I have a 15 mile commute in the Boston area and successful winter commuting is defined as riding two or three times a week. That way I'm ready to bump it up to all five days when the weather gets nicer.
I'll start with the bike setup: I run studded Schwalbe Winter Marathons. You can literally ride on wet ice with these studded tires -- turning, stopping, starting -- without any problems at all. The reflective sidewalls on the tires are a nice plus too. They're visible and identifiable as bicycle at night from quite a distance.
I've also added 3M spoke reflectors on every other spoke. When a car headlight illuminates them, they make a solid pulsing glowing circle. Having them on both wheels just screams "bicycle!" when viewed from the side. They do negatively impact handling in sidewinds -- they feel quite similar to aerospokes in that you can feel the wind kind of grab them when it blows from the side.
Fenders are a must. I love the ones from Planet Bike. They're really tough and offer great coverage. Short fenders don't cut the mustard. You've got to get full fenders. I used to use Zefals but I found they weren't durable. I'd ruin a pair every year. This never happens with the Planet Bike fenders. I since tried Bontrager full fenders and have had very good experiences with them too.
Lights are critical for visibility. During day & night I use a rear red Niterider Sentinel & a front Planet Bike Blaze 300 SLX, each on blink mode. Both are USB rechargeable. The Blaze doubles as a secondary headlight in case I ever have a problem with my primary headlight. I've tried a number of high intensity LED headlights and keep coming back to MagicShines. They are the best of the inexpensive Chinese made headlights. I've used a few look alikes and they aren't as tough. In most locales a steady white light on the front and a red reflector or light in back is mandatory to be street legal after dusk.
Clothing:
Layering is important since it can keep you warmer and offer flexibility as conditions change. The real challenge is always hands & feet.
A year ago I bought a couple pairs of Nashbar Mansfield II winter cycling bib tights. I love them! They're really warm and have made a huge difference. They're just a tad thicker than standard bike tights, but it's all the difference in the world. About half the time I wear cycling shorts under them since they don't have such great structure & their chamois isn't the greatest. I've since supplemented these with insulated Escape 2 bib tights from Pearlizumi. They're even warmer and cover your lower back better.
As a boundry layer I used REI water resistant bike pants which have been falling apart for years, but did the job. They since been replaced with Showers Pass rain paints. I particularly like the integrated velcro straps on those. My favorite socks are thick woolie boolies, but pretty much any wool sock will work well. Over my regular Shimano bike shoes I've got Planet Bike Blitzen booties. They're dry and warm. When the temp goes below 25F, I also throw some Graber hand warmers into my shoes. I've been comfortable down to about 12F with this set up. My gloves are REI winter lobster mitts. At the very lowest temps -- 12F -- I've had to stop for a coffee after 45 minutes. My fingers were going numb. Otherwise they've been acceptable. In 2019 I replaced my gloves with the outstanding Planet Bike Borealis gloves. Much warmer and more flexible since they are made of separated inner and outer components. This makes them much easier to dry between rides.
Over my standard cycling jersey I've got an excellent Road Holland winter commuting jacket. Sadly, they've gone out of business. Polarfleece with a zipper works OK too. Over that I wear a Pearlizumi screaming yellow shell. I also have a Pearlizumi yellow helmet cover for visibility and wind/rain protection. I wear a fleece neck gaiter and a thin fleece beanie under my helmet. For a treat at red lights I brew up some tea and carry it in a beat up commuter mug. The beat up commuter mug has been replaced with the excellent TK Travel Kuppe. It excels at keeping hot fluids hot on the coldest of days & it's built to be used in a standard bottle cage.
Fenders are a must. I love the ones from Planet Bike. They're really tough and offer great coverage. Short fenders don't cut the mustard. You've got to get full fenders. I used to use Zefals but I found they weren't durable. I'd ruin a pair every year. This never happens with the Planet Bike fenders. I since tried Bontrager full fenders and have had very good experiences with them too.
Disc brakes are very nice to have.
Lights are critical for visibility. During day & night I use a rear red Niterider Sentinel & a front Planet Bike Blaze 300 SLX, each on blink mode. Both are USB rechargeable. The Blaze doubles as a secondary headlight in case I ever have a problem with my primary headlight. I've tried a number of high intensity LED headlights and keep coming back to MagicShines. They are the best of the inexpensive Chinese made headlights. I've used a few look alikes and they aren't as tough. In most locales a steady white light on the front and a red reflector or light in back is mandatory to be street legal after dusk.
Clothing:
Layering is important since it can keep you warmer and offer flexibility as conditions change. The real challenge is always hands & feet.
A year ago I bought a couple pairs of Nashbar Mansfield II winter cycling bib tights. I love them! They're really warm and have made a huge difference. They're just a tad thicker than standard bike tights, but it's all the difference in the world. About half the time I wear cycling shorts under them since they don't have such great structure & their chamois isn't the greatest. I've since supplemented these with insulated Escape 2 bib tights from Pearlizumi. They're even warmer and cover your lower back better.
As a boundry layer I used REI water resistant bike pants which have been falling apart for years, but did the job. They since been replaced with Showers Pass rain paints. I particularly like the integrated velcro straps on those. My favorite socks are thick woolie boolies, but pretty much any wool sock will work well. Over my regular Shimano bike shoes I've got Planet Bike Blitzen booties. They're dry and warm. When the temp goes below 25F, I also throw some Graber hand warmers into my shoes. I've been comfortable down to about 12F with this set up. My gloves are REI winter lobster mitts. At the very lowest temps -- 12F -- I've had to stop for a coffee after 45 minutes. My fingers were going numb. Otherwise they've been acceptable. In 2019 I replaced my gloves with the outstanding Planet Bike Borealis gloves. Much warmer and more flexible since they are made of separated inner and outer components. This makes them much easier to dry between rides.
Over my standard cycling jersey I've got an excellent Road Holland winter commuting jacket. Sadly, they've gone out of business. Polarfleece with a zipper works OK too. Over that I wear a Pearlizumi screaming yellow shell. I also have a Pearlizumi yellow helmet cover for visibility and wind/rain protection. I wear a fleece neck gaiter and a thin fleece beanie under my helmet. For a treat at red lights I brew up some tea and carry it in a beat up commuter mug. The beat up commuter mug has been replaced with the excellent TK Travel Kuppe. It excels at keeping hot fluids hot on the coldest of days & it's built to be used in a standard bottle cage.
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| Did I mention the beard, a scarf you can't lose? |
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