It's 45 and rainy/drizzly almost every frickin' day here --- to be fair, I was well-warned about the Pacific Northwest.

Fortunately, for the most part the bikies here are insane enough to ride all year, so I've been (mostly) keeping up the miles. Misery loves company, etc, etc.

However, I could do with other riders' tips, tricks and hacks for the cold weather and rain.

A couple of mine, with which doubtless many are familiar...

Keep in mind, this is all in Portland, where we deal with temps maybe between 35-ish and up ... so I can't recall having to ride with frozen water bottles or a face covered in Vaseline or anything.

1. Rain jacket as thermal layer.
Those $20 PVC rain jackets can really jack up your core temp and help cut down the wind.

2. Sock/bootie layering.
I've been running a thin ankle sock under a pair of wool socks. Over the shoe, I've been experimenting with toe-covers, under track-type booties, under the neoprene zip-up booties.

I've got a pair of fleece-lined booties, but I haven't really noticed a difference between those and the straight-up neoprene ones.

3. Long underwear
Leg-warmers over long underwear keeps the pistons nice and toasty.

4. Double glove it.
I've been running a thin pair of gloves under some fleece-lined ones; it's not quite cold enough here to go lobster-claw, though. Anyone have any experience with the surgical gloves under mittens?

5. Shoe heat warmer inserts --- nope.
There's not quite enough ventilation underneath all those booties to really let the inserts get as toasty as they're supposed to. I picked some up from a outdoor shop for a buck a pack and they didn't really do all that much for me.

6. Ear-covering headband.
A wool cycling hat just got to be too hot under the helmet.

7. Fenders ... and mudflaps that hang to the ground.
Essential for avoiding skunk butt or water-logged feet ... also essential if you want to avoid spraying the guy behind you directly in the eyes.

I've seen mudflaps made from strips of PVC, carpet runner plastic, notebook covers, etc, etc. The store-bought ones aren't quite long enough to reach the ground, which is a real pain in the arse on the group rides.

8. Any other tips for hands and feet?
I've really noticed that the limiting factor on the rides tends to be the condition of my hands and feet --- after a brisk climb or if the pace swings upward, I'm generally warm enough for several hours --- if only I could keep my hands and feet warm. Nothing's scarier than that itchy pain, which is followed by numbness.

I'm constantly telling my wife we'd'a been much better off moving to Girona ...

best,
j