Chris preached what he practices to me, and then he went to practice what he preaches.
Here is a list of what he brought along for a two mile ride in the small blizzard we are having today (mid 20's with moderate snow fall, 2-3 inches on the ground):
- His Slingshot mountain bike (his only concession to suspension bikes)
- Neoprene booties over cycling shoes
- Midweight tights
- Waterproof Gore pants
- Long-sleeve Smartwool jersey
- Polarfleece pullover
- Waterproof Gore jacket
- Smartwool waterproof gloves
- Windproof polarfleece balaclava
- Metro helmet
- Red helmet blinker
- Princeton Tech headlight
- Timbuk2 Porkchop bag (no longer manufactured) with wallet and keys.
Cell phone? No, he leaves that at home.
Aw, you'll scare people with that! Here's what I wore for my two-mile ride (OK, mine was spur of the moment after work and rehearsal, but I would have worn almost the same thing if it had been planned). The snow and lack of cars on the road was irresistible, and I really wanted to see what the lake looked like in the storm, so I (de)toured on my way home.
Helmet w/blinkie
Wool scarf (handmade by my better half, wrapped around my head three times with one wrap pulled up over my face and ears, under my helmet chin strap).
Wool sweater (argyle)
Columbia snowboarding jacket (several yrs. old)
Wool-blend dress pants (no-iron!)
Cotton socks
Leather shoes, velcro-strapped
Velcro ankle strap (reflective)
Dollar-store yellow "sun"glasses (the best thing I've found for night riding in the snow)
The bike? my Surly Cross-check with 28mm Panaracer Crosstown tires. Only bogged down in the snow once, and that was where it was almost hub-deep.
Planet Bike blinkie headlight
Reelights front and rear, too.
No need to look like an alien! A woolen mummy will suffice quite nicely!
Posted by: Dingbat | February 01, 2008 at 07:39 PM
See, you caught me while I was sitting at my computer, so you get an immediate response.
In case that didn't come across, I was kinda poking fun at Chris for all is preparations just to go two miles. On the other hand, I chickened out from biking, so he gets the last laugh.
But you are right. You can bike without specialized pricey gear in winter, as long as you give some thought to what you are wearing. Sometimes one or two key pieces will suffice. Like, from Chris' collection, I would probably choose the tires and the pants.
Oh, BTW, you wouldn't happen to have a picture of yourself in that outfit, would'ya? I'd love to see it.
Posted by: Justyna | February 01, 2008 at 07:46 PM
Ah, no pics from Friday, but there's one from Saturday's fifty-miler:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2365/2241218416_463a2a7fac.jpg?v=0
Posted by: Dingbat | February 03, 2008 at 10:20 PM