The Winter Bicycle Commute

ah, the winter bicycle commute
it can be cold
it can be wet
it can be miserable
with the right gear it can be pretty okay sometimes down right inspirational
but... if your commute to work is as short as mine
there can be some issues

there are some drawbacks to the short commute
there starts to be a negative relationship between changing times and riding times
the colder and wetter it is outside
the more gear I need to put on and then take off
the colder and wetter it is outside
the more likely I am to ride directly to work and then directly home from work
thus having spent nearly as much time getting in and out of my gear as I have spent pedalling my bicycle around town

it can be fursturating
it is part of the game
as things start to warm up time is spent trying to gather the appropriate gear
a thin jacket over a jersey with arm warmers.... where is the second arm warmer?
the gortex socks with standard riding shoes... where are those socks?
various thickness of skull caps and balaclavas
all of them are black lycra.... all of them are in the same drawer... it is a comedic process
the right collection of gear can really enhance the riding experience
while too much gear can cause the commuter to sweat so much that they are more wet on the inside then the rain or snow could cause from the outside
then of course too little gear or even the wrong gloves can send me sprinting for home in pain and agony
it is a balancing act
it is a process that gets refined over the years
more than anything is over the years I have collected more and more gear
the more gear a rider possesses
the more options that they have
the less dependent they are on finding that once piece of gear to make their ride comfortable