No matter whether you live in the U.S. or not, you have probably heard a lot of news about a fiscal cliff. The cliff is likely to impact me eventually, but a different cliff impacted me in a big way on my commute yesterday. I left Boston in late December and for the entirety of the fall was able to wear shorts on all of my commutes. Here is a shot of what the temps were like before I left -
I returned to town and got up yesterday to commute for the first time in a few weeks and I saw this -
The temperature fell off a cliff while I was gone. I went from shorts and a light jacket all fall to -
- Head: Balaclava covered by hat covered by helmet
- Mid-section: Merino wool t-shirt, covered by Omni-Heat base layer, covered by light down jacket, covered by Gortex riding jacket.
- Legs: Omni-Heat base layer pants covered by rain pants.
- Hands: Snowboarding mittens.
- Feet: Wholly unprepared with just one pair of cotton socks and normal riding shoes and man were my toes cold when I arrived at work.
Many people think riding in cold temps is crazy, but it's actually not all that bad. Except for my toes, I was toasty and enjoyed the ride. It's the muggy summer conditions that are worse as far as I'm concerned - you have no choice but to sweat. At least in the winter you can control your temperature a bit better.
If readers out there have winter riding advice/tips/hacks or gear suggestions, feel free to comment or send your ideas our way for posting.
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