I’ve been reading some of the bloggers on Boston Biker sharing how they deal with four season variability whilst cycling in Boston. With the exception of this brilliant piece of wit, I haven’t heard much from the ladies.
Not that thermodynamics applies in much of a different way to we women folk, but still I will add in my two cents.
Year-round lady cyclists? First of all we do exist (even this far north).
So what to wear?
So this is what I wore this morning on the cold ride in, which thankfully had so little wind I was thrilled.
Head:
-Bern helmet (doesn’t leave much room for a hat underneath, but has liners you can switch out)
-360s Ear warmers
-Scarf (when 45 degrees or lower)
Body*:
-tanktop (usually cotton)
–Sugoi Runners Hoodie (makes you look like a ninja, I only put the hood up when it’s below 20 and windy, hood fits nicely under a helmet)
-L.L. Bean vest (Polartec fleece)
-Wool felt knee length coat (with proper layering this functions between 45 to below zero, can keep out rain (for awhile) and snow)
Hands:
-fingerless gloves under
-NorthFace APEX gloves (for wet yuck)
-L.L. Bean gloves (realllllly cold my hands are going to fall off days)
Legs*:
-long undies by CuddleDuds
-Jeans
(*besides usual lady type undergarments)
Feet:
-SmartWool socks
-boots of some kind or another as long as they fit in the toe baskets (toeclips)
Sometimes like today, also
-ToastyToes shoe warmers
For rain/slush/yuck
-Rain coat
-plastic rain pants
-Hunter Boots (knee high, obnoxiously blue, and yes they fit in the toe clips)
Much of this I have had for years or has passed down to me, some of it is retrofitted from my years riding horses, much of the “fancy” gear items are gifts from my family in the hopes of no more hypothermia. You see back in the Waltham days, when I was just figuring out this longer distance in the weather stuff, there were a couple instances of hypothermia (and one of heat stroke).
Oh ye cycling commuter perspectives vary…. I work at a business where the dress code is very strict and rather conservative, this means usual cycling clothes are not an option for the workday. So my reply to this is to commute in one set of clothing and work in another, not the right solution for everyone. The stage for this was set when I lived in Waltham back in 2010. I was commuting 12.2 miles each way via bicycle and that commute in work clothes would have rendered my entire professional wardrobe a tatered ruin blowing in the breeze. I am not dainty, I push myself when I ride, I don’t want to have to be going the speed of a person on crutches just to keep my wardrobe pristine. There are some amazing people out there who can go quickly and look fantastic at the same time. I am not one of these people. I get grease stains, I fall and rip my pants (seemingly only when they’re brand new, why?), I ride through puddles. And even though I have a fender situation (race blades, think fenders with commitment issues), I know myself well enough to adapt to what I need.
End of my two cents.
