From tmont@u.washington.edu Sun Nov 12 08:54:25 1995 Return-Path: Received: from homer20.u.washington.edu by lists.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW95.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.33 ) id AA11797; Sun, 12 Nov 95 08:54:24 -0800 Received: by homer20.u.washington.edu (5.65+UW95.10/UW-NDC Revision: 2.33 ) id AA12561; Sun, 12 Nov 95 08:54:24 -0800 X-Sender: tmont@homer20.u.washington.edu Date: Sun, 12 Nov 1995 08:54:24 -0800 (PST) From: "T. Montroy" To: uwracing@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: winter biking (fwd) Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: 12 Nov 1995 04:47:32 GMT From: Wayne Perrier Newgroups: rec.bicycles.marketplace Subject: Re: winter biking I live in Ottawa, Canada, and used to live in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I have a couple of things to say: 1) if you get wet, you're finished. try to only ride on dry days. don't ride on ice, you're asking for trouble. 2) don't ride at night, even with lights. if you do, a policeman will run you over in his car. sadly, this actually happened up here. The last thing motorists are expecting is to see someone on a bike in the winter. they won't be prepared. 3) don't buy cycling mitts. they're useless. don't wear gloves. I have a set of Pigskin mitts that work perfectly. they don't have too much lining left, but my hands don't sweat in them. 4) always wear a turtleneck and wear it up to your chin. it will prevent you from getting a nasty cold. 5) I have found that nothing works better for keeping my head warm than a good old-fashioned toque. 6) if it's below about -10, you need face protection. wear a bellaclava. 7) I find that neoprene shoe covers work well for the first hour and a half or so, but then after this, your feet are wet from sweat, and cool off quickly. I have never found a satisfactory solution for this. some friends of mine use layers of plastic bags (as wind breakers) and hockey socks over them (this is over the shoe covers). 8) I do find that wool beats every synthetic fabric I've tried, at least for tights, as far as warmth and breathability is concerned. 9) if you can, sew a shammy across the front hip area of your tights, as a windbreak. your private parts will thank you for it. so will your girlfriend / wife !!! 10) Some friends of mine wear 3-5 layers of clothing on the top. I find that I can manage fine down to about -10 with two layers: a thin (and I mean thin) turtleneck, and a Descente gore-tex jacket. I do wear bib-shorts in the winter. I find that if I wear more than this, I sweat too much, and thus get cold. especially when I have to stop for a whiz or a red light. yes, I do stop for red lights ! 11) always, always, bring money with you on a winter ride, including quarters for an emergency phone call. I have never had to use them yet, but if you get a couple of flats out in the middle of nowhere, it's going to be real trouble walking home.. 12) I like to wear long socks in winter, not cycling socks, as the tights cover the long socks better, and don't leave gaps where the cold air can get in. 13) some of my friends believe that your feet get cold largely because of the wind entering through the bottom where the cleat is exposed. I know one guy who doesn't cut out the bottom of the shoe cover, but rather places the shoe cover on the shoe, and bolts the cleat THROUGH it, leaving no air gaps. he says that this works for him. another friend of mine says that the pedals and crank act as a heatsink, drawing heat away from your shoes through the cleat. He also says that the right foot gets colder quicker than the left, because the crank is larger, and thus has greater thermal capacity. it's strange, but my right foot DOES seem to get cooler quicker.... anyway, hope that some of this helps. regards, Wayne Perrier. .