Is that fahrenheit or celsius?

A commenter on a previous post (Hi Heidi!) asked how one dresses for winter cycling. This is a question I get a lot. And while I didn't really plan this out, my lovely wife was so amused by my get-up today that she asked if she could take a photo of me before I left. I obliged, and she took this photo as she snickered and made snide comments about my ability to rob a bank:

It was 1 degree (fahrenheit) above zero when I left the house today. I was wearing, from bottom to top:

Feet
Hi-Tec hiking boots
one pair thin plastic socks (made from recycled soda bottles or something like that)
one pair medium weight merino wool socks

This winter I've switched from clipless pedals (and my SPD sandle/wool sock/neoprene bootie combo) to regular platform pedals and regular boots. And I'm loving it. If it gets really cold, I could even wear my Sorels. How wonderful. My toes got a little cold standing around waiting for the ride to start, but they were fine while I was riding.

Legs
one pair midweight tights
one pair homemade knickers
one pair underwear

There's about a 3 inch gap between where my socks end and my knickers start and the tights are my only layer. This part of my legs was a little cold heading in to the wind, but not bad once I warmed up.

Torso
Craft long sleeved base layer
cheap cotton henley-style long sleeved shirt
Canari cycling jacket

My torso was fine, no problems at all. This is the combo I've been using the last few years, and I don't plan on making any changes here. It ain't broke, why fix it?

Head and hands
Pearl Izumi balaclava
Old school ski goggles
Ultra cheep army surplus "trigger finger" mittens

A couple of changes here this year. Last spring I lost one of my Craft lobster mittens I'd been wearing the last few years. I was bummed out, because they were great gloves. And if they didn't cost $50 I would replace them without hesitation. But I was at Fleet Farm this fall and saw the trigger finger mitts for $8 and decided to give them a whirl. So far, they have been just as good as the Craft gloves. Today was about as cold as I've ridden with them, and they did great.

Of course, after the ride I was getting caught up on my blog reading. When I got to the Copenhagen Cycling Chic blog I saw a picture of another ride from New Year's Eve. Coincidentally it was 1 degree in Copenhagen. After seeing this, I feel that I may have overdressed a bit.


Ray took a lovely photo of me, Rob and Boone's Farm on the ride today:

Good thing I showered before the ride today. I'd hate to be on the internets in all my unwashed glory.

Finally, I received this comic in my email today:

Rob will understand.

Date: January 1
Mileage: 16
Ride type/Bike: Hiawatha/Raleigh Triumph
January mileage: 16
Year to date mileage: 16