Biking in winter: Low-budget tips - how to keep your hands, feet & head warm!

When looking at the price tag of some High-tech winter clothing takes your breath away like jumping into an ice cream barrel. But there are cheaper ways. These tricks for keeping warm cost little or nothing - and still heat up bikers.

Cold hands: Acute measure: circle your arms

Survival experts such as TV star Bear Grylls swear by this tip for warm hands. The best thing about it: the tip is completely free. Simply whirl your outstretched arms around in a circle - the faster, the more effective. In terms of coordination, it's better to spin one arm first, then the other. The centrifugal force pushes warm blood into the hands and the movement also warms them. A redirected blood flow can be felt as pressure in the fingers and should not be pushed to the pain threshold. Our conclusion: The centrifugal cycle may earn questioning looks, but it actually works extremely well.

3-ply with vapour barrier: Super warm glove, homemade

On really frosty tours, even the thickest Winter gloves not. The hands are far away from the heart and have poor circulation in the cold. Reliably warm fingers are ensured by three-layer protection with a vapour barrier - a trick that is also used on Arctic expeditions.

To do this, pull a powder-free surgical glove over a thin fleece or woollen glove. The combination of warming textile and waterproof plastic prevents hand heat from escaping.

A third layer with an unlined glove made of water and wind-repellent material provides even better protection. Costs less than complete solutions and keeps you warmer. Disadvantage: only recommended for easy routes because the grip suffers from the many layers.

Warm feet: the aluminium foil trick

Wet, cold feet are the arch enemy of every biker. Expensive, weatherproof Winter shoes but are not suitable for those on a tight budget. However, simple overshoes are available from twelve euros.

Some winter bikers swear by the airtight and watertight sealing of Cling filmWrap over the socks as crease-free as possible and not too tightly. Alternatively, a standard freezer bag will also do. However, when it rains dogs and cats, the money-saving tip from the supermarket reaches its limits.

One layer Aluminium foil around the socks or a piece of a rescue blanket from the first aid kit provides the best insulation against the cold. On click shoes, it is best to double cover the threaded holes under the insole. However, all this insulation can quickly lead to space problems: There should still be some air left in the shoe, otherwise the measures are rather counterproductive.

Self-heating soles are available as disposable products for as little as one euro each, but are not a sustainable solution. If you put your bike shoes on the heater for a few minutes before putting them on, you will at least start with warm feet.

A matter of the head: headband and adhesive tape against draughts

Headbands have not really caught on with bikers so far - and wrongly so! Thin models from the cross-country skiing sector or a folded tube scarf fit perfectly even with a helmet and keep your ears warm. They also absorb cooling perspiration and only cost around 15 euros.

And even if people do not lose most of their heat through their heads, as is often claimed, cold winds are particularly unpleasant in winter. If you want additional protection, you can use the Air openings of his helmet Seal with adhesive tape. You can buy tape in DIY stores for a few euros, which can be removed without leaving any residue even after several weeks. Visually, this also gives you the martial look of a hardcore winter biker.

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