There’s nothing like the cool breeze of the wind washing over your face as you pedal down the street. Okay, maybe motorcycles, and cars if you have the windows open or the top down. And boats. Or an open-cockpit biplane, like the one Snoopy used to fly around.

Whatever. It’s a refreshing aspect of biking until it’s not, and when it’s cold out (like it is for most of the US and Canada right now), it’s not refreshing at all. It’s miserable. But don’t store the bike away until spring thaws out your town.

Just tweak a few things in the clothes you wear, and you can keep riding throughout the winter.

your hands, most of all

I’ve been testing ebikes year-round for the entire decade up here in New York City, and while it doesn’t get Minnesota-cold here, it’s still cold enough during the winter to keep Ted Williams’ head fresh for another generation.

Nothing is going to freeze more than a pair of ungloved hands. Even if the weather is pleasant and you’ve dressed warmly enough for walking around, once that wind hits your hands as you’re underway, your paws will ache and ache. I’ve found it’ll start happening even when it’s 50 degrees.

Glove up. Now, I’ve not used the Castelli Perfetto ROS 2 Cycling Gloves myself. I’m too cheap to buy a duplicate of something I already have, which is way too many pairs of motorcycling gloves already taking up space in my garage.

But Castelli is a quality brand. These block wind and resist rain, and they have the all-important touchscreen-compatible fingers so that you don’t have to take your glove off every time you want to check your navigation app. This is major. Years ago, I didn’t care about this—and my hands froze to pieces on subsequent trips.

The paradox is that even on an ebike (if less so than on an analog bike), you’ll overheat more easily than when you’re just walking around. When it’s 40 degrees, and I’m shuffling down the sidewalk, I’m bundled up in a warm, insulated jacket with perhaps a sweater underneath.

That same 40 degrees on a bike? I’m wearing a cotton flannel shirt and a thin windbreaker, and that’s it. Pedaling is movement, and movement generates heat. You don’t want to be so warm that you sweat, because when you stop, that sweat will make you freeze and shiver.

You don’t need specialized cycling clothing unless you’re planning on speed runs on a racing bike (AKA road bike). It helps for when there’s a drizzle, but water-resistant cycling clothing is a wholly separate issue.

When the weather is otherwise clear, just cold, pop some gloves on your hands, a windproof outer layer, and a warm layer underneath the jacket. But not too warm. Remember, sweat is the enemy.