Categories: Accessories and GearBelgian AffirmationsEtiquette

Cover High Before You Cover Low

Hinault keeps the guns clean.

With the transitions of seasons occurring all over the world as Summer shifts to Fall in the Northern Hemisphere and Winter to Spring in the Southern, we are faced with the seasonal challenge of how to kit up properly for volatile and variable weather conditions.

One of the most common mistakes made, apart from overdressing, is riders offending our collective sensibilities by inexplicably wearing leg coverings with short sleeve jerseys; an aesthetic faux-pas of monumental proportions. We’ve already discussed the merits of layering when kitting up in your Flandrian Best, and this specifically addresses the oft-abused Point IIV as discussed therein:

Maintain order; if it’s cold enough for knee warmers, it’s cold enough for arm warmers. First come arm warmers, then knee warmers.

While wearing shirt-sleeves and pantaloons is acceptable for civilian attire, doing so with your Cycling kit marks the rider like a greasy Cat 5 tattoo on the calf. The lower half of our bodies is working much harder than our upper bodies, which sit nearly motionless as our guns piston away at the pedals leaving a path of destroyed dreams and broken souls in our wake. The legs need air to breathe, room to roam freely; the caged bird doesn’t sing and covering up the guns unnecessarily with lycra is like caging a wild bird of prey.

There is a certain pleasure to be found in kitting up perfectly for the day’s ride. We deliberate over the temperature, the wind, the likelihood of rain. We lay out our options like a Valet for his nobleman, we may even take a step outside and reconsider our choices. Returning from the ride many hours later, we allow a wry smile to creep across our faces in the knowledge that we nailed our kit today.

Expect to be cold when you first step outside. Once the engine is running, it will be pumping out heat; when you’re properly dressed for riding, you will be cold whenever you are standing still. If you’re comfortable standing still, you will overheat once the game is afoot and the engine room is calling for more coals to be heaped on the fire.
Remember your layers, and always consider arm warmers and a gilet before a long sleeve jersey and knee warmers before tights. These give you the possibility of micro-adjusting your temperature as the day warms or cools, or if the rains suddenly arrive. Only move to long sleeve jerseys when there is no possibility of overheating.
Long-fingered gloves are only allowed when paired up with arm warmers or a long sleeve jersey.
Belgian booties are always acceptable in Spring and Fall, and always look the business.
Wearing full leg warmers and a long sleeve jersey while enjoying a Pre-Ride espresso and talking shit is ultra-Pro. Deploy this at-will throughout the season, so long as you remove these layers prior to throwing leg over top tube.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

RobSandy says:

Sep 17 2015 at 1:16 am

Aptly timed. On Monday night I attended an outdoor track session, and there was a definite chill in the air. I layered up with a cap, arm and knee warmers, and had a gillet in the back pocket for the slower ride home.

Put the same layers on for last night and the weather was much warmer. I was too warm all night. I felt a fool.
sthilzy says:

Sep 17 2015 at 2:17 am

Here in Oz, starting the uncovering from the bottom up. Booties to booties off, legwarmers to knee warmers to no leg cover, no beanie and gilet long gloves to 'normal gloves' then at last - no arm warmers! Roll on Summer! Just got to work off the moon-tan.

Agree - If you're shivering before the ride, you're dressed enough.

Mind you have seen some hard-asses riders in shorts kit in 5'C winter mornings! Me thinks how do you do that?!
ErikdR says:

Sep 17 2015 at 2:37 am

Nice one, Frank - and very aptly timed indeed. Just this morning, I was talking to a fellow cyclist about how surprisingly long the lower legs can be kept bare, even while the torso is perfectly comfy in three layers of textile. My last ride so far this fall was in shorts, but with base layer, short-sleeve jersey and long-sleeve jersey above.

Winter - or at least, more wintry conditions - will be coming soon to Scandinavia, I suppose - but I'm hoping it'll be a month or so before the legs need to be covered. (Usually around the 10 degrees C-mark, at a guess...)
nobby says:

Sep 17 2015 at 3:44 am

I have to admit that I wear knee warmers pretty much the whole year round in the UK, only escewing them when riding on the continent. The reason? Well, I have very, very ugly knees and I feel thet the crime of wearing warmers year round outweights the (arguably heinous) crime of forcing my aesthetically challenging patellas on my fellow riders.

It's okay for SpiderMonkey to bare his minging joints because a) he gets paid to and b) he's good. I have neither attribute so covered they will remain.

Sorry

I will say in my defence that my warmers ALWAYS match the rest of my kit, and often have a nod toward the colour scheme on my bike too.
LawnCzar says:

Sep 17 2015 at 6:22 am

I've never understood knee warmers. I find that I go from shorts directly to knickers. Commit to a bottom length. If it's knicker weather, it's well past time for long sleeves.

Am I the only one that love, love, loves riding on a cold, rainy day with shorts, arm warmers, and casquette? It calls to mind great old race photos and inspires greater V when your rear wheel slips going up the steeper ramps.
Ron says:

Sep 17 2015 at 7:22 am

It didn't get below the mid-30s all summer here, suddenly I left the house on Sunday morning, having not checked the weather, and it was in the upper teens. Yikes. I nearly went back for arm warmers but decided it was a good day to do some toughening for the winter ahead.

While I'm loving the weather, the goddamn southerners I'm stuck with complain that the mornings are "cold." Jeez, these people have a comfort range of around 5 degrees. Any higher, too hot, any lower, too cold. It's insane. I'm happy from around 4-35.

Also, Frank...it's Lycra. This way those pleasant Koch Brothers will not come after you...
Ron says:

Sep 17 2015 at 7:27 am

@LawnCzar

I’ve never understood knee warmers. I find that I go from shorts directly to knickers. Commit to a bottom length. If it’s knicker weather, it’s well past time for long sleeves.

Uhhh, if I head out early as and ride for many hours, knickers are going to be far too warm by mid-day with a high sun. Warmers allow me to pull them off when it warms up. I actually haven't even worn my knickers since I moved from upstate NY to the south a few years ago. Just bibs + Kneekers.
universo says:

Sep 17 2015 at 7:34 am

this link furthers the benefits attained from being exposed to extreme temperature experiences _ in this instance, cold temperature helps you tune your body weight with the correct type of fat generation
LawnCzar says:

Sep 17 2015 at 7:43 am

@Ron

Oh, I get that -- I've just found that I'm comfortable enough in shorts to sort of power through until it warms up.

Now, the challenge for me on those days is glove selection. Knees and legs? Fine. Fingers? Potentially falling off, esp. on long descents.
RobSandy says:

Sep 17 2015 at 7:49 am

@Ron

@LawnCzar

I’ve never understood knee warmers. I find that I go from shorts directly to knickers. Commit to a bottom length. If it’s knicker weather, it’s well past time for long sleeves.

Uhhh, if I head out early as and ride for many hours, knickers are going to be far too warm by mid-day with a high sun. Warmers allow me to pull them off when it warms up. I actually haven’t even worn my knickers since I moved from upstate NY to the south a few years ago. Just bibs + Kneekers.

Right, you've mentioned the 'K' word so now I need to rant. I've got some DeFeet Kneekers, and have yet to figure out how they are supposed to fit. When I first put them on I ensured a good overlap between the bottom of my bibs and the top of the warmers. I inevitably find them journeying south quite rapidly during the ride leaving me in violation of Rule #82 and ashamed.

I have found that to keep them where they should be I have to pull them virtually up to the height of my groin, leaving them quite tight around my Mighty Guns. I have also discovered that despite being long enough to to reach from mid thigh, over knee, to mid calf, if I pull them down to mid calf it speeds the engappening process, whereas if I nestle them at the top of my calf, just below the knee, they are more likely to stay put, This is baffling to me. And also annoying as I enjoy the warming of calf as well as knee.

Perhaps the combination of calf and thigh is just too much for mortal fabrics to bear, and they shrink away in terror of the power within.