Most riders start to put up their bikes sometime around mid to late October and leave them safely tucked away in the garage until early April. Then again, some riders just can't get enough of that 2 wheeled freedom and have to ride all year round. For those of us foolish enough to ride in the winter, keeping warm tends to be a bit of a problem when the temperature drops. Now I know that I have not been riding as long as others but I have come along way from my first winter when I would only wear a pair of jeans, a winter jacket from Abercrombie and a pair of outdoor gloves on my way to work the midnight shift for UPS at the airport.
The most important thing to understand first is the concept of layers; you will stay a lot warmer with just a long-sleeved shirt layered over a thin T-shirt then you would with wearing only a sweater. The picture near the top of this page was taken one night when I thought it would have been a good time to prove that I ride in all types of weather. I believe it was about 28 degrees outside, as you can see there was a good bit of snow coming down, and the roads were covered in snow and slush. Let's just say it was extremely cold out and every 30 seconds I had to lift up my visor and wipe off the fog that built up on the inside. Surprisingly enough, when I got finished with my 20 mile polar bear ride the only thing that was unbearably cold was my fingertips. Let's break down your options for winter apparel:
Socks - I usually wear a pair of thick cotton crew socks that come about mid-way up my calf. If it is really cold out or you are going for a long highway ride you can put on a set of wool socks as a second layer. You want to have a semi tall sock to protect your leg from any wind that could make its way up the bottom of your pants.
Boots - The most important thing about boots in the winter is that they are 100% waterproof! It doesn't matter how much money you spend on footwear, wet feet will always be extremely cold (so do whatever it takes to keep them dry). Make sure the boot is high enough to get a good draft proof seal around the ankle area.
Pants - Once again layers are key; in the cold I usually wear a comfortable pair of sweats and a thick pair of jeans. If you can afford a set of riding pants make sure you go with something waterproof. (Leather usually works best) If you can't afford a set of leather pants then try to pick layers that will help keep the moisture off of your skin.
Upper Body - You will always see me wearing my leather jacket no matter what time of the year it is. In the winter I will also wear a long-sleeve shirt and then a thick fleece sweater. When you take the insulating power of fleece and combine it with the windproof and waterproof power of a leather jacket it is hard to not stay comfortable.
Neck Area - Some riders overlook this section of the body until they are on the road doing about 40 and realize that their neck is going numb. This is probably the simplest piece of your wardrobe yet it can make the world of difference. There are many of options out there but as long as you have a good seal around your neck to keep the wind out you should be just fine. I found it much easier to just take an extra bandana and tie it around my face so it covers my nose and mouth as well as my neck. When I zip my jacket up I tuck in the bottom of the bandana to keep the wind out. Having it cover your mouth with also help keep your visor from fogging up.
Gloves - There is just one thing to remember when looking for winter gloves, THICK AND THERMAL, that's it. No matter what you have on your hands will ALWAYS BE COLD. When the human body gets cold it tends to keep as much heat as possible in the torso area, hands and feet just become a surplus to survival. The body sends as little blood and heat to these parts as it can get away with. If your hands and feet are cold, try to keep your torso area warmer.
When the weather drops below a certain point it is very hard to stay all nice and toasty but you should at least be comfortable enough to enjoy the ride. If you feel that your hands and feet are getting to cold for normal use then pull over for a bit to warm up, there is always a Starbucks close by.
Copyright - Adrenaline's Edge © 2008