Bummer! The onset of winter puts an abrupt end to “amphibious” jaunts and lazy trips into the hills. Don’t imagine that I hibernate till spring frees my home waters from their frigid prison, however. I ride my bike year round. Ice storms chase me off the roads, to be sure, as do blizzards, but this has more to do with the unwillingness of motorists to reduce their speed to suit conditions than with any intrinsic limitation of two-wheeled travel.

Still, there’s no denying that winter riding requires an attitude adjustment of sorts. When a friend or acquaintance comes up to me in summer—a frequent occurrence in the HyperMart parking lot, as I’m struggling to pack a week’s worth of groceries into two bulging panniers—their usual greeting is a cheery “Nice day for a bike ride!” I don’t hear this very often in January, though. Then, the customary salute is an astonished “Aren’t you freezing? How can you ever stay warm on that bicycle?” delivered in a tone that leaves little doubt the speaker is questioning my sanity. Now don’t get me wrong. I appreciate the obvious concern. But the truth of the matter is very different from the feckless, reckless irresponsibility implied by the question. I rarely have any trouble staying warm when I’m on my bike, even on days when the temperature dips well below freezing and the wind blows half a gale. In fact, the real problem is often overheating.

It wasn’t always this way, of course. When I first started riding in winter, I wore a motley collection of climbing and snowshoeing cast-offs. These kept me warm—too warm!—but they left me feeling (and looking) a lot like Bibendum. And I started to chill out as soon as I stopped pedaling. I know better now, however. I build my winter cycling wardrobe around stretchy, quick-drying synthetics like Lycra and polypropylene, fabrics with superb moisture-transfer properties. The wool in my socks is the last vestige of natural fiber on my body.

Here’s my basic top-to-toe kit, beginning at the skin and working out:

• Lycra headband or light fleece watchcap
• Fleece neck gasket or “headover” (doubles as balaklava; arctic temps only)
• Sleeveless mesh undershirt
• Long-sleeve jersey
• Light- or medium-weight fleece pullover with high collar
• Canari Barrier jacket
• Double-layer fleece gloves
• Lobster-claw overmitts (arctic temps)
• Cycling shorts
• Lightweight tights (“polar” tights in arctic temps)
• Lightweight nylon knickers (arctic temps and sloppy weather)
• Calf-high wool ski socks
• High gaiters (arctic temps or deep slop only)
• Lug-sole mountain-bike shoes
• Neoprene toe-covers (or overboots in arctic temps)
• Well-ventilated, wraparound polycarbonate eyewear

Are you surprised to see eyewear listed here? Don’t be. When you ride, you make your own wind, and there’s nothing like an arctic blast to start the tears flowing freely. Wraparounds also keep the grit, salt, and spray kicked up by passing cars and trucks out of your eyes. That’s important. What you don’t see can hurt you.

What about a helmet cover? Well, I’ve never felt the need for one, but some cyclists don them as soon as the thermometer approaches the freezing point. Maybe they know something I don’t. So I keep a dollar-store shower cap in my ‘bar bag, just in case.

And the bottom line? Careful outfitting goes a long way toward making cold-season cycling enjoyable, but there’s more to comfort than having the proper clothing. You have to be ready to strip off unneeded layers as you warm up, and equally quick to put them back on any time you stop for more than a minute or two. Sodden clothes are an open invitation to hypothermia, and that’s not an invitation I’m keen to extend. (Mechanical problems are bad news in winter. Which is why I carry a cold weather survival kit even on short rides.)

OK. Now you’ve got my answer to the perennial question, “How do you stay warm on that bike?” And you’re well on your way to discovering that it’s always a nice day for a ride—whatever the weather!

 
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