Commuting - Staying Warm in the Fall

Morning temps are now into the 50's. It won't be too long until those are 40's. I just picked up a bunch of summer cycling gear on clearance, but that obviously doesn't help much now. I've started looking at clothing that I can wear during the fall that may also help during the winter (in an effort to save money). What do people think of jackets like these:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?sku=19931

Should I stay away from the performance brand and go pick up something similar at REI or EMS? And what do you guys do for pants? I was thinking of just getting a pair of light wind pants to put on over my baggy shorts. Does that work well?

Rmember - I'm on a budget. I'd like to get some fall/light winter stuff for about $150 total.

Morning temps are now into the 50's. It won't be too long until those are 40's. I just picked up a bunch of summer cycling gear on clearance, but that obviously doesn't help much now. I've started looking at clothing that I can wear during the fall that may also help during the winter (in an effort to save money). What do people think of jackets like these:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?sku=19931

Should I stay away from the performance brand and go pick up something similar at REI or EMS? And what do you guys do for pants? I was thinking of just getting a pair of light wind pants to put on over my baggy shorts. Does that work well?

Rmember - I'm on a budget. I'd like to get some fall/light winter stuff for about $150 total.

The Performance jacket should be just fine. There's really not much difference between jackets especially at the price you are looking at. It's not going to repel the rain much so you might want to have a backup if you get caught in bad weather. Although a breathable waterproof jacket is nice, you can survive using rubber coated nylon or vinyl. It's not that comfortable and you end up swimming in your own juices but you do stay warm.

As for pants, I prefer tights. I much prefer bibs to regular tights. The bibs keep me warmer and don't feel like they are pulling my shorts off when I ride. The downside is that bibs are very expensive compared to regular tights and they are a bit bulkier when I have to carry them home on a warm night.

Performance, REI, Nashbar, etc are all good brands.

Crap I hate talking about this stuff. I'm a warm weather kinda guy but it is supposed to be low to mid 50s tomorrow morning. Brrrr. :(

I have more s/s jerseys than l/s so wear arm warmers, vests, and jackets in the fall.
I get arm warmers and leg warmers from Voler (http://www.velowear.com). I get the yellow arm warmers for visibility.
I also have DeFeet Kneekers (http://www.defeet.com/apparel.php?catid=18). They're good for temperatures in the low 40s to 50s. They're wool and have a breathable mesh on th eback side. I love them.
My vests and jackets are PI, REI, and Nashbar brands. All are neon yellow for visibility.

My jacket (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?sku=19314). Not as warm, I imagine or water resistant (a guess), but more versatile, IMO. The sleeves come off, and the whole thing becomes a self-storing fanny pack if you need to stow it. The little front pocket is great too. I see it at $50.00 with Team Performance, the original posted showing at $35. Depends on what you want, I guess.

I like layering and versatility, hence my choice, and my set of arm and leg warmers. :)

derekU2, check out sierra trading post (http://www.sierratradingpost.com) for clearance / closeout stuff. Also check the c/c are at rei (http://www.rei.com/outlet/category/22000003.htm) & other websites, even campmor (http://www.campmor.com) has bicycling gear.

This morning was 39° in Minneapolis, my coldest commute yet. Somehow it went from sweaty weather to frosty in about a week. I still need a good jacket & full-finger gloves, but survived this am with:

wool socks (under mtn bike shoes)
running tights over bike shorts
wool jersey (short sleeve)
arm warmers
nylon long sleeve shirt/jersey
fleece vest
thin balaclava under the helmet

derekU2, check out sierra trading post (http://www.sierratradingpost.com) for clearance / closeout stuff. Also check the c/c are at rei (http://www.rei.com/outlet/category/22000003.htm) & other websites, even campmor (http://www.campmor.com) has bicycling gear.

This morning was 39° in Minneapolis, my coldest commute yet. Somehow it went from sweaty weather to frosty in about a week. I still need a good jacket & full-finger gloves, but survived this am with:

wool socks (under mtn bike shoes)
running tights over bike shorts
wool jersey (short sleeve)
arm warmers
nylon long sleeve shirt/jersey
fleece vest
thin balaclava under the helmet

Just to show you how different we all are, this morning at 40F, I wore

regular bicycling socks (under mtn bike shoes)
bib tights over bike shorts
short sleeve jersey
nylon jacket
short finger gloves
sweat band

And I was sweating like a pig when I got to work. And my route includes about 2 miles of 25mph downhill!

I don't wear that many clothes when I ride in 18F weather!

(Not saying that there's anything wrong, halfbiked, just pointing out the differences.)

(Not saying that there's anything wrong, halfbiked, just pointing out the differences.)


Are you startin' with me? Huh? :)


I suspect if I ride through the winter, I will dress differently for 39° in the spring than I do now. It came on kindof suddenly around these parts.

(Not saying that there's anything wrong, halfbiked, just pointing out the differences.) Well, temperature is not the only factor; humidity can make a huge difference too. But of course there are differences between riders as well.

i recommmend skipping all the windwaterproof crapola (IMHO of course) going to the thrift store getting a thin, medium, and thick wool sweater (make sure it's 100% wool and preferable merino wool for anything your gonna wear in direct conact with your skin to avoid itch). and layering them appropriately according to temp.

for you lower half some good tights or just leg warmers (when it is above 40) will do the trick.

get some toe booties or full shoe covers for your shoes (to go with some nice wool socks and you'll be good.

the beauty of wool is it is warm even when wet (no raingear necessary).

a nice fleece neck warmer is good too or just a full on balaklava (but only for frigid days).

works for me though i was thinking of buying a windproof vest to put over the sweaters for REALLY cold/windy days (maybe 20 and below).



i am one hot bastage when i ride and anything that doesn't breathe as well as wool has me sweatin buckets and cold sweat is really cold...

Are you startin' with me? Huh? :)


I suspect if I ride through the winter, I will dress differently for 39° in the spring than I do now. It came on kindof suddenly around these parts.

Puddem up! Puddem up! ;)

By the way, Tuesday was 85F here, yesterday was around 50F and today is supposed to be around 70F.

Wheeee! The roller coaster has started!

Just a week ago it was no less than 70's, yesterday we got a canadian cool front & woke up to a 45 F this morning so I bundled up w a new sugoi fleece lined air block tights that I got on sale this past summer (the salesman expression was pricelesss wtf? it's almost 100's man! where are you going? ) long sleeve under armour, long sleeve jersey & a light jacket.

It was quite cozy but I realized at the office the first layer was soaking wet, ugh me thinks I overdressed. :)

Just a week ago it was no less than 70's, yesterday we got a canadian cool front & woke up to a 45 F this morning so I bundled up w a new sugoi fleece lined air block tights that I got on sale this past summer (the salesman expression was pricelesss wtf? it's almost 100's man! where are you going? ) long sleeve under armour, long sleeve jersey & a light jacket.

It was quite cozy but I realized at the office the first layer was soaking wet, ugh me thinks I overdressed. :)

If you are warm when you walk out the door you are overdressed. Start cold, end warm.

I just ordered some long sleeve poly tshirts and a "wicking polyester sweatshirt" (we'll see how THAT works) from www.alertshirt.com ... In ANSI ORANGE and ANSI LIME! Yay! Let's hear it for eyeball-damagingly bright clothing :D:D:D.

Those plus some full-finger gloves (my fingers get cold easy) should last me another month or two I would think. Maybe I'll need to get some long pants of some sort.

As for arm warmers and leg warmers - will a single pair of each do or do they get sweaty and smelly easily? Do they dry quick enough for a quick rinse and hang during the day?

Halfbiked - Thanks for the Sierra Trading post tip. I picked up a jacket, arm warmers, leg warmers, and fleece gloves. The original cost was $100 including shipping, but with a 20% code I found on fatwallet, I saved another 20%!

Here's the jacket I got:
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/product.ASP?base_no=25040&dept_id=L1~4287

Seems similar to the jacket on performance, but I liked the look better. I don't usually like buying clothing online, but cycling stuff is just so damn expensive in stores. I hope this jacket is what I'm thinking it is... only time will tell, I guess.

I picked up a couple of these (http://www.sahalie.com/jump.jsp?itemID=3149&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C4%2C14&iProductID=3149) last fall. Wear a base layer under it and you'll stay warm down to about 30F-35F (-1C to 2C).

I've pretty much given up trying to find waterproof AND breathable outer layer. If it's waterproof, it will not breathe enough for me. With Drymaxx, for example, I sweat like a pig, except perhaps in really cold conditions - and then there's usually snow and ice and studded tyres, so the extra workout will make me sweat like a pig again. Sooo... my next long sleeve jacket/trousers will be just el-cheapo wind proof and I'll wear wicking synthetic clothing beneath that.

I like the wool idea max-a-mill, but I'm not sure if it's better to wear a windproofing layer beneath or over it?

--J

If you are warm when you walk out the door you are overdressed. Start cold, end warm.

QFT. That's one old rule of thumb that I find to in fact be true.


As for arm warmers and leg warmers - will a single pair of each do or do they get sweaty and smelly easily? Do they dry quick enough for a quick rinse and hang during the day?


Yes, one pair is fine. I don't even bother to rinse them. They get tossed in the bike clothes load every once in a while.

i recommmend skipping all the windwaterproof crapola (IMHO of course) going to the thrift store getting a thin, medium, and thick wool sweater (make sure it's 100% wool and preferable merino wool for anything your gonna wear in direct conact with your skin to avoid itch). and layering them appropriately according to temp.

for you lower half some good tights or just leg warmers (when it is above 40) will do the trick.

get some toe booties or full shoe covers for your shoes (to go with some nice wool socks and you'll be good.

the beauty of wool is it is warm even when wet (no raingear necessary).

a nice fleece neck warmer is good too or just a full on balaklava (but only for frigid days).

works for me though i was thinking of buying a windproof vest to put over the sweaters for REALLY cold/windy days (maybe 20 and below).



i am one hot bastage when i ride and anything that doesn't breathe as well as wool has me sweatin buckets and cold sweat is really cold...

I agree with you. Wool is the way to go. I came to the realization in the boy scouts (many moons ago) of how pointless it is to try and stay dry if you are doing any sort of activity in a downpour. Give up on the space age fabrics. Accept that your skin will be wet and look for things that will still keep you warm. I find a wool sweater of light to medium weight with tights is fine for below freezing with me. I'll be a little cold for the start of the ride but by the end sweating all over. I have a thin wool cap which usually comes off half way through a ride at 40F (the outside temp this morning), wool gloves (with wool mitten overs for the cold/windy days), wool hiking socks with silk inners, and a turtle neck for the really cold days.
Have yet to be to cold on a ride even a wet one. Okay I guess my feet, face, and hands have gotten pretty cold a couple of times but usually its because I forgot some piece of clothing at home.

The only thing I need is new goggles for this winter.

Just to show you how different we all are, this morning at 40F, I wore

regular bicycling socks (under mtn bike shoes)
bib tights over bike shorts
short sleeve jersey
nylon jacket
short finger gloves
sweat band

And I was sweating like a pig when I got to work. And my route includes about 2 miles of 25mph downhill!

I don't wear that many clothes when I ride in 18F weather!

(Not saying that there's anything wrong, halfbiked, just pointing out the differences.)
Well it was a little warmer here this morning 46 F. I just wore a long sleeve mid weight jersey. Other than that it was my normal summer cycling gear. I was a little cool but over all very refreshing. Now when it get wet thats when the challenge starts.
Craig

Just to show you how different we all are, this morning at 40F, I wore

regular bicycling socks (under mtn bike shoes)
bib tights over bike shorts
short sleeve jersey
nylon jacket
short finger gloves
sweat band

And I was sweating like a pig when I got to work. And my route includes about 2 miles of 25mph downhill!

I don't wear that many clothes when I ride in 18F weather!

(Not saying that there's anything wrong, halfbiked, just pointing out the differences.)

Hiya Neighbor...
Dropped down to 38 up North here...
I wore...

Regular Socks
Baggy Shorts
Waterproof Pants (to keep the cold wind off)
Gator Booties over my Shoes
SS Jersey
LS Sweatshirt (from AlertShirt)
Nylon Wind Breaker
Long fingered gloves (Gore Windbreakers)
Leather Scarf (for the chinny chin chin) {swiped it from my Harley gear**
Bell Metro Helmet with the Winter Insert and Ear muffs.

I had the best ride! Nice and warm! Not too hot mind you. (oh yeah... no downhills) LOL

I like the wool idea max-a-mill, but I'm not sure if it's better to wear a windproofing layer beneath or over it?

windproof over it but only when it is really cold because then it gets hot.... one of the things i actually like about the wool is it allows lots of air through. a thick wool sweater, even though it lets the wind right through, is still really warm once you get the body heat cranked up a little. i get very warm and am often steaming by the end of my rides. that to me is some good wicking! :eek:

and just to clarify, i wear a normal longsleever jersey under the sweater as well.

If you are warm when you walk out the door you are overdressed. Start cold, end warm.
That's good advice. :)

As for arm warmers and leg warmers - will a single pair of each do or do they get sweaty and smelly easily? Do they dry quick enough for a quick rinse and hang during the day?

In Colorado, yes. In Boston...? As for laundring the outer layers in winter, I usually let them go for 3 or 4 rides before I wash them. I've collected a lot of cold wear gear over the years so I have a lot of stuff but there are some things I'm short on. Tights and outer jackets are the two most common so those I'll let go longer than the inner layers. NEVER do that with shorts! Shorts I wear once and then wash them.

Most of the newer fabrics don't smell much (polyproylene is the exception) even after heavy use. If you have a somewhat dimenished sense of smell it also helps ;) (Too many years of working with very smelly stuff). If my wife complains when she goes past my bike clothes, I figure it's time to wash them. The cat, on the other hand, actually prefers my clothes stinky and will roll in them like they were treated with catnip :D

I picked up a couple of these (http://www.sahalie.com/jump.jsp?itemID=3149&itemType=PRODUCT&path=1%2C2%2C4%2C14&iProductID=3149) last fall. Wear a base layer under it and you'll stay warm down to about 30F-35F (-1C to 2C).

Those look great. What do you wear for a cheap (wicking) base layer? I think I'll pick up three of those. Any thoughts from others on this?

Derek since thats an outer layer and you're on a budget, I would buy 2 and buy extra layers for underneath. Its very similar to what I wear but mine are slightly heavier.

i recommmend skipping all the windwaterproof crapola (IMHO of course) going to the thrift store getting a thin, medium, and thick wool sweater (make sure it's 100% wool and preferable merino wool for anything your gonna wear in direct conact with your skin to avoid itch). and layering them appropriately according to temp.

I like this approach best. I haven't commuted during a winter* yet, but a wicking t-shirt under a wool sweater is definitely gonna be my approach.

* as defined by NC standards.

wool is the way to go, for sure.

I sport pendelton wool shirts found at thrift stores for cheap style as well as sweater or bike specific wool jerseys.

for those of you who haven't tried wool, I cannot reccommend highly enough splurging on a nice long sleeve merino jersey or wool underwear top, wool is UNPARALLELLED as next to skin insulation as well as outer layers. Wearing wool next to your skin, After a five hour ride or ski or whatever, you feel DRY and experience none of the saturated synthetic sudden chill effect.

Wool also has the widest comfort range of any wicking layer, the same wool jersey is comfortable at 55 degrees and at 90 degrees, I can't quite explain it.

Agree with a lot of what's been said here and thought I'd make a plug for another natural fiber: silk.

Last winter I picked up a l/s silk undershirt from Sierra Trading Post. I think it was less than $20 and a bargain at twice the price. Extremely thin for layering under a long sleeve jersey or jacket, extremely warm, and machine washable.

It was 54F here in B'more this morning. All I wore was shorts, long sleeve "wicking" top w/ a fleece jacket. It was cool starting out, but became warm enough that I could probably use the same combo into the 30s F.

.

I gotta say I'm digging the fall weather* -- was able to bike to lunch in jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt and no recovery period or changing into other clothes when I returned back to the office.

Where can I move so that it's fall all year round?

* defined as ~70°F

I gotta say I'm digging the fall weather* -- was able to bike to lunch in jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt and no recovery period or changing into other clothes when I returned back to the office.

Where can I move so that it's fall all year round?

* defined as ~70°F

Completely unrelated, but I really like the start of your Bike Advocate blog. I was thinking of perhaps setting something like this up at some point in the future. I'll keep an eye on your site!

I was thinking of perhaps setting something like this up at some point in the future.

Sweet! Why not start right now? I am looking for people to regularly contribute. If you're interested, send me a PM.