Outdoor Riding!

I'm a huge wuss when it comes to cold weather. Sure, I still managed to ride the 140 miles from Boston to New Haven in 30 F (-2 C) temperatures once, but I didn't like it very much.

With that said, I'm getting cabin fever from training inside! When possible, my preference is to train outside. It's been warmer in New York lately, with temperatures poking above the freezing point for the first time in a while. As long as it's not below freezing, the weather is bearable for riding, with the right gear.

Here's what I wore on my ride this morning:
Feet: Woolie Boolie wool socks under my bike shoes.
Legs: Bib Knicker tights under long windblocking tights.
Torso: UnderArmour base layer under heavy-ish cycling jacket.
Hands: Specialized Radiant gloves.
Head: cycling cap under helmet.

When I got in from my hour of riding, I was, for the most part, reasonably warm. In these cold conditions, the most important thing is to keep your joints, particularly your knees, warm. Remember to wear lip balm to ward off wind-burn on your lips, it's not pleasant if it happens!

Unfortunately, the list above represents several hundred dollars of bicycle-specific clothing. If you're on a budget, here are some tips:
* your "base layer" can be a tight fitting wool sweater under a regular long-sleeve bike jersey.
* you can wear the heaviest (non-cotton!) socks you have under your shoes to keep your feet warm.
* If you don't have a cycling cap, get a thin pullover hat and loosen your helmet so you can fit the helmet over the hat.
* Any gloves (not mittens!) will keep your hands warm. You can buy cheap one-size-fits-all gloves, and use those as glove liners.
* If worse comes to worse, you can wear rain pants or some other long athletic pants instead of bike tights. Just make sure you use a pant strap, so the pants don't get caught in the chainrings.

Go ride! No excuses! Do it now!