Snow commute

Well, I was commuting in my daily wear, wool coat, etc., etc., but after a sheet of ice and 16" of snow with temps in the single digits and wind chill in the double negatives (-13 degrees F today when we left) I've had to rethink.  My daily wear changed to under armor insulated tights and a pair of insulated Columbia hiking pants on bottom.  The top includes a tank, long sleeve tech t, & long sleeve fleece lined top.  On top of all that I threw on ski pants, a waterproof Marmot jacket, insulated boots, and Yaktrax.  Yesterday I had a gaiter for my neck, safety glasses, and a stocking hat.  Today I upped the ante and went with those things plus a Buff to securely cover my nose and mouth and added in ski goggles to keep from fogging up so bad.  Seemed to work - I was much warmer today, but that could also have something to do with the fact the wind wasn't blowing 40mph today and spitting snow in my face??
Some pics the man rode ahead and took yesterday on the way into work
(this was when we only had about 4-5" of snow - it continued throughout the day and stopped at around 16-17"):

              

The eyebrows were much better today thanks to the goggles!  Also, some roads were plowed today.  Yesterday was like riding in terrible mud.  Good practice I guess!  Reminds me how much I love my mountain bike if nothing else.
Till next time - ride on.

Cycling Apparel

For cold weather commuting my apparel basically consists of what I am wearing to work for the day, my wool coat, my helmet (sometimes a band for ear cover), scarf, pant leg strap, safety glasses, and gloves.  When your commute isn't too far this all works.  If I was going further I might grab a buff to pull up around my face and throw on an extra pair of socks or shoe covers.

I've already talked in prior posts about the basic cold weather cycling gear, but there are some things I have found this season that have been beneficial.  I'd like to chat about them here...

I think I seem like a Columbia groupie (this is not the case), but they really do have some decent quality stuff.  I honestly thought they only made fishing shirts until we took a trip to Portland last year.  Anyway, I really dig this shirt for cold weather rides and really cold weather runs:

It comes equipped with a handy dandy pocket for my iPhone, ID, and some cash.  It's fleece lined and breathable.  I can't wear it running for anything above freezing, but for anything below it's fantastic.  For rides I will pair it with this shirt:

It is breathable and form fitting (also from Columbia).  It has thumb holes so your shirt stays in place while adding additional layers!  On top I add this little jacket from Pearl Izumi:

It's their W's Elite Barrier Convertible Jacket.  It's thinner than I anticipated when I ordered, but it's a great wind block and keeps me warmer than expected.  I have worn it for rides and runs.  The arms and upper back zip off for a vest when you heat up.  Or, you can do a partial unzip to just get a slight breeze.  For a 30 degree run I wore this jacket with a short sleeve tech t-shirt and was plenty warm.
On bottom I wear insulated tights for runs and rides.  On rides I just add the padded shorts on top.  I have also added these PI thermal leg warmers:

Prior I was just wearing knee warmers.  For really cold days these are great over thermal tights.  When it's a little warmer (40's) I can get away with regular tights and these.  I have also worn these with my shorts and ridden the 2 miles to spinning class.  It worked for that distance, but probably not much further in below freezing temps.

When you look at the cost of all these things (I did get most on sale), it seems crazy.  I generally only wear the really cold weather stuff a couple times a week so I only have a couple options.  Other than that I wash clothes a lot.  Between 2 of us our Saturday long rides equal at least 1 large load of laundry!  :-O

I'm just glad my real clothes still fit and that I'm not stuck buying cold weather maternity biking gear!  ;-)
By the time I'm really showing the temps should be tolerable for riding in about anything - possibly moo-moo's.  Eeek!

Till next time - ride on and stay warm!

Forgot the gloves

For some reason I had in my head while I was getting ready that it wasn't as cold out today as it has been.  Turns out that was not an accurate assessment on my part.  It was around 25 degrees when I left the house with only a pair of, let's say normal weight gloves.  Not the barrier gloves I've been wearing.  Big mistake.  My fingers were frozen by the time I got to work (remember only 1 mile so it didn't take long).  Note to self - check the weather - don't go on gut feel alone!

On a happier note, I have been eying this wool trench coat from Express for a week or so.  A couple of days ago they finally put it on sale and I thought about it, but still decided I didn't need it.  Then yesterday they had a coupon for $30 off of $75 purchase - I thought SCORE.  But, the coat was back to original price.  :-(
Today I got the best of both worlds plus free shipping so I indulged.  Now, I have this coming in the mail for me for Christmas:

I think it will be the perfect length to not get caught up in the bike and keep me nice and toasty and looking pretty cute to boot.  :-)

Happy commuting!

Staying warm

The weather in SW MO has been colder than normal.  I understand it is winter and all, but 7 degrees and feels like 0 is not conducive riding weather!  So, I admit I did skip a commute day.  I told myself it was due to fighting a head cold, but it was really because it was just plain cold.  The temps were up today - a balmy 21 degrees when it was time to leave for work so I wore my warm boots, long trench coat, PI barrier gloves, and a balaclava (not to be confused with baklava - so, yummy) and rode on in.  It really was not too bad.  I guess the body is finally adjusting to the cold temps.  NOTE:  I know people ride in a lot colder weather, but it's all relative and for me this is cold!  ;-)

Baretraps boots - mine are very similar to these (just a bit older):

They survived hiking all over Ireland and kept my feet toasty and warm.  I bought 1/2 size up so I could still fit in some heavy wool socks for extra cold days.  

To keep the lower face warm and not wind burnt I either use a balaclava (face mask) like this: 

Or, I also will wrap a Buff around my neck and pull up around my mouth as needed.  It mostly depends on what is clean, but the face mask is a little warmer and stays in place a little better.  

Wherever you are, stay warm and keep riding!  :-)

Warm feet, happy feet

  Part of commuting for me is riding to and from spin class.  Spin class is at 5:15am in SW MO so it gets a little cold this time of year (it's been mid-20's this week at that time).  I hate my feet being cold and it seems like it takes nothing for this to happen.  In addition I like to wear my Keen Commuter clipless sandals during spin class so it makes sense to just wear them there, but they are definitely not warm.  Even when I completely dork them up and wear socks with them.

NOTE:  I know I said (on a budget) in the title and these are a little pricey regular, but I found this color in my size for 50% off at Sunshine Bike Shop in Springfield, MO so I had to have them.  :-)
They also carry Vibram Five Fingers and have lots of colors and styles in stock.

So, I found another 'on sale' item last summer that has really helped out.  Pearl Izumi Barrier MTB shoe covers.  They are the bomb though.  Maybe not highly attractive, but you're feet stay nice and warm.  Pair them with the Pearl Izumi Barrier gloves and your extremities stay pretty toasty.

My suggestion on all of the cold weather gear is too buy it in the summer.  My gloves aren't as cute as this pic because they are a couple years old, but I got them really reasonable.

One last shout out in cold feet gear that I just tried out over vacation in the Grand Canyon Thanksgiving week were Gore Bike Wear's Gore Tex® Socks.  I know they came from Terry, but I don't think they were on sale - just a great b-day present from my man who knows when my feet are warm I'm happy!  I had these socks on over a pair of SmartWool PhD Trail Running Mini socks as well as a pair of Columbia Bugaboo ski socks.  So, I was prepared, but we did hike through snow, sleet, and rain at below freezing temps.  I guess I should also give some credit to my Salomon XT wings, but they aren't waterproof and my feet stayed comfortably warm and dry for the duration.  And, after a 14 mile hike in 11 hours with 3 kids (ages 8, 9, & 11) I think that's pretty dang good.

Commuting Apparel

When my bike commute was 12 miles each way I opted for actual cycling gear and toted my work wear in a back pack.  With a 1 mile each way commute this task seems silly so I've started finding commute friendly work wear.  A summer time favorite is light weight pants with a dressy tank top and cardigan.  It's the layering I need for hot, hot weather.  The cardigan comes off for the ride and I stay cool.
For fall and winter I enjoy tunics and leggings with tall boots.  No leg strap needed to keep pants out of chains - just hop on the bike and go.  You can get creative by adding a skirt on top of the leggings for a fun look.
Two shops I've found nice work acceptable tunics are Terry & Columbia.

 

I originally thought the Columbia stuff wasn't quite my style, but throw it on over a cami, some leggings, tall boots and add an attention getting necklace it's a fun outfit for work.
The Terry stuff is sometimes lacking in the dressy category, but the quality is great and there are pieces that can work for the office if you try.
Columbia is more of an outdoorsy line of clothes, but I enjoy the following for going to the market or the occasional casual Friday wear:

      

Brain cover

The great helmet debate.
When I ride road or MTB I always wear my helmet, in fact I feel rather naked without it.  But then I started commuting (in this I'm including my rides to and from work, rides to the store, to visit friends, to dinner, etc.)  and it was easy to just hop on my bike with no gear and go.  It makes you feel like a kid - kind of free.  I figured as long as I was going slow, paying attention, or on trails I was OK.  I'm still not sure I disagree with this...
But a couple things happened to make me rethink whether I wear a lid or not:
First, I crashed just playing around in the park when my pedal came off (stripped thread).  Hit my noggin hard enough to break my helmet and give me a slight concussion and lot of neck pain.  I took it at face value - I was playing around, these things happen.
Second, I started a group ride to get beginners into cycling.  I found I wasn't worried about myself because I have ridden enough to be comfortable with my abilities (aside from freak mechanical issues).  I was worried about the newbies - they scared the crap out of me and I realized I needed to set an example.
Not to mention that I felt the need to set an example for all the kids out there.  It's one thing for an adult to make a decision about not wearing a helmet because we can comprehend the consequences - kids can't (and shouldn't).
Anyway, I am now a commuting, helmet wearing member of the community.  In order to help entice me to wear it I bought a fun new one from NutCase Helmets:

It's the Irish flare with "Got Luck" on the back - I love it.  It doesn't even smash my hair too bad.  ;-)

However, one of these days when I have lots of extra cash I might try rocking one of these Yakkay numbers:

They are available on The Bicycle Muse website.