Don’t be fooled by how warm it feels on your back while you putz around your bike out on the parking lot or in the open garage bay. It might be spring, and the sun might be warm, but once you hit the road on the bike you might feel a lot colder than when standing around. It’s a fickle season, where night can bring a touch of frost, but daytime temperatures can hit the 80 degree Fahrenheit mark. Outfitting your bod can be tricky. Overdress and you’ll be toasty to start, but sweltering after a mile or three. You’ll have to endure the steamy heat or shuck your clothing, which means stowing it somewhere on your bike. Underdress and you’ll be cold when you start. Cold muscles and joints stiffen up tight, making them more prone to injury. What’s a cyclist to do? A few simple strategies will help you keep warm at the start and cool at the end. An obvious one is to wear…

 
A Light Jacket  A lightweight jacket which can be rolled up tight and stuffed into a seatbag, small pannier, handlebar bag, or even in an empty water bottle is one way to be ready for all contingencies. A wind vest is another garment savvy cyclists wear on changeable days. Or wear both a jacket and a vest, all rolled into one, if you can find one you like. While my Performance® Transformer jacket-vest combo doesn’t fit me well, it’s still one of my mainstays during this season.

 
Base Layers  Other alternatives include wearing a lightweight mesh undershirt or singlet under your jersey. A long sleeved jersey will keep the chill off but won’t necessarily make you faint in the heat later in the day—if the fabric isn’t too heavy. Jerseys with long zippers let you ventilate as needed.

 
Tights  Tights made of a lightweight material—not polar tights, which are thick and often have flocked inner material—pull on over your shorts and offer just the right amount of warmth on chilly days, without overpowering you should the temperature rise into the 60s or so. You can even pull them off later in the ride if you want to, but be prepared to do a jig roadside when you pull the tights over your shoes, even if the ankles are zippered.

 

 
Knickers  Knickers or capris are another possibility for keeping warm on cool days, but not so warm that you swelter once the temperature rises. Long socks fill the gap between ankle and the bottom of the knickers.

 

 
Arm and Knee Warmers  These may be the most versatile cycling garments made. They slip over your arms or knees, and are held in place with wide elastic strips that prevent them falling down—theoretically, that is. Most of the time they work as advertised. Slip them on while wearing the jersey or shirt and shorts which will be more comfy as the temperature rises, and when that happens, simple slip them off and tuck them into your pocket, bar bag, or saddle bag. Arm and knee warmers are often over-priced, to my mind, particularly if they sport a fashion label, but wait for sales and then pounce. At day’s end, rinse out the salty sweat and hang them to dry in the shower, and the next morning they’ll be ready to wear again. Keeping warm was never so simple.

 
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