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Gear, gear, and more gear [bicycling]
Dec. 14th, 2022 01:20 pmI am turning into an old person who constantly goes on and on about the weather and proper clothing choices. Or does that make me a New Yorker already? Ha.
I really need to create some sort of decision table for myself as I continue to test out different winter cycling gear combinations at different temperatures and in different weather conditions. By the time the next winter rolls around, I've forgotten everything I learned the previous winter.
One of the newer rowers who learned how to row this past fall is also an outdoor swimmer and bicyclist, and at one point she described to me what it was like to figure out how to keep swimming as water temperatures got colder and colder. Apparently at a certain point every 1 degree of water temperature difference required a change in the gear that would work, and then she said at a certain temperature it was no longer possible to immerse her face in the water any longer, so that was her minimum swim temperature. That was somewhere in the mid- to upper-40-degree range, if I'm remembering correctly.
Bicycling temperatures aren't quite that precise, but there are definitely points where a couple-degree temperature change can make a big difference. It can also really matter depending on whether it's dry orraining/snowing precipitating.
Last year when we had one of those cold snaps that got down to 4°F, the fronts of my legs would get really cold, and sometimes my hands and/or feet would also get really cold in spite of multiple layers of thick wool socks and some pretty good ski gloves. The specific extremity that got cold seemed kind of random, interestingly.
So I recently finally got some ski pants to test out for the sub-20°F conditions. The challenge is that it was chilly early in the morning yesterday (12°F), but then warmed up by the commute home, to 32°F. So although the ski pants were pretty good and comfortable overall for the commute to work, they were way too warm for the commute home and I didn't have a great way of shedding layers. Instead I just felt like I stepped out of a sticky sauna by the time I got home. The ski pants were also annoying in that the openings are flared for ski boots, but flared pants are not great for bicycle drivetrains, so they had to be bunched out of the way with an ankle band. No matter what, I do expect these ski pants to see some use in the winter, so even if they aren't ideal for bicycling it isn't a huge loss.
So next up I will probably try the pair of wool fuzzy tights I also recently got, that also have a thicker windblocking layer on the front. I'm a little skeptical of them, but I suppose I might be able to squeeze in another wool legging layer* on top of the tights, and then top things off with my standard rain pants to get enough insulation and also wind protection.
I haven't yet tackled what to do about gloves for when it's 32-40°F and raining. I did get some SealSkinz waterproof socks after that one epic rainy/snowy 200k last spring, but haven't had too many occasions to test them out since then. Based on how the socks feel, I have the sense that they're a company that might have the right gloves for wintry occasions.
Figuring out clothing feels so fussy, and yet, it makes such a huge difference. I just hope I can settle on things and not wind up perpetually dissatisfied.
*It looks like the magic versatile legging layers that work well for me will be variations on "Smartwool Thermal Merino Base Layer." The "Classic" is slightly thicker than previous merino base layers that I've tried from Smartwool and others. Time will tell whether they can handle the crotchal abuse that bicycling delivers. If they fail I will probably next try the "Intraknit Thermal Max" line.
I really need to create some sort of decision table for myself as I continue to test out different winter cycling gear combinations at different temperatures and in different weather conditions. By the time the next winter rolls around, I've forgotten everything I learned the previous winter.
One of the newer rowers who learned how to row this past fall is also an outdoor swimmer and bicyclist, and at one point she described to me what it was like to figure out how to keep swimming as water temperatures got colder and colder. Apparently at a certain point every 1 degree of water temperature difference required a change in the gear that would work, and then she said at a certain temperature it was no longer possible to immerse her face in the water any longer, so that was her minimum swim temperature. That was somewhere in the mid- to upper-40-degree range, if I'm remembering correctly.
Bicycling temperatures aren't quite that precise, but there are definitely points where a couple-degree temperature change can make a big difference. It can also really matter depending on whether it's dry or
Last year when we had one of those cold snaps that got down to 4°F, the fronts of my legs would get really cold, and sometimes my hands and/or feet would also get really cold in spite of multiple layers of thick wool socks and some pretty good ski gloves. The specific extremity that got cold seemed kind of random, interestingly.
So I recently finally got some ski pants to test out for the sub-20°F conditions. The challenge is that it was chilly early in the morning yesterday (12°F), but then warmed up by the commute home, to 32°F. So although the ski pants were pretty good and comfortable overall for the commute to work, they were way too warm for the commute home and I didn't have a great way of shedding layers. Instead I just felt like I stepped out of a sticky sauna by the time I got home. The ski pants were also annoying in that the openings are flared for ski boots, but flared pants are not great for bicycle drivetrains, so they had to be bunched out of the way with an ankle band. No matter what, I do expect these ski pants to see some use in the winter, so even if they aren't ideal for bicycling it isn't a huge loss.
So next up I will probably try the pair of wool fuzzy tights I also recently got, that also have a thicker windblocking layer on the front. I'm a little skeptical of them, but I suppose I might be able to squeeze in another wool legging layer* on top of the tights, and then top things off with my standard rain pants to get enough insulation and also wind protection.
I haven't yet tackled what to do about gloves for when it's 32-40°F and raining. I did get some SealSkinz waterproof socks after that one epic rainy/snowy 200k last spring, but haven't had too many occasions to test them out since then. Based on how the socks feel, I have the sense that they're a company that might have the right gloves for wintry occasions.
Figuring out clothing feels so fussy, and yet, it makes such a huge difference. I just hope I can settle on things and not wind up perpetually dissatisfied.
*It looks like the magic versatile legging layers that work well for me will be variations on "Smartwool Thermal Merino Base Layer." The "Classic" is slightly thicker than previous merino base layers that I've tried from Smartwool and others. Time will tell whether they can handle the crotchal abuse that bicycling delivers. If they fail I will probably next try the "Intraknit Thermal Max" line.
