Warm and Cozy Winter Bike Commutes (or Any Time You Want to Stay Warm!)

For those of you out there who are truly hardcore, bicycling is not just a summer activity. This instructable is meant to help you keep you from freezing while pedaling through snow, ice and wind. Of course, this can also be used for other activities in which staying warm is preferred. Give it a try!

Step 1: Materials

Here are some things you might want for the grueling journey:

1. Long Underwear (a must!!!!)
2. Thick or windproof pants (rain pants work well for this)
3. Nice, thick, warm sweater
4. Newspaper
5. Gloves & Mittens
6. Scarf or Buff (buffwear.com)
7. Ski Goggles (also a life saver)
8. Hat (one that will fit under your helmet)
9. Warm socks

Step 2: Bottom Half

To insulate the bottom half of your body you will want to use four layers. First, you will have on your normal skivvies. Then comes the glorious long underwear. If you do not want to look like you are on an expedition all day, I would suggest wearing your daytime pants underneath the windproof pants. That way, you can shed one layer and be ready for the day.

Feet are always hard to keep warm. The best way to keep five toes on each foot is to first wrap them up in a nice thick (preferably wool) sock. Next you are going to want to take some newspaper, maybe four layers, and wrap or fold it around the front of your foot. Slide your foot into your shoe so that the newspapers stays in place. Position the newspaper so it is comfortable and warm. If you are concerned about getting wet feet, adding a bread bag to the mix before the shoe helps a ton!

Step 3: Top Half

Layering is key on the upper half of your body, as well. If you have any sort of polypro or baselayer shirt, that would be helpful. Otherwise, a regular t-shirt can suffice. Following that would be a nice thick (Christmasy) sweater. Top it off with an insulated jacket and you should be nice and toasty.

Step 4: Hands

Hands are also very tricky to keep warm. Here is a good way to solve that.

First, get some gloves are thick enough to offer insulation, but thin enough to fit into a burly mitten.
Second, wrap your hand in newspaper, just like you did for your feet.
Finally, shove it all into a big mitten and your hands will be ready for action.

Step 5: Head

Now, this step is crucial. The wind will try to bite at your face more than anywhere else and it is hard to see if your eyes are watery or shut.

The first thing you should do is position your scarf or buff so it covers the bottom half of your face and nose and your ears.
Next, put on your hat so that it, too covers your ears (double insulation, boo ya!)
Next comes the helmet. You will probably have to loosen it up so as not to strangle yourself with all the layers.
Finally, strap on your ski goggles, covering all the skin on your face. You may need to expose your nose if your goggles don't vent well, otherwise they may fog up.

There you go! This should keep you nice and warm for the winter. So bundle up and get outside!!!