As I am preparing to thaw out from this incredibly cold winter, I have been unpacking the gear I have been storing and starting to get out on the bike. I regret my decision not to purchase a fat bike this year since it would have been the best season in years for it. If I wait for the warm weather I may not be out for another month! As I write this, we sit at a bomby -13 degrees Celsius which is about as cold as I can handle with this system.
I hate over dressing. I hate being cold. And I hate carrying things that take up space, weight or things that I have to remember to pack each time I stop somewhere. The K.I.S.S theory applies here. The Keep It Simple Stupid, not the if you paint your face and stick out your tounge you will make a rock band theory. So to solve this I layer. Obvious to many, but I still see many people bundled too tight and carrying too much gear, or complaining about not wearing enough. Or worse people having to stop every 15 min to readjust gear regulate temperature. I want to be a little chilly for the first 10 minutes or so. I start with my merino long sleeve base layer, wool arm bands and a t-shirt or jersey. Giro winter riding gloves and my Under Armour balaclava. When I start getting too warm I pull the balaclava down as a scarf to keep my throat warm as to try to help with the post cold weather ride sore throat. I sometimes carry thin glove covers for rain and terrible wind, because they take up . no room and carry a huge net benefit. Comfortable hands is a huge priority for me. Next I use my North Face lightweight rain jacket. Whilevriding, this works to keep the wind out and the heat in and as I heat up, I use the pit zips to vent. On my legs I use light weight wool socks, Shimano GoreTex shoes, bike shorts and my Patagonia rain pants with full length zipper. The rain pants were a last minute purchase in Banff before TD 2013 and are one of my favourite pieces of gear now. They pack up about the size of a coffee cup, have some stretch in them, tight ankles and full length sealed zippers on each leg. Great for cold and rainy. I carry a small down jacket (which doubles as a fantastic pillow) and put it on if I have to stop, but when riding I am very comfortable. Using the rain gear really helps keep heat in and the windchill out. I also carry fleece leg warmers that I wear instead of the rainpants in warmer temps, or with when its really cold. I am actually going to switch these out for shorter wool knee covers. This system kept me warm and dry on the Divide. With the option of arm bands and zipper I can regulate my temp on the fly pretty easily. I think the key component is wool. If I do start to sweat and get the chills then I keep riding to stay warm or use the down jacket to make sure I keep warm if wet.
When I wasn't using the Gore Tex shoes, which I didn't on the divide since they would have been awful in the hot weather and too heavy, I have used Gore Tex socks and/or plastic bags. When I knew I would be on the bike for a while I put the plastic bags right over the shoes and clipped in through the plastic. On hike a bike sections, shoe covers become a pain and get trashed. They also become one more thing to pack and remember every time you are stopped. Not worth it. Plastic garbage bags are a great thing to carry for emergencies. Cut arm holes and wear over your core to keep the heat in.
If I ever get really cold I try to keep moving whenever possible.
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