As Patrick says, roomy shoes and air pockets. The other things help -- boots, toe covers, warmers, extra socks. But only if there is space for warm air around my fingers and toes to begin with. Wearing wool tights or pants also helps keep the blood warm on the way to and fro.
This winter I've been wearing Wiggy's lamilite socks and wool tights down to about 30 degrees with just a pair of Five-Tens and that seems to be good for 1-3 hour rides. I like hiking boots for short rides 25 degrees or below. For fingers, I like wearing thin synthetic gloves inside thick fleece gloves. When it's really cold in the mid-Atlantic it's usually dry as well so I find a shell isn't needed and my hands breathe better without them. If there is freezing or cold rain on the ride home from work I have a pair of cheap elastic overmitts. They're ok but I find it hard to ride in mittens and these leak at the seams in a heavy rain and don't breathe well. But for the 5-6 times a year I wear them it's fine. If it were much colder here I'd get bar mitts. Pete Arlington, VA On Monday, February 1, 2021 at 11:32:50 AM UTC-5 Patrick Moore wrote: > Oh oh! When you buy gloves, buy them at least 1 and perhaps 2 sizes too > big, to keep air pockets at the ends of the fingers when hands are clasped > around bar and control surfaces. This really, really makes a huge > difference in finger comfort. > > On Mon, Feb 1, 2021 at 9:16 AM Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Oh, wool socks and roomy shoes. I ride down to the upper teens, and I've >> used all sorts of wool socks, from bulky utility socks from Canadian chain >> stores to wool dress socks; presently REI's generic merino socks that are >> mid weight but thin enough to fit in my summer bike shoes. Really, though, >> I should have a winter pair of shoes a size larger so that I can get 2 >> pairs of socks, thin liner and the wool socks under the shoe without >> pinching -- pinching cuts of blood flow and makes your feet cold. >> >> My strategies depend on temperature and time outside. For real cold -- I >> ride down to the upper teens -- and for longer rides, say over an hour, I >> have a pair of Lake winter boots that I wear over a pair of those REI >> socks; they're fine for 2-3 hours outside, especially as you warm up as you >> ride and, even more around here in the high desert, temperatures rise so >> fast once the sun comes up. But for real cold, I do recommend a pair of >> specifically designed winter shoes. >> >> For temps down to the upper 20s, if I'm going to be outside for no more >> than an hour, my regular summer shoes are alright, with the REI socks; but >> I place between sock and shoe a cut-down bread bag -- ie, heavier plastic >> -- as a wind break. My feet will often sweat, so this is useful only if you >> will not stop mid ride for any length of time. >> >> My problem with cold is more my hands. I've got a pair of nice PI lobster >> gloves with 3 compartments for 2 fingers each plus thumb; this is better >> than the other design, with 4 fingers, then fore finger, then thumb; but >> not as warm as a mitten; but it gives better control of shifters and >> brakes. I find tightly woven DeFeet knit gloves find down to the upper 30s, >> insert thin silk liners down to about 30, below that use the lobsters with >> or without silks, and finally, have a pair of Outdoor Research mitts to go >> over thick wool mittens. Not very good for brake levers and shifters, but >> then when it gets cold enough for this, I limit my time outdoors. >> >> Ears also suffer. Faux Peruvian wool or acrylic caps work well; mine came >> from Target. Less dorky is the fleece-lined Highway Patrol-type winter had >> from the movie *Fargo* without a badge that has fleece-lined ear covers >> on flaps that velcro under your chin. Or, I use a lycra balaclava under a >> PI or Walz winter cycling cap. On yesterday's ride to church in the low 20s >> I used the PI under the Leatt jacket's hood, since the hood cinches tight >> to keep it close to your face (to allow you too see sideways), and the >> cap's brim keeps the hood from your eyes when you turn your head. >> >> Note: I suffer from what our Victorian ancestors would have called a >> "weak throat:" I easily get sore throats. So I am very careful to wrap my >> neck when temps get below 50*F. I use either a wool scarf cut in half >> longitudinally by a tailor, or a zip-up neck on my Ibex or other cycling >> vests, or a Buff neck gaiter. I find that this really does prevent sore >> throats and, in fact, I wrap my neck in a wool scarf while at home in >> winter; wrapping the neck in wool has cured, or at least removed, incipient >> sore throats, modern germ theory be damned. (I mean: I believe in germs and >> methods to fight them, but I am hardly confident that modern medical theory >> explains absolutely everything about human health, since acupuncture and >> *traditional* Chinese herbs cured my heart arrhymia without beta >> blockers). >> >> >> >> >> On Sun, Jan 31, 2021 at 11:27 PM Roberta <rcha...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Inspired by the wonderful cold weather rides and pics recently (and >>> others, too, on Instagram), I decided I should not stop riding just because >>> the temperature is below 60*. Yes, you read that right. Pre-Riv, when >>> the weather got below 60*, I’d stop riding because it was “too cold.” >>> >>> Well, I’ve learned a lot here in the last 3 ½ years. Last year, I rode >>> when it was in the 40’s. Yesterday and today, I was out in 32* and 27* >>> temperatures, respectively, and it was glorious! I finally learned how >>> to dress properly for cold weather riding. There were less crowds on >>> the trail and I was more comfortable than when it’s in the 90’s. >>> >>> I highly recommend it! >>> Also, how do you keep your toes warm? It was the only cold part of my >>> body. I was wearing leather sneakers and cotton socks (only because I >>> couldn't find my wool ones). Winter temps usually don't often go below 30*. >>> >>> Roberta >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/40d36b52-cadd-46d7-9e02-bc2ceb790b91n%40googlegroups.com >>> >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/40d36b52-cadd-46d7-9e02-bc2ceb790b91n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> >> >> -- >> >> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Patrick Moore >> Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum >> >> > > -- > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/f638e763-c585-4bb3-932e-0f0d1adefbf8n%40googlegroups.com.
