12/1/13 2:15 PM

Great ride today, in unconventional conditions: 32F, cold/freezing rain, roads a combination black ice and slush. Perfect, eh?

I put the studded Hakkas on my Tout Terrain this am, and wanted a test ride (it's a bit of a process with a generator hub, Rohloff hub, and hydraulic disks). Plus I have my new cold weather boots, and I also just got a fancy shell with the eternal waterproof/breathable claim. I have used the shell in dry conditions enough to conclude it is very breathable, but hadn't put the waterproofness to the test yet. So a perfect day for a test ride, and I went out on my favorite dirt road loop with some short, steep climbs.

Everything worked great! I knew the tires worked in these conditions, but at least I didn't screw anything up putting them on. I could take my "test" sweeping downhill without braking. Boots continued great, feet warm and dry.

The shell is fantastic. Water beads up on the outside and doesn't seem to penetrate, even in periods of steady rain, and it's much more breathable than any other shell I've had. Only slight clamminess was honking up the hills, not surprising as it was raining and I had two layers of wool under the shell. If I'd used the old PI yellow shell, I'd have been soaked from the inside and out.

Also the most strenuous ride I've done since I started having knee issues, and no problem there.

So riding was good today.

Last edited by dan emery on 12/1/13 3:29 PM; edited 1 time in total

12/1/13 2:21 PM

I feel like such a woos!

12/1/13 3:18 PM

Good report. Friday the snow finally receded and today it finally got into the low 40's here so riding has been ok if not great since Thanksgiving.

BTW, what make is that magic waterproof and breathable shell you reported on?

12/1/13 4:40 PM

The shell is from my new favorite company, a Brit outfit, Rohan Designs. It is not a cycling company, but this is a cycling shell. It is more expensive than most would pay, but I can use it commuting year round (high visibility is also a plus), plus I hate products that breathe poorly.

I have bought several products from this company they all have been great. The other cycling product they make is a free floating chamois for commuting type use - you just stuff it in your pants and remove as desired. I saw it in the catalog and said "no way that works," but decided to try it and it works perfectly.

Another product I bought from them is a "travel suit" which is all synthetic but looks like a nice wool suit, doesn't wrinkle, can be hand or machine washed, has all kinds of zippered pockets, etc. It has buttons to close the jacket vents, for the sole reason that the jacket won't flap around while riding a bike. Love those Brits.

12/2/13 9:16 AM

Temps du flahute

12/2/13 10:52 AM

The suit looks impressive! And last year's color is even on sale for a very good price--unfortunately, not in my size :-(.

That shell is certainly pricey, but if it works and you have the cash, worth it!

12/2/13 6:03 PM

The shell jacket is indeed pricey but at half the price of a couple of Assos jackets it seem like a bargain.

12/2/13 8:10 PM

I used a long sleeve jersey and shorts. The sleeves were optional actually.

Nice ride for me and used my GoPro for the first time.

12/2/13 8:28 PM

"Not so good because he can't pay attention to anything for more than a few seconds. "

Unlike many of us ?

Coapman sent me a VID on his handlebar earlier this year, I got motion sickness watching it. ;)

12/2/13 9:29 PM

Wrong thread.

Last edited by ErikS on 12/3/13 3:12 AM; edited 1 time in total

12/2/13 10:33 PM

Am I the only one losing the plot?

12/14/13 9:44 AM

We're supposed to get a foot of snow tonite, so I thought I'd get a ride in and, at 6F, a good chance to test my upgraded winter gear. So I went out and did a hilly dirt (ice) road loop, out a little better than an hour.

I wore the Wolvhammer boots with a medium pair of socks, polypro long johns under Craft storm tights, a wool t-shirt, crew and sweater under the Rohan shell, down mittens, a thin wool balaclava under my normal hat.

Perfectly comfortable, in fact I could have lost one of the layers of wool. One foot was starting to get a little cool (not uncomfortable), but plenty of room to add more or heavier socks. The shell continues to amaze me - in addition to being waterproof and breathable, it absolutely kills wind. Even on fast downhills in this weather, no cooling effect from air at all, it's kind of like you're in the calm at the eye of the hurricane. So you don't need as much insulation as you would think. The down mittens are great - hands toasty the entire ride.

One thing I've noticed is that in really cold weather the Rohloff sometimes sort of gets hung up in neutral during a shift, so you are monetarily spinning without the gear engaging. Maybe I need to shift to winter weight gear oil....But there are a couple things you can do to get it to engage, so it's really not a problem as long as you're used to it.

I take inspiration from my dogs. Earlier, at 3F, they were demanding their walk.

I think I'd need a fat bike to ride tomorrow.

12/14/13 10:02 AM

10 degrees here by the Charles, going for a walk / hike to Noanet Woods today

12/14/13 10:29 AM

When I lived in Wisconsin, I used to ride to work year-round. Not long, 8 miles or so each way. In the winter I used studded tires, and I used to start early so I had time to cool down before starting work.

I used to run across this guy going the opposite direction. He rode from La Crescent, just across the Mississippi, to the McDonalds by the mall in Onalaska, just north of La Crosse, every morning to have coffee with his buddies. He was 80. He told me he'd ride until it was 15(F) outside.

Cold is a relative thing. Prepare yourself and you'll get a little cold, but not a lot. I rode down to -10(F), and it was a challenge at times, but a thermal bottle filled with hot tea generally helped, and when I learned about deerskin mittens, I stopped having problems with my hands getting cold.

Cold weather riding is a blast...you just have to be prepared for it.

12/14/13 11:32 AM

quote:

---

I think I'd need a fat bike to ride tomorrow.

---

quote:

---

Cold is a relative thing.

---

12/14/13 11:52 AM

Yeah, the other day I went out in 26^ first to the closed PO and was dressed too warm for pedaling I learned. Went back after their lunch hour dressed better and even went down a long dirt road out and back.

But my Triple Point Ceramic Ski jacket and a fleece top over bike lower layers was plenty warm enough.
The first trip I had long johns under and it was a mistake. need wicking against your skin for sure!

12/14/13 12:41 PM

I'm curious what mittens you guys use when riding? and how do you shift while wearing them?.
The only thing that I have trouble with while riding in the cold are my hands.

12/14/13 2:19 PM

I'm obviously not the person who could give you personal report on winter gloves. But everyone I knonw who rides in the deep freeze of winter use the Lobster glove. I've seen it in action. It's basically a cross between a glove and a mitten. Instead of a 4 fingers in one compartment,, it's split into two, making shifting and braking easy.

e.g.:

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=21018736&emssrcid=PPC%3AgooPLAs%3AbrandPearl_Izumi&utm_source=gooPLAs&utm_term=brandPearl_Izumi&utm_campaign=Product+Listing+Ads&device=c&network=g&matchtype=&gclid=CL72qv7ZsLsCFVLxOgodg3wAJg

Last edited by April on 12/14/13 3:55 PM; edited 1 time in total

12/14/13 2:36 PM

I use an LL Bean down mitten similar to these:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/79883?feat=502856-GN2&page=baxter-state-parka-mittens

Mine may be a bit different in that they have an inner glove with fingers that gives you a bit of dexterity. The winter bike I use now has a Rohloff hub with a grip type shifter, and mtn bike style brake levers, so I don't really need dexterity. But I have used these with my cross bike and could shift and brake OK. I use XC ski gloves (including an insulated pair) down to about 10F.

I got these mittens after commuting at below 0F and deciding I wanted something warmer than my gloves and more dexterous than my old school shells and Dachstein mitts. The Bean salesman immediately recommended these, and since he is a well known mountaineer, I figured it was a good recommendation.

April you're right, I'll probably be on snowshoes tomorrow.

12/15/13 5:04 AM

In Connecticut, I use 2-part Garneau gauntlets with polypro inner gloves and a wind shell. But I found that, in Wisconsin, these were inadequate starting around 15F. So I picked up some fur-lined deerskin mittens at a local surplus store and used those. No problem, since I use DT shifters or an old 3-speed trigger setup (mostly the latter in that weather).

12/15/13 8:17 AM

If I had any doubt you were a "hard man" Dan, you have removed it completely!

12/15/13 12:11 PM

I first back in NJ started using the bar con exactly for winter and glove friendly shifting. I always liked silk fingered liners inside either fingered gortex or mittens, all ski gear fallout.

12/15/13 1:09 PM

Pretty cold last weekend, even here. I got in one extra evening ride using plastic bags over my gloves, which made the grip slippery but kept absolutely warm.

I headed out into 38F range yesterday AM on a sort of down hill time trial 10 miles to the ride start, and got by with 3 layers top, 2 layers bottom, some Craftsman mechanic's gloves and wool socks in 1cm-oversized Sidis. I was actually comfortable all morning.

I went to a party last night just 10 miles North of here, and was reminded of conditions back in NY. Was barely able to make it up the slickened driveway even with FWD.

I've been using downtube shifters, which seem to be friendly to any kind of glove requirement (even the plastic bags).