Nutcase and ORbike are collaborating on a series of photo and video shoots for the #keepriding campaign, to connect with all types of bike riders who ride through all types of weather.

Winter biking is sometimes easier said than done. Juggling the need to stay warm and dry with the desire to look good on arrival can sometimes lead us to alternative transportation.

But two things make trying winter riding worthwhile: 1) the ability to be outside in any weather is a boost to the spirits and a boon for generally chair-bound bodies; and 2) there are a million ways to make winter riding = happy riding.

Many times, it can seem like winter bike commuters are all dressed the same, in technical gear in a narrow palette of day-glow yellow, orange, and green. But look more closely and you’ll see that people are figuring out what works for them in myriad combinations, and sometimes with their regular winter clothing.

Nutcase product developer Meghan Sinnott and ORbike editor Ayleen Crotty got together with Jes Larson, director of the Welcome Home Coalition, and an advocate for affordable housing, to talk capes and carry-ons in the quest for all-weather cycling.

In the clip, Jes explains that she shares a car with her husband and bikes to work between 3-4 times per week. When she does bike, Jes wants comfort and style to merge. Her go-to article of attire is black tights. She has tights of all weights and thicknesses, which she can wear with skirts and dresses and underneath her bike riding rain cape.

“My husband is an avid cyclist and loves gear way more than I do,” she said. “He introduces me to things and often I’m like, ‘No siree’ – it only took me two times of wearing the cape and I am totally in love with it.”

Jes in business attire.

Jes does not wear rain pants and loves that the combination of cape and boots can keep her dry in wet biking conditions.

She always carries a couple of items with her on her bike in order to adapt to changing weather conditions and a desire, at times, to be in ‘cozy clothes’ on the bicycle ride home. Extra socks and extra gloves are always in the carry-on, she says, in order to keep the extremities dry at all times.

If there’s one tip she can offer, Jes would say it is carrying the cold and wet weather gear you need even if the forecast looks good.

To see more solutions for winter riding follow the #keepriding hashtag or Twitter, check here, and watch our first video with the cold-weather gear selections of BikePortland editor Jonathan Maus.