How to Bike in the Cold

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The days are getting shorter, the air is getting colder and at some point, we may even see some precipitation in the eastern Sierra. This year, I’ve been heartened to get lots of questions from friends and colleagues about how to keep bike commuting through the winter in Reno. I’ve been riding in Reno in all seasons for three years now, and I’m happy to share what works for me. I’d also love suggestions from others, since I have some winter riding blind spots that I could use help with.

I started to write this all as one post, but it got unbearably long. So, I broke it up into three: How to bike in the cold, how to bike in the rain (spoiler: it sucks!), and how to bike in the snow. This week, we’ll cover how to ride when it’s…

Just plain cold

If you take one thing away from this post, let it be this: Don’t invest a bunch of money in specialized cold-weather cycling clothes before you’ve even tried cold-weather cycling! In my experience, most people in Reno already have all the gear they need to bike through the cold.

When the temperatures dip into the 40s, 30s and below, I break out my downhill ski gloves. I think that most Renoites have a pair of these stuffed in their closets, and if not, you can usually find a pair at Goodwill for a few bucks. To protect my frozen nose, my favorite item is a free cowl I got in a Desert Sky Adventures swag bag. If you don’t have one of those, a thin scarf wrapped around your lower face (and secured by tucking it into the back of your helmet) will do. On my feet, I wear an extra thick pair of ski socks under either leather boots or plain flats. When it’s really cold, I throw on my biggest, warmest down jacket and ride at a leisurely pace so I don’t get sweaty. I’ll admit that ski gloves, a pink cowl, ski socks with flats and an oversized puffy isn’t the most glamorous sartorial ensemble, but it’s warm and it works.

Once you’ve used what you have in your closet for a few weeks, take note of anything that really bugs you and invest in a more tailored, technical solution if you’d like. Do you hate the bulk of wearing a giant down jacket? Look for a lined, wind-resistant soft shell. If you’re ok with being a little cold and first and then biking faster to warm up, a light down jacket like Patagonia’s wonderful Nano Puff Hoody is an awesome option, especially because it has a fitted hood that will go under your helmet. If you feel like a derp biking with ski gloves, get yourself to REI and test out their zillion glove options. But again, I’d only drop major coin on winter biking gear after you’ve done it for at least a few weeks and discovered what’s most important for you, lest you waste money on inappropriate gear and end up resenting the bike.

Beyond the clothing tips above, the best advice I have about how to bike in the cold is…just bike in the cold. Wrap up as best you can, make sure you have something covering your hands, feet and head, and get on your bike. This morning was 18ºF in our fair city, and here’s how my commute went:

Minute 0: “Fuck, it’s so cold.”

Minute 1: “Still really cold. Better bike faster.”

Minute 2: “Nice, biking faster has warmed me up.”

Minute 8: “Whoa, toasty! Better slow down.”

Minute 11: “Bit cold again.”

Minute 14: Fin.

Commuting in the cold makes you appreciate the relative warmth of your office, gives you permission to indulge in the donuts your coworker brought in, and may be the only time you get outside midweek during the short days of winter. Harden up and just do it!