In a past life I was a cycling club president. The onset of cold weather meant rummaging through my cycling clothes and stuffing a backpack with enough gear to demonstrate appropriate clothing for temps ranging from the 60s to some degrees below freezing. And while I miss sharing know-how with new cyclists, the thought of snapping pics of limp cycling clothes to do the internet version is less than appealing. Nor am I in the mood to write a step by step how to. But I figure I can still offer some insights/concepts to surviving the colder months on a bike.

Staying warm is all about managing moisture and convection (sweat and wind) rather than radiant loss (what would happen if you were standing around). Its important to think about sweat and wind together because the ideal clothes for one is the opposite of what you want for the other.  And despite what the label may tell you, windproof (waterproof) is not as breathable as you need it to be. However, there is one unique aspect about cycling that lets you get out of this tight spot; the wind is always hitting you from the front. If it hits you from the back you are not riding fast enough. The directionality plays in your favor. A happy sweat/wind balance can be achieved by clothes that block wind up front and while allowing sweat to evaporate off your back. As it turns out, the humble wind-vest (windproof up front, mesh in the back) is cheap and can transform anything warm and breathable into ideal cold weather gear. The opposite is true for anything with a windproof/waterproof back. You’ll be great for 10 but eventually enough sweat collects to thoroughly soak everything through. Adding sleeves to a jacket (unless you have large underarm vents) compounds the situation. Limmit the windproof stuff to the chest and collar and you’ll stay dryer and ultimately warmer. 

Sweat management extra credit goes to goats “About an hour and a half into my ride I stopped and stripped off the wet stuff, put on new dry stuff, and was completely comfortable the rest of the ride. (Except my feet, but I’ve given up on trying to keep my feet warm.) In my opinion, an essential trick to staying warm on a long winter ride, ski tour, or whatever.” The physiology of sweating happens to be that you sweat like crazy for the first 30 min to 1hr and then taper off after that (even if you are still over heating). So changing clothes makes a whole lot of sense. Another variation is to under-dress to allow evaporation for the first half hour then add some extra windproof layers; again wind-vest or add the shell over your glove liners or put on a hat.

Now lets get to the backpack. I really did have a reason to mention it. When stuffing the backpack I didn’t have much room for redundant gear. Combine that with being a poor student and I was forced into rule number 2. Don’t use redundant gear to cover multiple temps i.e. advanced layering for stingy people. So you’ve already got 3 or 4 short sleeve jerseys that are perfect for 80 degrees. Don’t buy 3-4 long sleeve jerseys when you can buy 1 pair of arm warmers. Don’t buy 3 or 4 thicker jerseys when 1 wind-vest will do. You only need 1-2 pairs of tights if you just slip them over your regular shorts (make sure to buy tights without a chamois). Also baggy base layers that you might have, for say skiing, can be converted to cycling gear by throwing a jersey and arm warmers or tights on top to keep them from flapping in the breeze. A thin pair of glove liners will turn your regular gloves into cool weather gloves, and cool weather gloves into cold weather gloves.  

The last rule I have for clothing is that It won’t keep you warm if it cuts off blood flow. This concept is essential for keeping feet warm. Don’t try to stuff thicker socks into tight shoes. Instead go with form-but-not-tight-fighting booties. If booties don’t cut it a chemical warmer over the shoe but under the bootie is worth a try. And if you store your shoes in a garage or someplace cold bring them in the night before. Nothing will cut off the blood flow quicker than stuffing your feet into ice cold shoes. And once the blood flow stops there’s little chance things are going to warm back up.

For a quick check once your dressed, stand outside for 5-10 min. If you start to get chilly but aren’t shivering you probably got it about right.

And one non-clothing rule; Eat. When its hot you drink a lot. If you use a sports drink thirst usually ensures a steady caloric intake. But take away the thirst (like when its cold) and you just lost a huge cue to take in calories. You must consciously remind yourself to eat. It takes a lot of energy to produce heat, so bonking equals cold and miserable.

 To sum it up; windproof up front/breathable in the back, arm warmers and a vest and tights(or knee warmers) will double your wardrobe, and remember to eat.