Wednesday Afternoon Commute - It's like that movie "Twenty Bucks," except without Linda Hunt

Good Afternoon

• You can bike in the winter without going to REI. [But if you're going for a long ride, good gear can be the difference between misery and comfort].
• JDLand tracks the travels of one Capital Bikeshare bike. 
• Climate Ride meet and greet on Feb 1. 
• The Viriginia bill that would have removed cyclists from last year's law about proceeding through sensor-depenedent lights has been withdrawn at the request of the patron. The bill making it illegal to follow a cyclist too closely made it out of committee unanimously, and out of the Senate 28-12. The house bill "Drivers shall exercise Due Care to avoid colliding with a pedestrian or bicyclist” died in committee 3-2 along party lines - McClean's Barbara Comstock voted against it. 

Comments

[Crickey7]

Amen on the good gear. Good gloves and good winter footwear are critical. Other than that, it's really a question of how heavy you want to be, how much you want to be uncomfortable when you heat up, and what your lowest temperature is. I've hit hypothermia while riding, and it's a little scary.

[Jacquesmock]

Hey Crikey--got any tips on good winter footwear? I've got great gloves, a balaclava for when it gets really cold, and those, along with some layers keep me pretty good on my 45 min commute. But darnit if my feet don't freeze every time!
(I've only got platforms on my commuter--no clips or clipless)

[Michael H.]

Neoprene shoe covers and "Toe Warmer" heating packets can help a lot. You also need to ensure that your core is warm enough. If you don't keep your core well-insulated, your body will restrict blood flow to the extremities, causing them to get even colder.

[Upside]

If you're not having to deal with clipless or clips, then just wear a pair of hiking boots. Worked for me for many years in the cold until I decided to switch to clipless pedals. Now I wear a pair of Shimano SH-MT91 SPD boots - I had to buy from online from the UK, but they are essentially hiking boots with SPD inserts. There's not many choices when it comes to boots with SPD options. I've got warm toes well down to the teens.

[Crickey7]

I have neoprene and it doesn't work for me. What did was cheap, thick winter socks from Modell's and Toe Warmers, which they sell by the box.

Avoid shoes with mesh--that lets the cold air in.

[Crickey7]

If you want to go clipless and price is not an object, Lake sells the ultimate winter biking shoes. They are $270 a pair, but you can right right into the negative degree territory.

[Greenbelt]

I find that my winter hiking boots "groove in" to my SPD pedals just fine.

[BlindPilot]

Layering up on the ferry is key for me on really cold days, including a pair of thick wool socks. I just went clipless after Christmas and it hasn't been bitterly cold since, so fortunately I haven't had to come up with an alternate solution yet, but that is what I did when I was still riding platforms. I suppose if it gets cold enough I could just swap out my pedals for a couple days...

[Max]

While they don't have SPD capabilities, Bogs are my absolute new favorite cold and/or wet weather shoe. I first was a mid-high boot, which work great for snowy messes, but are pretty bulky. My newest are low cut, more casual everyday shoe, and less clunky. They are completely water and wind proof (Completely), and excellent for all but the more performance-oriented commuting. Mine also have a stiffness approaching that of a touring shoe. I use them with clips.

Windproof jackets with pit zippers are also great.

[dynaryder]

Sportsman's Guide is an outlet site that carrys a bunch of hunting gear and military surplus. Lots of cheap stuff for winter riding. Got a dozen wool neck tubes for like $20 once. Also like Sierra Trading Post.