Ryan Cousineau wrote:
> In article <
[email protected]>,
> Bernie <
[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Doug Purdy wrote:
>>
>>>"mark" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
>>>
news:[email protected]...
>>>
>>>>The important thing is to keep the rest of your body, especially the head and neck, warm and
>>>>protected from the wind.
>>>>
>>>I believe there is some truth to this. I used to like to ride cold so I would sweat very little.
>>>My feet and hands always felt colder to me than other riders described their own sensations. Last
>>>year I tried dressing warmer all over and didn't have any cold hand or problems. I think the
>>>warmer underwear made some of that difference.
>>>
>>>And last week my bare hands & head felt fine in 8C/46F rain while my chest & legs were dressed
>>>for freezing. I didn't feel overheated although I sweat a lot. Others have said you can overheat
>>>one part of your body to make up for another part. It seems like it could be true.
>>>
>>>Also feeling warmer on the body I seem to feel feel more like riding hard, like I would in warm
>>>weather so I get a more intense ride.
>>>
>>>Doug Toronto
>>>
>>>
>>Hikers used to say "Your feet are cold? Put on a hat!" Bernie
>>
>
>Hikers say all kinds of stupid things, don't they? They have some of the right idea here, but
>cycling tends to freeze extremities because they're not doing a lot of work. While your feet are
>connected to the pedals, they're not actually doing much down there, and probably need to be
>dressed a little better than the rest of your body. Similarly, I find the need to "overdress" hands
>because they're out in the wind and not doing much work.
>
>Core temperature is important, but it tends to take care of itself on a bike. In Vancouver I
>would rarely consider more than a jersey, arm warmers, and a second shell garment. Sometimes I
>use an ugly yellow fleece over my jersey, which does nothing to cut wind but still keeps me
>reasonably warm.
>
The hiker's quote does work if you are walking. Heat loss thru the head is fairly high. If you abate
that heat loss, you will warm the extremities somewhat. I've been wearing (and continue to wear)
"ragg wool" gloves for cold weather rides - from KMart or Zellers or ... They are lined with a thin
yellow foamy material. Dunnow what it is, but it insulates just about right for the west coast
temperatures, and is warm and comfortable even when soaking wet. They don't have them in store so
far this year, and I need another pair.
PS: they are dirt cheap, like $5 cad. I tend to dress "light" when I ride too, but carry a wool
pullover to wear under my wind/rain jacket when stopped, or when I'm just tired and feeling the
chill. Be careful out there, cold can do harm. Regards, Bernie
