Hands

I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what would be the best way to keep my hands warm while winter biking. There are a lot of expensive options out there.  Finally, I settled on the reliable leather choppers I've been using to keep my hands warm my whole life.  The leather stops the wind and the lining keeps things warm.

On the colder days, I found my choppers kept my hands warm, but the biting wind caused my wrists to get cold.  My wife is a knitter. She knitted up these wrist warmers and since then I've not had any issues. Thanks Angie!

Last week I rode to work on a day when the temp was -6F and the windchill before adding bike speed was -24F.  Added to that there was 3 inches of new snow.  My body stayed warm the whole trip. The only issue was a frosting over of my goggles.  I have a few ideas to try our for a solution...

Staying Visible

Anytime we bike in the dark, it is essential to be seen.  Over the years I have done this by wearing a reflective vest and by having flashing red lights. This year I was able to combine the two by finding a reflective safety vest with flashing red led lights embedded in the vest. I got it for $20 online at Walmart. http://www.walmart.com/ip/MAXSA-Reflective-Safety-Vest-with-16-LED-Lights/10756693

Tomorrow morning's commute looks like a doozy.  The ambient temp at 6 AM is predicted to be -2F. There will be an 8 mph headwind.  This weekend we got about 4-5 inches of snow and as of this evening, the roads I take to work have not yet been plowed.  This IS winter biking - Minnesota Style.

Jacket and Pants

This biking jacket has a wind resistant front and sleeves (black) and a breathable back (blue).  I bought the jacket several years ago at Ski Hut in Duluth. It is great for biking from 50 degrees down to below zero.  The pants are lined wind pants.

So to recap, for temps below 30:

• Arm sleeves
• Knee sleeves
• Underwear
• Long sleeve synthetic shirt
• Biking jersey
• Biking shorts
• Jacket
• Windpants

Next time, I'll show the layers that get added when temps get below 20.

The Next Layers

For temps below 30 F (anything above 30 just isn't winter biking), these next 3 pieces go on after my underwear and sleeves. They are the only layers that go on before my jacket and wind pants.  They are my regular bike shorts, a Champion synthetic long sleeve shirt, and my regular biking jersey.

Notice I show the bike shorts inside out so we can see the pad. Layers are important in most winter outdoor activities. Biking fits into that category and some parts of our bodies need more layers than others - thus the importance of the pad.

Protect Your Joints

While researching winter riding last year, one of the messages I took to heart was to protect my elbows and knees.  These important joints need proper lubrication. Keeping them warm keeps them lubricated and helps prevent injuries.  I found compression type sleeves on eBay for about $10 per pair. They work great at keeping me warm and have lasted very well.  Below are my arm and leg "sleeves".

P.S. I will hit a milestone on the way to work tomorrow morning. My total mileage for the year will reach 2500.  While lots of cyclists ride 3-4 times this amount, it is a PR for me by more than double.

Life Changing Underwear

For 45 years I have worn cotton briefs.

Cotton is not the right material to wear while sweating.  I've run marathons wearing cotton underwear. The inability of the cotton to eliminate sweat results in chafing and discomfort at a high level.  Last January, I found that the moisture generated while biking near zero degrees quickly turned very cold. Sweat turns to ice pretty darn quickly. Cotton underwear were the biggest issue I had while riding last winter.  The answer came this summer when I found Adidas synthetic boxer briefs while training for a half-marathon.

This synthetic material wicks away all moisture eliminating an unwanted cooling while riding. Now my entire wardrobe is synthetic.  I should have been smart enough to figure this out last year.

Staying Warm

Acquaintances who discover that I have been riding my bike to work for 12 straight months usually assume that I get really cold while biking.  Not true.  When it comes to being cold outside, I have a rather low tolerance.

In the 1980's I lived in Florida for 4 years.  Summer in Florida was way hot and way humid.  I've always told people that I would rather live in Minnesota in the winter than Florida in the summer. When it gets colder outside, a person can put on more clothes. Whereas, when it gets hotter outside, you quickly run out of clothes to take off.

The key to staying warm while biking has been to find the right combination of clothes for the conditions. Over the next few posts I will provide details on clothing and the combinations.

The morning forecast looks good. 28 F and 8 mph tailwind.

Goggles

First of all, thank you Jeremy for your comment on tires. You have proposed a great low-cost alternative for studding tires.

When I first started winter riding I did so without goggles. After all, I don't use goggles when I snowshoe or cross-country ski in the same temperatures. The problem I encountered was that my eyes watered terribly. I'm assuming the problem is from the wind created by the bike's speed.

A quick solution came from downhill ski goggles. I bought the goggles from Erik's with my helmet, which has a great clip to hold the goggles in place.

Today's ride home was 27 F with a 10 mph headwind.

Helmets

The first problem I encountered was what to wear for a helmet.  Regular bicycle helmets are designed for high air flows over our heads to promote cooling. That's what all those holes are for! In frigid temps that is not exactly the goal we are aiming for.  On my first few winter rides I wore my full face motorcycle helmet.  It worked ok. The two main issues were it's weight (it was quite heavy) and the face shield fogged up considerably quickly making visibility a pretty big issue.

There is a man in my town, Tim S., who has been winter riding for years.  I see him quite often at the YMCA.  He is my go to person for questions on winter biking.  Tim wears a downhill skiing helmet.  To address my need, I went to Erik's Bike and Board Shop in Bloomington, MN (http://www.eriksbikeshop.com/) to see what options they had for helmets and found a really nice K2 brand ski boarders helmet for $70.  This helmet has been perfect for my winter biking needs.

It is light, strong, protects me from the wind and has a system for connecting goggles to for my eyes.

Weather update. This morning my commute will be at 9 degrees F with a 4 mph tailwind.

Happy Biking.

Tires

During my online research about winter biking, I read many varying views about the necessity of studded tires. Some passionately argued for them, others said they were unnecessary.  For those in the yes camp, there was debate about whether to have studs on the center of the tire (the highest point that has the most contact with the road). After much wondering, I jumped in and bought the Schwalbe Marathon Winter tire shown below. The studs are not on the centerline.

Here is what the manufacturer has to say about the tire:

For a safer journey. You have full control on icy roads with the Marathon Winter. Even in tight bends and under violent braking everything remains under control. The spikes work best on ice when running at minimum pressure, while at maximum pressure the tires can be ridden on ice-free roads with minimal road noise. (http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/road_tires/marathon_winter)

At Schwalbe, the tires are $85 each. I got them on eBay for $55 each.

I bought the tires last January, but amazingly never had to use them. The weather was such that the roads stayed clear for all of my spring commutes.  This fall I put these tires on the old bike shown in the post below.  On days when there is snow or ice anywhere on the roads, I ride this bike.  When the roads are clear, I ride my normal commuter bike which is a Specialized Carmel.  Over the past few weeks there has been quite a bit of back and forth on the weather. One day I thought it would be ok to take the Specialized.  While braking on a snowy patch, I went right down to the ground pretty hard.  The Specialized is now in the rafters.  I'll ride the winter bike until next spring.  These tires are supposed to last 3-6 winters. My original worry that lots of riding on asphalt might wear the studs down seems to be unfounded.

The Bike

There are a wide range of available winter bikes.  I've been looking at the Surly Pugsley http://surlybikes.com/bikes/pugsley, the Dutch Workcycles commuter bikes http://www.workcycles.com and a few others.  These bikes are really expensive ranging from $1,000 to $2,000.  The good news is the high price bikes aren't necessary.  I currently use an old commuter bike that was just hanging in the rafters.

A couple of notes. First, I do not have, nor would I recommend, fenders.  My panniers (saddle bags) keep snow from kicking up on me from the rear tire. I believe fenders would be a big place for snow buildup to cause issues.  Second, the only thing I do to take care of the chain and gears is spray them with WD-40.  Perhaps the biggest lesson I learned was to always leave the bike outside.  If left in the cold, rust does not happen on the bike.  If you bring it in to a heated space, rust will be everywhere in just one day.

Here is my winter bike:

I do have studded tires and will address them in a future entry.

The List

Here is the list of things needed to winter bike in MN:

• Bike
• Tires
• Helmet
• Light
• Goggles
• Face protection
• Mittens
• Wrist warmers
• Jacket
• Reflective vest
• Elbow sleeves
• Long underwear
• Knee sleeves
• Wind pants
• Underwear
• Bike shorts
• Socks 
• Boots
• Panniers
• Frame of Mind

Over the next few weeks I will tell the story of how I arrived at my current place with each of these accessories.  Where possible I will show pictures and provide links to where I bought the stuff.  Of the things on the list, I owned approximately half before I started winter biking. They were normal day to day accessories of living through a Minnesota winter or normal season biking.  A ballpark estimate of the newly purchased items would be: $350.  More details to come...

Winter Commuting - Getting Started

In January 2012 I decided to start riding my bike to work. The commute is 6.5 miles each way. In the winter it is dark when people leave for work in the morning and again when we come home at night. I live in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.  Grand Rapids is located about 100 miles south of International Falls, the famous Ice Box of the nation.  With these conditions, I set out to conquer the task of properly equipping my bicycle, clothing, lighting, and psyche for winter riding.

Over the next few posts I will tell the stories of trial and error that have brought me to the current evolution of each of the above.