Okay, so maybe riding through the dead of winter isn't your cup of tea, but getting out once and a while could ward off the "winter blues." And finding an old bike isn't that hard, a garage sale, or the Goodwill, or other thrift store can net a bicycle for cheap, that, with a little work, will carry you through the snow.

One of the problems with riding in the winter is normal functioning mechanics tend to freeze, literally. Things like deraillures, shifting cables, brake cables and the like get icey, and freeze, and renders your geared bike to one gear, and brakeless (scary). One way to avoid this is to set your "beater" bike up as a single speed or a fixed gear. A fixed gear will provide a better feel for the road conditions, more control, and they're fun!

Okay now what about dressing for it?

Layers, baby, layers. I know you have heard it before. It is important to layer, that way you can remove clothing if you get too warm, or put more on if you're cold. As you get used to riding in cold weather you'll adapt to different conditions, and know what to wear. Some ideas I've taken were from light weight backpackers. They want to stay light and keep mobile. Something you want to be on the bike.
Start with a base layer, a poly-pro undershirt, short sleeve or long, this layer is close to the skin, and will wick away your sweat. Depending on the weather another layer of poly-pro, a long sleeve shirt then a wind shirt work well. Add an old wool sweater if it is too cold. My experience has been the above, will keep you warm when the temps are in the 20s. To cover your legs there are a couple ways to go. One use snow board pants, or wind pants, they aren't expensive and over poly-pro or long underwear they work. One of the other ways to go is to use bike specific clothing, there are several cold weather tights on the market, they allow mobility, protect from the elements, and provide warmth. Remember, you are moving, that creates heat. A heated body produces sweat, sweat is moisture. Moisture is the enemy, it conducts cold. The idea with layers and the poly-pro materials that "wick" moisture away from the body is to keep the moisture away from the skin, wet clothing gets cold. You want to wear an outer layer that "breaths." Clothing that breaths, yeah right. True it seems far fetched but that is what you want. Not all fabrics will provide that breathability. Experience has shown me that rain gear, which would protect from the elements, also create a "vapor lock" where sweat is trapped, not good. That's where a wind shirt comes in handy. "Bike specific" wind shirts come with zip off sleeves or zippers in the arm pits, to provide ventilation. They are worth the money, since you'll have a garment you can utilize in all sorts of weather.