Bike Reno

Bike to Work Week, also known as the friendliest week for the bicycle commuter, is upon us once again.  The official Bike to Work Week Website for Northern Nevada has all the details on which bike shops are participating (almost all of them) and which coffee shops are participating (all the good ones, e.g. not Starbucks).  If you register on the site, you get entered into a raffle for prizes and your company can participate in a commuter challenge.

Update: Whoops, almost forgot…there’s a Bike Day celebration on Saturday, May 22 at West Street Market which will host the Reno Bike Project Bike Swap.

I finally got a good chance to put my Pearl Izumi Barrier Lobster Gloves through their paces today and I’m very happy camper.

At first glance, the gloves seem well constructed and very warm.  The palm has a soft yet grippy finish and the back of the thumb section is covered with  soft fleece for easy nose wiping.  The gloves don’t have any cycling-specific padding, so they can be used for other purposes without the possible inconvenience of a bulky palm.  Even though it’s a lobster glove, each finger has its own interior pocket.

On my test ride, the temperature was about 32 degrees with overcast skies.  At first, I thought the gloves might be too warm.  They’re on the bulky side and soft; they feel like my Burton ski mittens.  I didn’t notice any issues that were the result of the gloves not having any cycling-specific padding.  I rode for almost an hour and for most of the time, my hands felt warm.  At the end of the ride, the tips of my fingers and thumbs felt a little cold, but I think I could have ridden another hour without any problem.

The one problem I had with the gloves was their bulk made it more difficult to shift my Shimano STI levers, specifically the smaller levers (for up-shifting on the rear or down-shifting on the front).  I’m comfortable accepting that drawback to get the warmth they provide.

Aside from snow and ice (which I don’t ride in), I really like riding in the winter.  The cold air feels great on my body as it heats up from the ride and it gives me a feeling of accomplishment to start the day.

The one problem I’ve had with winter riding is keeping my hands warm.  I’ve tried a variety of gloves and mittens, but my fingers either get cold to the point of being painful, or too hot.  So, I decided to try the Novara Rainy Pass Bike Gloves from REI.  They looked bulky enough to provide adequate warmth without being so huge that they restricted control of the bike.  They are a gauntlet style glove with an elastic cinch cord and a full leather palm.  There’s plenty of padding in the palm in the places where you expect padding in bike gloves.

My first impression after putting them on was they didn’t feel very waterproof.  The top of the hand and finger felt like regular old nylon on top of a polyester warmth insert.  But, what do I know?  So I took them out on my five mile commute last week during the little cold snap where the morning temperature was in the mid 30s.

A third of the way through the ride, I knew these gloves weren’t cutting it.  My fingers were already going numb and would soon be in pain from the cold.  By the end of the ride, I didn’t feel like these gloves were much better than my barely-insulated Canari wind stopper gloves.

So back to REI they went.  I picked up a pair of  Pearl Izumi Barrier Lobster gloves which I’ll review when I get a chance.

Ahh, Bike to Work Day.  It’s always a little bittersweet for me since I often ride to work anyway and yet none of my coworkers would try it even if they knew it was bike to work day.  Still, I like the free coffee (even if my favorite coffee shop is in the opposite direction from work) and the sight of so many other cycle commuters feels nice, if even for a day. If you want to find out more, you can go to the Get Healthy Washoe Bike to Work 2009 website.

It’s been too long, my friends!

With the drop in temperature and the change back to standard time, winter cycling has snuck up on us again, so I thought if anyone is new to winter cycling in Reno, I’d share some of my tips and provide links to other, more detailed information.

First, I don’t ride in snow or ice.  Yeah, I’m a big wuss, but when you consider how few days we have with snow on the ground versus the cost to get studded tires, take them on and off whenever it snows and melts, and deal with the already freaked out drivers, it just doesn’t seem worth it to me.

Since I don’t have to worry about traction, I only concern myself with staying warm.  Even though your riding creates a wind chill, you’ll feel much warmer as you ride because of the energy you’re expending.  That’s why when you first leave for your ride, you should feel a little chilly.  Not freezing, but chilly.  If you feel warm when you leave, you’re overdressed.

Here’s what I use in the clothing department:

Upper Body – I normally get by with my work shirt with a heavy sweatshirt on top.  On really cold days, I’ll add a long sleeve base layer.  I’ve never needed more than this.

Lower Body – I normally commute in jeans, but on really cold days I’ll add some long underwear as a base layer.

Head – I use a fleece ear band if it feels cold.  If the ear band isn’t enough, I use an inexpensive balaclava (hood) that I got at a motorcycle shop.

Hands – I use a pair of thin, windproof gloves made by Canari.  If it’s really cold, I’ll switch to a bulkier ski glove.  A little side note: this is why I like grip shifters on a commuting bike.  They’re the easiest to operate with thick gloves on!

Socks – Thick wool socks are all I’ve ever needed.

Shoes – I get by fine with regular Shimano cycling shoes (mountain/commuter style) tied just a bit loose to let the socks have a little room (and thus a larger warm air pocket).  I’ve never felt like I needed wind stopping shoe covers.

Eyes – A dilemma that a lot of people forget about; you wear your sunglasses in the morning, but when you get out of work and realize that it’s dark, you don’t want to wear shades that will make it even darker, but you need something to keep the wind out of your eyes because it’s so cold.  I use sunglasses with removable lenses and carry a clear set with me for use at night.  You can also bring some motorcycle-style goggles, though they tend to fog up on me.

All the basic cold-weather outdoor rules apply.  The three layer strategy (base, warmth, wind) is the best.  All base layers should be synthetic fabrics, or wool if that’s your thing; just no cotton long johns.  The warmth layer is usually fleece or sweatshirt-type material.  The wind layer is usually a non or thinly insulated windproof covering.  I’ve never needed this layer, even down to 15 degrees (although I have bulked up my base layers for ultra cold days).

For more ideas, check out these sites:

• Tips on Thrifty Dressing For Winter
• The Fairbanks (Alaska!) Cycle Club

If you have any tips of your own, post them in a comment.