a little too cold to ride in the NW suburbs of Chicago today

If you can get your hands on a set of brush guards usually made for dirtbikes and some MTB's come with them installed, they do look kinda silly on a bicycle, but they do keep that cold wind off your hands and you can remove them when winter's over.
I've made some for my Harley out of plexiglass before and it made a huge difference on those sub 30 nights coming home from work... It's one of those things where the res of my body can take the cold just fine wearing a thick leather jacket but no matter what gloves I use my hands freeze from the wind and the ride's all the sudden no fun...

Cold sux!

Some great threads about winter riding with tips to keep warm. Can't find a link for ya right now but there is some great advice on the subject. Main thing is no air/wind allowed in your cloths. (like a snow suit or how it works) Head, hands and feet. Keep them warm. Really helps. As much padding as ya can fit on the front of you and a face mask. Can buy some great ones with all sorts of faces on em. And be sure to wear a scarf or not allow body heat to escape out of your collar.

LOL. Sorry about the wall of text. I spent 16 yrs at sea and keeping warm is thing with me.

About your cover, I think the cheapest way to go would be a tarp. Harbor Freight, big lots and stores like that have em for 5 to 15$. They have grommet holes so could be tied really well and easily.

Can get a dedicated bicycle cover for around 30 bucks.

I would check out Crigslist for used MC/scooter/moped covers.


Just some thoughts.

Rain gear is the key to cold weather riding. Even just unlined waterproof pants, jacket & gloves over your normal winter clothing will keep ya comfy as it keeps that icy wind from cutting through yer warm n'fuzzies

For the bike cover... Try going to your local motorcycle dealerships (especially Harley) and ask someone from the back if they have any of the covers that they ship the bikes in... they're made of a light fabric material and they're great for keeping dust and paint overspray off the bikes, and most dealers just uncover the bikes and throw away those covers before putting the new bikes on the showroom. They may stand up to keeping rain and snow off but I've mainly used them to keep paint overspray off the bikes when I'm painting one in the garage. Never hurts to ask and you may end up with more than a few free covers.