What to wear for a winter bike ride

Apparently the city of Calgary is progressive enough that the Herald features a blog about cycling. In a recent article, the author talked about how to dress for winter and the problem of overdressing, claiming that the real challenge of winter cycling is not being too cold but becoming hot and sweaty.

I've had those days, for sure. Like two weeks ago, during freezing rain, when my ride was mostly on ice and I had to walk a good part of the time. I walk fast, even when dragging a bike, and I was pretty tense, walking and riding on a virtual skating rink. I wore a leather jacket that day and arrived at work dismayed to find that my silk shirt was literally soaked with sweat. Fortunately I was wearing a cardigan as well, so I kept that on all day to cover up any nasty looking marks on the shirt.

Last week was moderately cold: mornings were about -10 to -15 C and afternoons were -5 or so. Ice was not a major problem so I was more relaxed. I also dressed appropriately and didn't have any problems with sweat.

What I wore:

• Layer 1: silky cami (polyester fabric)
• Layer 2: wool or cashmere pullover
• Layer 3: wool or cashmere cardigan OR velveteen or wool blazer
• Layer 4: wool-blend (75% wool) pea coat
• on my legs: long underwear, regular pants, MEC Adanac cycling tights (the tights are good for x-c skiing, too)
• on my hands: wool-angora-nylon blend gloves inside a cheap pair of mittens I bought years ago at Superstore -- this is by far the best combo I have found for my hands -- forget all those expensive cycling-specific mitts and gloves
• on my feet: thin bamboo socks with wool socks over top, lamb-wool lined boots
• cashmere scarf inside coat collar
• white fleece scarf tied outside coat collar
• fleece earband and bike helmet
• and the star of the show: a reflective sash

It looks like a long list of clothing, but it is pretty much what I would wear for walking. Since I walk super fast, I would probably wear only one scarf if walking. 

The great thing about this outfit is that it consists of normal clothing. I don't need to change when I arrive at work. Sometimes I need to take off Layer #3. If I want to go out for a walk at lunch time, I have a suitable jacket. The last two winters and even this past fall, concerned about visibility, I have worn cycling-specific jackets. Not only do they tend to lead to that uncomfortable sweaty feeling (they are usually not particularly breathable, even the ones that claim that property) but they look kind of funny when worn for casual wear.

The other great thing? Wool and cashmere are not only warm, they are the ultimate in breathable. Even if you do sweat a little while wearing these materials, it's not a big deal -- they dry fairly quickly and don't smell. (At least I hope not!)

For shorter rides when it is around zero, I often wear a leather jacket with just one scarf that I can loosen if I get too warm. This seems to work pretty well, and the leather is easy to wipe clean.

I did buy a new coat recently and I want to try it for cycling. Maybe this coming week. I've been wearing it for walking the dog in the evenings and it seems perfect -- lightweight and warm but not sweaty. I'm thinking it will be good for the really cold days when I want something to cover my legs. I have a down coat in a similar style, but talk about sweat-inducing!

OK, so I just reread that article, and I see that the author thinks long johns are not normal clothes. This is where he and I diverge. In the winter my long johns cover my legs from dawn to dusk, seven days a week. Thay are most definitely normal clothes. But even without long johns, if you pull on a pair of nylon pants (running pants are what I used the last two years; this year I bought the MEC tights) over your jeans, you will be warm and comfy and still look OK at the grocery store or your kid's school. In fact, despite how dumpy they look on the MEC web site, in real life the MEC tights look kind of stylish when worn with nice boots.