Riding in cold weather

From CRCycling

Below 20F, it's probably time to get indoors on the trainer, or get out on skis or the mountain bike. If you're on the road, frostbite is a real possibility, and you'll spend all day on the brakes trying not to freeze. Also, when the weather is very cold and dry, it is rather easy to damage your lungs with a few minutes of deep breathing. If you're a little unlucky, you might spend a few weeks with a hacking cough, or if you're really unlucky, you might end up in the hospital. When it is above 20F, it's easy to stay comfortable in the cold out on the road. As long as the shoulder is relatively clear, and the road is not too disgusting, it's possible to comfortably ride through the winter, even in the snow belt.

Response to the cold varies from person to person. Conditions that are comfortable for one rider will be excruciating for another, so you will probably need to experiment quite a bit to find the right combination of clothing and equipment that will make cold weather riding enjoyable.

One rule applies across the board: avoid cotton clothing in the cold (or in the heat)! It holds moisture, and its soaked fibers lose all their insulating properties, and the heat will drain out of your body into the cold uncaring universe. You don't want to find out why they call it "killer cotton".

To have a comfortable ride, it's important to protect your extremities: feet and hands and head. Protecting your head from the cold is easy: wear a hat that fits under your helmet. Bring a spare hat on a longer ride. The one you wear out the door will get soaking wet with sweat. Even though most hats are made from materials that "wick" sweat away from your body, which is a good thing, they will get soaked from condensation. It's great to put a warm, dry hat on after you stop for a snack or to adjust some equipment.

It's easy to protect your hands from the cold: any good pair of gloves will do. If it's below 30F, you need gloves that stop the wind. If it's closer to 20F, you probably need some serious insulation to stay comfortable. Bring several pairs on a long ride. Even if you have gloves that wick sweat, they will still get wet from condensation. Also, in northeast Ohio, as you know, the temperature can swing drastically on a winter day. Cold, painful hands can ruin a ride.

Feet are a more challenging to protect, and cold feet can be excruciating. The response of the feet to cold seems to vary from person to person, so you might need to experiment to find something that works to keep you comfortable.

First, wear a thin, wicking sock. Heavy socks don't seem to offer any protection, and limit circulation, which allows the flesh to get painfully cold. Light hiking socks are a good option. Summer cycling socks are also a good option when combined with toe warmers, or cycling boots.

Next, you'll either want a pair of cycling boots, or some covers for your road shoes, which were probably designed to keep feet cool when its 90F out.

The Gaerne boot (Shown at left) is an example of an integrated water proof upper and shoe. Cycling boots are a convenient, warm option, but also fairly expensive.

A less convenient option is to get a pair of "booties", which you pull over your cycling shoes. Even though many riders use booties, in my experience, they get filthy and fall apart, get lost, often don't fit well, and snag your cleats.

If you want to ride, and don't have booties or a pair of cycling boots, you can improvise a pair of DIY booties from a pair of heavy wool boot style socks. Cut holes for your cleats, and reinforce them with duct tape. Tape up the toes to keep the wind out. This solution works at least as well as $70 booties.

When the temperature is closer to 20F than 30F, you might want to add some toe warmers, or hand warmers. Again, the cold response will vary from rider to rider. Toe warmers might cause your feet or hands to sweat, and will limit your ability to stay warm, so try them out before you go on a 3 hour ride in the cold.

To protect your legs, you need some insulated tights. Tights that include a bib are convenient. I've yet to find a good solution for an integrated chamois in my cold weather gear.

To protect your core, you need layers. Your base layer needs to wick moisture, and should provide insulation that's matched to the weather. This is something you learn from experience. Next, you need a cold weather jersey or jacket. Again, look for something that wicks moisture.