Dressing for the weather

This isn’t rocket science. If it’s 70 degrees and bright sunshine, you can don the shorts, sunglasses and sunscreen, and you won’t have to worry about what to wear. On the other hand, if it’s 40 degrees and windy, you will want to limit your exposure, and wear a wind-breaking outer layer including full gloves.My motto, when in doubt, wear the skinny jeans. And of course, layering is key. If you want to ride through the rain (and why not?), you must carry raingear (I carry rain pants and a waterproof vest always). Weather reports are important to follow before getting dressed.

I have a staging area in the garage where I keep bike clothing accessories. For every five degree drop in temperature, I put on a different clothing item. For example, if the temperature is below 50, I wear an ear warmer under my helmet. If the temperature is below freezing, I wear a neck warmer and wool cap under my helmet. If it is below 20, I wear a balaclava, neck warmer, and wool cap under my helmet. And that’s just the headgear. Factoring in gloves, socks, footwear, and long underwear, there are a lot of options. Mostly though, by keeping your hands and feet comfortable, it will help a lot. Then wear the right jacket for the overall weather condition: rain jacket, snow jacket, leather for cold wind, windbreaker for warm breeze, etc.

Hint: Sometimes when you arrive at your destination, you might need to dry off and/or warm up. That’s when leaving a spare pair of warm socks at work can come in handy (better still, take a hot shower or sauna, if available).