Weather

Wind is by far the worst weather to deal with on a bike. I can deal with sun, snow, rain, cold weather. Humidity can be a bear, too, but wind is so discouraging.

For rain there are helmet covers, ponchos, fenders, etc. I find the shoe covers useful in short rains. I have not tried them in heavy rain circumstances. The rain gear designed to keep OUT moisture will also keep IN moisture(perspiration). No matter how much venting and technology that is used I have not found anything that works as it says it will in terms of breathability. Breathability is a term Goretex uses. It means the material lets sweat dissipate from within the clothing to the outside, while not allowing rain to permeate. I do not buy a lot of the high tech gear, so I am not a source of information in that regard. I have tried a few Goretex items like shoes, jacket, mitten covers and none have been all that good for the breathability. I tend to get hot when riding. That may be different for others.

Ponchos have much more exposure to air and therefore, thru their low tech approach allow air flow during rainfall which provides additional cooling from the air movement. I have a poncho with a hood that I bought from Campmor. I don't use the hood because it makes me too warm. The big problem with the poncho is the front of the poncho pools water between the handlebar and the shoulders. When you move your hands from the bars the pooled water pours onto your feet. Another problem with the poncho is that you can't see your hands and feet. This makes it hard to know what gear you are in or to shift at all if you use downtube shifters. On my commuter bike I have bar end shifters which allows me to shift without stretching the poncho too far.

Snow and ice are obviously treacherous for any two-wheeled vehicle. I rode motorcycles for 18 years thru all kinds of weather. I rode all my life in snow and ice on bicycles. In our area the climate is mild and snow is relatively rare. Ice is fairly regular here in the winter which gives me adequate experience to be an expert. It is very hard to be sure you see the ice. Our streets in this area are fairly saturated with chemicals so I can count on most roads being ice free. Remember that it only takes a tiny patch of ice at the wrong place to cause major lasting pain or worse.

When riding in possible icy conditions and you come upon an unavoidable ice patch stabilize yourself on the bike and ride straight thru without turning, leaning or braking. Be aware that when temperatures hover above and below freezing thru a period of days there will be pools of water that refreeze at night. Those ice patches are especially treacherous. As in all circumstances, if you are at all unsure of a roads condition, claim your lane so that you have plenty of space to travel to get around potential problems.