he Bike And Clothes You Have Already Are Fine

The rule that applies in better weather also applies when the temperature drops. You’ve been commuting the rest of the year in street clothes, so why stop now? If you start with your closet, you’ll probably find that you already have most of what you need to stay warm when riding to work or to grab groceries. You know the drill: jacket, gloves, scarf, and hat. Ladies, learn to love the magic combination of boots, wool socks, leggings, and skirt!

For those who love gear, Copenhagenize has a great post about not overcomplicating winter cycling. Give it a read before you buy anything else. Bonus: check out the end of the article for tips on riding in the snow.

It’s Probably Not As Snowy As You Think

Speaking of the white stuff, our hardy cyclist friends in Oulu, Finland, face around a foot of snow per month in December and January and earn their city the title of “Winter Cycling Capital of the World.” That means the rest of us are probably going to be ok. Rochester and Buffalo get a little slack, but the average number of snow days drops off quickly for most cities in the US.

Rank Place # of Snow Days
1 Rochester, New York 66
2 Buffalo, New York 61
3 Cleveland, Ohio 47
4 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 40
5 Minneapolis, Minnesota 37
6 Detroit, Michigan 36
7 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 35
8 Salt Lake City, Utah 35
9 Denver, Colorado 33
10 Columbus, Ohio 30
11 Chicago, Illinois 29
12 Indianapolis, Indiana 24
13 Boston, Massachusetts 22
14 Hartford, Connecticut 20
15 Providence, Rhode Island 19

Riding Still Beats Many Of The Other Options

On a bike, you’ll warm up faster and be outside in the cold for a shorter length of time than if you were walking. By not driving, you’re still skipping traffic jams, parking fees, insurance, and the other nastiness that comes with a car. If you typically switch over to transit during crummy weather, consider this: some research suggests that people who have recently ridden on a bus may be six times more likely to get sick than those who don’t use public transportation. Dedicated bus riders may develop stronger immune systems, but it’s the casual riders that end up getting slammed.

It does get dark earlier, so if you don’t have this already, the gear you might consider purchasing is a good set of lights with rechargeable batteries.

You’ll Be Happier

Biking to work is one of the best ways to incorporate physical activity into daily life. Better still, people who exercise outdoors are also more revitalized, energetic, and engaged and report feeling less tense and depressed.  Not too shabby!

So what do you think? Are you already a winter rider? Think you’ll give it a try? What’s your secret weapon to staying warm?