You Don't Have To Store Your Bike for Winter
The Princess of Denmark is dressed for the winter weather as she takes her kids to school.
Well, it's that time of year again when we alternate from our two seasons: Hot and Not Hot. Even in Baton Rouge, Not Hot has cold days. It can be frustrating for people. "Finally, I can ride without getting all sweaty but now it's too cold!" people say. The cruel south Louisiana weather tends to turn us all into a bunch of Goldilockses!
As Alfred Wainwright once said, "There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing." This saying is basically an entire philosophy in Scandinavian countries where they are famously the happiest countries in the world and where, not coincidentally, they have great bicycling cultures.
To that point, if you're hesitant about riding bikes because of the cold weather, here are some tips to keep you comfortable in the saddle:
1. Don't overdress - don't dress so warmly that you're warm before you start riding. You'll get too hot after a few minutes. As you pedal, your body heat will rise. Consider layered clothing instead of one very thick coat. That way, you can shed a layer if you need to.
2. Cover extremities - hat, gloves, lip balm are must-haves - cover those ears, fingers and lips. Again, your clothes don't need to be too thick. Just enough to keep the wind off.
3. Pant leg straps - if you don't care for skinny, tapered pants, utilize velcro pant leg straps. They help keep the wind out of your trousers and your trousers off your chain. If you're wearing a dress, there is a variety of long underwear that is indistinguishable from very stylish leggings. No reason you can't look good!
4. Storage - the temperature can rise 20 or even 30 degrees from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Baton Rouge. Remember those layers we talked about? You'll need a way to get those home should you not require them in the afternoons. Backpacks are fine. Baskets are great. If you have a rear rack (and you should), you can put a common milkcrate on the back with zip ties or use Panniers, which are the pinnacle of bike storage.
One thing people tend to forget about living where we live is that, when it comes to Winter, we are pretty darn lucky. We rarely deal with freezing temperatures and almost never have to deal with snow and ice. People in bicycle-happy Minneapolis would kill for our mild winters. So don't take them for granted, and don't let the colder days be an excuse not to ride! Where there's a will, there's a way.
Happy Riding!
