Temperature Control

I don’t know if it’s the time of year (with just a hint that Spring is coming) or just the bloody-minded weather we’ve been having, but I just can’t get my layering right at the moment.

One day I set off in sunshine, albeit, fairly weak sun, and my three layer system starts well, keeping the wind off me on the first slight downhill, but by half way to work I’m warming up dramatically from the inside and regretting at least one of the tops I have on. The next day I hedge my bets and leave off one of them, only to find myself shivering in the gutter and stripping off in biting wind to try and get a base-layer on in order to end up warm again. On a number of occasions I’ve had this happen between riding to work in the morning and coming home in the evening. A ride in where I shivered away and had to drag clothing on, still ending up jumping into the shower for an agonising refilling of my extremities with blood, then leads to a warmly dressed ride home but one where I have to fight to see through the steam rising out of my collar as I drastically overheat. This is even when the sun’s gone in so by rights it should have cooled down.

This is all most distressing and it would suit me fine if we could quickly get back to summer weather where layers don’t play any part. When we get there I’ll probably start moaning about the issues of when to wear sunglasses or not.

Still, it’s always good to remember that there are strict rules to follow with what you wear on your bike. It’s an old facebook group, but for the definitive answer to how to look like a proper euro roadie, have a look at this. It makes me happy to think of myself as basically a mountain biker who just rides the roads to work, not as the be all and end all of my cycling. I just couldn't handle all the shaving.

Whether you’re a roadie, a triathlete, an urban fixie rider, singlespeed 29er-er, or downhill gravity nutter, everyone likes a good customised bike. If Halfords goes through with the purchase of HobbyCraft then you might be able to create something unique with your bike, some PVA glue, crepe paper and beads, all in one trip to an out of town shopping centre. You’ll probably have to drive there in the end, so you’ll almost certainly end up in Pets Plus or Sainsburys instead.

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