Winter Riding?

[seishino]

I've been thinking of trying to do winter riding this year, and have a few probably silly questions.

Is there a good way to get a plastic snow shell for either an upright or a recumbent? Does anyone know of heated seats / handlebars? Maybe a heated oxygen canister for an old man like me?

Comments

[silentq]

I don't know what you mean by a snow shell, do you mean something like a windscreen? There are things called pogies that wrap around the handlebar and your hand goes into them, but I haven't found any for sale yet.

With enough layers I never feel the cold from my handle bars or seat, the parts of my body touching the bike actually tend to stay the warmest because they're out of the wind. :) Wicking, insulating and waterproof layers and you're good to go. :) I have a list of the gear I use for winter cycling here.

[asmodai]

You can get heated grips and gloves and even jackets at any motorcycle supply store. Some might want to patch into a bike's electrical system, but some are probably self-contained.

[lindau_nemesis]

I assume you mean bicycle, not motorcycle?

Snow shell for riding or storing? I bought cheap bike covers on ebay, and I think they will do the trick. They work for rain so far, and I plan to put the covered bike on my bike rack on the car when it is in danger of freezing to the ground. We'll see if that works.

They make heated gloves and/or glove liners. I've not seen heated grips for bicycles.
Your butt will be warm enough.
I would take a scarf and wrap it around your neck and up over your mouth and nose in the freezing times. Seems to work well enough.

[nessur]

In this weather, I won't ride w/o a balaklava. Nothing else does as good a job of keeping the wind off my neck and ears. REI has a great selection of them, and you really won't know which one fits you best unless you try some on. I also bought a ::Winter:: version that has a mouth/nose guard, and that protected me during actual snow/blizzard weather. If it gets too close to 0 degrees, you'll want some ski goggles to protect your eyes from the freezing wind.

Also, for freezing temps: Smart Wool leggings make everything better. They keep your legs warm at the start of your ride, and they won't make you overheat once you get going. I also recommend Izumi Pearl arm warmer sleeves.

[sephardic]

my hands and face are always the first casualties when riding in cold. i use a very thin, breathable balaclava to stop the wind.

take a look at motorcycling gloves - both the 'windstopper' liners, and things like the heated electric gloves. moto supply shops will have some neat wet/cold weather biker gear, with a different selection than cyclist stores. closest to you is the kawasaki place in union square, and after that, greater boston motorcycle sports in arlington (within a half mile of our place).