to extend your cycling wardrobe without investing in winter-weight clothing. Any summer jersey can become a long-sleeve jersey with warmers. If you start to get too warm you can slide them down or remove them completely. The same theme applies to knee and leg warmers.

Secret:
A plastic shopping bag can be a cheap wind-breaker. On a cool morning last week I had a base layer tank and a jersey. I needed just a little more to keep the cold off my chest. A vest would have been overkill within a few minutes. I covered my chest with a plastic shopping bag between my base and jersey. Felt kinda goofy putting it in place. Honestly, I completely forgot about it until I was undressing later.

Got any ideas to share???

 

[Norm]

I picked up a bunch of $1 toe warmers at Modells that helped me a lot last year. Since they last 6 hours put them on well before you leave the house.

If you sweat like a pig like me, don't overdress because soaking wet clothes make you absurdly cold in a very short amount of time.

Buy a good pair of ski gloves, they're really not that expensive.

 

[ArmyOfNone]

Anything with a wind resistant layer is super important. I wore a craft base layer with a gore tex front. It was super. Plastic bags are a great idea! Remeber when you wore them inside of your boots as a kid?

 

[anrothar]

bah, you don't need that stuff. after about an hour, you wont notice that your fingers and toes hurt anymore...

seriously, this winter i am DEFINITELY making pogies for my handlebars. they enable you to wear regular, summer weight gloves while riding in the winter.

wool socks are a huge help. layer your jerseys, and ware at least two layers over your 'stuffing', because noone likes cold stuffing.