Top 10 Tips for Winter Clothing

The temperature drops, the days get shorter and the cold wind shakes us when we think about riding. So we give you a bunch of tips to encourage you to get out in winter and enjoy your bike. We must try to ride as much as possible, especially to keep fit and overcome the Christmas pause.

THE DRESSING

• The three-layers’ Theory. If you do not know what this is, you can take note. In any outdoor activity, it is very important to cover our upper body with three layers of clothing.

• The first one is the one that is stuck to the skin. It should allow the fastest expel sweat from our body. Please never use cotton shirts (terrible error), but fast drying techniques.

• The second layer is warm. It need not be excessively thick. It should also allow evacuate sweat and gives us something warm.

• The third layer isolates us from wind and water. It is usually the most expensive due to the breathable membrane used for its manufacture. Besides being waterproof, it should allow a correct expulsion of sweat. Otherwise, it would be a simple plastic that only causes condensation and accelerates our cooling.

• Hands and feet. They are the parts of the body that fist feel cold, because they receive less blood circulation. We will protect your best. Cycling shoes and gloves with waterproof membrane will completely change our perception of the cold. Forget plastics and similar inventions. They are useless and can only make matters worse.

• The head. It is false that most of our body heat is lost through our heads. According to a study by the British Medical Journal on this subject, it only represents 10% of the heat loss. Studies aside, the cold in the head and ears is very painful. There are many garments for protection. The most important thing is that they are windproof and not very thick (avoiding to burn us to a crisp or having problems to adjust our helmet).

Even if you have a brand new bike, you will not enjoy it if you do not wear the proper clothing. Keep in mind that this is an activity that takes place outdoors. That is, harsh winter weather such as wind, rain, snow or low temperatures, will accompany our outings. Biking well equipped is the only way to avoid turning a healthy and fun activity into the worst cycling experience.