Fall is here. Time for a beginner's guide to layering.
October 8, 2015
Everyone Loves Fall Riding
But, let's do it right in the cool air.
First, be careful with your knees. It's easy to make the mistake of exposing them to cold air while riding because all summer long, we haven't given our warm knees a second thought. But now that it's cooler outside, wearing just a pair of shorts, with exposed knees on a cool day, invites trouble. The highly viscous synovial fluid in your knee, the lubrication of the knee joint, needs to be warm enough to work properly and inadvertently cooling your knees, or any body part, while it's exercising invites injury.
How warm is warm enough for exposed knees? Some say a conservative 65°F is the cut-off. Regardless, if you get home from a ride and your patellas feel cool, you're playing with the possibility of knee pain capable of curtailing your riding.
And it's not just knees. I have a friend who suffered from painful Achilles tendon inflammation because he rode in cold weather with short socks and exposed ankles. Bad idea. I recall him limping around, not riding, and this serves as a great reminder to protect the ankles too.
Ages ago, I remember riding in Belgium on a nice, but cool, spring day and noticed the locals racers on a training ride appeared dressed like it was winter. Of course, they knew better and looked upon our cluelessly exposed arms and legs with European disapproval. "Ah, these Americans." Ha!
On the other hand, don't over-dress. Yuck!
Sweating and overheating while riding a bike is a ticket to misery. Hint: If the weather is iffy, wear a thin windbreaker. Once you warm up, roll it up, and put it in a back pocket or bike bag. Another hint: If you feel a little cool when you first start a ride, you'll probably feel dressed just right once you warm up.
Of course, veteran cyclists already know all this, but for newer riders, getting the layering dialed and enjoying fall riding takes a little practice and a few hints, but it's worth it.
Adventure Cycling's Cyclosource store...
has fall riding gear. Lights, layers, and more. And many of these items are on sale in our clearance department.
Even bigger news: This Friday through Monday, October 9–12, 2015, take 10% off your purchase with Promo Code: MS-500
Check it out. But more importantly, get out and ride this fall!
And great prices in Clearance...
Photos by Willie Weir. Post by Brink Kuchenbrod, guest blogging for Cyclo Notes.
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Our Cyclosource store brings you some of the finest bicycling maps and gear available, and all proceeds from Cyclosource support Adventure Cycling’s mission to “inspire and empower people to travel by bicycle.”
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