David Martin wrote:
> Fay wrote:
> > My New Year resolution is to return to the cycling to work I enjoyed in
> > the summer, and in future not to stop when it gets cold and wet. I'm a
> > middle aged woman just cycling slowly to the office for some exercise.
> > I'm not concerned to build up super fitness or enter races. My problem
> > is that it's hard to find clothes which are warm enough when I'm cold,
> > but cool enough that I don't sweat a lot when I've warmed up.
>
> How far are you riding and on what sort of terrain? I ride to work
> about 1.5 miles and don't bother with anything special.
My ride to the office is about 1.5 miles too. Shopping sometimes sees
me going as far as 3 or 4. Visiting friends can take me up to about 6.
That's getting to be the kind of distance that in this winter weather I
prefer to do on four wheels.
> During the
> winter I wear a fleece and a raincoat (cycle specific cut but an
> ordinary one does fine) when the weather demands. If it doesn't demant
> I put it in the pannier bag. In summer I dispense with the fleece and
> usually the raincoat as well.
>
>
> This is the typical layering problem. You have two options:
>
> 1. cycle slowly so you never get too warm. Not really an appropriate
> option in anything other than very flat lands.
Edinburgh. Need I say more?
> 2. Take a jumper/cardigan that you can take off when riding and put
> back on when you stop.
>
> > It's even
> > harder to find something reasonably rain proof which doesn't make me
> > wetter than rain because of sweating inside it.
>
> A modern fleece with the appropriate cover/lining will provide
> showerproof cycling wear. There is no option but getting wet from
> exercise in a downpour except to wear waterproofs and slow down.
>
>
> > I don't want to buy special cycling clothes. I want to buy some clothes
> > which will pass equally well as ordinary walking about and shopping
> > clothes.
>
> Cycling or running tights will provide appropriate warmth in the winter
> and can be disguised easily with a skirt or baggy shorts/trousers as
> appropriate.
Sounds like the local outdoor shops would be a good place to look.
There's plenty of middle aged skiers and hillwalkers who don't want to
look like an explosion in a paint shop.
> > I'm sure my grandmother, who cycled most days into her 70s
> > with a wicker shopping basket on her ancient bicycle, knew answers to
> > this problem.
> She probably cycled at a 'ladylike' pace and carried a spare pullover
> in the basket.
I've been trying to remember. I think she wore a general purpose coat,
not thick, showeproof rather than waterprrod, and I think she did cary
a cardigan in the basket!
I have a metal shopping basket on my city hybrid bike, attached with
metal hooks. I'm sure it's heavier than my gran's wicker basket, which
was attached by leather straps. It's also about half the size of her
wicker basket. That doesn't look like progress to me!
> > I'm sure that with today's modern materials there are
> > even better answers to this problem than she knew. But going into
> > bicycle shops staffed by muscular teenagers wearing cycling tights I
> > don't seem to heading in the right direction to find an answer
>
> Find clothes that are comfortable. Avoid cotton. Be prepared to be cold
> as you start off and warm up underway. Take clothes off and put them on
> as appropriate.
>
> Sorrry I can't give you any specifics. It depends on how far you are
> riding, for how long, how prepared you are to change clothes, what sort
> of things you are happy to wear to go shopping and so on.
The answers in this weather seem to be rarely more than a few miles or
forty minutes. With better clothes, and if I got fitter, I might go
further. I remember as a young girl I was quite happy doing a 30 mile
round trip on a summer's day.
I'd prefer to be able to open and close things rather than change. I'm
too old to be bothered trying to look glamorous. So long as I look more
like someone who likes being out in the weather rather than someone
with no choice, like a bag lady, I'm happy. I'm more bothered with how
I feel than how I look. Undermeath my outdoor stuff I have to be
wearing office suitable clothes. Since there's others in the office my
age who wear T-shirt and jeans or what I call old gypsy gear that's not
too demanding. "Old gypsy gear" means long brightly coloured skirts and
enough clanking beads and brooches to scare off birds
Fay
