Nope, I don't like cold wet weather.

[dgk]

I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
with a steady light rain. My electric gloves are soaked through and my
fingers froze. My palms were actually pretty ok by virtue of the
electric grid. Good thing I wasn't electrocuted (by a 1.5 volt battery
- not likely).

I wore my Kmart special rain pants, essentially a sheet of PVC in the
shape of pants. They did a wonderful job of keeping my jeans dry,
right until I dismounted when I got home. Then I split them right up
the crotch. Trashed. My booties did a very good job of keeping my feet
warm and dry. They are soaked through though and are now hanging on
the dryer.

It would have been better had it been raining harder since I would
have worn the Kmart special rain jacket instead of my normal biking
jacket. Instead, the jacket is soaked through, hanging next to the
booties and gloves. Water resistant is not water proof.

I would have been alright if I had some way to keep the gloves dry. I
really think that a baggie in the shape of a big glove worn over the
electric gloves would have done the trick.

As it was it almost worked ok except for the frozen fingers.

Tomorrow promises a more widespread rain but about 10 degrees warmer
(NYC). Still, I don't think the stuff is going to be dry by then so
I'll likely take the train. One uncomfortable trip per week is my
limit. Yech.

 

[Neil Brooks]

dgk wrote:
> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
> with a steady light rain. My electric gloves are soaked through and my
> fingers froze. My palms were actually pretty ok by virtue of the
> electric grid. Good thing I wasn't electrocuted (by a 1.5 volt battery
> - not likely).

[snip]

Just back from a two-week road trip (car, with mtb's on the back) from San
Diego to Vegas, Denver, Lawrence, KS, and back. Ride conditions included
sleet, snow, ice, and rain.

- Clothing:

top: polypropylene long-sleeved shirt, long-sleeved jersey, fleece-lined
rain shell (Canari)
head: helmet, polypropylene balaclava (never used it), PI earband (used it)
bottom: shorts, Canari tights (windstopper front)
socks: wool hikers
feet: my cheapie touring shoes, Performance neoprene booties over
hands: PI winter gloves, Mountain Hardwear over (shell) gloves

Everything worked fine and allowed temp variability (zippers) for all
conditions, including the hailstorm between Parker, CO and Castle Rock.
Temps down to high teens, up to high 40's (Vegas, Baby!).

- Bike;

Poor things hung out back, on their rack (rock-solid Yakima hitch-mount) for
mile after mile (about 4k total) without complaint. Sprayed der's and
cables with WD-40 periodically (but not the chain). Used Pro-link Gold lube
on chain after every ride, liberal applications of Tri-Flow to der's
pre-ride. Took the bikes in with us everywhere we went (hotel, relatives'
homes, etc.) and wiped them down well. No obvious mechanical issues.
Nothing froze. Nothing important really rusted.

Kool-stop black canti pads (new before this trip) are in-cred-i-ble . . . in
any condition. Can't say enough good things about them. I'm no ace wrench,
but they set up perfectly and don't squeal at all (no toe). Now that I
bought a slimline 10mm wrench, the next installation should take
significantly less than the hour I spent this time (the right tool for the
job, the right tool for the job.....).

Wife's helmet sort of cracked after she sort of skidded on a patch of sort
of ice and sort of crashed into a sort of concrete wall. Bruises to her
body and ego healing nicely. New helmet actually a better color for her
bike gear anyway. My minor cardiac arrest in seeing the crash seems to have
subsided nicely, thank you.

Long live the winter ride!

 

[Claire Petersky]

"dgk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
> with a steady light rain.

I rode to work this morning -- about 36 degrees when I left, steadily
warming up to 38 about the time I got in to work, light rain, winds from the
south at about 15 mph.

I wore a quick-wick turtleneck, light fleece vest, my jacket and reflective
vest. Wool socks and commuter shoes. Full-finger gloves. Bike shorts with
unfortunately my lighter weight tights because all the thermal ones are in
the wash.

I was really cold initially, but after the first climb, the only places that
were cold were my fingertips (numb in fact), my chin, and the band of bare
flesh between where those g.d. tights end and before the socks begin -- the
curse of long legs. I had pulled my hair out of its band and fluffed it
around my ears to warm them up. By the second climb, just the tips of the
fingers were cold, no longer numb.

I don't know where it was, somewhere on Mercer Island, either the first
climb on the Island, or the second, to the top of the lid, and I realized
everything was toasty warm by then.

I have no complaints.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

 

[dgk]

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 04:26:55 GMT, "Claire Petersky"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>"dgk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
>> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
>> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
>> with a steady light rain.
>
>I rode to work this morning -- about 36 degrees when I left, steadily
>warming up to 38 about the time I got in to work, light rain, winds from the
>south at about 15 mph.
>
>I wore a quick-wick turtleneck, light fleece vest, my jacket and reflective
>vest. Wool socks and commuter shoes. Full-finger gloves. Bike shorts with
>unfortunately my lighter weight tights because all the thermal ones are in
>the wash.
>
>I was really cold initially, but after the first climb, the only places that
>were cold were my fingertips (numb in fact), my chin, and the band of bare
>flesh between where those g.d. tights end and before the socks begin -- the
>curse of long legs. I had pulled my hair out of its band and fluffed it
>around my ears to warm them up. By the second climb, just the tips of the
>fingers were cold, no longer numb.
>
>I don't know where it was, somewhere on Mercer Island, either the first
>climb on the Island, or the second, to the top of the lid, and I realized
>everything was toasty warm by then.
>
>I have no complaints.

Maybe I need more hills. Riding to work is almost completely flat
except for the 59th Street Bridge (Feeling Groovy!).

I had one incident of sliding bike syndrome as I hit a bit of pavement
with a groove. I've learned to watch out for the metal plates and, if
I need to hit one, hit it dead on.

The ride really almost worked but my fingertips never get warm and I
really hate that. Everything else was ok. I'll check out lobster
gloves or glove liners. Something has to be done or I'm not going to
make it through the winter.

I can't figure out a way to ride with just tights. I can't wear those
at work (we have some standards) and I just don't have room to add
pants to my pack.

I am going to look into some sort of plastic overgloves. I'm sure
there is something at Home Despot that will work. I tried those laytex
dishwashing gloves but they're too tight.

 

[[email protected]]

I am in the NYC area too.........lovely day today isn't it?? My bike
is in the shed and its staying there until it warms up.....which will
be tomorrow. Good luck.

 

[Peter Cole]

"dgk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
> with a steady light rain. My electric gloves are soaked through and my
> fingers froze.

Cold rain is the hardest thing to dress for. The best glove I've found is
full neoprene. The gloves I got are from an industrial supply house ($25)


> I wore my Kmart special rain pants, essentially a sheet of PVC in the
> shape of pants.

> Then I split them right up
> the crotch. Trashed.

Yeah, I've had the same experience. There are some similar inexpensive
coated fabric rainsuits that don't split like that and are just as
waterproof. I got my pants separately for ($10). Because I'm so tall, I
wear them as knickers, fastening the velcro just below the knee, much less
flappy.

> My booties did a very good job of keeping my feet
> warm and dry. They are soaked through though and are now hanging on
> the dryer.

The best thing I've found is thin, latex, over-boots (industrial supply
again). They're very stretchy, so they make a tight seal around the leg. I
just cut a small hole for SPD cleats. Fragile, and easy to tear, but only
$4.

> It would have been better had it been raining harder since I would
> have worn the Kmart special rain jacket instead of my normal biking
> jacket. Instead, the jacket is soaked through, hanging next to the
> booties and gloves. Water resistant is not water proof.

You can make water resistant stuff more so with spray-on compounds, the
"DWR" treatments tend to weaken with soil &/or washings.

> Tomorrow promises a more widespread rain but about 10 degrees warmer
> (NYC). Still, I don't think the stuff is going to be dry by then so
> I'll likely take the train. One uncomfortable trip per week is my
> limit. Yech.

It's really a matter of experimenting and finding out what works for you.
It is possible to have pleasant rides, even in cold rain, once you have
things dialed in.

 

[Claire Petersky]

"dgk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 04:26:55 GMT, "Claire Petersky"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >"dgk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> >news:[email protected]...

> Maybe I need more hills. Riding to work is almost completely flat
> except for the 59th Street Bridge (Feeling Groovy!).

I'll give you at least one of mine. My entire ride into work is either
grinding up a hill, or sailing down the other side. The only flat section is
the bridge, really.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

 

[dgk]

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 14:20:58 GMT, "Peter Cole"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>"dgk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>
>> I just got home from work. It was pretty cool this morning with a
>> promise of some showers during the evening commute so I brought the
>> rain gear and figured that I'd rough it a bit. It turned out to be 37F
>> with a steady light rain. My electric gloves are soaked through and my
>> fingers froze.
>
>Cold rain is the hardest thing to dress for. The best glove I've found is
>full neoprene. The gloves I got are from an industrial supply house ($25)
>
>
>> I wore my Kmart special rain pants, essentially a sheet of PVC in the
>> shape of pants.
>
>> Then I split them right up
>> the crotch. Trashed.
>
>Yeah, I've had the same experience. There are some similar inexpensive
>coated fabric rainsuits that don't split like that and are just as
>waterproof. I got my pants separately for ($10). Because I'm so tall, I
>wear them as knickers, fastening the velcro just below the knee, much less
>flappy.
>
>> My booties did a very good job of keeping my feet
>> warm and dry. They are soaked through though and are now hanging on
>> the dryer.
>
>The best thing I've found is thin, latex, over-boots (industrial supply
>again). They're very stretchy, so they make a tight seal around the leg. I
>just cut a small hole for SPD cleats. Fragile, and easy to tear, but only
>$4.
>
>> It would have been better had it been raining harder since I would
>> have worn the Kmart special rain jacket instead of my normal biking
>> jacket. Instead, the jacket is soaked through, hanging next to the
>> booties and gloves. Water resistant is not water proof.
>
>You can make water resistant stuff more so with spray-on compounds, the
>"DWR" treatments tend to weaken with soil &/or washings.
>
>> Tomorrow promises a more widespread rain but about 10 degrees warmer
>> (NYC). Still, I don't think the stuff is going to be dry by then so
>> I'll likely take the train. One uncomfortable trip per week is my
>> limit. Yech.
>
>It's really a matter of experimenting and finding out what works for you.
>It is possible to have pleasant rides, even in cold rain, once you have
>things dialed in.
>

Thanks, I'm going to check for stuff like that. A bit of waterproofing
and I'll be happy to ride through the ****.

 

[Claire Petersky]

"dgk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I can't figure out a way to ride with just tights. I can't wear those
> at work (we have some standards) and I just don't have room to add
> pants to my pack.

Could you just have a pair of jeans at work? I don't know how dirty your job
gets you, but if you have an office job, as long as you don't drop your
lunch in your lap, you could probably wear the jeans just around the office
all week without having to wash them.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

 

[David Reuteler]

Claire Petersky <[email protected]> wrote:
> lunch in your lap, you could probably wear the jeans just around the office
> all week without having to wash them.

gross, you're like marlene with socks and me with water bottles. we need to
evolve some standards or they'll evolve in our clothing and accessories.
--
david reuteler
[email protected]

 

[Claire Petersky]

"David Reuteler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Claire Petersky <[email protected]> wrote:
> > lunch in your lap, you could probably wear the jeans just around the
office
> > all week without having to wash them.
>
> gross, you're like marlene with socks and me with water bottles. we need
to
> evolve some standards or they'll evolve in our clothing and accessories.

Why is it gross to wear the same pair of jeans in the office all day for a
week? It isn't like you're sweating into them. I wear the same pair of panty
hose every day until it snags. It rarely needs to be taken home for a wash
before it gets ruined.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

 

[David Reuteler]

Claire Petersky <[email protected]> wrote:
> Why is it gross to wear the same pair of jeans in the office all day for a
> week? It isn't like you're sweating into them. I wear the same pair of panty
> hose every day until it snags. It rarely needs to be taken home for a wash
> before it gets ruined.

well, ok, but it was pretty gross when i did it. which, uhhh, was last week.
--
david reuteler
[email protected]

 

[dgk]

On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 01:06:22 GMT, "Claire Petersky"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>"David Reuteler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> Claire Petersky <[email protected]> wrote:
>> > lunch in your lap, you could probably wear the jeans just around the
>office
>> > all week without having to wash them.
>>
>> gross, you're like marlene with socks and me with water bottles. we need
>to
>> evolve some standards or they'll evolve in our clothing and accessories.
>
>Why is it gross to wear the same pair of jeans in the office all day for a
>week? It isn't like you're sweating into them. I wear the same pair of panty
>hose every day until it snags. It rarely needs to be taken home for a wash
>before it gets ruined.

Yes, I do generally wear one or two pairs of jeans for the week. And
why are they pairs anyway? (that was certainly off topic).

So I can really just bike in those tights and bike shorts through the
winter? Seems like my delicate legs would freeze off. I'll try it this
coming weekend.

 

[Zoot Katz]

Wed, 08 Dec 2004 01:24:24 GMT,
<[email protected]>, dgk
<[email protected]> wrote:

>So I can really just bike in those tights and bike shorts through the
>winter? Seems like my delicate legs would freeze off. I'll try it this
>coming weekend.

Tights come in different weights. Some are synthetic fleece or
multiple layers. You can get winter tights.

A popular style around here are "storm fronts",
windproof/water-repellant on the front of medium weight tights.
--
zk

 

[Jacobe Hazzard]

Zoot Katz wrote:
> Wed, 08 Dec 2004 01:24:24 GMT,
> <[email protected]>, dgk
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>So I can really just bike in those tights and bike shorts through the
>>winter? Seems like my delicate legs would freeze off. I'll try it this
>>coming weekend.
>
>
> Tights come in different weights. Some are synthetic fleece or
> multiple layers. You can get winter tights.
>
> A popular style around here are "storm fronts",
> windproof/water-repellant on the front of medium weight tights.

I recommend louis garneau tights. You can get thick polypro tights that
feel like wool - all the best from both worlds. They're not water
resistant, but you can wear them as a base layer in weather that's too
cold to rain (or even too cold to snow). Also they're bomb-proof, just
don't put them in the dryer.

 

[Jeff Starr]

On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 01:24:24 GMT, dgk
<[email protected]> wrote:


>
>So I can really just bike in those tights and bike shorts through the
>winter? Seems like my delicate legs would freeze off. I'll try it this
>coming weekend.

Hi, I have a pair of the Performance Triflex, they come both with and
without chamois. I got them this summer, on sale with discounts. In
the future try to shop for your cold weather gear, in the off season.
That's when you will find the good deals.
I have worn these in the low 30s with total comfort. I'm sure they
would be good in lower temps, than that
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=15776&subcategory_ID=1121


Life is Good!
Jeff

 

[[email protected]]

On 08 Dec 2004 01:00:09 GMT, David Reuteler <[email protected]> wrote:

>Claire Petersky <[email protected]> wrote:
>> lunch in your lap, you could probably wear the jeans just around the office
>> all week without having to wash them.
>
>gross, you're like marlene with socks and me with water bottles. we need to
>evolve some standards or they'll evolve in our clothing and accessories.

What's that about marlene and socks? Did you mean me? I'm like, WTF?

Speaking of cold, we got our first freezing rain storm of the season.
Snow, fine, rain, fine- freezing rain and ice, that just sucks. I
literally had to shuffle along the sidewalk with my arms out for
balance, bent over like Groucho marx. It wasn't that cold but the ice
was like needles in my face. It's since turned to rain and it's just
miserable, but it's warmer, about 40.

For me,the worst is cold, dry and windy. That kind of weather just
sets my nerves on edge. But then, it makes us really appreciate july.

 

[David Reuteler]

[email protected] wrote:
>>gross, you're like marlene with socks and me with water bottles. we need to
>>evolve some standards or they'll evolve in our clothing and accessories.
>
> What's that about marlene and socks? Did you mean me? I'm like, WTF?

April 8, 2003 5:14pm. "Marlene Blanshay" wrote:
: ewwww... gross. You have to wash the bottles! especially if you go
: off-road. You know what kind of microbes you can pick up out there?
:
: I wash mine out after every ride.
:
: HOwver, I don't change my sheets more than once a month and wear the same
: pair of socks for at least a week.

ewwwww.. i'd ref ya via groups.google.com but i'm having trouble with groups
beta. ick. it's in the thread "Water Bottles--ugh!"

> For me,the worst is cold, dry and windy. That kind of weather just
> sets my nerves on edge. But then, it makes us really appreciate july.

ahh, july. isn't that when we all complain about the humidity? then i
really can't wear one pair of jeans all week.
--
david reuteler
[email protected]

 

[dgk]

On Tue, 07 Dec 2004 22:50:54 -0600, Jeff Starr <[email protected]>
wrote:

>On Wed, 08 Dec 2004 01:24:24 GMT, dgk
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>
>>So I can really just bike in those tights and bike shorts through the
>>winter? Seems like my delicate legs would freeze off. I'll try it this
>>coming weekend.
>
>Hi, I have a pair of the Performance Triflex, they come both with and
>without chamois. I got them this summer, on sale with discounts. In
>the future try to shop for your cold weather gear, in the off season.
>That's when you will find the good deals.
>I have worn these in the low 30s with total comfort. I'm sure they
>would be good in lower temps, than that
>http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=15776&subcategory_ID=1121
>
>
>Life is Good!
>Jeff

Ouch. Maybe I can find someone to buy them for me as a present.

 

[Fritz M]

> Could you just have a pair of jeans at work?

I try for two pairs of pants during the work week, personally. If I try
going all week in the same pair, the smell becomes noticable toward the
end of the week. I also keep a bottle of Febreze in the office.

RFM