BOOGER FREEZIN' COLD (BFC).

When I was growing up in northern New York, we used this term to describe the kind of cold, dry weather that flash-freezes the boogers inside your nose when you take a deep breath. It has to be pretty cold... usually single digits (F) or colder. This morning was BFC.

I realized this morning that my gloves are just not cutting it for cold rides. It was 9 degrees F this morning, and I will probably have a couple dozen mornings colder than that before winter is over. Yet, my fingertips got really cold. I actually stopped twice along the way so I could ball up my hands inside the palms of my gloves to warm them up. Being cold just sucks, and I don't want to deal with that kind of discomfort for the rest of the winter. So, I will probably be making a gear purchase today.

The lesson I'm learning from this is that it is not worth it to go cheap on gloves. Your hands are probably the most difficult thing to keep warm when biking in extreme cold because you need to have enough flexibility to allow you to shift, brake, etc. I've been really happy with my "lobster" style gloves for moderately cold weather (Manzella Micromesh Windstopper), but they have minimal insulation and don't really do the job when temps drop below 25 degrees F. I need to bite the bullet and spend about $50 on a good pair of winter biking gloves. I'm deciding between the Louis Garneau Magma Glove and the Pearl Izumi Amfib. Both are lobster-style gloves that keep your fingers together in twos for warmth, rather than individual fingers like a regular gloves. It really makes a difference!

Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the layers of clothing that I have put together to get me through the winter. It's not rocket science... just layer after layer of fleeces and other non-cotton stuff with a windproof/waterproof shell as the top layer. Add a balaclava for the head, and winter boots for the feet, and I can bike in weather well below 0 degrees F. Well, except for those damned gloves...

(I biked in yesterday, but forgot to post...)