Preparing for the winter.....mindset

[E38Ross]

Last winter I REALLY struggled for motivation for cycling. I suffer Reynauds disease when it's cold and so I often actually had to cut rides short because of the pain in my fingers (and a loss of strength in my fingers meant I couldn't change gear).

Now, if I wrap up warm in general it doesn't seem as bad but despite some serious gloves I still suffered. Now, I was only wearing a base layer, a summer jersey and this jacket

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/gore-bike-wear-oxygen-gore...

but now i've bought some more base layers (so can have 2 if needs be) and also have one of these now

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-windslam-blade-long-sl...

as well as some other bits and bobs but how do you guys cope? Do any of you go out for 50-60+ mile long rides when it's freezing cold and pissing it down with rain?

I've got a turbo trainer so can use that, but there's no way i'm spending 3-4 hours on it in one go.

So - what do you guys do?

[SoliD]

I suffer the same, a good set of glove liners makes a real difference, but only does so much, keeping them warm with some hand warmers has helped in the past before they get too cold. But ohter than that refer back to rule 5 and get out there!

[S10GTA]

I have northwave winter specific boots. They are a god send.

[Rolls]

Mudguards make a HUGE difference to how much I ride in the winter! Well worth paying 30 quid for a set!

[Jimbo.]

E38Ross said:

Last winter I REALLY struggled for motivation for cycling. I suffer Reynauds disease when it's cold and so I often actually had to cut rides short because of the pain in my fingers (and a loss of strength in my fingers meant I couldn't change gear).

Now, if I wrap up warm in general it doesn't seem as bad but despite some serious gloves I still suffered. Now, I was only wearing a base layer, a summer jersey and this jacket

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/gore-bike-wear-oxygen-gore...

but now i've bought some more base layers (so can have 2 if needs be) and also have one of these now

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-windslam-blade-long-sl...

as well as some other bits and bobs but how do you guys cope? Do any of you go out for 50-60+ mile long rides when it's freezing cold and pissing it down with rain?

I've got a turbo trainer so can use that, but there's no way i'm spending 3-4 hours on it in one go.

So - what do you guys do?

If done right, winter riding can be nice I do try and bang in the 50-60+ milers, although only of a weekend due to the lack of daylight. Pitch black + potholed roads + traffic = no thanks. Some of the nicest rides I've ever had have been on cold, crisp December mornings: hint of frost on the ground, see your breath in the air, bit of a "bit: at first to your nose, ears etc. Lovely.

Wrap up warm (but avoid sweat) and keep the wind out. For rain, as long as you do stop the wind, the skin will take care of the waterproofing. Mudguards will also keep the worst of it off: its amazing how much of it comes up from your wheels rather than directly onto you as rain!

When it's really st 'n icy: turbo trainer. No point risking the next weeks/months 'cos you binned it and really hurt yourself. The other thing is finding an alternative to cycling altogether, 1) for the change and 2) for something to avoid the crap weather. Indoor circuits and spinning for me last winter, planning on circuits and/or swimming and/or something bendy e.g. yoga. Nice to do something different

[E38Ross]

Jimbo. said:

If done right, winter riding can be nice I do try and bang in the 50-60+ milers, although only of a weekend due to the lack of daylight. Pitch black + potholed roads + traffic = no thanks. Some of the nicest rides I've ever had have been on cold, crisp December mornings: hint of frost on the ground, see your breath in the air, bit of a "bit: at first to your nose, ears etc. Lovely.

Wrap up warm (but avoid sweat) and keep the wind out. For rain, as long as you do stop the wind, the skin will take care of the waterproofing. Mudguards will also keep the worst of it off: its amazing how much of it comes up from your wheels rather than directly onto you as rain!

When it's really st 'n icy: turbo trainer. No point risking the next weeks/months 'cos you binned it and really hurt yourself. The other thing is finding an alternative to cycling altogether, 1) for the change and 2) for something to avoid the crap weather. Indoor circuits and spinning for me last winter, planning on circuits and/or swimming and/or something bendy e.g. yoga. Nice to do something different

I've come from a running background (used to be pretty good if i may say so myself....sub 35min 10k runner as i've mentioned before) so will be doing that too but may look at spinning classes.....are they any good? they only seem to be 45mins though whereas i'd prefer at least an hour to be honest....

[Jimbo.]

E38Ross said:

I've come from a running background (used to be pretty good if i may say so myself....sub 35min 10k runner as i've mentioned before) so will be doing that too but may look at spinning classes.....are they any good? they only seem to be 45mins though whereas i'd prefer at least an hour to be honest....

I usually found that by 45 minutes I was ruined, so I wasn't too fussed about an extra 15! If done right the classes are good: not too dissimilar to a good turbo session, but with music, other people in the class and an instructor geeing you on, it's without the boredom/motivational issues.

Another alternative is...walking! Some of the guys I know are big on that over winter, and I can see why: a good 3 hour long, non-stop march up all manner of hills will get you working, and best of all it's free

[Rouleur]

I suffer really badly with the cold and find that layering is the answer, plus if you keep your body and legs nice and warm then your hands and feet will have a better chance.

As already mentioned liner gloves make a bigger difference than you'd imagine. Also when it's very cold I wear long knee warmers under my thermal tights with longish socks so I have two layers on my legs.

[Matt_N]

As Jimbo, I actually really enjoyed some cold crisp winter rides, not so much the windy and rainy ones though!

I got by with the following:

Thermal skull cap
Winter collar
Long sleeve base layer
Long sleeve merino jersey
Wind stopper jacket
Bib shorts with thermal tights over
Thin summer socks with deep winter socks over
Crappy MTB shoes and SPD that I don't mind getting muddy (I have white road shoes!) with windproof overshoes
Summer gloves with winter gloves over the top, but I'm going to get some of the thin wool glove liners for this winter
Oh and I was riding an old steel bike with winter tyres and mud guards

I was doing 40-60 milers on a Sunday with a quick hot drink stop somewhere.

The winter miles really helped bring my riding on, then I had a knee injury which set me back about 3 months, only just getting back up to speed now really, so I'm hoping for a good winter again with no injuries.

[anonymous-user]

Come the winter I generally switch to the mtb as I see little point putting wear and tear on the road bike through the grit etc and the mtb is a lot of fun, especially on the welsh trail centres. Easy to stay warm on an mtb and off road riding really sharpens up your riding skills, you can loop around the trails as many times as you want until you get cold, hungry etc knowing the car/cafe is only a few miles away.

[AMG01]

Rolls said:

Mudguards make a HUGE difference to how much I ride in the winter! Well worth paying 30 quid for a set!

After getting drenched cycling to work last week in the Scottish summer, I have decided I need a set of these. Slighly concerned my Bianchi won't be able to fit them. Is it one size fits all or will I have to buy Bianchi specific mudguards?

[S10GTA]

AMG01 said:

Rolls said:

Mudguards make a HUGE difference to how much I ride in the winter! Well worth paying 30 quid for a set!

After getting drenched cycling to work last week in the Scottish summer, I have decided I need a set of these. Slighly concerned my Bianchi won't be able to fit them. Is it one size fits all or will I have to buy Bianchi specific mudguards?

Some bikes have eyelets which fixed mudguards can fit into, otherwise race blades will do the job.

[TonyHetherington]

Yup I agree with alot said above.

Mudguards make a huge difference (not just splashing up from the rear, but also rain going directly onto your shoes from the front.

Overshoes. A definite. I got the Pearl Izumi Elite ones, very waterproof and quite warm too.

Layers; I'm a thin skinny bugger so at some points last year I wore 3 base layers, a l/s jersey and a windproof gilet over that. At it's coldest, but that was as bad as it got.

Head; I only use ear warmer band as I find a full skull cap makes me way too hot, but it makes such a huge difference.

Hands; right out the front taking the brunt of the wind, man they get cold sometimes.

[S10GTA]

I suffer with cold hands and tried all sorts to keep warm. Eventually I settled on these http://www.defeet.com/60299/Duragloves.html which are fantastic.

[Kell]

I've often thought about grabbing fistfuls of those polythene gloves they supply at petrol stations to slip over my proper gloves when it's torrential.

Obviously less grip, but it might be worth a try when it's pissing down.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Funny, with the evenings drawing in a bit more I was thinking about the winter more last night.

Must be a PITA with raynaud's disease

I commuted 3 x a week the last couple of winters and enjoyed it, it toughens you up a lot for the summer. I'm quite lucky in that I don't really feel the cold.

Mudflaps are a god send on the rural roads, as the mud and dirt sits on the road, layers and decent gloves help as well

2 sets of lights (one spare each end) are great as it gets dark so quick and increases visibility during the day

I stupidly wore my summer road shoes too much, so my toes were always too cold, Gonna get some overshoes this year, so that's another must!

Just about to pull the trigger on a new winter bike: a Rayleigh Clubman

[Vladimir]

My bike always seems more troublesome in Summer; all sorts of mysterious creaks appear.

Quite looking forward to Winter; no tourists clogging the roads, big swells for surfing. I won't do ice but anything else is fine (okay, not a hurricane either...!)

[P-Jay]

I'll ride in pretty much anything but heavy snow or hail, I bloody hate hail.

I'm lucky, I don't suffer with Cold hands or Feet, never mind the OP's condition.

Winter set-up is basically adding a Howies baselayer under my summer jersey when it's sub 5c, and maybe a jacket it's sub 1c. I wear the same gloves, shorts, shoes, socks year-round.

The hardest bit in winter is of course is the initial stage of getting out of the car / house, if I'm driving to ride I won't put the heater on en route. The other trick is to ride as often a possible - obviously our seasons don't change over night, If you're riding 2/3 times a week you don't notice it so much. Sept / Oct is the worst though... I hate the day I have to conclude that I can no longer ride after work as it's too dark.

[Mr Will]

Excuse me but has anyone else noticed that it's still the start of August and nearly 25° outside?!

[TwistingMyMelon]

Mr Will said:

Excuse me but has anyone else noticed that it's still the start of August and nearly 25° outside?!

lol 15 outside mine and rain most days atm....