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NYC Council approved the Mayor’s congestion pricing plan. Now, it goes to the state legislature for a vote.
I declared bike winter to be officially over two weeks ago- nevermind that we just got half a foot of snow last night- now it’s time to sum up what I’ve learned about staying warm and dry on a bicycle through Chicago’s brutal winter.
To recap, this winter had more snow than usual. This makes me feel relieved because the slush on the streets is what pained me during January and February. The video below captures the disgusting slush scenery very well.
Here’s a rundown of my bike winter clothing. I should note that as a female, there were many days that I could have easily worn tights and a skirt to ride. There are very few days that I had to sacrifice overall fashion for comfort.
For the record:
2008 Chicago Bike Winter Weather Update
Period: Nov. 1, 2007 – Mar. 31, 2008
Days in period: 152
Max/Min/Avg Temperature: 66 -5 30
Number of days +21F or warmer: 97 64%
Number of days temp. rose over +60F: 2 1%
Days with 1/10″ or more of rain: 32
Total Rainfall (Inches): 12.8
Days with 1″ or more of snow: 19
Total Snowfall (Inches): 60.3
Average wind speed (m.p.h.): 10.4
Max/Min/Avg Temperature: 66 -5 30
Number of days +21F or warmer: 97 64%
Number of days temp. rose over +60F: 2 1%
Days with 1/10″ or more of rain: 32
Total Rainfall (Inches): 12.8
Days with 1″ or more of snow: 19
Total Snowfall (Inches): 60.3
Average wind speed (m.p.h.): 10.4
A wicking base layer is essential. I got mine at the Village Discount Outlet thrift store near my house. Look for polyester, silk, wool, lycra, etc. -materials that will wick the moisture away from your body (cotton will make you freeze, don’t get cotton anything). The base layer needs to fit snug against your skin. Go for a size smaller than what you would normally wear. I found plenty of stretchy workout pants from the 1980’s that were hideous (think neon geometric shapes) and amazingly comfortable. It’s not like anybody knows what your base layer looks like. So, if you find something with an ugly pattern on it, who cares? It’s the material that counts. I was very lucky with getting base layers from the thrift. I even found some very expensive Patagonia brand long underwear for $2.00.
The wicking base layer for my hands were polyester glove liners. More about my hands later in the post.
Next is the insulating layer. This layer is the one that varies based upon the temperature. On days with -30 degree wind chills, I would wear a wool sweater and a fleece pull over. Wool and fleece are your friends. It’s just too bad that fleece comes in so many god-awful colors and cuts. Thrift stores are overflowing with cute vintage wool sweaters. Again, make sure you buy real wool, mohair, merino, alpaca, silk blend, etc. Stay far away from cotton or rayon sweaters, they do not insulate well. Fleece sometimes made me too warm on my commute. I only wore fleece on the coldest days. Between 5 degrees and 15 degrees, I wore a wool sweater. Above fifteen degrees, I got away with a button down silk or polyester shirt or thin hoodie as my insulating layer. I mostly wore jeans or corduroy pants. On very cold days, I wore wool blend dress pants. On the coldest of days, I wore windproof pants on top of my jeans. The legs don’t get cold usually, it’s more important to keep your upper body and your core sealed in.
Every single day I wore the same waterproof/windproof outer layer on top of my wicking and insulating layers. My hot pink windbreaker jacket must be famous by now. These thin jackets can also be found at thrift stores. Look for jackets that have an interior plastic coating for the lining. Inspect the seams to see that the seams are sealed up with a plastic glue-looking coating. This thin outer layer does not “breathe” at all. There are no vents like spring time waterproof cycling jackets. People were always surprised that I could stay warm without wearing lots of bulky layers. The hot pink jacket was the secret to my success. I had rain pants from www.sierratradingpost.com that worked fine. There were only a few instances when I wore them. Snow doesn’t necessarily get you wet- freezing rain will make you wet. I wore the rain pants when I rode my bike during blizzards because there was enough snow to soak through my pants.
I had a polyester/alpaca blend balaclava that saved my nose and ears. On very cold days, I tied a scarf over my nose and mouth (bandit style) on top of the balaclava. There were only a few days when I really needed to do this. My helmet fit over the balaclava and conveniently helped to trap in heat. I didn’t wear a scarf because the balaclava extended to my collarbone and then was covered with my zip-up windproof jacket.
I was extremely lucky to find a pair of tall Ugg boots at the thrift store for $7! They are so comfortable, so warm, and so waterproof that I’m considering investing in a pair for next winter. I always wore wool socks with my boots. On extremely cold days, I wiggled my toes while riding to keep them warm. Other people suggest wearing sock liners in addition to wool socks, but that seems tedious to me. I did just fine with waterproof boots and wool socks. I bought most of my wool socks at the thrift store. Maybe that seems outside of some peoples’ comfort zones, but wool socks can be very pricey. I found smart wool brand socks and beautiful angora socks at the thrift for $1 a pair. Another method to keep your feet warm is using plastic bags.
All of my thrift store gear worked great and I commuted by bike in Chicago’s brutal winter everyday. Seven miles to work and seven miles back. I had a bout of bronchitis which made me take the train for a few days, but I was out there riding on the worst winter days. Blizzards, hail, snow, blowing snow, freezing rain, slush, huge wind gusts, below freezing temperatures, etc. My only gear failure was my gloves. I had polyester glove liners, waterproof/windproof ski gloves and fingerless mittens to top it off. On the coldest days, my hands still stung from the cold. I tried so many glove variations combined with wiggling my fingers while I rode. Nothing worked. I would get home and curse myself for not investing in the cyclist lobster claw gloves. I eventually layered plastic sandwich bags on top of my three pairs of gloves to really keep the wind out. This method was ridiculous because I used masking tape to attach the bags to my mittens and even my co-workers laughed at me. I was very stubborn about spending a lot of money on winter cycling gear, so I just pushed through. Eventually, it warmed up to 30 degrees or so and I was ok. My hands always get cold due to low blood pressure, so my hands would always be very cold even when my body was warm. I remember feeling sweat on my back on a 25 degree day and my hands were painfully stiff. I can still feel the stinging in my hands just writing about my glove frustrations. Next time, I’m absolutely going to spend money on a pair of serious all weather entirely windproof and entirely waterproof gloves.
Biking in Chicago’s winter sounds insane, but it’s actually pretty fun. If it hadn’t been for biking to and from work each day, I would never spend anytime outside! Exercising regularly helped me to feel energized and optimistic in the dead of winter. To top it off, I won’t be afraid of going bathing suit shopping this year because I didn’t put on additional weight during the winter. That’s reason enough for me to keep biking all year. Riding a bike against 15 mph (and above) wind gusts will give you legs of steel!
I talk about Copenhagen a lot on this blog, but Helsinki is another one of my favorite “green” cities. Check out this live public transit map that they developed. You can see where buses and trains are in real time. The map has some really nice functionality; letting you click on the moving icons and see when a bus will arrive at a stop and so on. It’s pretty awesome.
See it here.
winter_groupshot, originally uploaded by ronitbez.
The amended transit bill has officially passed the House and the Senate.
Pedestrian Hell
At Efebos Café
1640 S. Blue Island Ave.
January 25 – March 6 (2008)
With: Janina Ciezadlo, Miguel Cortez, Tom Sibley, Rebecca Wolfram
SPECIAL EVENT: February 15, 7:00
Call Efebos 312-633-9212
efeboscafe@sbcglobal.net,
or Rebecca 773-523-7275
It’s amazing how messy it is to ride year-round in the city. The winter produces so much slush and salt that splatters all over your bike. Without fenders, I would be splattered as well. Here are some photos of my winter bike. Perhaps I’ll post photos at the end of the winter, too.
From the Transit Rider’s Alliance:
It’s been a long ride. Today, the Senate and House have finally approved a long-term plan to fund transit.
This bill will help CTA, Metra, and Pace avoid coming fare increases and service cuts, and help to stabilize the three agencies for years to come. After 25 years of waiting, this is it!
However, the Governor must still sign the bill.
Governor Blagojevich has said that, while supportive of transit funding, he will rewrite or “improve” the bill sent to him by the legislature. The Governor does not have the power to just rewrite legislation–what he’s talking about is using an “amendatory veto.”
An Amendatory Veto suggests changes to the bill. The bill would go back to the House and Senate. The legislature can either vote to accept the Governor’s changes, vote to override the changes (with a 3/5 majority), or let the bill die.
An Amendatory Veto would (at least) delay a solution to the transit crisis or (at worst) endanger the solution altogether.
Please call the Governor’s office today to tell him to sign HB 656, without an amendatory veto, immediately. Tell him that an amendatory veto is still a veto, not a signature.
Governor Rod Blagojevich
(217) 782-6830
Can’t call? Click here an send a fax instead.
Rick Harnish
Executive Director
Transit Riders’ Alliance
A project of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association
PO Box 805877
Chicago, IL 60680
773-334-6758
