Sunday, November 30, 2008

Cold Weather Riding Gloves

Just like tires, I'm always trying to find the perfect glove. And just as ground conditions vary, so does weather.

The ideal riding glove keeps the hands warm, and especially the fingers that are on the handlebar exposed to moisture and the wind, yet not allow the hands to overheat, sweat and make the glove wet. Plus, they should have great mobility so the rider can still shift and brake--A tall order.

Here is the set of gloves I usually use from the fall through spring.

1. Some off the market Azonic brand. It's a normal full fingered glove but because it has some neoprene, it makes a great glove when the temps are above 50F. In fact, despite sweating hands, it makes a great glove at 90 deg temps too. It's one of my favorite gloves. I wish I had gotten a couple more sets. The nice patch on the back is soft and good for wiping sweat and snot. It's a very soft glove and never gets stiff after drying out.

2. Seirus ultra-light. I got this glove with high expectations after owning a glove from Seirus. This is a nice soft lined glove with leather palms and breathable back. It feels like it would be a nice warm glove. Unfortunately, it's not as warm as I expected. It's good from around 35 F to 50 F but the fuzzy liner is not all that breathable and it seems to be poor at wind resistance. Wind is a real issue on a bike because even if there is no wind, riding a bike creates effective wind.

3. Seirus all-weather. This is a great glove. It's light and agile and very breathable. It's also wind resistance but unfortunately, it's less waterproof than claimed. I have been caught in sleet and cold rain storms --and froze my fingers. Maybe the waterproofing wore off. It also had a nice grip that wore off fast and without it, it's kinda slippery. I use it in temps from around 35 F to 45 F.

4. Pearl Izumi Amphibian. This is the best glove I have ever used. It seems to work at nearly any temperature below 35 F. It's not as breathable as one might want but when I'm using it, my hands are not likely sweating. I have rarely had cold fingers using this, despite it being a five-finger glove.

5. Pear Izumi Lobster. The extreme choice. Everyone knows that mitts are best for warm fingers but it's hard to ride a bike in mitts. Thus, split the fingers and make a hybrid. The lobster. It's not quite as agile as a five-finger but it does give protection beyond what the amphibian does. Usually when I wear this glove, the temps are below zero F and my toes and face are my main concern.

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If I had to recommend the "kit" it would be a glove like the Azonic + the Amphibian. Those cover a majority of all riding. That is unless your climate is a lot different than the front range of Colorado.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Snow...finally.

A little coating of snow on the ground. I had to ride but it will be short lived.

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Monday, November 24, 2008

More Bike Trail in Boulder

After many years of getting the short end of the stick as far as access in Boulder, we have yet another piece of Mountain Bike trail opening.

This is in addition to the High-plains trail and Doudy Draw trails opened in the last two years. The new loop is a 2.5 mile piece called the Spring Brook trai. It will be open in early December. It's also in addition to Boulder Counties recent trail projects; Wild Turkey and Picture Rock.

The Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol attended a pre-ride vetting of the loop this past Saturday.









More here along with information on the bike patrol.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Warm Dry Night

So nice to ride a bike on dry trails when it's like this. It's nice to have this over a month of solid ice. Will this continue?

I hope so..least on the front range. But a nice huge dump of snow in the mountains would be great too.


Sunday, November 16, 2008

Indian Summer weather in Boulder, CO

And even warmer days in store this week. 75 F forecast for Tuesday.

A sample from my Hall Ranch ride from yesterday. It was rather dead on the trail and seeing it completely dry mid November was amazing as well.





Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Old and pharmed up

This is what your counter looks like when you get old.

...or in my case, when my dog gets old.

Nala gets a total of 6.5 pills twice a day. She has respiratory problems that are common in over-bred huskies and she currently has a yeast infection all over her body. We grabbed Nala from the humane society almost 12 years ago, but despite the woes, she is a good catch. I can't imagine Nala not in our life. She is a happy girl.

One thing is for sure, the steroids she is on, makes her so hungry, getting her to eat the rest of the pills is no problem at all.



Nala after a nice bath with some special soap.

Monday, November 03, 2008

Riding near 10,000 feet in November

Usually it's snowed in by now. We enjoyed the opportunity.

Global Warming?

17 miles and 2300 feet of rockiy climbing with the best DH on the front range was a November gift.