Autumn is here 🍂, but now I don't wanna leave my blanket. 🥶 Morning bike rides aren't nearly as pleasant when it's 5°C / 41°F. I'm going to have to look up how serious bicyclists do cold weather. 🚴🏽Tips welcomed! Ack!

#autumn #fall #cycling #bicycling #ride #wintercycling #coldweathercycling #outdoor #morning #weather #exercise #cardio #sendhelp

@CosmicGoat My limiting factor are fingers and feet. Wearing normal weather-appropriate hiking gear always sufficed for the non-limiting factors, no matter how hard I tried to find correct gloves.

@CosmicGoat
Do I count as serious‽

Your hands, feet, and core need to keep warm.

Gloves want to be warm enough, but also allow dexterity.
Thick socks, wind/waterproof shoes or overshoes. For longer rides (>1hr) I've used charcoal foot-warmer inserts.
Winter-weight cycling leggings, then up to 4 layers for my torso (vest, 2x jerseys, gilet or wind/waterproof).
Warm drink in insulated bottle.
Warm cap under helmet.
#cycling #BikeTooter

@marktyndall regarding seriousness, do you have your card? I heard every 'serious' cyclist is a card carrying member of the secret cyclist society of which I cannot name because it's a secret.

As for my real response—THANK YOU! I added gloves today which helped a lot! Yesterday, it took 15 minutes of riding until I could feel my fingers again. Today, they were just fine. 🤣

I wear a beanie that covers my ears, because for some reason the cold and wind turn my ears into icicles which then pierce my skull with unhappiness.

I also wear something around my neck now, because it doesn't like being exposed.

My core seems to be doing fine with the layers. Pants are good for the moment, because they're rated for the cold, but I think I'll need another layer in a couple weeks. I also suspect I'm going to need to wear thicker socks in the near future. Overshoes sound like something interesting to look into. Never heard of it in this context.

I have really been enjoying riding and I don't want winter to run things. 😅💜

Thanks again. 🙏🏽

#cycling #BikeTooter

@CosmicGoat @marktyndall
Some other things to consider, and it depends on how cold it can get. (I ride all winter in Minnesota.)
Weather proof bicycle helmet cover
Neck gaiter
Pogies (handlebar mittens)
Balaclava
Ski helmet with ski goggles
Battery powered heated gloves
Battery powered heated socks
#BikeTooter

@MartyCormack @CosmicGoat
Yes, if it gets below freezing then I tend to stop cycling (last winter I had a run in with a patch of black ice, which I survived without injury, but brought me round to the point of view that Two Wheels Plus Ice = Bad).
But those days seem to be increasingly rare in England nowadays.
#cycling #BikeTooter

@marktyndall @CosmicGoat
Studded tires help but slow and straight over an ice patch is possible. Worst is an unseen patch on a slope or turn. I crashed and broke a finger last March on one like that.

@CosmicGoat The coldest it gets around here is about 35F and I used to do 2 hours before sunrise when my office was farther away. I ended up with a pretty comfortable setup, it's not cheap but you can find this stuff on pretty steep sales if you look around for it.

I have the 45NRTH boots. They're basically snowboard boots that you can put two-bolt cleats on. They're kind of clunky, but you get used to them. If it's dry I'll just use toe covers on regular shoes, but it's frequently wet in the winter around here and the boots really help.

I've found a full face helmet works really well. It keeps the air off my face so I don't need anything over my mouth, which makes sweat management much easier. I also have a winter multi-sport helmet, but I find the full face works better for longer rides. I just use a regular summer full face helmet and wear light weight ski gear under it.

I haven't found a great setup for gloves. I have a few pairs meant for skiing, but they're too bulky to really be happy on my road levers. They're fine on MTB levers, though, and I usually use those when it's wet out anyway so it's not such a big deal.

I don't do anything particularly special for the rest of the clothes, basically just layers on top of regular bike kit. It doesn't really rain around here, it just sort of mists, so that makes things simple.

@palmer that's a serious get up. Thank you! I think I'm going to be doing things piecemeal until I kind of figure out what works best for me, but I definitely don't want to stop riding now. I've only really started riding regularly and I don't want the winter to slow me down.

@CosmicGoat ya, I've been doing a few years of winter riding and sort of built it up over time as my commutes got longer and I got more used to riding in the cold (and thus did longer/colder rides). Each year I basically just rode a bit farther into the winter until I just didn't stop.

There's a lot of cheaper options, too. Toe covers are a much cheaper substitute for the shoes, for example. As long as it's not too wet out they're fine, just get some cheap toe covers to block the wind and then socks for warmth.

Just don't give up because people say you're crazy, cold isn't really an issue for riding.