BRR: Braving the cold on a bike

Tue January 29 2008
Posted Jan 29, 2008
3,501

By MIKE KILEN • REGISTER STAFF WRITER A biker can easily spend a grand to stay warm for a short commute, a training ride or an outfit for Saturday's BRR trip from Perry to Rippey. "For a thousand bucks," said Donny Quixote of Rasmussen Bike Shop in West Des Moines, "you're on the road." Scott Sumpter, creator of bikeiowa.com, bought a pair of biking boots that clip into his pedals for $270. So-called lobster mittens with two finger sleeves ($50 or more) have also helped. Extremities tend to get colder on a bike than running in the cold, he said. Mark Wyatt of the Iowa Bicycle Association bikes the five miles into Coralville from North Liberty to work. "Layering is the secret," he said. "It's going to be much colder in the morning than at 5 p.m." The key to body warmth is keeping the sweat away from your skin. That's why sweatshirts and other cotton garments that get wet eventually make you cold. A better option is workout clothing that wicks away sweat. It's available on many levels of spending. Here is a head-to-toe guide culled from the racks of Rasmussen's, Bike World and Sports Authority in West Des Moines: Head A helmet cover ($20) keeps the wind out. Or you can wear items under your helmet, including a skull cap ($25) or a balaclava ($25), which also covers your neck. Your regular wrap-around sunglasses work, although some bikers employ goggles. Cheaper option: Tape the helmet vents and wear a thermal headband. Torso Many options here. The key is layering. A good base layer is long-sleeve, cold-weather Under Armour shirt ($60), which wicks sweat away. Option: A long-sleeve biking jersey performs similar duties. After the first layer, add a high-tech, soft-shell jacket that is wind resistant and water resistant and contains an inner lining to hold in the warmth of your body. Options include North Face ($140) or the biking-specific brand of Specialized ($155) or Pearl Izumi ($140). Option: A second layer could include a thin 100-weight polar fleece, made by Columbia or North Face, that can cost up to $50, although many are on sale for half of that now. Again, long-sleeve biking jerseys can be employed, ones that include a fleece lining ($85). The last layer is to keep away water and wind. A good windbreaker shell for $65-$70 works in the winter and can be used in early spring without the second layer. Hands Thin, synthetic rubber (such as Neoprene) gloves ($25) work for warm winter days, while the same water-resistant shell with an added insulation layer ($35) is better for colder days. For really frigid days, lobster gloves ($65) with two sleeves allow fingers to warm each other and maintain mobility. Legs Go with one layer, a fancy-pants pair of biking tights with a fleece lining and wind-resistant shell ($105), or double layer again. One option is a base layer of Under Armour tights, regular biking tights or Hot Chilly's ($35), worn over your biking shorts, with a wind-resistant layer of lined nylon sweat pants ($25-40). Another option for a warmer winter day is a layer of tights, supplemented with leg and arm warmers, sleeves that mainly cover the joints ($25-$35). Feet Start with a good pair of wool socks. Next, a cheapskate might simply tie bread sacks over his biking shoes for moisture resistance. Or, water-resistant shoe covers ($40) and insulated shoe covers ($50) fit over clip-on bike shoes. For the big spender, there are biking boots without vents and synthetic rubber linings over the ankle ($170). The bike There's going to be ice, snow and slush. That requires keeping the drive train, housing and cables clean and working. "It's got to be ride, clean, ride, clean," Quixote said. Some add fatter tires. Others will have studs installed on tires ($60 each tire) to grip the snow and ice, but it isn't popular, Quixote said, considering city streets are often free of ice and snow within a day of a storm and trails are cleared. Clip-on fenders ($14-$20) are a must to keep the snow and slop from flying on you. Or build your own winter bike, like Sumpter, from a cheap road bike and fat tires. Others spend more. A Gary Fisher mountain bike with 29-inch tires is becoming popular, said Joe Newendorp of Bike World. The fatter-tire cyclo-cross bikes, built like a road bike but with fatter tires and other aspects of mountain bikes ($1,200-$1,600), are another option. One can spend as much as $3,000 for a Pugsley snow bike with tires as fat as those on a motorcycle. Quixote has one because he doesn't have a car. He's used it 10 times this year already to get to work. Reporter Mike Kilen can be reached at (515) 284-8361 or mkilen@dmreg.com