Cold weather advice thread

[Crickey7]

Singing Broadway tunes aloud while riding is scientifically proven to help warm you up.

[huskerdont]

@Crickey7 183716 wrote:

Singing Broadway tunes aloud while riding is scientifically proven to help warm you up.

And keep you riding solo.

“We Sail the Ocean Blue,
And our saucy ship’s a beauty.
We’re sober men and true,
And attentive to our duty.”

[sjclaeys]

@Greenbelt 183704 wrote:

Generally takes about 10 replies before stuff gets weird. Maybe we’ve jumped the gun a little on this thread…

Well, SteveO hasn’t commented on his cod piece yet, so things can get weirder still.

[mstone]

My cold weather essential is a balaclava. Most of the time I have it pulled down away from my mouth & nose, but it keeps the ears & chin warm and (this is the big one, for me at least) keeps that freezing cold helmet buckle off of my skin.

[Judd]

@JamieJoy 183707 wrote:

I can’t bring myself to do the whole snot-rocket thing and I’ve never tried it…..my luck it will end up back on me. This is my first season riding through the winter, so maybe I jumped the gun, but I bought some winter boots today. Just didn’t feel like fussing around with covers and crossing my fingers that I bought the right type to keep my feet warm enough. I also got them for $100 off at The Bike Lane (last season close out), so that helped hook me. Hope they are a good investment, and not overkill. Thanks for all of the advice so far!

Also offering a pointless prize for best picture of a failed snot rocket.

Snot rocketing is an art that like all art is sometimes imperfect.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JamieJoy]

LOL on the pointless prize….the pictures would just gross everyone out! It’s just not in my DNA to try it, even though it would make my cycling life easier.

[Judd]

@JamieJoy 183725 wrote:

LOL on the pointless prize….the pictures would just gross everyone out! It’s just not in my DNA to try it, even though it would make my cycling life easier.

Maybe I’ll teach a snot rocket class this year. With practice and determination you will soon be pulling off advanced techniques like the Cross Body Snot Rocket, the Over The Shoulder Rocket Holder and the Double Barrel.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Judd]

@mstone 183721 wrote:

My cold weather essential is a balaclava. Most of the time I have it pulled down away from my mouth & nose, but it keeps the ears & chin warm and (this is the big one, for me at least) keeps that freezing cold helmet buckle off of my skin.

For the new riders, you can make your own balaclava for free at this Bike Arlington Balaclavas and Baklava event: http://www.bikearlington.com/event/balaclavas-baklava/

My go to balaclava is one that a friend made because of this event.

I’ll be there. If you see me, say hello. I’ll be the tall smiley guy wearing a plaid hat that says Lumberjack on the side.

[VA2DC]

@jrenaut 183680 wrote:

Parking garages are by far not the worst place to change a flat on a crummy day. I realize this isn’t always an option, but it’s a corollary of the “know your bailout route” rules. Keep a list of places you can get warm, change a flat, get out of an ice storm, etc.

I’d add a pair of latex gloves in your emergency kit to the list. If you do need to change a flat or do some other repair, they give you more dexterity than any sort of winter gloves. Since they don’t breathe, you get a bit of a wetsuit warmth effect while you’re working, and they block the wind. Plus, your hands stay clean and are ready to go back into your winter gloves when you’re done.

[LhasaCM]

@Judd 183731 wrote:

For the new riders, you can make your own balaclava for free at this Bike Arlington Balaclavas and Baklava event: http://www.bikearlington.com/event/balaclavas-baklava/

My go to balaclava is one that a friend made because of this event.

I’ll be there. If you see me, say hello. I’ll be the tall smiley guy wearing a plaid hat that says Lumberjack on the side.

It’s a great event. Will be a shame to miss it; we have a prior engagement on the 20th…
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18658[/ATTACH]

[LeprosyStudyGroup]

I would just like to request kindly that people actually stop doing snot rockets on public trails unless they make very very extensive efforts to first check that nobody else is anywhere nearby. Seems like one dickhead or another blows his nose all over me about once every other month or so. It’s not a good habit, and it shouldn’t be up to other people to make sure they are somehow not going to get a stranger’s bodily fluids blown onto their body or into the air they will be riding through in a matter of seconds.

[huskerdont]

Mechanics gloves also work if you don’t like latex. I keep a pair in my pack in winter.

[hozn]

@huskerdont 183741 wrote:

Mechanics gloves also work if you don’t like latex. I keep a pair in my pack in winter.

I like Mechanics gloves too. They’re great summer gloves. Those would be good for me down to about 55º I guess we’re all wired up differently!

[LhasaCM]

@hozn 183743 wrote:

I guess we’re all wired up differently!

I think that is the one notion I wish I’d remembered/been more cognizant of when I started biking more/year-round and set about acquiring suitable stuff. While a lot of the gear suggestions/tips are widely applicable, when they are applicable can vary greatly from person to person, so there’s potentially a fair amount of trail and error involved. And some things (for me, it’s lobster gloves) that may work great for a lot of people just may not be right for you.

So – with that in mind – the one generic thing I would suggest is that, where possible, try to shop at a place (a) where you can try stuff on and/or (b) that has a (semi)generous return policy in case you realize it just doesn’t work for you.

[dbehrend]

Two items that were game changers for me last year were a Seirus Neofleece Combo Scarf (when temperatures drop under 30 degrees) and Bar Mitts (for me, 20 degrees and under).

A tip I learned from a coach in middle school, that’s also been helpful, is to stuff wet shoes with newspaper and let them dry near the radiator. Depending on how wet they are you may need to swap out the paper. As previously mentioned, putting on wet gear is awful.

[Author]

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