Chicago weather is crazy. When I rode my bike to work this morning it was 38 degrees and on my way home it was 65 degrees. Almost a 30 degree difference in temperature in about 9 hours. How does a person bike to work on a day like today? Layers. I had always read and heard to wear lots of layers when biking, but never really believed it until now.
While we had a very mild winter we did have a few sub-zero days. On those days I was wearing 2 layers of socks and pants, 3 layers of gloves and 4 layers of shirts/jacket. The key to being comfortable was to wear layers I could shed if I got hot and to carry extra layers I could add if I got cold. I often had to stop and add a layer of gloves on very windy days. I’ve also found that an outer layer that really blocks wind is key to staying warm. A lot of “wind-breakers” just don’t cut it. Go for the good stuff.
Today I had enough layers to stay warm this morning and was able to drop my gloves early and my sweatshirt later on my ride home.
The use of layers also helps me to keep the perfect temperature so I’m not overwhelmingly sweaty when I get to work. A lot of people worry about this aspect of biking to work. Just try to be prepared and go for it!
