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Winter biking*
Dec. 28th, 2005 12:40 amOk, so I've decided I want to start some winter biking. I figure I'm going to need some new gear before I do too much, lest I, y'know, die. I don't want to die. Not yet, anyways.
So I've been looking into gloves and jackets and other cold-weather accouterments, but I have to admit that I don't really know a lot about either, when it comes to this sort of thing. What I was wondering was: does anyone have any recommendations?
I found these gloves, that I thought might work well:
http://www.tavoproducts.com/
What I'm looking for are any thin gloves with a good grip that'll keep my fingers warm enough. I like the idea of those as they're quite thin and have special surface on the index finger and thumb to make it easy to use the wheel on an ipod, which is a clever idea. I was also thinking about NFL wide receiver gloves - again, they're thin, and have a nice grippy surface. (Are there cold weather biking gloves? Probably, but I didn't see any in my initial searches.)
I figure I'll also need a new jacket. I found a company, Ground, that seems to make appropriate stuff. The "dash" or "rapid" models look promising. I know companies like Arc'teryx also make clothes that might work, but they're aimed more at climbers and backpackers and might not let out enough moisture. The thing about biking is that you sweat a lot, and from what I've heard, the problem tends to be less about staying warm (at least in NYC-style weather) and more about preventing overheating while still having enough on you to not die when you stop pedaling.
What else? I guess getting something like a balaclava would probably be useful, too, to keep my face from freezing.
Hmm. I heard wearing two pairs of socks is handy.
Any other suggestions? Anyone on my f-list do any winter biking, especially in the city? I'm probably going to head into Paragon Sports tomorrow to check out what they have - they also sell the tavo gloves, and I'd be interested in checking them out in person. (Looking online, it appears that they also have dedicated biking gloves - not surprisingly, they look a lot like the tavo gloves and the nfl gloves. Same basic idea.) It just all seems so expensive - just saw a pair of winter cycling tights for $130. Is it just me, or is that way too freaking much to pay for a pair of pants?
Ooh - just found this:
http://www.allweathersports.com/winter/winter.html
Handy. Anyways, I'll keep updating this post as I find more stuff and as people send over suggestions.
Update 1:
http://www.joeclark.org/gearingup.html
http://www.icebike.org/
* - anywhere you see the word "biking", feel free to substitute "cycling". I tend to use them interchangeably, although I realize that many people think of Harleys when they think of biking.
So I've been looking into gloves and jackets and other cold-weather accouterments, but I have to admit that I don't really know a lot about either, when it comes to this sort of thing. What I was wondering was: does anyone have any recommendations?
I found these gloves, that I thought might work well:
http://www.tavoproducts.com/
What I'm looking for are any thin gloves with a good grip that'll keep my fingers warm enough. I like the idea of those as they're quite thin and have special surface on the index finger and thumb to make it easy to use the wheel on an ipod, which is a clever idea. I was also thinking about NFL wide receiver gloves - again, they're thin, and have a nice grippy surface. (Are there cold weather biking gloves? Probably, but I didn't see any in my initial searches.)
I figure I'll also need a new jacket. I found a company, Ground, that seems to make appropriate stuff. The "dash" or "rapid" models look promising. I know companies like Arc'teryx also make clothes that might work, but they're aimed more at climbers and backpackers and might not let out enough moisture. The thing about biking is that you sweat a lot, and from what I've heard, the problem tends to be less about staying warm (at least in NYC-style weather) and more about preventing overheating while still having enough on you to not die when you stop pedaling.
What else? I guess getting something like a balaclava would probably be useful, too, to keep my face from freezing.
Hmm. I heard wearing two pairs of socks is handy.
Any other suggestions? Anyone on my f-list do any winter biking, especially in the city? I'm probably going to head into Paragon Sports tomorrow to check out what they have - they also sell the tavo gloves, and I'd be interested in checking them out in person. (Looking online, it appears that they also have dedicated biking gloves - not surprisingly, they look a lot like the tavo gloves and the nfl gloves. Same basic idea.) It just all seems so expensive - just saw a pair of winter cycling tights for $130. Is it just me, or is that way too freaking much to pay for a pair of pants?
Ooh - just found this:
http://www.allweathersports.com/winter/winter.html
Handy. Anyways, I'll keep updating this post as I find more stuff and as people send over suggestions.
Update 1:
http://www.joeclark.org/gearingup.html
http://www.icebike.org/
* - anywhere you see the word "biking", feel free to substitute "cycling". I tend to use them interchangeably, although I realize that many people think of Harleys when they think of biking.
