One of my long overdue goal is to commute in winter at least a couple of times a week. The bike commute from Capitol hill to Redmond is about 18 miles and takes me anywhere from 50 minutes to 1:30 hours.
The hard things in Seattle winter are rain, cold temperature and the short day light. I’m summarizing below the list of things i need to do in order to be ready for this hefty goal (other than getting motivated :)).
The ride
I’m planning to finish building the the touring bike I started to build with Chris earlier this season. I would require a good frame for the same. I’m planning on putting cyclo-cross tires on them, fenders and of-course use the panniers from Seattle to SF ride.
The lights
This is tough and expensive category. I need light to-see and to-be seen.
Experienced cyclists recommend the Niterider as a backlight and MagicShine as a helmet lite.
For blinkers REI sells the planet bike blaze (1W), and the planet bike super-lasher.
Clothing
I guess i would need to buy -
- Facemask
- Incandescent Jacket
- Thermal Gloves (Gauntlets?)
- Thermal bike wear – Performance bike wear?
- Rain pants – (I have them already?)
Shoes
Waterproof shoes is a hard thing. I’m planning to use booties over my current bike shoes. Some folks recommend the Shimano MT60’s.
Anything I missed? Please leave suggestions in the comments. I’m specifically looking to buy multipurpose gear and equipment. I already have too much of it from my climbing and snow-boarding.