But boy it was chilly!
When the radio said 8 degrees out, I mentally rolled over and decided to take the T.
But then when I got outside, it realized it was dead calm, and the traffic was light, and just decided to do it.
I had to go in for my helmet, and changed out of my puffy down jacket and into a softshell, and I went up to the attic and dug out my ski gloves.
It WAS chilly, and I was the only biker I saw, but thanks to the holiday week, traffic was light and I just cruised in to work- much better than taking the Red line, which has been having plagues of biblical proportions (my ride home yesterday took twice as long as it should, due to "switching problems.")
What I wore to bike in this weather:
Poly-cotton white dress shirt, red cashmere sweater from Anne Taylor, my favorite wool flannel pants from JCrew, Wool socks (one of them said smartwool- the other is an REI knockoff) and La-Canadienne lined leather boots. My Marmot softshell, a wool hat under the Bern helmet (still haven't found the liner that came with the helmet) and the wonderful big red scarf.
This is more detail than you might want to know (and more than I normally give) about what I wear, but the point is that normal clothes work so well on the bike no matter what the weather
I was actually warm by the time I hit the Longfellow, but decided against stripping off a layer. I'm in my dress shirt now, but I'm about ready to put on my sweater again.
Hope you had a warm ride today!
I love La Canadienne boots; they really do combine style and warmth in the nicest way. I've gone through several pairs over the years but at the moment am without one. In freezing temps I wear Uggs - not the prototypical teeny-bopper ones, but a more subdued and logo-free style that has hard soles excellent for pedaling.
ReplyDeleteAs for clothing, I am done wearing cotton, even under cashmere - it gets soaked immediately. I have ordered a few tops from Winter Silks on after X-Mas clearance and will see how those work out.
I have some of those Uggs too I think- the ones with a smooth leather foot and vibram sole? They are comfy and warm, but my feet seem to slide around inside them a bit.
ReplyDeleteI actually bought my La Canadienne boots on Ebay, slightly used. They've seen hard use since and I may have to start looking for a new pair soon
what size is your bern? I have a liner for a size small I think. I'll have to check. it's too hot for me. I was sort of thinking of trying to ski in it but reality says that I really would not want to do that and would much prefer skiing with just a hat... I have a black bern with cap liner and winter liner. WOuld you like any or all of these? Will check the size
ReplyDeleteMV-
ReplyDeleteThanks for the offer- that's so kind!
Let me look for the liner one more time before I take you up on it-
I looked for it last year before going skiing, and didn't find it, but it was a hurried search. I kind of figured it would show up during the year, and it never did.
I think that the helmet is a size small.
One of the reasons I like the bern is because it could plausibly be used as a Ski helmet. I'm a pretty timid skier, but I have started skiing with a more daring crowd, and they almost all wear helmets. Last year, I just wore a skull cap underneath and it was fine.