I commuted like that for about 10 years, but only 2 or 3 days each week. :) I’m no longer at the same job and no longer ride to work, but those years, if the weather was bad when it was time to leave home, I didn’t ride my bike. If the weather was bad on my way home, I usually rode on home. So, I’m not all that.
My final layers on top are almost always a Patagonia nano puff jacket and, finally, a Carhartt high-visibility reflective vest. I started off with a Bridgestone MB5 with some long-forgotten knobby mountain-bike tires for this commute. Then, 15 years ago when I built up my Atlantis, I rode it with run-of-the mill Continental Sport Contact tires (I think)…nothing special AT ALL. Yes, I rode in salt, and if the parts or frame got all gunked up, I hosed it and dried it off in my basement. I do like a clean bike. :) When I say I Just Ride, I’m serious. I don’t pay much attention to tires and never change them. And if the weather seems dangerous, I don’t ride. And if the streets haven’t been plowed, I wait until they’ve been plowed. Otherwise, I just ride what I’ve got and make the best of it. My Atlantis still looks fantastic (probably because I wipe it down after ugly-weather rides). I don’t have a collection of bicycles, so I ride what I’ve got. Now, though, I’ve added a Clem L, and we’ve already traveled some snowy territory, and I love it. On Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 8:29:59 AM UTC-5 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote: > LIZ. > > 26 mile round trip in Ohio winters??? We need YOU to write a thread about > cold weather riding because you have got to be the expert. I have a wool > balaclava from LL Bean for snowmobiling, so I’ll pull that out. The > Descente gloves are not available on REI, so I’ll check elsewhere. What > jacket are you wearing? OR are you just layering wool like Pam does? > > Also, I have other curiosities. What bike do you ride in these conditions? > Do you have special tires? Does the salt wreck the bike/drivetrain? (People > say I should ride a beater bike but I don’t want to. I just like riding my > Rivs and I think I’m not going to be precious about the mermaid bike.) > > Hats off to YOU, RivSister. > Leah > > On Jan 29, 2022, at 8:13 AM, Liz Tilton <meti...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I concur with Joyce’s list for cold-weather riding…lots of lightweight, > base-layer wool and layers atop that. I’d add to her list these wonderful > Descente wind-breaking gloves/mittens that I’ve worn for years. If > necessary, I can slip a foot warmer in the mitten part for more toast. :) > https://www.rei.com/product/776693/descente-wombat-full-finger-bike-gloves > . > > > I carry extra foot warmers in my seat bag. > > I also wear a featherweight balaclava beneath my helmet…protects my face > and keeps warmth from escaping my helmet. > > This is how I’ve commuted 26-round-trip miles for years in all kinds of > Ohio (gray and miserable) winters. To my mind, it’s okay if I get a little > wet or a little cold or a little ready to be home because I’m usually out > for only 1-1.5 hours at a time when it’s cold/snowy. I dislike riding for > long stretches if it’s so cold that the water in my bottle grows colder and > colder and then freezes. So I save the long rides for the other three > seasons. > > And as much as I love and generally adhere to the Just Ride philosophy, I > have to say that I shake my head at it when it comes to winter riding > because it’s not as if most bicyclists in the country can slap on a cute > cap or a pair of everyday shoes and take off during cold weather. It takes > a lot of thinking and planning and money and experimentation to ride in > Michigan in winter, and I tip my balaclava to you for tackling it, Leah. > And Joyce. And my other Riv friends and sisters. > > Liz > > > > On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 11:49:07 PM UTC-5 JAS wrote: > >> So Leah, is there something wrong with owning two jackets...one for each >> bike color combination? >> >> Joyce (who loves jackets, owns many and should start sending one to the >> thrift shop when a new one is acquired). >> >> On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 5:29:37 PM UTC-8 WilletM wrote: >> >>> >>> Another enthusiastic vote for Showers Pass Elite and Refuge (and other >>> models) jackets as outer layers in cold/dry conditions. Winter riding in >>> western Colorado at 6000' of altitude is exceptionally comfortable, whether >>> it's snowing (which is basically dry conditions) or actually dry outside. >>> I do find that the pit zips alone are not sufficient for ventilation >>> (staying in that target zone of cool and dry) in the temperature range of >>> 20-35 F. where I most prefer to ride. So I usually am working the front >>> zipper of my shell (and also a half-zip 100 weight fleece underneath) up >>> and down as needed to keep my upper torso cool (and therefore dry) rather >>> than warm. >>> >>> As I believe others have mentioned, ventilating the sleeves (and keeping >>> your arms/layers dry) is typically more difficult due to limited options >>> for directing airflow (compared to the torso). I mostly address this by >>> keeping my torso/layers extra cool/dry when I feel my sleeves starting to >>> get clammy. >>> >>> It certainly is true, at least in my experience over quite a few years, >>> that it is MUCH more challenging to stay cool during cold weather riding >>> conditions than it is to stay warm. Warm is usually just a zipped-up >>> zipper or amped-up heartrate away, whereas cooling off and drying out takes >>> time and patience and practice to get the correct "recipe" to match the air >>> temp outside. But in the end, the (often rather expensive, admittedly) >>> accumulation of clothing and gear, and the numerous test runs and >>> trial/error periods of getting to the point of dressing properly for the >>> NOW temperature/conditions and taking a few extra pieces to address the >>> LATER temp/conditions is really, really rewarding. A sunny day at 25 >>> degrees and a smooth asphalt shoulder along the highway is, for me, about >>> as good as it gets for mid-winter bicycling. >>> >>> Willet M. >>> Carbondale, CO >>> >>> On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 4:33:19 PM UTC-7 JAS wrote: >>> >>>> I like my Showers Pass Elite jacket for cold weather and rain. Yes, it >>>> can be vented under the arms and has a cape-like back vent for air flow. >>>> If I don't open the arm vents, it can build up a little moisture, but >>>> nothing that makes me cold. If it's super cold, I use a very heavy wool >>>> Patagonia crew neck base layer I got years ago to wear under my dry suit >>>> for kayaking, but it would probably be overkill for folks who run hot. >>>> >>>> I use the fanny pack trick when it's really cold and windy. I don't >>>> have a "pants-gap" issue; instead, I just like all the help I can get to >>>> keep the cold out. Good point about tucking a couple of the top layers >>>> into your pants and having a waist-band high enough to do so. >>>> >>>> One more tip: A stretchy Gor-Tex helmet cover keeps the rain out and >>>> blocks the helmet vent holes. Combined with a thin wool beanie, my head >>>> and ears stay warm. It looks a bit like mushroom-head, but that's the >>>> price I pay for warmth! >>>> >>>> >>>> On Friday, January 28, 2022 at 11:17:53 AM UTC-8 Patrick Moore wrote: >>>> >>>>> Joyce and others: a question and some remarks. >>>>> >>>>> On Fri, Jan 28, 2022 at 11:49 AM JAS <swanso...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> ....*Showers Pass jacket with pit zips for core ventilation. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> 1. I always assumed that SP jackets were meant for rain. Question: Do >>>>> they serve well (because of pit zips) as an outer layer and insulator for >>>>> dry-weather cold-temperature (32 south to teens) over wool layers? >>>>> >>>>> *Outdoor Research winter gloves with long gauntlet >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> ODR or other, certainly yes to long gauntlets. I very often will wear >>>>> repurposed street gloves (like the Bundeswehr pair) that are very nice >>>>> but >>>>> leave a 1/2" gap between end of cuff and beginning of glove; not nice at >>>>> 25*! >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> wearing a fanny pack or waist pack will also help keep the cold from >>>>>> coming up the bottom of your jacket >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Rant begins! *Cycling bottoms, tights or pants, should have waists >>>>> high enough in the back that even when in the hooks of a drop bar the >>>>> waistband does not separate from your top layer!!!!!!!* I can't say >>>>> how many, often expensive winter riding pants I've bought only to find >>>>> that >>>>> they are stupidly, stupidly cut like last year's hipster jeans. I've had >>>>> expensive pants -- Enduras, Osloh jeans so beloved of BSNYC -- retailored >>>>> in the waist to fit more snugly and reduce this gapping tendency. And I'm >>>>> not talking of gapping due to an oversized belly and slipping waist, >>>>> either. Rant ends. >>>>> >>>>> But the most comfortable riding bottoms of all, ever, besides >>>>> cycling-specific tights (which seem all to be cut high in back) are >>>>> converted mens' dress pants from long before today's modern, low-cut and >>>>> tight re-makes of 1960s pants. These come up high enough to well overlap >>>>> or >>>>> underlap your jersey, and to hold a tucked-in layer securely tucked in >>>>> when >>>>> you are bent over the hooks. (Speaking of 1960s: 1960s dress pants are >>>>> old >>>>> even for me, but I recall owning in the mid 1980s a very nice pair of >>>>> dress >>>>> wools that must have been 20 years old then: pegged like Jack Kennedy but >>>>> high in waist like your grandfather's pants. Wish I'd kept them.) >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the > Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this topic, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/kuAy_HxSWgg/unsubscribe > . > To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to > rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. > > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/b3482ca1-4636-4f43-96fd-55ceade8e43fn%40googlegroups.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/b3482ca1-4636-4f43-96fd-55ceade8e43fn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. 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