Cold and Dry; Whither Ear Coverings?
January 19th, 2012
A few months back I switched from your classic Bell bike helmet to a Nutcase helmet. It was mostly for vanity, although perhaps not what you think: the Bell left uglier helmet hair than the Nutcase (whose helmet hair is more “tussle” than “W”). The downside is that the nutcase fits snugly and will not accept a hat or cap underneath, which I truly missed today. My solution a few weeks ago was to wrap a scarf around my face, but I simply didn’t realize how cold it was today when I left.
Weather: 17 degrees and clear.
Clothing: Heavy winter jacket, no extra covering on pants or face. I regret the latter, as my ears were cold. Heavy wool gloves.
Bike: The Crosscheck. I like using panniers much more than bags, which restrict airflow way too much.
The bike is in dire need of some chain cleaning. I forget how much love it needs in the winter between salt, rain and ice.
January 19th, 2012 at 1:55 pm
I also have a nutcase helmet and cannot stand biking w/out ear-coverings in the cold. I switch the inner padding in my helmet to thinner pads for the winter so I can fit a hat underneath. If you already use the thinnest pads, would a very thin fleece balaclava fit?
otherwise I’ve seen people make earmuffs that fit on your helmet straps. Here is an example of knit ones http://brineydeepdesigns.blogspot.com/2008/10/free-pattern-bike-helmet-earmuffs.html but it would be easy to sew on (or even safety pin)some fleece fabric around your helmet straps.
January 19th, 2012 at 2:34 pm
I HIGHLY recommend “earpods” which are little windproof felt pods that fit over your ear. They have a plastic springy lining, which you “snap” concave to stay on your ear, or unsnap convex to take them off.
I’ve had some problems with them spontaneously unsnapping, especially when rearranging my scarf, so I put them on little thread leashes to keep them attached to my helmet straps if they fall off.
I had a Bern Muse helmet which has a snap in winter liner with ear coverings, but I found it way too warm unless it was low single digits.
January 19th, 2012 at 3:30 pm
Thanks for the tips! I happen not to use the thinnest padding, but I do find the scarf method to work well – it has the benefit of protecting the rest of your face as well.
February 3rd, 2012 at 2:35 pm
[…] and wet pavement more often. I continue to struggle with keeping the face and ears warm, although readers had some suggestions. Mostly, though it was dry and in the 30s and 40s, so it was very easy weather to […]