Apparel

Cold Weather Apparel

Don’t be scared. At all.

It is gonna get cold and wet. And we want you to keep on cycling. There are many reasons for you to keep it up. We all know that it is better for your body, your world in general and your pocketbook. You will keep up your fitness level. And lastly, if you do things right, most commutes will be more comfortable by bike than by car. Let’s touch on a few of the important differences between winter riding and other types.

Clothing

You have heard the layers idea over and over. We are not going to tell you any different. Layers allow your body to regulate your temperature better.

Wool: The thing we hammer on here at Salvagetti is using at least one layer of wool. Wool is used by armed forces because it allows your body to do more regulating and you to do less shedding or adding of layers. We carry Icebreaker Merino Wool because it is worth the investment. Icebreaker will last you for quite a long time and you will be exceedingly happy with your purchase. It kind of becomes an addiction. Not like crack, though. A good addiction.

LG Vital Glove

Gloves: Fingers get cold quick, so having the right gloves on indoors before you head out will make your commute much easier. Here is the breakdown: 60-100+ is lightweight glove or no glove weather, cause everyone can tolerate it. From 40 to 60, a wind breaking glove or middleweight glove is ideal. We sell both gloves in one: Louis Garneau Vitals (pictured below). They are semiwarm full finger gloves with a wind protective shield that can be put on or taken off easily. And when it gets cooler than 40, we recommend the Louis Garneau Magma. They are a lobster mitt style that will not let you down. They are downright hot.

For your feet: Wool socks do great things for your feet. Both Save Our Soles and Icebreaker make terrific wool socks. You can wear them in layers for even better heat production and retention. However, sometimes you just need to stop the water from coming in at all. In a pinch, use a plasic bag inside (or outside) of your shoes. The other option which a great deal of people prefer is the shoe cover. They range in price from about $20 to a lot. They are perfect. Most are made of neoprene and some are lighter weight. We prefer the velcro backed kind because sometimes your hands are too cold to grab a zipper (see above section of gloves). Shoe covers go on before you walk out the door with your bike.

Ears/Head: The ears and head are pretty easy. We carry ear warmers that will fit easily with your helmet. But, our preferred choice is the full cap. It has a perfect size bill and enough warmth for damn near any cold you can face in Colorado. Add in a balaclava and you can get anywhere without too much damage. The other nice thing about a balaclava is that it is easy enough to pull up when you warm up a little too much.

While We are at It…Cold Weather Apparel For Your Bike!

Tire Selection
This is the hardest thing to explain to people. To produce friction when it is dry, wet, cold, snowy, hot or hailing you simply need to have enough tire touching the ground. As it gets cooler and wetter, more rubber is better. The bigger the footprint your bike tire makes, the more friction you are producing, the more likely you are to steer and have the bike go that direction.
Kenda Klondike Tire

Snow is LESS SCARY than rain once you have traveled in both by bike. Mostly snow makes you smile when you ride your bike through it.

An option that you should know about for your commuter and mountain bikes is the Kenda Klondike tire (pictured below). They are snow tires for your bike. They have metal spikes that stick into the slippery stuff. We sell them here because they last a long time. And a side note: many times you will ride into work and it will be GROSS out. On your ride home, it is perfect. The spikes in your Klondikes aren’t going to wear down all that quick because they are set up to recede when they cannot help you out. Pretty damn cool.

Ice!!!
Icy roads are scary. Please heed this warning. Don’t ride through ice unless you are ready to fall (pads, helmet and a cell phone for starters.)

Use your bike like a walker through the patches of ice that you encounter. And walk everytime you need to. Bruises will require ice and that will just make you more angry, you know?

Bike Maintenance

Chain: You need to wipe your chain down regularly, especially when it gets wet. Our rule of thumb is to wipe off your chain with a rag (at least) everytime you pump up your tires. This doesn’t have to be a big deal, just a 10 second wipe. Look at the chain and if it no longer looks well lubed, it is time to lube it up again. Before you ride your bike again after lubing, please wipe ALL the excess off of it. Now you are back to a fresh start. We recommend Rock N’ Roll Extreme (the blue stuff) for wet winter riding.

Frame/Drivetrain: Dry off a wet frame and drivetrain. You will be much much much much happier for it. A wet drivetrain will wear out much more quickly than a dry one. You can prevent this extra wear by keeping a rag/shirt/sock near where you keep your pump. Wipe it down after you ride.