I know many of you in the rest of the United States will laugh, but I’m starting to have to deal with it getting colder. As a native Southern Californian, I’ve never quite gotten used to what we call winter.
Every year, when autumn is ending, I have to start thinking about liners and base layers. In comparison, summer is easy. I can throw on a t-shirt, a mesh or perforated jacket, and ventilated gloves to take care of my top half. Joe Rocket’s Accelerator jeans flow air through the stretch panels in the thighs, making them perfect summertime pants. Oddly, my feet don’t seem to care what time of the year it is—they don’t get hot or cold.
Unfortunately, the winter isn’t that simple. Because of where I grew up, cold hates me. It attacks me from every direction, and it’s challenging to ward it off without getting too hot.
I had my first bout of the year dealing with chilly temperatures on a ride in Pennsylvania. It was an adventure ride, so I had to balance the coldish morning with afternoons in the 70s, and the internal heat buildup that comes with off-pavement riding.
I didn’t want to be cold in the morning, so I layered up—a short-sleeve t-shirt over a long-sleeve t-shirt over a thermal baselayer. I put on a pair of winter touring gloves (Tourmaster Mid-Tex) with glove liners. For later, Istored a pair of mid-temp ADV gloves (Tourmaster Trailbreak WP) in the built-in rear cargo pocket of the Tourmaster Trek jacket I was wearing—I left the liner at home, freeing up storage room later. The Trek jacket was my ace in the hole, as it has large chest vents, and I’ve worn it on hot days—though not with layers and a long-sleeve shirt.
As luck would have it—and cold weather wear is always a gamble for me—it all sort of worked, kinda. I was always a step behind. I’d get a bit too warm, and by the time I noticed it, I had soaked the first layer.
At the first stop, it was time to run the ADV gloves. I peeled off the Fly Racing baselayer, and the sweat had already migrated into my cotton long-sleeve shirt. That made for a bit of cool riding until it dried out.
When the temperatures hit the 70s, off came the long sleeves, and I noticed the short-sleeve t-shirt was damp. That was not a huge problem, as I opened the Trek’s chest vents, and the moisture was wicked away. I was able to ride the rest of the day without re-donning the stored layers.
I got it right once—or at least close enough for me.
Back home, I had an appointment that required leaving home before the sun was up. While that might not seem odd to you, I’m far more likely to be riding after sundown than before sunrise. Again, I had to figure out what would work on the way to my meeting, and how I would adjust to the warmer returning temperatures. The Fly Racing baselayer did the trick with a long-sleeve shirt.
It’s almost like I’m getting the hang of winter.
To be fair to myself, I’m constantly on different motorcycles that are being ridden at a wide range of speeds. Balancing the bike, the route, and changing temperatures isn’t as easy as it sounds, and I still feel like I’ve yet to hit the right spot in that equilibrium.
I know that Associate Editors Gary Ilminen (Wisconsin) and Neil Wyenn (northern Oregon) are laughing at me and my weather follies, and you’re probably chortling right along with them. That’s okay; one of these days, I’ll figure it out—maybe.
Hey, at least I get to ride 12 months a year, and I have to leave the fuel stabilizer stories to my frozen compatriots. Brrrrrrr.
