How do you Deal with the Cold Winds?

Vaseline or Lip Salve.  A

Vaseline or Lip Salve.  A trick I learnt in Canada is to put vaseline or lip salve on the tip of your nose, along your cheek bones and on the tips of your ears – anywhere the wind catches.  It provides a bit of insulation and keeps you warmer

Old binder twine? Luxury.

Old binder twine? Luxury.

I was born in the forties so take a somewhat different perspective on foul weather.  If it’s just below freezing I wear only an old sleeveless aertex vest and trust to my tattoos to keep me warm.  If it’s well below zero and the wind is storm force or above I wrap my manly torso with two pages of Cycling Weekly, tied in place with string.  The insulating properties of this august publication are known only to those who yearn for the return of the five-speed block, but trust me, you will need nothing more.

Sounds to me like you just

Sounds to me like you just need some clear glasses, cycling or otherwise. Currently I’m using some Uvex photochromic ones that go clear in low light conditions, but any kind should do the trick. I’ve sometimes used some cheap safety glasses – not stylish but they keep the wind (and dust/dirt) out of your eyes.

Sensodyne toothpaste and a

Sensodyne toothpaste and a mountain bike 🙂

I was out this morning, had

I was out this morning, had to change my route several times due to black ice, so be careful out there.  I was however plenty warm enough.  Long sleeved base layer, normal short sleved jersey and then a stolen goat climb and conquer jacket.  Stolen goat orkaan tights (also use dhb as mentioned above), merino socks,  northwave boots, sealskin gloves, a head cover thing under the helmet, and a buff around my neck and lower face.  A pair of glasses from optilabs which I use on every ride (very poor eyesite, so need glasses, but would wear glasses anyway as think they are the most critical items of safety kit on a ride).  Only cold part really was around my eyeballs, and that was ok after the first 15 minutes when I started to warm up.  Was out for about two and a half hours, but would have stayed warm all day if I had been out that long.

I get scared by ice, but the kit I wear keeps me warm enough.  I tend to stick to larger roads which have been salted, although any road is fine if it has been dry.  Got caught out today down a country road, a runner comming the other way warned me that it was about to get very slippery, then there was a 4×4 pulling a van out of a hedge, so time to go back and try a different route down a major road instead.

Re Builder Goggles. Search

Re Builder Goggles. Search for Bolle Bandido. They are clear specs/goggles, get the chemistry lesson vibe. But you can get clear or low light orange. Decathlon do something similar. No frames, clear visibility, but keeps the wind and crud out of the eyes, paired with a good Gore balaclava or similar.