Chill Baby
Ultramarathon mountain biker, multiple Iditabike winner, manly hardguy John Stamstad ain't like you and me. There's this piece of advice for riding in the cold, for instance: "View cold as a challenge instead of a curse. As a competitive advantage. Look at it as, `Hey, it's 10 degrees below zero and nobody else is outside riding.'"
Sure, John. How about some advice regular people can use?
DRESS FOR SUCCESS: "Cold is relative. It's relative to how you dress and how you perceive it. The most cold I ever was in my life was when I got caught in a 40-degree rainstorm with the wrong garb. If you dress smart you can ride in just about anything. Because temperatures can change so much during one ride I try to come up with a system that works in most any winter temperature. like to be able to just quickly ventilate, or add or remove a layer and increase my comfort range by 20 degrees or so. That's the key."
BREATHING LESSONS: "Especially if it's super, super cold, breathability becomes key issue No. 1 for your clothing. The colder it is, the drier it is and you have that ratio--the difference between the air inside your clothing and the air outside, so you really need to get rid of moisture. If you don't, you get ice built up, and if your jacket gets coated on the inside with ice then it's not breathing at all, and you get more ice and more ice. The first year I did Iditabike, my jacket didn't breathe enough and I was basically riding in a jacket of ice. Finally I woke up and realized I had a problem and had to take it off, and I was actually warmer."
WHEN THE RAIN COMES: "Rain is hard to dress for. I'd rather ride in clear, 20-degree-below-zero weather than 35-degree rain. If I'm certain it's going to rain, I carry real rain gear that's waterproof and somewhat breathable. I've been wearing a North Face Activent jacket. It's the best rain-jacket I've ever used. It has a very fine balance between keeping water out and letting your body breathe, which is the whole key to being comfortable in cold weather."
LEGS: "The core to any winter ride I do is Polartec 200 tights. They have an amazing temperature range. The warmest I can ride in them is probably 50, and I would wear them down to something pretty darn cold, probably into the 20s. I've ridden with them beyond that, but I add a windproof layer. Something that's windproof retains heat even when there isn't wind (and anyway, even if there's no natural wind you make one when you pedal). My legs can be comfortable down to virtually any temperature. I've never had a problem with my legs getting cold, but I think it's the most critical part of your body to keep warm, because so much work is done there.
FEET: "In the rain, nothing's better than neoprene socks. They get wet but stay warm. But conversely, in cold, dry weather nothing is worse than neoprene socks. When it's a dry cold, I use a vapor barrier--I have special socks but a Subway sandwich bag works just as well. On your foot, you want to trap your body heat and body moisture, keep it close to your foot so your insulating layer doesn't get wet. I wear a thin, wicking sock, then a vapor barrier, then an insulating sock. I ride all winter long in the Lake MXZ 300--50 degrees down to severe cold. I can't stand shoe covers-they interfere with my pedaling--and you don't need them with the Lakes.
"The thing that's great for shoes if it is brutally cold is chemical heat packets. Those can be lifesavers, especially on road rides. Your feet aren't doing a whole lot of moving on a road bike, so you don't have much circulation."
TORSO: "Depending on the temperature I wear just a long-sleeve jersey--a plain old long-sleeve jersey--or the North Face Expedition-Weight Turtleneck. Over that goes a windproof shell and that's it. If it's around 30 degrees out, I'll wear a long-sleeve, thin cycling jersey with a shell jacket over the top and be totally comforable. If it's 20 degrees I don't add another layer, I just use a warmer first layer, the Expedition Weight. That's it. Keep it basic."
HEAD: "You can't completely cover up your face. As soon as you do it starts to build frost and creates more problems than it's worth. Keeping your face warm is difficult. Sometimes I'll have a scarf I can drop my mouth and chin under, and keep my nose exposed. That's about all you can do. I've made my own nose warmers sometimes, material that just covers the bridge of your nose but doesn't interfere with breathing. That works. Or there's the Alaskan method of keeping your face warm: Put duct tape on your cheeks and nose. That works, too.
"On my head, I like the North Face Windstopper hat. Windstopper Fleece is the best material I've discovered in years. It's a lifesaver. It's fleece but it has a version of Gore-Tex membrane in it that's only windproof, not waterproof. If it were waterproof then it wouldn't breathe and you'd have that moisture buildup inside again."
HANDS: "Windstopper gloves from North Face--they make my training so much more enjoyable. I do long rides in the winter. If I go for a six-or seven-hour ride and my hands are cold, it's a miserable day. I use the gloves for normal cold temps. If it's super cold, I switch to mittens and maybe have a thin liner glove inside of that."
DON'T START GOLD: "Another old piece of advice you hear about dressing for winter is that you should be cold when you head out the door and then you'll warm up and be just right. That's garbage. If you start out cold and have any sort of problem, a fiat or just want to eat, you're freezing in 5 minutes. I dress so I'm toasty warm when starting out, then if I heat up I ventilate. I think you're happier if you slightly overdress than underdress."
VENTILATING: "Take off your shell, or push up your sleeves. That's it. The main thing I do is push up the sleeves and basically turn what I'm wearing into a vest. It's amazing how much heat you can dissipate through your arms."
TO WICK OR INSULATE? "I don't get into all the nomenclature where every layer has a special name. I see people who are paralyzed because they can't find their wicking layer. But any good material is a wicking garment. Even a summer cycling jersey is made to wick. I wear something like that under, and then over it something to insulate. That's all you need to know. When I did Iditabike last year my insulator was the North Face Sentinal jacket, which is made out of Gore Windstopper Fleece."
FOOT ACTION: "When your feet get too cold, stop and walk. Or run. Pushing some blood through your feet like always warms them up. I use that in Alaska. No matter how cold it gets, if you can keep walking or running your feet aren't going to get cold."
Source: Mountain Bike
Sure, John. How about some advice regular people can use?
DRESS FOR SUCCESS: "Cold is relative. It's relative to how you dress and how you perceive it. The most cold I ever was in my life was when I got caught in a 40-degree rainstorm with the wrong garb. If you dress smart you can ride in just about anything. Because temperatures can change so much during one ride I try to come up with a system that works in most any winter temperature. like to be able to just quickly ventilate, or add or remove a layer and increase my comfort range by 20 degrees or so. That's the key."
BREATHING LESSONS: "Especially if it's super, super cold, breathability becomes key issue No. 1 for your clothing. The colder it is, the drier it is and you have that ratio--the difference between the air inside your clothing and the air outside, so you really need to get rid of moisture. If you don't, you get ice built up, and if your jacket gets coated on the inside with ice then it's not breathing at all, and you get more ice and more ice. The first year I did Iditabike, my jacket didn't breathe enough and I was basically riding in a jacket of ice. Finally I woke up and realized I had a problem and had to take it off, and I was actually warmer."
WHEN THE RAIN COMES: "Rain is hard to dress for. I'd rather ride in clear, 20-degree-below-zero weather than 35-degree rain. If I'm certain it's going to rain, I carry real rain gear that's waterproof and somewhat breathable. I've been wearing a North Face Activent jacket. It's the best rain-jacket I've ever used. It has a very fine balance between keeping water out and letting your body breathe, which is the whole key to being comfortable in cold weather."
LEGS: "The core to any winter ride I do is Polartec 200 tights. They have an amazing temperature range. The warmest I can ride in them is probably 50, and I would wear them down to something pretty darn cold, probably into the 20s. I've ridden with them beyond that, but I add a windproof layer. Something that's windproof retains heat even when there isn't wind (and anyway, even if there's no natural wind you make one when you pedal). My legs can be comfortable down to virtually any temperature. I've never had a problem with my legs getting cold, but I think it's the most critical part of your body to keep warm, because so much work is done there.
FEET: "In the rain, nothing's better than neoprene socks. They get wet but stay warm. But conversely, in cold, dry weather nothing is worse than neoprene socks. When it's a dry cold, I use a vapor barrier--I have special socks but a Subway sandwich bag works just as well. On your foot, you want to trap your body heat and body moisture, keep it close to your foot so your insulating layer doesn't get wet. I wear a thin, wicking sock, then a vapor barrier, then an insulating sock. I ride all winter long in the Lake MXZ 300--50 degrees down to severe cold. I can't stand shoe covers-they interfere with my pedaling--and you don't need them with the Lakes.
"The thing that's great for shoes if it is brutally cold is chemical heat packets. Those can be lifesavers, especially on road rides. Your feet aren't doing a whole lot of moving on a road bike, so you don't have much circulation."
TORSO: "Depending on the temperature I wear just a long-sleeve jersey--a plain old long-sleeve jersey--or the North Face Expedition-Weight Turtleneck. Over that goes a windproof shell and that's it. If it's around 30 degrees out, I'll wear a long-sleeve, thin cycling jersey with a shell jacket over the top and be totally comforable. If it's 20 degrees I don't add another layer, I just use a warmer first layer, the Expedition Weight. That's it. Keep it basic."
HEAD: "You can't completely cover up your face. As soon as you do it starts to build frost and creates more problems than it's worth. Keeping your face warm is difficult. Sometimes I'll have a scarf I can drop my mouth and chin under, and keep my nose exposed. That's about all you can do. I've made my own nose warmers sometimes, material that just covers the bridge of your nose but doesn't interfere with breathing. That works. Or there's the Alaskan method of keeping your face warm: Put duct tape on your cheeks and nose. That works, too.
"On my head, I like the North Face Windstopper hat. Windstopper Fleece is the best material I've discovered in years. It's a lifesaver. It's fleece but it has a version of Gore-Tex membrane in it that's only windproof, not waterproof. If it were waterproof then it wouldn't breathe and you'd have that moisture buildup inside again."
HANDS: "Windstopper gloves from North Face--they make my training so much more enjoyable. I do long rides in the winter. If I go for a six-or seven-hour ride and my hands are cold, it's a miserable day. I use the gloves for normal cold temps. If it's super cold, I switch to mittens and maybe have a thin liner glove inside of that."
DON'T START GOLD: "Another old piece of advice you hear about dressing for winter is that you should be cold when you head out the door and then you'll warm up and be just right. That's garbage. If you start out cold and have any sort of problem, a fiat or just want to eat, you're freezing in 5 minutes. I dress so I'm toasty warm when starting out, then if I heat up I ventilate. I think you're happier if you slightly overdress than underdress."
VENTILATING: "Take off your shell, or push up your sleeves. That's it. The main thing I do is push up the sleeves and basically turn what I'm wearing into a vest. It's amazing how much heat you can dissipate through your arms."
TO WICK OR INSULATE? "I don't get into all the nomenclature where every layer has a special name. I see people who are paralyzed because they can't find their wicking layer. But any good material is a wicking garment. Even a summer cycling jersey is made to wick. I wear something like that under, and then over it something to insulate. That's all you need to know. When I did Iditabike last year my insulator was the North Face Sentinal jacket, which is made out of Gore Windstopper Fleece."
FOOT ACTION: "When your feet get too cold, stop and walk. Or run. Pushing some blood through your feet like always warms them up. I use that in Alaska. No matter how cold it gets, if you can keep walking or running your feet aren't going to get cold."
Source: Mountain Bike
posted by James at 2:08 PM
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