Biking & Walking: Scarf review - NeoFleece Combo Scarf

The NeoFleece Combo Scarf from Seirus is probably one of the better cold-weather clothing investments I've made. I bought it initially for my 2-mile walking commute around Lake Calhoun. The wind was terrible and I couldn't find anything that vented correctly.

I purchased this scarf from REI. It connects behind the head through Velcro. Against your skin it's fleece. On the outside it is fleece along the neckline and behind your head. On the face, it's some sort of synthetic that they call Polartec.

I typically wear this below 15 or 20 degrees (f) when biking or below 10 or 15 degrees (f) when walking. I've used it to wind chills of -25 degrees (f) and it's kept my face warm.

The Polartec has faired well against snow, keeping my face fairly dry and the little holes where the mouth hides behind can act as a screen to prevent breathing in of snow, etc.

It can get a bit clammy when wearing this scarf. But compared to the neck warmers and other scarves I've used, this by far has done what I've asked of it. I typically don't have significant ice/frost build up, though some occurs.

Seirus and other brands make a full head piece version (NeoFleece Combo Headliner). As someone with glasses, it didn't work for me. It is difficult to get the head piece to correctly position the nose and mouth areas. As a result, warm air would flow upward into my glasses and fog up. I assume that if it fits right, that it'd add a layer of warmth to the head. I also had issues with the glases not fitting properly through the hole for the eyes.

[Photo from Feb. 2007 while I walked across Lake Calhoun to work. The NeoFleece Combo Scarf is visible.]

Biking: Keeping your hands warm in Winter

Imagine this: you're inside your warm house looking at the weather outside. It's dark, it's sunny, and you just know it's bone chilling out there. Sure enough, it's -5(f) but the wind chill brings it down to -12(f).

Been there, done that. It's cold. But after a quick stretch inside, I head right out and hop on that bike and go. But if you didn't dress well enough, your hands may punish you as quickly as three blocks later.

What you wear on your hands can make or break your ride.

Things to consider:

1. Warm up before heading out.

Before going out in really cold weather, a good stretch is in order. This seemed to help get the legs moving right and reduced my risk of injury. It also elevated my heart rate, which helped keep me warm from the get-go. I highly recommend doing some jumping jacks before leaving, as it helped get the blood flowing in my arms.

2. The right gloves.

I had okay gloves. I utilized the Specialized Sub Zero glove, which consists of an inner liner and an outer shell. From my experiences, the outer layer was indeed water proof. The inner liner was a normal glove, which was great for days between 30 (f) and 45 (f). With the outer shell, the glove worked fine to about a wind chill factor of 5 (f). I tried switching out the inner liner with something thicker but it didn't make much of a difference. In snowy conditions, the glove had enough grip on the handle bars. Will I use this glove again? Yes. Will I look for something else for very cold weather? Yes. I've heard lots of great things about the Pearl Izumi AmFIB Lobster Glove and will purchase a pair this winter.

3. Supplemental heat.

I've used hand warmers from Grabber to add supplemental warmth in the coldest of days. They help keep you warm, however they aren't as useful as you'd expect. The problem is that with normal gloves on, the heat doesn't have the airspace to travel to your finger tips. I also found that they take a while to warm up. If you do use them, I recommend opening them up and placing them on the outside of your gloves a good 30 minutes before you head out. When you reach your destination, leave them inside of the glove. I've come back to warm gloves when I leave work 9 hours later. I imagine that they'd work better with a Lobster glove.

4. Things to do when all else has failed.

When your fingers are so numb that you think that you're going to either have to turn back or stop to warm up inside every six blocks, you know it's cold. But that said, I've found two things very helpful in those situations. (1) Stop and shake out your arms. Go all the way up and down with them. This seems to help get your hands warm within three or four minutes after resuming your bike ride. (2) Bike up a hill immediately and don't stop after climbing. This gets your heart rate up and warms your body quickly. I have a small hill that I do this on and it's all I need to get warm on those days. It's worked every time thus far. Another option would be to hop the bus or turn back.

Biking: A Taste of Country

It was a nice, sun-filled day in August that spurred my idea to take a 45+ mile ride from South Minneapolis out to Excelsior and Chanhassen and then back.

My ride took advantage of a number of trails and required riding on some somewhat busy roads. Overall, it was a very enjoyable ride with few issues. But of course, I learned a few lessons.

The Route

I took the HCRRA light rail trails from the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis. These trails run on old rail beds and are mostly free of road crossings. You can go from the heart of Minneapolis out to Excelsior in a nice, rural-like setting.

I took a break along the water in Downtown Excelsior before proceeding south on Water Street to MN Highway 7. After getting lost trying to find Galpin Lake Road, I finally found it and made my way south. The road had a path but the road was quiet enough and smooth enough to make for a better ride.

I eventually followed some trails along MN Highway 5 in Chanhassen. The trails were super confusing, as they crossed under the highway in tunnels but it wasn't clear where they went. I wanted to go east from Galpin Blvd to the southern HCRRA light rail trail that runs just east of Eden Prairie Road. The trails switched sides of Highway 5 and ultimately I figured it out. The trails are older and have many bumps. I get spoiled with most of the MPRB trails.

I left the trail and followed various roads through the Opus office park and then made my way across Edina just north of MN Highway 62.

Normally I don't associate enjoyable bike rides with going out to suburban neighborhoods, but this was a beautiful day and exploring made for a fun outing.




[A corn field along Coulter Drive in Chanhassen.]