Andrew M. Fuqua

Let me encourage all you fair weather riders to get out there and ride. Don't let the cold scare you off. With a little know how, and a few simple layers, you can ride comfortably in cold weather. See, I've done the research for you. I've braved the chill and learned from a few mistakes. And so I present to you what I wear in cold weather.

You will, of course, want to make adjustments for differences in your metabolism and in whatever clothing you have. I at times still have second thoughts before going out in the winter, but once I get out there I'm always glad that I did.

I wouldn't mind hearing your feedback on this. Maybe I can make some improvements to my table. Ok, yeah, so this isn't a blog and you can't post your comments here. But if you can figure out my email address from the link below, I'll likely respond to your email. I'll also participate in any discussion of this topic on the DunwoodyCycling yahoo group.

There's nothing really special here. I mention only a couple specific products in the table just to give you an idea of what I mean when I say something like "good socks". I otherwise try to stay away from mentioning specific products. The idea is that you can ride in the winter with very little special gear. There is no need to go search out the product I use. With that said, let me give some explanation of some of the items in the table.

My booties are just neoprene booties (shoe covers) with a fleece inner liner that you can get in many different brands.

I mention two kinds of toe warmers. In the 30s and below, I'm talking about chemical toe warmers such as the Grabber brand. These are thin pads you stick in your shoe. They produce heat when you take them out of their wrapper. Simply wonderful. I don't care for two pair of socks. Too thick. Use the chemical toe warmers. It's worth it.

In the lower 60s, however, when I mention toe warmers, I'm talking about simple, light shoe covers. Maybe they cover just the toe. Maybe they cover the whole shoe. But I'm thinking of something lighter and cooler than booties.

When I say "long pants" I'm referring to what is probably a mid-weight tight. Mine is one of the Performance brand tights, but any brand will do.

Down in the 20s I mention using a base layer. Above that, I just wear multiple regular old jerseys. You could just use yet another jersey as your base layer when it's really cold. I did that for a while. But I now prefer using a product actually positioned as a base layer. They are often a little thicker, maybe more snugly fitting. My base layer is a sleeveless crew, but a long sleeve base layer would be super.

My balaclava is old, plain and thin. Nothing high-tech about it. That's why I double up with that and a headsweat when it is freezing. If it warms up while I'm riding, I can remove a layer. If you have something thick or high-tech, doubling up might not be necessary.

I mention hunting gloves because that's what I had lying around. The fancy lobster mitts I subsequently bought are no better. Try to use what you have before you spend money on more stuff. I found that my fingers were cold only when I didn't have the rest of me fairly well covered. If my toes are hurting, my fingers are going to have sympathy pains. If I take care of my head, my core and my toes, my fingers will be fine.

I haven't found a jacket that breathes well enough. A jacket that traps any moisture at all is going to be a real problem for you. Anyway, I haven't found that I've needed a jacket, even when the temp is down in the 20s. Just layer on the other stuff. If you already have a vest with a mesh back, that would make a great wind breaker. By all means, use it. If you don't, like me, then do the newspaper trick I mention in the table.

Disclaimers: For all of this I'm assuming the pavement is dry. I'm a roadie, so I don't know if this applies to mountain biking.