Choosing the best clothing and gear for hybrid biking is almost as important as picking the best hybrid bike for your needs. If your rides are longer, you will need warm gear for the summer and cold gear for the winter. If you are looking for advice on hybrid bike gear, you have come to the right place.
This year, we are having a fairly cold winter and it is important to dress warmly for your bike ride. The first thing to remember is that while you may be cold while standing still or walking briskly, the wind chill while riding at 15+12+ miles per hour can make you feel much colder. In order to stay warm, you must layer your clothing!
Base Layer
The first and most neglected layer is the base layer. You can use a tshirt and/or long johns for shorter rides in less cold weather but ideally, you want a breathable garment that wicks moisture away while keeping you insulated. The purpose of a wicking material is to take the sweat away from your body before you can feel the cold. Your body cools itself down by sweating because you feel cooler when the sweat evaporates from your skin. This is counterproductive to cool weather riding because you do not want the sweat to evaporate from your skin and the wicking material in a quality base layer takes the moisture from your skin to prevent this from happening. There are many great products available, but I recommend high quality products like the Mountain Hardware and Under Armour.
Middle (Insulating) Layer and Shell (Wind Blocking) Layer
The middle layer basically provides you with insulation so that your body can retain its heat and you stay warm and the shell layer is typically breathable to let your body moisture evaporate but blocks wind and other elements that will make you feel colder. Think of a good shell as a one way valve: it keeps the wind from entering but lets the moisture out. Traditionally, the middle and shell layers were separate materials for example you would have a fleece middle layer and a nylon shell. Due to many recent advancements in material technology, there are many more garments that retain both insulating and wind blocking features and the net result is a much lighter jacket which is idea for hybrid bicycling where reducing weight is important.
Accessories
When bicycling in the cold, do not neglect your head, fingers, and toes because you lose a majority of your body’s heat from your head and your hands and feet are typically the first things to get cold because they are the farthest points on your body from your heart. With head gear, there are many great products that fit underneath of your helmet to lock in your heat and you may also want to consider a head wrap to cover your ears. Your gloves and socks should be layered similarly to your clothing and make sure to wear wool socks and not cotton socks since cotton absorbs moisture and will thus retain your sweat and make your feet feel colder.
For a great pair of gloves, I would recommend any windstopper fleece gloves. It took me a while to find gloves that actually keep my hands warm but these do the trick and are also great when in the cold but not on the bike.
For great deals and product recommendations on cycling gear, please visit hybrid biking.
This information is part of a website dedicated to hybrid bicycling and special information on the recreational sport. For more information on hybrid biking and information on how to choose the perfect bike for you, please visit cycling gear.
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