Cold Weather Head Gear Strategy

The Blackborow DS post ride.

Everytime we get some "Real Winter" to enjoy I am thinking a lot about how to deal with the cold weather. I have a lot of my cold weather strategies figured out now after having the opportunity to be on a fat bike every year since 2011. Even the few years before that I was regularly out riding 29"ers in the Winter trying different things to stay warm.

One thing that has often been a struggle for me is how to keep my face warm when it gets around 0° or below with any wind at all. Exposed skin is vulnerable to frostbite pretty quickly in these temperatures and the first instinct is to cover everything up. That may work for some folks, but for me, it was never an option. Everyone has their own issues, preferences, and style when it comes to cold weather head gear, but I thought it may be helpful for some of you dealing with these things to read about a solution I have found works great for me. But first, here's what I don't like.....

I don't like balaclavas because I feel uncomfortable in them and they shift on my face enough that I spend way too much time futzing with the position to get it "just so" that I get frustrated. I have tried using the Cold Avenger thing which I found wasn't dealing with my air intake efficiently and it just felt awful to me. It didn't fit right and no amount of positioning could help with that for myself, anyway.

Then I tried Buff type fabric tubes. This has been a lot better deal for me, but I still had issues with how the fabric, in my case the synthetic type meant for cool weather uses, compressed my nose down if I tried using it as a face mask/balaclava-like deal. I almost always pulled it down to just cover my mouth, if that, and well.......then your nose is sticking out there. Not ideal in sub-zero weather.

Cruising some internet information on fat bikes I started to notice guys wearing strips of fabric across their noses which were like bandanas. Separate from whatever they had on their face/jaw area. Jay Petervary then posted about what he was doing. He used a cut down Buff and then put it around his head to just cover the nose with another fabric tube used lower down over his jaw/mouth area. Of course, he had head gear on up top, but that isn't hard to figure out. I decided to give that idea a try this Winter.

Not much  for looks! But it was the best set up I've tried.

I happen to have about five fabric Buff-like tubes, all stretchy, thin ones meant for warmer weather use, but for my uses, work perfect in Winter. Anything that keeps the wind off is all I need, typically. That said, Buffs come in heavier fabrics like wool if you want to go with a more insulating layer.

My head gear layers went something like the following:

• Polarfleece beanie
• Twin Six Wool hoodie
• Buff fabric tube over the top (The camo piece you can see in the image here.)
• Red cotton bandana rolled up to just cover my nose with a corner draped down over my mouth.
• Spy Optic amber lensed "shield"type eyewear.
• "Old Man Winter" Bontrager coat

That was it. The temperatures I was riding in were at 5°F or slightly below with a bit of wind, so the windchill was well below zero. Now typically I would be only able to put up with cold on my face like that by either using a system I was unhappy with and had to fuss over constantly, or this new set up which was a joy to use. The difference maker was the bit over the nose and how I had it set up.

With the bandana corner hanging down over my mouth, I had a couple things going on that were pluses. One was that my breath was directed away from my glasses which kept them fog-free throughout the ride. Secondly, if I needed to drink, spit, or just wanted to have my mouth free I simply flipped that corner of fabric up and I could easily have access to my mouth or be able to spit, etc. Note- The bandana froze at the corner which made this even easier to do.

Now, I am not saying this is "the way to go" for everyone. I am suggesting that what JayPee and others are doing is a smart solution and by using different fabrics and arrangements you probably could achieve similar results. As for myself, I am good with my simple, easy to use, and readily at hand solution for these brutal temperatures and conditions. I rode 2.5hrs with this set up and went home only because I wanted to. I could have ridden a lot longer in total comfort.

By the looks of things, I may not have to bust this system out again this Winter, but if the really cold stuff comes back, I will be ready.

Cold Weather Head Gear Strategy

The Blackborow DS post ride.

Everytime we get some "Real Winter" to enjoy I am thinking a lot about how to deal with the cold weather. I have a lot of my cold weather strategies figured out now after having the opportunity to be on a fat bike every year since 2011. Even the few years before that I was regularly out riding 29"ers in the Winter trying different things to stay warm.

One thing that has often been a struggle for me is how to keep my face warm when it gets around 0° or below with any wind at all. Exposed skin is vulnerable to frostbite pretty quickly in these temperatures and the first instinct is to cover everything up. That may work for some folks, but for me, it was never an option. Everyone has their own issues, preferences, and style when it comes to cold weather head gear, but I thought it may be helpful for some of you dealing with these things to read about a solution I have found works great for me. But first, here's what I don't like.....

I don't like balaclavas because I feel uncomfortable in them and they shift on my face enough that I spend way too much time futzing with the position to get it "just so" that I get frustrated. I have tried using the Cold Avenger thing which I found wasn't dealing with my air intake efficiently and it just felt awful to me. It didn't fit right and no amount of positioning could help with that for myself, anyway.

Then I tried Buff type fabric tubes. This has been a lot better deal for me, but I still had issues with how the fabric, in my case the synthetic type meant for cool weather uses, compressed my nose down if I tried using it as a face mask/balaclava-like deal. I almost always pulled it down to just cover my mouth, if that, and well.......then your nose is sticking out there. Not ideal in sub-zero weather.

Cruising some internet information on fat bikes I started to notice guys wearing strips of fabric across their noses which were like bandanas. Separate from whatever they had on their face/jaw area. Jay Petervary then posted about what he was doing. He used a cut down Buff and then put it around his head to just cover the nose with another fabric tube used lower down over his jaw/mouth area. Of course, he had head gear on up top, but that isn't hard to figure out. I decided to give that idea a try this Winter.

Not much  for looks! But it was the best set up I've tried.

I happen to have about five fabric Buff-like tubes, all stretchy, thin ones meant for warmer weather use, but for my uses, work perfect in Winter. Anything that keeps the wind off is all I need, typically. That said, Buffs come in heavier fabrics like wool if you want to go with a more insulating layer.

My head gear layers went something like the following:

• Polarfleece beanie
• Twin Six Wool hoodie
• Buff fabric tube over the top (The camo piece you can see in the image here.)
• Red cotton bandana rolled up to just cover my nose with a corner draped down over my mouth.
• Spy Optic amber lensed "shield"type eyewear.
• "Old Man Winter" Bontrager coat

That was it. The temperatures I was riding in were at 5°F or slightly below with a bit of wind, so the windchill was well below zero. Now typically I would be only able to put up with cold on my face like that by either using a system I was unhappy with and had to fuss over constantly, or this new set up which was a joy to use. The difference maker was the bit over the nose and how I had it set up.

With the bandana corner hanging down over my mouth, I had a couple things going on that were pluses. One was that my breath was directed away from my glasses which kept them fog-free throughout the ride. Secondly, if I needed to drink, spit, or just wanted to have my mouth free I simply flipped that corner of fabric up and I could easily have access to my mouth or be able to spit, etc. Note- The bandana froze at the corner which made this even easier to do.

Now, I am not saying this is "the way to go" for everyone. I am suggesting that what JayPee and others are doing is a smart solution and by using different fabrics and arrangements you probably could achieve similar results. As for myself, I am good with my simple, easy to use, and readily at hand solution for these brutal temperatures and conditions. I rode 2.5hrs with this set up and went home only because I wanted to. I could have ridden a lot longer in total comfort.

By the looks of things, I may not have to bust this system out again this Winter, but if the really cold stuff comes back, I will be ready.

A Couple More Things, By The Way....

I couldn't squeeze it all into one post on Friday, so here are a couple more things that I wanted to mention as the weekend kicks off...

I Spy With My Spy Optics Covered Eyes....

Spy Optics Performance Eyewear: Here ya go, another eyewear test! This time, it's from a company maybe better known for their goggles than glasses. (Jeremy McGrath is a part owner in Spy Optics, for example) That said, Spy Optics wants to branch out into the performance sector again, and if you go to their site, you'll find a mostly "lifestyle" type look and feel that isn't necessarily what we cyclists would find all that welcoming.....let's just say it that way, for looking at what we want in eyewear.

Well, Spy Optics can figure out the marketing, but as far as eyewear goes, they have the technology and performance down pat. You can read my detailed review on The Cyclistsite here. I will say here that these glasses are super comfortable, super high performance, and are on par with the high end name brands in cycling we are familiar with. Very much on par, maybe better.

Cyclists will dig the full coverage, semi-frame construction, and the anti-fogging design. My samples were polarized too, which cuts way down on glare on hot, sunlit days. There are several frame colors and lens choices too.  They have anti-scratch and anti-moisture treatments on the lenses as well. Fully optimized lens technology for vision here. No distortion and on par with the best in the business as far as that goes. Worth wading through the culture there to find these, if you want something different than the mainstream brands in cycling, for sure. I give these my recommendo.

Disclaimer: The Spy Optics eyewear was submitted to us at The Cyclist at no charge for review. I was not bribed or paid to write this post. I strive to give my honest opinions throughout. 

A Little Birdy Told me....

Say It Ain't So!: Possibly great news reached me Friday via e-mail. I heard from Phil Wood & Co. (GASP!), and they told me that the hub had been replaced! (Not repaired, but replaced)

I told them to do that straight away last time it went back, by the way. Appears that their "Head Engineer" agreed....... finally. Good. Now assuming the wheel is built, and correctly, I should be getting The Snow Dog back together again by next weekend.

Now let's assume everything comes along as planned so far. I will then mount the wheel back into the Snow Dog and proceed to stomp it hard for several off-road rides. If it survives, then I'm good. Well, as far as the wheel is concerned. There still is the issue of five months of holding up my Snow Dog riding to be considered, but I really just hope this cures it and ends this saga. Stay tuned........

A Couple More Things, By The Way....

I couldn't squeeze it all into one post on Friday, so here are a couple more things that I wanted to mention as the weekend kicks off...

I Spy With My Spy Optics Covered Eyes....

Spy Optics Performance Eyewear: Here ya go, another eyewear test! This time, it's from a company maybe better known for their goggles than glasses. (Jeremy McGrath is a part owner in Spy Optics, for example) That said, Spy Optics wants to branch out into the performance sector again, and if you go to their site, you'll find a mostly "lifestyle" type look and feel that isn't necessarily what we cyclists would find all that welcoming.....let's just say it that way, for looking at what we want in eyewear.

Well, Spy Optics can figure out the marketing, but as far as eyewear goes, they have the technology and performance down pat. You can read my detailed review on The Cyclistsite here. I will say here that these glasses are super comfortable, super high performance, and are on par with the high end name brands in cycling we are familiar with. Very much on par, maybe better.

Cyclists will dig the full coverage, semi-frame construction, and the anti-fogging design. My samples were polarized too, which cuts way down on glare on hot, sunlit days. There are several frame colors and lens choices too.  They have anti-scratch and anti-moisture treatments on the lenses as well. Fully optimized lens technology for vision here. No distortion and on par with the best in the business as far as that goes. Worth wading through the culture there to find these, if you want something different than the mainstream brands in cycling, for sure. I give these my recommendo.

Disclaimer: The Spy Optics eyewear was submitted to us at The Cyclist at no charge for review. I was not bribed or paid to write this post. I strive to give my honest opinions throughout. 

A Little Birdy Told me....

Say It Ain't So!: Possibly great news reached me Friday via e-mail. I heard from Phil Wood & Co. (GASP!), and they told me that the hub had been replaced! (Not repaired, but replaced)

I told them to do that straight away last time it went back, by the way. Appears that their "Head Engineer" agreed....... finally. Good. Now assuming the wheel is built, and correctly, I should be getting The Snow Dog back together again by next weekend.

Now let's assume everything comes along as planned so far. I will then mount the wheel back into the Snow Dog and proceed to stomp it hard for several off-road rides. If it survives, then I'm good. Well, as far as the wheel is concerned. There still is the issue of five months of holding up my Snow Dog riding to be considered, but I really just hope this cures it and ends this saga. Stay tuned........

Gear Try-Outs

Throwin' the Horns

Recently I got a couple of new items to check out. These will be getting reviewed on The Cyclistsite in short order, so stay tuned for that. For now, here is some information and my initial impressions on these two cycling items.

First up, we have Ergon's new glove, the "HE2". Ergon has four new gloves for different mountain biking disciplines. The HE2 is geared for DH and Enduro type riding where the rider would likely be using a GE1 or GA1 grip. (Although in reality, you can use these with any Ergon grip, or any other grip, for that matter.)

The gloves came on an environmentally friendly, 100% recycled/recyclable cardboard display hangar. This is great, but the fine, faded looking print on it was hard to read! Good thing Ergon has a great website!

And on that website, you'll find Ergon's description of the gloves. I won't get all into that here. (Look for details on The Cyclistsite), but I will say a few comments about them right away here.

These gloves look very well made. Lots of stitching going on with the white panels against black, and the heel of the palm protector, in case you biff! One glaring omission here: No terry cloth sweat wiper. Weird! I though every cycling glove had that feature. Guess not anymore!

I've had one ride on them so far, and it is obvious they are still breaking in, so I'll wait for any performance judgments for a bit.

Mrs. Guitar Ted and the Alpha by Spy Optics

Spy Optics has re-entered the "performance eyewear" category with this new Alpha model and three others which are new for 2011.

The Alpha eyewear I received has a gray polarized lens on a matte black, semi-rimmed frame made from Grilamid which is crazy flexible, light, and holds its shape really well. Just perfect for the rough and tumble mountain biker!

There are all sorts of technologies going on here with the Alpha, which I will get into in my review pieces on The Cyclistsite, but for now, I have to say that these are impressive.

Haven't heard of Spy Optics? Well, these are not "cheap sunglasses", by any stretch. These are competitive with some brands you are familiar with, and have similar treatments and performance attributes. My initial testing shows that Spy Optics Alpha is a top notch piece of equipment. Right up there with my favorite eyewear. This should be a good test.

Well, that is if I can pry them out of Mrs. Guitar Ted's hands! She looks better in them than I do anyway! (Well, I think I look "okay" in them too, don't get me wrong!)

Gear Try-Outs

Throwin' the Horns

Recently I got a couple of new items to check out. These will be getting reviewed on The Cyclistsite in short order, so stay tuned for that. For now, here is some information and my initial impressions on these two cycling items.

First up, we have Ergon's new glove, the "HE2". Ergon has four new gloves for different mountain biking disciplines. The HE2 is geared for DH and Enduro type riding where the rider would likely be using a GE1 or GA1 grip. (Although in reality, you can use these with any Ergon grip, or any other grip, for that matter.)

The gloves came on an environmentally friendly, 100% recycled/recyclable cardboard display hangar. This is great, but the fine, faded looking print on it was hard to read! Good thing Ergon has a great website!

And on that website, you'll find Ergon's description of the gloves. I won't get all into that here. (Look for details on The Cyclistsite), but I will say a few comments about them right away here.

These gloves look very well made. Lots of stitching going on with the white panels against black, and the heel of the palm protector, in case you biff! One glaring omission here: No terry cloth sweat wiper. Weird! I though every cycling glove had that feature. Guess not anymore!

I've had one ride on them so far, and it is obvious they are still breaking in, so I'll wait for any performance judgments for a bit.

Mrs. Guitar Ted and the Alpha by Spy Optics

Spy Optics has re-entered the "performance eyewear" category with this new Alpha model and three others which are new for 2011.

The Alpha eyewear I received has a gray polarized lens on a matte black, semi-rimmed frame made from Grilamid which is crazy flexible, light, and holds its shape really well. Just perfect for the rough and tumble mountain biker!

There are all sorts of technologies going on here with the Alpha, which I will get into in my review pieces on The Cyclistsite, but for now, I have to say that these are impressive.

Haven't heard of Spy Optics? Well, these are not "cheap sunglasses", by any stretch. These are competitive with some brands you are familiar with, and have similar treatments and performance attributes. My initial testing shows that Spy Optics Alpha is a top notch piece of equipment. Right up there with my favorite eyewear. This should be a good test.

Well, that is if I can pry them out of Mrs. Guitar Ted's hands! She looks better in them than I do anyway! (Well, I think I look "okay" in them too, don't get me wrong!)