# There is no bad weather with good clothing. Ride Report.



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

It had just started to rain when we left the house this morning.

Not much wind.

40 degrees.

Over my helmet I was wearing a Burley (sigh  ) rain cover. Under it I was wearing 2 hoodies-one we got from Sierra Trading and a Wooly Warm from Rivendell.

We headed downtown to check out how badly yesterdays demonstration had trashed the place. 

Perhaps It was ugly out to some but my head was warm and dry.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Then we cruised along the Mall over to Haines Point. 

On my hands I was wearing a thin almost worn out irreplaceable (  ) pair of GT half gloves, a pair of Marmot long finger gloves and a pair of Yoko windblock cross country ski gloves. Between the long finger gloves I had a pair of hot hands.

The Awakening didn't seem to happy about the mornings weather but my hands were comfortably warm and I had no problem operating the camera.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

We crossed the Potomac into Virginia and the Mount Vernon trail. We were heading south and so was the rain.

I was wearing Nike wool socks, a worn out pair of Lake ATB shoes and Sugoi Booties.

We were riding through lots of puddles and every so often a car would spray us a bit. 

We stopped for a bathroom break and I took the opportunity to dry off my shooting glove. My feet didn't need drying (or warming).


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

We were riding our Rivendells. Miss M her full custom Hot Chocolate, me on the Rambouillet.

Fenders of course. 

Even though we were wet on the outside we didn't have those dirty stripes up our front and backside and our bottles were clean and drinkable.

Fenders rule!


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

When the rain finally stopped the sleet started. Man that stuff hurts when it hits any exposed skin (about 4 square inches on our faces). 

I was wearing a pair of PI shorts, a very old pair of Ice Biker tights, Wooly Warm knee warmers and a pair of Burley (sigh) rain pants.

Even though the temps were dropping and perhaps it was even getting a bit icy I still wasn't cold at all.


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## commutenow (Sep 26, 2004)

*another cold ride*

I rode today with 35 degree weather and some wind and I also was pretty warm and decided to dress like I would on my commute to teach. I had on bike shorts and Levi's, smartwool socks, Lake winter booties, Icebreaker 1st layer, Rivendell 2nd layer wool sweater, Pendleton sweater, light windbreaker.Under my helmet I had on a Rivendell Wigwam wool hat with a Cannondale polertec ear warmer headband and on my hands I had on smartwool lightwool gloves and Run don't walk wind gloves. So not until my return did I feel a little cold and all the more reason for a hot shower. I saw a Valentine wreath out in the country and took a picture. Yesterday a little snow and a picture.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Closing in on the city the sleet started to mix with some snow. Except for a brief blast of sleet it never really came down hard all day but there wasn't any one time where something wasn't falling out of the sky.

In my Castelli mesh undershirt, long sleeve wool undershirt, PI long sleeve long zipper jersey, Wooly Warm long sleeve jersey and Nike Storm Jacket I didn't even need to zip up the whole day.

We had a lot of fun even though we only got in about 75 miles for the day. Oh well, it is winter, sooner or later we will get some bad weather.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

commutenow said:


> ......Yesterday a little snow and a picture.


Nice snow photo, perhaps we will get more tonight. 

My GT is ready.

So am I!


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## llama31 (Jan 13, 2006)

*Why are you sighing about Burley?*

They go out of business or something?

I was No Virginia this weekend. We did about 30 mi on the WO&D trail yesterday, but I chickened out today. I'm nursing a broken rib and don't want to take any chances, so the snow/sleet/rained kept me off the bike.

as always, great pictures.


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## StageHand (Dec 27, 2002)

llama31 said:


> They go out of business or something?
> 
> I was No Virginia this weekend. We did about 30 mi on the WO&D trail yesterday, but I chickened out today. I'm nursing a broken rib and don't want to take any chances, so the snow/sleet/rained kept me off the bike.
> 
> as always, great pictures.


They're out of the clothing business.

Thanks for the pics, MB1.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

OverStuffed said:


> They're out of the clothing business.......


Sigh


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## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

well at least you're airing your clean laundry


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

YuriB said:


> well at least you're airing your clean laundry


Yes indeed, there is nothing like the aroma of damp wool after a long ride.


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Great stuff. We're praying for snow here also. Been almost nothing and it's getting discouraging.


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## eric (Mar 28, 2005)

How cold was it?

If I wore all those layers, I would be overly warm unless it were in the teens (f).


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## Bocephus Jones II (Oct 7, 2004)

eric said:


> How cold was it?
> 
> If I wore all those layers, I would be overly warm unless it were in the teens (f).


cold doesn't bother me much, but all this rutted ice that's been here for going on 2 months now is proving to be problematic.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*It wasn't so much the cold, it was the moisture.*



eric said:


> How cold was it?
> 
> If I wore all those layers, I would be overly warm unless it were in the teens (f).


When it is right around freezing and you are wet IMHO those are the coldest conditions to be outdoors until it gets a lot closer to single digit temps. Cold water sitting on you sucks up a lot of heat-way more than cold air does.

As soon as it started to sleet and snow we dried up and unzipped a lot. If we had stayed out any longer we would have had to start removing layers.


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## eric (Mar 28, 2005)

MB1 said:


> When it is right around freezing and you are wet IMHO those are the coldest conditions to be outdoors until it gets a lot closer to single digit temps. Cold water sitting on you sucks up a lot of heat-way more than cold air does.
> 
> As soon as it started to sleet and snow we dried up and unzipped a lot. If we had stayed out any longer we would have had to start removing layers.


Makes sense. Not a lot of cold _and_ wet out these parts.

It gets cold, but its a dry cold


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*I work for them.*



MB1 said:


> We headed downtown to check out how badly yesterdays demonstration had trashed the place.
> 
> 1199/SEIU that is. I've made your photo of our trash my background. It's embarassing to me that an organization that claims to care so much about people is so cavalier about the environment.
> 
> ...


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Spinfinity said:


> I work for them....1199/SEIU that is.........


The Mall was trashed but the Park Service was working hard cleaning it up. By Sunday afternoon the place was back to normal.

BTW I too always wonder at the arrogance of the folks that attend large demonstrations who feel so free to trash the Mall. Don't they realize what kind of impression that leaves behind? OTOH you can't really say that any one group is all that much worse than any other.......


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*Only events that I've seen do better are Earth Day.*



MB1 said:


> BTW I too always wonder at the arrogance of the folks that attend large demonstrations who feel so free to trash the Mall. Don't they realize what kind of impression that leaves behind? OTOH you can't really say that any one group is all that much worse than any other.......


More trashcans or dumpsters would probably help, but the root of the problem is people who believe that nothing matters nearly as much as their issue. I suppose ending a war you don't believe in is more important than picking up after yourself, but picking up after yourself does matter and doesn't prolong the war. One of the reasons I gave up mountain biking is not wanting to be identified with a group I saw as the worst group of slobs in the woods.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*feet*



MB1 said:


> Over my helmet I was wearing a Burley (sigh  ) rain cover. Under it I was wearing 2 hoodies-one we got from Sierra Trading and a Wooly Warm from Rivendell.
> Perhaps It was ugly out to some but my head was warm and dry.


Nice pix. I hate getting rained on, though, unless it's 95 degrees.

For your feet, these "army boots" are incredibly warm and dry. I got them for about $185, which isn't cheap, but then there's the convenience of not messing around with booties, no wear and tear on booties, and they work better than even the best booties. I got tired of cold toes, and with these and wool socks, even at 30 degrees, you can't even detect the cold.

http://www.lakecycling.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=MXZ301-2007 MODEL


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Fixed said:


> Nice pix. I hate getting rained on, though, unless it's 95 degrees.
> 
> For your feet, these "army boots" are incredibly warm and dry. I got them for about $185, which isn't cheap, but then there's the convenience of not messing around with booties, no wear and tear on booties, and they work better than even the best booties. I got tired of cold toes, and with these and wool socks, even at 30 degrees, you can't even detect the cold.
> 
> http://www.lakecycling.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=MXZ301-2007 MODEL


I have a pair of those (an older model) but find them too warm for long rides above 20 degrees or so.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*I'm a wimp*



MB1 said:


> I have a pair of those (an older model) but find them too warm for long rides above 20 degrees or so.


I'm a wimp. You do long rides under 20 degrees? I bow in humility...


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## theBreeze (Jan 7, 2002)

feet & too warm Three words I'll never use in the same sentence.


feet can never be too warm.


edit - whoops guess I just did!


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Fixed said:


> I'm a wimp. You do long rides under 20 degrees? I bow in humility...


Weather doesn't have much to do with our miles.

You can pretty much figure if it is Sunday or a Holiday we are riding all day. I don't know exactly how it ended up working out that way but Miss M gets really disappointed if we do something short like this reports 75 miles; 100 is about the minimum she will accept (200k + is more like it any more).


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*weather?*



MB1 said:


> Weather doesn't have much to do with our miles.
> 
> You can pretty much figure if it is Sunday or a Holiday we are riding all day. I don't know exactly how it ended up working out that way but Miss M gets really disappointed if we do something short like this reports 75 miles; 100 is about the minimum she will accept (200k + is more like it any more).


Are there *any* weather conditions that will stop you?


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Fixed said:


> Are there *any* weather conditions that will stop you?


Storm winds, big ice, lightning and heavy rain or a combination of these. Bad air quality combined with heat and humidity in the summer will do it too.

We may be nuts but we aren't crazy.


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*thanks*



MB1 said:


> Storm winds, big ice, lightning and heavy rain or a combination of these. Bad air quality combined with heat and humidity in the summer will do it too.
> 
> We may be nuts but we aren't crazy.


Ok, that makes me feel a little better.

All I can boast about, I suppose, is that even 110 degree heat won't stop me. Slower, yes. Oh, but it's a dry heat... You all are true "hard men," though (as I understand the European term to mean).


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*I melt in the heat, not in the rain*



Fixed said:


> Ok, that makes me feel a little better.
> 
> All I can boast about, I suppose, is that even 110 degree heat won't stop me. Slower, yes. Oh, but it's a dry heat... You all are true "hard men," though (as I understand the European term to mean).


If it gets over 90f, I'm cooked after 2 or 3 hours. Busted spokes on a rear wheel and chose not to buy a new one rather than go back out in the heat to finish a 600k. When I hear about the Furnace 508 I wanna look for the A.C. 508 so I have a chance.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Someone asked about rain gear, here you go.


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## jaimeS (Nov 18, 2005)

Were those Burley rain pants Mrs. M was sporting as well? They have zippers all the way down the sides? That's awesome. I'm using some Illuminite rain pants with a short ankle zipper and a mesh liner but zero ventilation. They can get really warm at times and I wish there was a better alternative.


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## bwana (Feb 4, 2005)

jaimeS said:


> Were those Burley rain pants Mrs. M was sporting as well? They have zippers all the way down the sides? That's awesome. I'm using some Illuminite rain pants with a short ankle zipper and a mesh liner but zero ventilation. They can get really warm at times and I wish there was a better alternative.


Apart from the ventilation problem, do you think the illuminite works as advertised?


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

MB1 said:


> Someone asked about rain gear, here you go.


I can't see anything.


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## KWL (Jan 31, 2005)

That's a photo for history. Sadly......


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

bwana said:


> Apart from the ventilation problem, do you think the illuminite works as advertised?


Illuminite doensn't work all that well. 

Since the stuff is pretty much glass beads it reflects in all directions including the ground and sky. In other words the reflection is dispersed over a wide area instead of back to the light source-not an ideal situation.

In addition when it is wet the reflective properties are mostly negated.

Looks good in the store but not so good on the road. Don't even get me started about the dark fabrics they offer..... :mad2: 

You are likely much more visible with clothing that has 3M reflective strips sewn in.


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## morryjg (Jan 6, 2008)

I love the title of the thread! I'm close to figuring out the right combination of clothes for the early commutes in, but haven't quite gotten there yet. Fortunately, I don't have to deal with that much wet weather. But I haven't gotten the glove layers perfected so that it's warm enough without being too hot. I'm comfortable down to the mid 20s, any colder than that and my hands get way cold. I'll get it right one of these days.


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## superjohnny (May 16, 2006)

As far as rain-gear I've been very happy with Craft Storm tights & a Shower's Pass jacket. Together they keep me very reasonably dry. I haven't figured out hands and feet yet though. If gloves are water-proof they're generally too warm. For shoes and/or covers I'm totally lost. I just can't believe anyone pays $400 for Sidi winter riding shoes.


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