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I
moved to a suburb of Boston in 1989, and manage to ride my bike
year round, with just a few days off here and there, when a severe
snowstorm overwhelms the plows, or I am just too busy x-c skiing
to think about riding a bike. In October of 2002, I moved to Nelson,
New Zealand, where much of this advice was not necessary ! I must
have missed the winter too much because we moved back to New England
in September of 2004, and are right back to riding through real
winters again.
A lot of people have asked me how I could possibly ride through
a New England winter. Dressing properly for the weather certainly
has a great deal to do with my enjoyment of it, but I have to
admit that I also really got a kick out of the looks on people's
faces when I'd ride my bike into work when it is 5F or do a century
with snow flurries on and off throughout the day.
I've changed many things over the years. (Older versions of
this article prove it!) This is what works for me currently. Hopefully
these tips will help others who just can't fathom spending another
minute on an indoor trainer and need to get outside for a ride.
I will try to talk in general terms, but because I have been
ask so often I will also include links to specific brands that
I use or have used. I've read comments that suggest I am recommending
you spend a fortune to clothe yourself for winter riding. This
is not the case. Over the years, I have made an sizeable investment
in some of the gear listed here, but it is more than offset by
savings on gasoline and car maintenance. I do shop around for
sales and I don't replace these items frequently. The clothing
(and bike) shown in the photo above has many years and many miles
of use and I expect to get many more.
Clothing
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