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

KogaLover says:

Sep 18 2015 at 8:33 am

@ErikdR

Note to self: know when to stop. This is TMI.
chuckp says:

Sep 18 2015 at 8:55 am

@Matt

I’d like to address the congregation: Belgian Booties, do you deploy them sans leg warmers? Or do you adhere to the top-down principle without exception? Clearly they are often utilized with exposed Guns during TTs; I’m referring to general cold riding.

Yes. Booties without leg warmers but with arm warmers.
ErikdR says:

Sep 18 2015 at 8:55 am

@KogaLover

Hmmm, yes; I can see your point. On the other hand: as a none-native speaker, I still find myself baffled on a regular basis by some of the obscure English and American references (at least, obscure for me) on this website, as well as on the Winnipeg Cyclechick blog (and countless others, for that matter.)

Sometimes I just let it go, but I often look stuff up and try to figure it out. In general, it can be nice to know what people are on about, I think. Live and learn; that's my motto. (It may also have something to do with the fact that I work as a translator, of course. When I sense that something is meant as a joke, but I don't 'get' it, I take it as a challenge more often than not.)

For the record: where the Cyclechick is concerned, her post called "One for the Boys" (a follow-up to the "Dressed to Chill"-post), is another prime example of the lady's talent for double entendre...
chuckp says:

Sep 18 2015 at 9:00 am

@chuckp

@Matt

I’d like to address the congregation: Belgian Booties, do you deploy them sans leg warmers? Or do you adhere to the top-down principle without exception? Clearly they are often utilized with exposed Guns during TTs; I’m referring to general cold riding.

Yes. Booties without leg warmers but with arm warmers.

Excuse me ... my bad. That's knee warmers. But still need the arm warmers or long-sleeve jersey. Gloves optional.
frank says:

Sep 18 2015 at 9:23 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.

Not to mention they look better and they can be worn a lot lower than most knickers allow, at least for this Spinaker of a man.
frank says:

Sep 18 2015 at 9:42 am

@LawnCzar

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

You should be careful with that; you can damage your knees if they are too cold. Consider embro as an alternative.
chuckp says:

Sep 18 2015 at 9:46 am

@frank

@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.

Not to mention they look better and they can be worn a lot lower than most knickers allow, at least for this Spinaker of a man.

My knee warmers probably come down to mid-calf (OK, I have short legs). But combine that with tall socks and booties, and at least last winter I didn't need knickers/tights. Of course, I also didn't ride when it was f**king cold either. But down to about 40 degrees. And when it was that cold (at least that's cold for me since I'm one of those skinny ectomorph types) I donned a long-sleeve jersey that was a little more substantial and lined with soft fleece-like stuff. Sometimes with wind-stopper arm warmers underneath and a vest (I prefer that to a jacket) for both warmth and wind protection.
frank says:

Sep 18 2015 at 9:47 am

@Ccos

@Matt

I’d like to address the congregation: Belgian Booties, do you deploy them sans leg warmers? Or do you adhere to the top-down principle without exception? Clearly they are often utilized with exposed Guns during TTs; I’m referring to general cold riding.

Even when it isn’t cold enough for them, you always need to keep your white ladies clean, so…

@Matt, you can wear them any damn time you please, and always look the business. I'd be careful wearing insulated overshoes without at least knee warmers, but Belgian Booties are cool any time of the year, in any weather.

Keep in mind that this does not refer to Lycra overshoes, but to wool overshoes only.
frank says:

Sep 18 2015 at 10:03 am

@fignons barber

I must be way older than most of you fellows. When I started in the 1980’s, it was a nice coat of Vaseline on the knees when it was below 45F (knee warmers had not been discovered yet). For the arms, we cut a hole in the toes of old long white tube socks and used them on our arms (because that’s what Sean Kelly did). Looking PRO was soo much less expensive then.

Classic! I did it with a long sleeve cotton t-shirt, just cut the sleeves off and pinned them to the jersey sleeves!
Matt says:

Sep 18 2015 at 10:09 am

@frank

Upon further review of Le Blaireau in the lead photo above, he is clearly wearing wool booties with shorts. That's all the validation I need.