It was in the high 20s outside this morning. Winter is here.
A friend asked about what gear I use for cold-weather biking. I wrote a response and thought it might be of interest or use to folks.
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Temperature management is different for different people and their bodies and perceptions. I have an array of things for different temperatures, so here's what works for me.
Down to around 50, I can bike in a t-shirt and jeans.
Below that, I have a sleeveless polar fleece vest I layer on top. If it's a little colder, or there's enough wind, I have knitted arm warmers from Sock Dreams. Arm warmers are some of the best things ever for biking because as you warm up, you can bunch them up or stretch them out if you get cold to manage arm temperature. 40-50 is probably when I start needing gloves too. I have stretch knit gloves for when it's on the warmer side and warm bike-specific gloves for when it gets colder.
When it gets below 40, and especially at freezing or below, that's about the limit for the vest and arm warmers. Below that, I use a heavy cotton jacket with a light quilted lining (that's in my photo from today). Even today, in the high 20s, my arms were warm enough to get sweaty, but there isn't a good way around it other than wearing a base layer. (I have a couple of sports-type baselayer shirts that wick sweat; I have to find them again 'cause I think they're in bags and I miss them right now!)
The bike gloves get swapped for some really nice (and rather expensive) North Face mittens as the temperature drops from there. My fingers are some of the hardest things to keep warm for me, and I have trouble with Reynaud's Syndrome, so I want my hands to be as warm as possible! Sometimes I'll wear some gloves under the mittens too, and/or put a hand-warming pack in the mittens.
Once it gets down to around 0, I switch to a nice ski-jacket that I was lucky enough to score at a thrift store years back. It's a high end thing with taped seams, a powder skirt, pit zippers, an and an insulated two-way front zipper. I've ridden down to around -20 and while my legs and hands get cold, my trunk never has with that jacket. I usually don't even zip up the pit zippers! (Sadly, I am too heavy for that jacket right now, so I might end up taking the train if it gets really bitter this year.)
For my legs, I have a base layer, or maybe you'd call it long underwear, to keep them warm. Jeans are usually good down to much colder temperatures than you'd think, but I'd guess the 20s are around where I'll start thinking about wearing something under them. Heavy socks help too.
For my ears, I have nice warm ear covers that slot into the sides of my helmet! Nutcase makes them as accessories for their helmets so I'm not sure what options are available for others, but I seriously love mine! Before, I kept trying to wear those ear-covering things that wrap around the back of your neck and the helmet on top and it worked, but was a pain.
For my face, I have a balaclava that covers my whole head with an opening for my face. I usually cover my mouth but leave my nose exposed. I made sure to get one that's long enough to cover my neck and to tuck under my jacket collar. I'd like to cover my nose too, but when I exhale the steam comes out under the fabric and under my glasses and coats them in fog. Then, depending on the temperature, it sometimes even freezes on the lenses! Even if it doesn't, it makes it basically impossible to see, so I deal with breathing cold air directly.
I found a pair of snow goggles in a thrift store a couple years ago and am considering trying them out in below-0 temperature to see if they let me cover the rest of the exposed skin that the balaclava doesn't. That's the key when temperatures are really low; if you don't have any exposed skin for wind to effect, you can basically ignore the effect of wind chill and just dress for actual temperature.
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