Don't bike without a tail light
« Cyclists On Twitter | Home | Bike and Boat Tours In Canada »
Layering For Warmth
By spokesman | April 12, 2009
I have many friends that don’t ride when it gets cold. However with the right clothing and accessories, you can be warm and comfortable. If you are going to tour it is important to get the right clothing and learn through trial and error what makes you comfortable. The temperature is not the only factor to consider. The wind, terrain, amount of sun or shade and chance of rain should be considered. Layering is important because it gives you the opportunity to adapt as conditions change.
Today was the first ride of the season for my bike club and the weather conditions at the start were 45 degrees with gusts of wind up to 20 miles per hour. The route was moderately hilly, so I knew that I would be generating some heat on the uphills and would be subjected to a chilly wind on the downhills. The high temperature for the day was predicted to be 56 degrees and there was no chance of rain.
I wore the clothes pictured above. I wodre a sleeveless Adidas top, a long sleeve Performance jersey and a wind breaker that could turn into a vest due to its removable sleeves. On the bottom, I had a pair of padded biking shorts, a light weight pair of Brooks running pants and socks that went midway up may calves. Here are some tips and reasons for what I choose.
-
Choose an innermost layer that is breathable; never use cotton as the bottom layer. It will get wet as you sweat and make you cold. I choose a sleeveless top for the bottom layer so that the multiple layers would not constrain my movement or get to tight around my shoulders and armpits.
-
Consider what you will remove if it gets too hot. In my set up, I had several options on top - I could remove the sleeves or entire jacket if I got hot. Either could be easily carried in the back pocket of the jersey. I could also just raise and lower the zippers on the windbreaker and the jersey to moderate my temperature. On the bottom, I could remove the pants. As it turned out, I didn’t remove any layers.
-
Long pants can be worn comfortably in the 60’s. Make sure to wear pants that won’t get caught in the chain or get a strap to wear on your left leg.
-
In cold and windy weather, cover exposed skin as much as possible. Long pants and long sleeves are a must. Arm and leg warmers are good options because they can be easily removed and carried in a jersey pocket.
-
I was not quite as prepared as I should have been. I didn’t have long finger gloves or a hat. Both would have be good at the beginning of the ride, but even without them I rode comfortably all day.
-
What you wear is a personnel preference. There were two people on the ride without long pants. I would have froze without mine. There were also some people with much heavier jackets or thick fleece tops.
-
It is important to experiment so you determine what keeps you comfortable. Layering allow you to have multiple options as conditions change. Notice that not every item that I wore was biking specific. The sleeveless top and pants were made for runners.
If you like this post then please consider subscribing to my full feed RSS . You can also subscribe by Email and have new posts sent directly to your inbox.
Topics: Bike Accessories, Touring Tips |
April 14th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
thanks for the scoops on clothing…cycle specific clothing just costs too much $$$!
How ’bout writing about where to shop for quality and price?
Best, K
April 18th, 2011 at 4:54 am
Really Gr8 ! Thanks For sharing..