Requesting Advice for Winter Commuting Apparel

Hi,

I'm a new(ish) Chicago bike commuter.  I am looking for advice on winter apparel.  I have the good fortune of being able to change and shower at the office, so I don't need gear that will double as work clothes or go over biz casual.  Just looking for advice from fellow Chicagoans, mostly with regard to pants/bibs/etc, shoe (covers) and gloves.  Also I tend to be on the frugal end of the spend spectrum!  Thanks in advance.

Matt

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Permalink Reply by Alex Z on August 15, 2013 at 7:32am

Agree that some of this advice may be overkill depending on how long your commute is.

 

I have found that a baclava makes an unbelievable amount of difference. YMMV. Happy riding! :)

Permalink Reply by David Barish on August 15, 2013 at 7:39am

With enough lead time you can heed Adam's wise advice to buy good stuff not just cheap stuff but still save a few bucks. Keep eyes out for sales at places like REI, Dicks, LL Bean, various bike shops and internet retailers. You can get your basics without going broke. If you get good stuff you can keep it for years.  I still have a Patagonia undergarment that I bought last century. It was a lot of money when I got it but its more than paid for itself. Also, its not a bad idea to keep an eye open for when you can get a box of handwarmers. Generally about $20-$25 a box.  You can use baggies to preserve these. You don't need them unless its really, really cold, and you can make the box last the whole season unless we have a brain freeze Winter.

Elizabeth M. said:

It's still August! Why is there so much talk about winter riding already??? 

Permalink Reply by Mr. Z'sss on August 15, 2013 at 7:41am

Thank you for all the valuable feedback.  What a great community on this site!  I would have never expected such an outpouring of advice.  You all have given me a lot to consider; especially re-purposing some of my old ski gear that has been sitting in storage for years.  Thanks again everyone.  Safe riding! 

Permalink Reply by Elizabeth M. on August 15, 2013 at 7:42am

After 5 years here you would think I would know that by now. And that I wouldn't dread it so much. 

Lisa Curcio 6.5 mi said:

It's Chicago.  Winter could arrive next week! :-)  These cool mornings have some people thinking it is here already.
 
Elizabeth M. said:

It's still August! Why is there so much talk about winter riding already??? 

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on August 15, 2013 at 7:49am

I have lived here all of my life, and the older I get, the more I hate winter.  I am not much for winter sports.  Last winter was my first "bike winter" and it was the first winter in a very long time that I did not mind it so much.  I believe that getting outside every day, even though it mostly was just for my 4 miles-each-way commute, made it a whole lot more tolerable.  Ride your bike and embrace winter!
 
Elizabeth M. said:

After 5 years here you would think I would know that by now. And that I wouldn't dread it so much. 

Lisa Curcio 6.5 mi said:

It's Chicago.  Winter could arrive next week! :-)  These cool mornings have some people thinking it is here already.
 
Elizabeth M. said:

It's still August! Why is there so much talk about winter riding already??? 

Permalink Reply by Elizabeth M. on August 15, 2013 at 8:28am

That is very encouraging to hear! I moved here from Richmond, VA where winter lasts about 3 days. I love Chicago but the winter just about kills me each year. This is my first year riding and I do want to try to continue. My commute is 15 miles one way so it may involve a combination of riding and bus but I am hoping that continuing to ride will make a difference in my mood this year.  

Lisa Curcio 6.5 mi said:

I have lived here all of my life, and the older I get, the more I hate winter.  I am not much for winter sports.  Last winter was my first "bike winter" and it was the first winter in a very long time that I did not mind it so much.  I believe that getting outside every day, even though it mostly was just for my 4 miles-each-way commute, made it a whole lot more tolerable.  Ride your bike and embrace winter!
 
Elizabeth M. said:

After 5 years here you would think I would know that by now. And that I wouldn't dread it so much. 

Lisa Curcio 6.5 mi said:

It's Chicago.  Winter could arrive next week! :-)  These cool mornings have some people thinking it is here already.
 
Elizabeth M. said:

It's still August! Why is there so much talk about winter riding already??? 

Permalink Reply by igz on August 15, 2013 at 9:56am

i moved to chicago hating winter and hating cold.  i knew i was in for a rough time.  still maybe not winter, but cold has grown on me.  i used to think that days like today are complete shit. now, i love em.

Permalink Reply by Vilda on August 15, 2013 at 10:22am

Semper Ubi Sub Ubi

Permalink Reply by Mr. Z'sss on August 15, 2013 at 10:29am

Ha!  sage advice

Gabe said:

Semper Ubi Sub Ubi

Permalink Reply by Vilda on August 15, 2013 at 10:33am

I try :-)

Matthew Z said:

Ha!  sage advice

Gabe said:

Semper Ubi Sub Ubi

Permalink Reply by James Liu on August 15, 2013 at 11:36am

You need much less warmth and waterproofness than you initially think, because you make some extra warmth riding.  One of the worst things you can do is get hot riding, sweat a lot, and then get stuck. Cold + sweat = bad news.

I agree with the advice about buying better stuff to start with. My suggestion is to get the stuff that'll keep you warm enough for all but the 30 nastiest days of winter, and get that stuff later  in life when you've conquered most of winter. Maybe this year, maybe next. In any case, you'll want the intermediate stuff because, again, you don't want to dress too warm.

My favorite piece of gear is the Pearl Izumi Softshell 180.  It's not waterproof, but will survive some drizzle or a shower.  Depending on what layering I have on underneath, I'll ride it when it's about 30-45 degrees, and only break out the proper softshell when it's going to be colder or wet outside.

Oh, and get brightly colored stuff with plenty of reflective panels. It gets dark early, and visibility is important.

Permalink Reply by Josh L. on August 15, 2013 at 4:04pm

After reading such interesting recommendations I'll add my two cents again.

I do not think getting waterproof stuff is worth it. I rode every day last winter and I don't think it rained more than 6 days. And normally it rains and stops quickly. So if you want to wear/buy something for 6 days be my guest but I think it's silly.

I see that  a lot of people wear the lighter tops. Given that you warm up over time I get the strategy. I actually wear a nice suede jacket with a zipper that I can adjust based on the temperature.  With the suede coat I can easily go to client meetings, meet friends, etc. and blend in.  More importantly though I like putting on a very warm jacket when I start my winter ride. A lot of times I am biking home at 11 pm and I'll be honest you have to keep motivated to do it. If I had to bike 10 minutes until I warmed up that would be a hassle.

I agree with the balaclava suggestion (I hope I didn't spell this like the dessert).  It makes a total difference to have cold air kept out of your neck, etc.  

I did not have the lobster gloves that Adam recommended and I really suffered this winter. I thought I was tought but when it gets under ten degrees..and there were probably 15-20 days I faced this on my morning ride - my hands got cold after twenty minutes. Pulling over to the starbucks at north/clark became normal.  So I need to either get those gloves or get the warmers. I have heavy ski gloves and they still don't work in the very frigid weather.

Once you get used to winter biking it is fine.  One nice thing is how quiet it is....and fewer pedestrians to hold you up.

I can't recommend enough getting high quality cold weather bottom and top layers. It is worth the expense many times over. 

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