Today, for example, it was cold, just around freezing, so I knew I needed warm upper body garments. Not a day to worry about aerodynamics. So I opted for a poly-prop long underwear top, a synthetic fiber turtleneck, an L.L. Bean fleece shirt/sweatshirt, a Pearl Izumi zip-up cold-weather warm-up jacket, and a bright orange wind breaker shell. In between the turtle neck and the fleece shirt I slipped a thick brown paper bag. Cold? What cold? I sweated. Not too much, just enough. I never chilled down.
On the bottom half, I wore poly-prop long underwear, a pair of bike shorts, and heavy weight tights over all. I spread a plastic shopping bag over my ass between the tights and riding shorts; lacking a fender on the bike, this protective action - sort of like a plastic bag diaper - works fairly well keeping the butt dry. Warm socks and booties. Two pair of gloves; a liner glove inside a neon green reflective cold weather full-fingered cycling glove.
Clothing and warmth isn't the obstacle to winter riding. Road conditions are. And weather. I am yet to assemble the proper gear for rain. I doubt I will. To date, I've drawn the line at riding in rain (though once in a while I've been caught in a summer downpour and not regretted it). And if the roads are too wet or too icy or too snow-covered, that's a deterrent. Riding on bad roads around here, with all the car traffic, is just too dangerous.
Now, if the roads are in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and the day is April 19th, well, that's another story. In fact, that's the story at which we're now actively working towards arriving.
 |
| Layers, Ride # 3, Pano-Vision |
This gives me a chance to comment on your paper bag innovation - have been bewondering the idea since first encountering it here in your reports. The cardboard blankets of our down-and-out brothers, newspaper insulation used on park benches, and now the perfect material for the roadbike enthusiast out for a spin just above the freezing point! Haven't tried it yet but look forward to the first opportunity - assuming that the riding does get going again - who knows I might freak out when I climb onto the saddle again. Will see. But your low-tech solution has some attractive features: light-weight, thin, absorbing the nasty moisture transfered by the poly-prop, thereby preventing the moisture from gathering on the inside of subsequent non-breathable layers, like a heavy outer shell. And disposable - just throw it out when it's soaked, and biodegradable/environmentally friendly. Now take this idea and market it! Brown paper bags cut to appropriate sizes (S/M/L/XL/XXL - saw a couple of barrels on bikes on Ventoux), cool name and design, packed into a non-biodegradable plastic bag by near-slaves in a sweat-shop in Hopkinton, selling for $9.99 at Bike City in Braintree! What do you want to call it?
ReplyDelete