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When the mercury starts to drop in the fall or early winter many young kids leave their own wheels at home for the school commute, opting to walk or hitch a ride with their parents in a trailer or cargo bike. In talking with other families, the biggest complaint is cold hands. And cold hands suck, for sure. The following guide will help to give you some ideas to overcome this hurdle as well as other tips to help stay warm on the bike throughout the winter months.
Contents
Our journey
Our two kids have been fair weather year-round cyclists since they were striding on balance bikes. And they’ve been trailer or cargo bike passengers for that entire time (head over here for advice on how to keep little passengers warm in winter). Snow and ice have been deterrents for sure, but they’ve also provided lots of amusement. The biggest limitation for us has been keeping little hands warm. Mittens were totally fine when they were in the brake-free balance bike stage, but once they moved past that they could not ride when it was too cold for gloves because their little paws would freeze. No one likes frozen extremities and that thawing feeling of pins-and-needles paresthesia is just the worst (and not a good sign!). And since no parent wants to suck the joy out of cycling for kids, we would like to share some lessons learned.
Our kids are now 8.5 & 5.5. Our eldest (Gr. 3) is still riding her (now too small for her) 20″ Frog 55 equipped with studded tires, front and back. She often rides throughout winter, more so now than in Gr. 2 especially since her younger sister now stakes out the seat on the rear of our analog longtail on the ride to school with dad in the morning (and riding with both of them in our hilly neighbourhood is quite the workout for dad and nearly impossible in soft, snowy conditions, so we encourage our eldest to ride as much as possible). Her tolerance for cold has increased immensely since Gr. 1 where it was pretty low; riding rarely happened below 0C to -5C, maybe her cutoff was even closer to -2/3C. Now, in Gr. 3, she’s pretty good at managing the -10C and even the odd -15C days.
Our youngest, currently in kindergarten, has been a cargo bike passenger for much of winter. She rode until there was too much snow and ice for her as she does have pogies on her bike, just no studded tires. Yet. She has hankering to start riding again now that spring is just around the corner.
Keeping hands warm
Mittens? No.
While many older kids and adults have the hand strength and dexterity to ride a bike, brake, and shift with (thick) mittens on in winter, little kids just do not and they can get really flustered about this! Now that my eldest is 8, she will wear mittens some times on much colder days, but she honestly still dislikes it. It’s not tear-generating levels of frustration anymore as it was when she was 6 or so, and as it still is for her little sister: mittens are still not preferred.
Mittens will work for most kids while they are still balance biking, but that’s about it. At least, from what we’ve experienced and have heard from other families.
Gloves and pogies? Yes.
Gloves, sure. Pogies, huh?
What are pogies?
So far as I know, pogies come from the world of water sports. I grew up knowing about them because my two older siblings were rowers. The idea stems from the fact that you need to be able to grip your oar or paddle with bare hands, but in the winter months it’s frigid on the water. So, pogies are like a shell that fit over the oar/paddle or, in this case, handlebar. Your hands go inside them and are cozy and warm underneath, with no restrictions on braking or shifting (or grip). They act as a wind break, are sometimes waterproof (or at least resistant), and can be made warmer, usually with a fleece lining. You put one on each side of your handlebar; they cover the grip, brake lever, and shifter(s). They’re usually affixed with a zipper or velcro, sometimes an elastic or velcro around the end of a handlebar grip, and less frequently with a special bar end, that goes in the end of the handlebar, itself. People DIY or you can buy them. They’re not cheap, but they last a long time and make most people really, really happy and comfortable.
Pogies for kids are brilliant
With the temperatures we have in winter (in Calgary), thin liner gloves or cross-country ski-style gloves work great under pogies. The gloves cover bare skin to prevent that biting cold when little hands are out of pogies and give enough protection over cold handlebars and brake levers (most kids’ commutes aren’t long enough to really warm up the metal hiding under pogies unless they’re lucky enough to start from a heated bike storage space, like a heated garage).
The main tip here though is get some pogies. Or make some.
If you live in a climate with damp, rainy wet conditions, I would recommend some neoprene Bar Mitts or Portland Pogies have also been spoken highly of by other cycling families.
If you live in a climate with dry, cold, snowy wet, I’d opt to make your own out of a thrifted, upcycled (children’s) winter jacket or buy some from my buddy Doug, aka @coldbike. Doug gifted my youngest a mini-version of his pogies back when she was riding her Strider and they still just fit her, having been on her 14″, 16″, and now 20″ bikes! They’re getting a bit snug to get in to, especially with a winter jacket on, but still work well for spring/fall. The kids’ version of Doug’s pogies that I linked to, above, are much bigger than the ones she has, FYI (he says they’re aimed for age 8-10+ and smaller adults).
For my eldest, I’ve made two pairs of pogies for her to varying degrees of success (and failure):
- The first pair I modelled off of my Bar Mitts and they were fleece lined with an upcycled goretex jacket outer. I installed a zipper opening to help get them off/on (instead of the velcro system Bar Mitts uses), because I figured it would help block the wind better. I opted for the goretex out because I wanted something water resistant for spring/fall and I thought it would block the wind decently (and it was what I had in my fabric stash). One of the zippers eventually failed and they were a bit too shallow so we gave up on them.
- The second pair I made was from an upcycled down jacket: I cut off its sleeves and hemmed the cut edges closed. They weren’t warm enough as-is, but have worked decently with the sleeves doubled back. Plus, my kid doesn’t really like the longer-styled sleeves; she still wants to be able to get her hands in/out quickly. Otherwise, they need some kind of outer shell or fleece lining to provide more warmth. The velcro on the jacket’s sleeves do a good job of securing the pogies to her handlebars.
The main benefits of pogies are:
- Unrestricted braking/shifting under the pogies (unlike mittens).
- Wind blocking warmth (they create a bubble of warmth).
- Longer-style pogies (like @coldbike’s) serve to warm the blood in the arms, too, which help keep hands warmer. (Note: If your kid’s pogies are shorter, a warmer jacket helps achieve this and kids’ school commutes are usually short enough that they won’t really get sweaty if they overdress a bit on top — it’s worth it for warm hands.)
Chemical hand warmers? Some times.
I stayed away from chemical hand warmer packets for years because I didn’t want the extra garbage, but they crept into our life last year as emergency stop gaps in my daughter’s backpack after I had to rescue her with the car on a couple of rides where her hands got way too cold. That said, hand warmers take a bit to warm up so aren’t an immediate solution. It is far better to work on teaching your kid not to get to that point or to be proactive on colder days and start to warm up the chemical hand warmers when they are eating breakfast.
When we have resorted to hand warmers the odd time over this past season, we put them inside their gloves but on top of their hand. Pro tip: Give your kids a ziplock-style bag and have them put the hand warmers in the bag when they’re done, squeeze out the air, and seal. Deprived of oxygen, the hand warmers will still be warm for the trip home! I think we even had one pair be good the next morning!!!
We have tried re-usable hand warmer packets and they’re okay but don’t seem to last long so created garbage in the end, too. (I’d love recommendations of more reliable brands, if you have.)
Just focus on hands? No.
With respect to the former point, in bold above, we have been hammering home this idea for years and it’s finally sinking in and our chat goes something like this:
“Is it easier to cool off or warm up when outside in winter?”
“Cool off.”
“So if you start to get chilly outside what do you do?”
“Put on more clothes.”
“Do you wait until you get cold?”
“No, just when you start to feel chilly. Or bike faster to warm up.”
The main idea here is that we try to err on the side of being warm when dressing the kids. Their commute is less than 3 km to school so they rarely arrive sweaty and gross if they’re slightly overdressed. We also live at the top of the hill so they cool off as they go down immediately and don’t have a chance to warm up until they climb the hill again to go to school on the other side of the river valley. Check out the clothing tips, below, for more info.
Clothing and outerwear
At lot of my advice in this piece on keeping little passengers warm holds true here, too.
Clothing
Unfortunately, there is not much choice here. The kids will be in (likely cotton) street clothes underneath their outwear, otherwise they’ll roast indoors when at school. On colder days the girls will opt for fleecy lined leggings, which helps. And thicker wool socks, like Icebreakers or Smartwools.
When my eldest attended a nature kindergarten program the year she was 5, she essentially lived in merino long underwear and fleece pants, so it was super easy to keep her warm. That was what everyone in her class wore, it was very practical. Now things are less so, but it’s really not a big deal most of the time, especially since their commute is relatively short.
Jacket choice
My eldest has started to really appreciate choosing a slightly warmer jacket on colder days as it helps to keep her hands warm and she can always unzip if her core starts to get too hot.
Head warmth
Buffs are awesome. Two is the perfect number for really cold days: one for under the helmet (although that goes against most advice found in the fine print when you buy your helmet) that covers the forehead and ears; another for over the chin/cheeks/nose and back of head, pulled up as high as needed to keep their faces warm, depending on the temperature/wind.
If you downhill ski, there are some ski helmets that are also rated for cycling, so opt for one of those. The extra warmth they provide on cold days is substantial. You’ll still need a buff or neck warmer of sorts for their face. Don’t expect to be able to chat with them, though, as the ear warmth muffles sound! And, remind them of that as their sense of hearing will be greatly reduced which is relevant when relying on hearing to listen for cars; they will have to rely on using their eyes more, and turning their head to check.
Overpants
For us, in our snowy winter, the girls wear insulated snow pants once it’s colder than -3C or so, definitely below -5C. My eldest just loves her snow pants so she often reaches for them (even if I think they’re overkill). They also both have these shell-style over pants that are lined with brushed fleece (if you’re in Canada, they’re MEC Surplus Pants). They are not seam-sealed so not waterproof, but decent at blocking the wind and providing extra warmth. If it’s rainy, they opt for proper rain pants.
Boots
We’ve experimented with Bogs, Stonz, Kamik, and Baffin boots over the years. Bogs (rated to -30C) have not been good to us below -10C or so (although they have changed their design recently and my adult-style ones rated for -50C seem to be decent until -20/30C). Stonz Bootz were rad but not waterproof.
This past year both kids are in rubber outer, felt liner inner winter boots. I anticipated buying Stonz for winter (which is what we’ve done in the past: Bogs for shoulder season, Stonz for truly cold winter), but never got there. One kid is in Kamik (because they fit her foot best); the other is in Baffin ones. Both have been sufficiently warm and dry. It’s really nice to be down to one pair of winter boots that are also waterproof for the shoulder season and seem to be more durable. They are also flexible enough to ride bikes in, something both the Bogs and Stonz were weak in.
A lot of kids’ bikes have plastic pedals which is great for winter cycling. They can be a bit slippery, depending on their style/grips, but metal pedals have the downfall of conducting heat away from the foot, so in general, plastic is good.
In conclusion
It will take some trial and error, and a boat load of patience, to figure out what works for your kid, your climate, and your family. This is what has worked for ours, so far!
Studded tires take it up a whole other notch, if you live in the land of snow and ice (and Chinooks, a special warming trend we frequently get in Calgary that results in thaw/freeze cycles and… ice), like us.
Here is my beginner’s guide to winter cycling, which may include some ideas that you and your kiddo can work through, together. As well as some general tips on riding in winter that might help improve their confidence level.
Give yourselves extra time in the winter (at least 5-10 mins more for the average length school commute). Our kids have been more cautious so it is slower going, for sure. But so worth it!
Having a cargo bike able to pick up little riders who are overwhelmed or cold really does help. We have found this no pressure strategy has kept riding fun for the kids, year round. Bagging and dragging with a longtail or wrangling 20″ and under bikes on a bakfiets is totally possible.
Happy trails all year long!
Thanks for this Lindsay! I am going to try my hand at some ‘homemade pogies’ and see how I do! Our school bike commute is short, but cold hands is definitely the limiting factor!