How to Keep Warm on Winter Ride?

Going out for a ride in the cold winter is very painful. Many people who love cycling have a deep understanding. Riding in winter, if we don't do enough complicated preparation, we will hurt ourselves. For example, without cycling gloves, the cold outdoor environment will numb your hands during cycling. In severe cases, it can even make you feel pain. This bad outdoor riding experience will make you lose your enthusiasm for riding.

But don't worry. If you follow our winter cycling guide, you will surely avoid these situations while riding. Here's what we've put together for you to protect yourself from the cold and stay comfortable while riding.

Precautions Before Riding

Some warm details cannot be ignored before riding outdoors. To have a good riding experience, you should pay more attention to the up-front preparation.

Avoid Cold Hands and Feet

Don't hang around with bare feet until we're ready to go out for a ride. This way, the floor will suck away our body heat. Keeping warm feet will help us avoid the invasion of cold. In this way, our feet will become more generous and warmer when we ride, and our bodies will become more and more comfortable.

Warm Up

Warm-up exercises should be done before cycling, like other outdoor sports, to avoid strains. As for specific warm-up exercises, you can search online by yourself. In short, the whole warm-up exercise should warm up the muscles, and the body should be slightly warm.

Do a Good Job of Keeping Warm

Cycling outdoors, wearing too much, sweating, and wind blowing, easy to catch a cold. If you wear less, you will feel cold again. How should I dress warmly for winter cycling? For illustration, we've reviewed the winter outdoor cycling gear head-to-toe order.

Head Warmer

Scientific research has found that when the ambient temperature is 15°C, the heat emitted by the head accounts for 30% of the total body heat. At 4 °C, it can be as high as 60% of the natural heat. That is to say, the lower the temperature, the more heat dissipation. So, wearing a cycling beanie in autumn and winter can protect the head and prevent the loss of body heat. A helmet must be worn with other equipment, such as glasses and hats.

The cycling beanie is a quirky but functional piece of essential cycling gear. It stops rain and sweat from flowing into the eyes in spring and summer. In autumn and winter, it can prevent direct sunlight from entering the eyes and block part of the wind and snow.

Neck Warmer

The cycling neck gaiter is an artifact for outdoor cycling. In addition to keeping the neck warm, different wearing methods have other functions. For example, use it as a headscarf, mask, hair band, tourniquet, filtered water, etc.

It should be noted that when cycling outdoors in winter, do not use a cycle neck gaiter as a mask. Don't even wear a mask. Because of long-term outdoor riding, the exhaled heat will form thin ice around the mask and frostbite the face.

Hand Warmer

We all know that the hands are the most sensitive place in the human body. It can quickly sense the temperature of the outside world and is the most vulnerable to cold. Our hands play a significant role when we're out and about riding. If the cold wind damages it, it will easily cause safety hazards. So, a pair of windproof gloves is crucial. Leather cycling gloves are not only windproof and warm but also wear-resistant. The surface is leather, and the inside is fleece to keep the warm polyester fiber. It gives the hands a warmer and more comfortable touch.

Leg Warmer

To make cycling more flexible, cycling pants should not be too thick but should be able to ensure warmth. When riding in winter, the first thing you should consider is the protection of your knees. The function of cycling pants is mainly to absorb moisture and sweat. Elastic fabric is suitable for wrapping buttocks and thigh muscles. It has the effect of protecting the leg muscles. The tight-fitting design helps to reduce wind resistance when driving and reduces the friction between the inner thigh and the seat.

Feet Warmer

Most winter cycling shoes have Gore-Tex waterproof uppers, fleece linings, and insoles. It increases insulation and sweat-wicking properties. They will usually have your mid-high ankle shin guards. Compared with other lightweight shoes, winter-specific cycling shoes will allow your feet to deal with cold weather well.

Plus, wool cycling socks are an excellent option for our winter rides. The material does a great job of keeping you warm. And the wool fabric is also very breathable, which helps our feet sweat. Thick winter cycling socks can also help us stay warm in the cold. But it doesn't feel heavy when worn. Pairing with professional cycling shoes is the perfect protection for your feet.

Three-layer Dressing Method

Keeping warm should always be the priority when going out cycling. At the same time, your clothing must be well-ventilated if you don't want to sweat while riding. If there is no timely perspiration function, sweat will accumulate in the body, and your clothes will be soaked, which will cause a cold. Professional cycling clothing uses unique fabrics. It keeps you warm while wicking away sweat.

So the best way is to choose professional cycling clothing. Note that to avoid wearing cotton clothes. Once sweaty, they take a long time to dry, which is unsuitable for the ride.

What is the three-layer dressing method? It is to divide all your clothes into three classes. Each level has different tasks. Usually, we can arrange all the body clothes in the following order.

Perspiration Layer

The sweat-wicking layer can also be called a close-fitting layer, which is close-fitting clothing. But it must have the function of heat preservation and perspiration. This layer of clothing prevents sweat from condensing on us. It helps a lot in slowing down the loss of body temperature.

Insulation Layer

The primary function of the middle layer of clothing is to keep warm. It works with the sweat layer to maintain our body heat. Your mid-layer should dry quickly and provide insulation when wet. Cardigans make great mid-layers. The colder it gets, the thicker your mid-layer needs to be.

Windproof Layer

The windproof layer is also called the insulation layer. It is the outermost layer of clothing we wear when riding. Its primary purpose is to be windproof and waterproof. Because whether it is the inner or middle layer, they cannot prevent wind. The wind will blow into your body through the gaps in the sweater, removing your heat. And the windproof layer protects against rain, snow, and current as you ride. Your outer jersey must be both waterproof and breathable.

Choosing a Professional Cycling Clothing Supplier

Professional cycling clothing can resist the cold wind in winter. Of course, the first step is to choose a reliable cycling clothing supplier. Jelenew has a professional design and development team aiming to create comfortable and fashionable cycling clothes for women. This professional cycling apparel brand combines cycling function with aesthetics, encouraging women to be themselves and push boundaries. At Jelenew, you can find professional cycling clothing for women of all shapes and sizes. In any case, to enjoy riding more comfortably, you must choose a reliable cycling clothing supplier.

Conclusion

In short, the weather is getting colder and colder as we enter the autumn and winter seasons. It is quite a challenge for cycling enthusiasts. Safety is the number one factor in winter outdoor riding. Because winter is cold, freezing, rainy, and snowy, it would be a horrible riding experience.

But with the proper preparation, winter cycling is also a great outdoor experience. Winter is a quiet, charming season. As we said above, warm up and prepare accordingly before you start, and you'll have an experience like no other. This article will be the best answer if you still wonder what to pay attention to when riding outdoors in winter.