mittens!

I ordered some new mittens from the REI catalog. I ordered two pairs of men's XL mittens, one for "warmer" days (20 F or so), and one for the really cold days (below 5 F). I have big hands (long fingers) to begin with but I also think the roomier the glove, the warmer my hands are. I want to be able to wear my liner gloves underneath so I can unlock the garage door and lock my bike lock with the liner gloves on when it's really cold. So another reason I want roomy gloves.

Here are my liner gloves. They are very thin. Also notice my new tennis ball haircut. I've always wanted to do that at least once in my life. Surprisingly, some people actually like it.

Here are my "warmer" mittens. These were on sale:

Now check out the really cold weather mittens:

I'm too embarrassed to say how much these cost. Well, actually it's only 2 car-tanks of gas. So not so bad. Here's the mitten compared to the liner glove:

I hope they keep my hands warm! I also got a pair of lightweight insulated boots on sale. Those were less than a tank of gas.

layers

Here are the layers I wore to bike in the cold weather (5 F). This isn't my coldest weather outfit.

I'm going to yoga class, so I'm wearing stretch pants and shirt; then thick wool socks and a wool hoodie sweater.

The hood is on, and a fleece sweater/jacket. So that's three layers on my torso, and one on the legs.

Coat, warm snow/ski pants, warm boots, liner gloves, and balaclava.

So that's now 2 layers on the legs, 4 layers on the torso, and 2 layers on the head.

Add a helmet (covered with a gortex cap, great for keeping rain and wind out!) and goggles (so 4 layers on the head?) and thick gloves (2 layers on the hands). The gloves are not warm enough. I just ordered a big pair of warm mittens (ugh, expensive too). I hope they do the trick. The goggles are amazing for warmth. A small part of my nose is exposed and this won't do if it gets any colder or windier. Too bad because this setup causes no fogging on my glasses or goggles. I have another face mask that covers my nose so that will come out soon.

really cold weather outfit

Here's what I wear on the really cold and windy days (below -10 F), from bottom to top.  

Two pairs of wool socks and Sorel cold weather boots.  They are pretty lightweight.  But my feet still get really cold when it's below 0 degrees F:

My REI polartec pants.  These have extra stretching at the knees and zippers for ventilation--great for biking and expensive.  But around late Nov., early Dec. they have this great winter sale when you can buy this stuff more cheaply.

My snowpants.  I don't like biking in these.  I only wear these when it's really cold, like below -5 F.  They are bulky.  But warm.  I also got these on sale at REI.

My REI outerwear pants.  Great again because they stretch in the right places, knees, and butt, and are mostly waterproof.  I wear these when it's not too cold.

my exercise shirt:

a polartek jacket

a lightweight down vest.  This thing is so warm it's amazing.  got it at Eddie Bauer, on sale.  (yes I am a ridiculous consumer--I should be shopping at 2nd hand stores!)

my big bulky down jacket that I got about 15 years ago.  I prefer not biking in this, because it's bulky and hot. Today I wore it when it was 0 degrees F and windy, and it was too warm!  But tomorrow is supposed to be -20F and windy so I think it'll be cool enough for this baby  (housemate is currently saying I can't bike tomorrow but I really want to try it).

my preferred lighter-weight jacket:

I attach a blinking light to the back on the dark mornings:

My gloves, some a pair of $3 knit gloves as liners to the mittens.  I need something warmer than this.  

My face gear.  white hat goes on first.  then face mask--has holes for nose and mouth, then helmet.  it's covered with a gore-tex "shower cap" that I got at a bike store one day when it was raining--it's a good wind protector.  Then I put my motocross over-the-glasses goggle on.  This works well and keeps the warmth in.  As long as I don't sweat too much, the goggles don't fog up.    Here's a picture of me with the head-gear on.

Most bikers don't dress this warm but I am a wimp who doesn't bike very fast (so don't generate a ton of heat) and I don't have much body fat so I get cold really easily.  

Dec. 26 ride

Today my exercise class was later than usual so I got to ride in the daytime. We got a little ice this morning as my car shows:

Fortunately there was a little layer of snow below the ice so it made the road surface less slippery--though I talked to a jogger who said it was slippery. So maybe the studded tires were working well, because I didn't feel any traction problems. Here's what my studded tires look like. The studds are on top. Don't confuse the dirt on the sides with the studs.

the start of the bike path:

This was kind of funny, a snow plow stuck in the snow. Not that I'm making fun of the snow plows, no no no! I love the snow plows, at least the ones that plow the bike paths.

Here's a better picture than yesterday of the Thai pavillion:

It was a wonderful, peaceful ride. It drizzled a bit on the way home, but it wasn't a problem. I love getting out every day and riding my bike and enjoying the weather. Plus, I didn't have to scrape ice off my car! It will melt later today--it's supposed to get warm.

dec. 22

Today it was -7 F (-22 C) when I rode. But it was sunny and not windy. This is the coldest I've biked in. The picture at left is from Dec. 23 (tomorrow), but it shows my new goggles, which kept me warm today. These are motocross over-the-glasses large goggles that I can wear over my helmet (and glasses). The goggles and the face mask covered all my skin. My face mask has a hole under my nose and a few small holes around the mouth. I have less fog on my glasses with the goggles than without--previously steam from the face mask went into my glasses. The goggles not only protect me from frostbite, but I've discovered they prevent a huge amount of heat loss. Now my big down coat is too warm and I arrive at my destination sweaty, even at -7 F! The bike path was a bit rough because of the strong winds that blew drifts from the previous snow storm. But they were replowed by the time I rode home. The city does a great job keeping the paths clear. It was a beautiful day.