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My workmates look at me like I’m psycho when they find out I’ve been cycling to work all winter. Snow, wind, rain. It doesn’t matter - I ride anyway. The secret to my winter-riding success is awesome gear. As long as I’m warm and dry, there’s little stopping me. As a bonus, cycling is a great way to beat the flu season, whose main perpetrators are busses and tubes packed full of sniffly, feverish Londoners, paving a trail of mucus on their morning commute.

Matt Haughey’s got a great article on winter gear for cycling. He’s tried and tested the gamut of warm-weather gear and outlines the results according to the body parts were warmth is more needed: head, torso, legs, hands and feet.

• Head: Matt likes Gore’s skullcap and helmet cover; I’ve been getting away with a simple fleece headband
• Torso: Gotta be wind-proof and waterproof. Matt recommends a jacket by Gore, though I swear by my Endura Phoenix Jacket (plus a fleece base layer)
• Legs: Warm tights, like these Pearl Izumi Thermafleece tights
• Hands: Pearl Izumi Thermafleece Gloves
• Feet: I just wear Gore-Tex trailing running shoes and wool socks, but I see lots of people following Matt’s advice and wearing shoe covers.

Matt’s honest about the price: winter gear isn’t cheap, but good stuff will last for years and in the long run, you’ll save money on public transportation and cold medicine.

This winter, I’ve ridden several hundred miles in weather a lot of people don’t like to drive a car in. I’m fitter, healthier, and happier and when I have a couple hours set aside for a ride, with all this gear the weather really doesn’t matter anymore. It is expensive stuff and I’d guess it’ll cost you $500 and up to get fully outfitted but the difference is dramatic and these gear choices are the only thing making comfort possible in the freezing rain.

Link to Winter riding tips for your road bike (via Lifehacker)

Image courtesy of bunello

From backyard gardening to mountain climbing, outdoor activities are on the wane as people around the world spend more leisure time online or in front of the tube, according to findings published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“There’s a real and fundamental shift away from nature — certainly here [in the United States] and possibly in other countries,” said Oliver Pergams, visiting research assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Shutdown your computer and step away from the internet!

Or jump down the rabbit hole…

Link

Last Sunday, and with no advertising to lure them, 5,000 people, 90% of them male, converged on a 150-acre area of countryside in South Staffordshire, the Dickensian-sounding Mr Mouse Farm For Unfortunates. There, they spent anything between 57 minutes and five hours running through turbulent streams and ludicrously uneven woodland areas, up precipitous mud hills and down nettle-festooned slopes, tackling obstacles with names such as Tyre Torture and Fiery Holes. This year, only 3,000 managed to finish the course. The 1997 race saw seven people break their legs, and in 2001, 700 people developed hypothermia. This is why participants were encouraged to take out personal insurance and sign health-risk waivers. This is why the event is called Tough Guy.

Okay, so it is a bit of fun and great marketing but is it any good for you?

The organiser was heavily involved in setting up the London Marathon in the early 80s and then decided that road running was breaking people down, causing long term injuries. He got into doing shorter off road events to reduce the amount of stress on joints by picking courses on softer ground.

The article interviews one runner who describes the functional training programme she uses to be able to compete in this race:

The specific training’s really changed my bodyshape: I’m doing a lot of hanging from bars, burpees [jumping to a squat from a press-up position, then jumping to an upright position] and press-ups, which I could never do before.” Hinks completed the course in an admirable two hours and 45 minutes. “I’m very impressed with myself. I’ve got baby biceps, I’ve lost a stone in weight, and my upper body has really developed.”

So, soft ground, full body exercise and a good chance of hypothermia… I guess it is up to you to make the trade off.

Link to the Guardian story
Link to a Guardian gallery of photos
Link to a Flickr Group, lots of good photos

The petite MSR Pocket Rocket Backpacking Stove has been my constant camping companion since I purchased it over two years ago. Why? It’s got everything to satisfy this minimalist camper’s gourmet needs.

• Small and light - It’s smaller than a flashlight, and lighter than your wallet
• Fast - Sets up in a manner of seconds and boils water in less than four minutes
• Clean and convenient fuel - Uses butane canister gas. No priming!
• Adjustable flame - From a rolling boil to a gentle simmer

Think this stove is only good for boiling water? Think again. A little practice will see you frying onion in no time.

If temperature control is your main concern, then this wee marvel isn’t right for you. True: the flame is adjustable; however, even a low setting provides burning-hot heat from the center of its element (rather than spread out across its three prongs). The result is a grilled cheese that’s burnt in the middle but soggy around the edges (I learned this the hard way). Unless you’re boiling water or heating soup, food cooked on the pocket rocket needs to be kept in constant motion to prevent it from burning.

For the ultra-light backpacker or cycle tourer, the Pocket Rocket is the perfect size and weight. For car camping, it’s a great addition to the campfire for cooking tea and porridge while the fire takes care of veggie sausages and toast. And at a fraction of the cost and size of fancier burners, the Pocket Rocket is hard to beat.

MSRP: $39.95
Weight: 3.2 oz
Size: 4.1 x 2.1 x 2 inches

More Information:

• Full specs from MSR Corp
• User reviews at REI.com
• More pictures of the Pocket Rocket in action
• Buy it on Amazon

Crossposted to spacekadet.org