Winter Cycling - Good ol' fashioned winter gear still keeps you warm!

One article that is almost always too warm for cycling is a good ol' fashioned wool muffler. I carry one in my backpack "just in case", but rarely pull it out above 15 degrees F.

Our ancestors were dealing with cold weather long before the high tech gear we use today was invented. Does anybody else have success with old fashioned technology?

wool is the anwser, the golden fleece.

I picked up an Eddie Baeur Goose Down Ski jacket for 8 bucks. Wind does not go through it. Lined flannel pants. Marks Work wharehouse has some,with long johns very comfortable. Throw some polyester jogging pants over them all is good and toasty and not too bulky. But GOOSE down is the way to go.

A wool pullover over a cotton T Is my greatest comfort no matter how cold this really helps keep a constant base. Then I work with layers as need be.

I went to the local "mountain adventure outfitter" store the other day (mostly because the LBS is part of it) and looked at gloves and baclavas. $30 and up for gloves, $50 and up for bacs. I'm not scaling Everest, I just want to stay warm outside! I decided to stick with: my Thinsulate-lined fingerless glove/flip-top mitten things, with good old dollar-a-pair jersey gloves as backup liners; a stocking cap, sometimes with a do rag underneath; wool scarf; sweatshirt, hooded or not, plus a lined windbreaker; and the ski pants I got for like $3 at a yard sale (usually over shorts). Works great!

i do have a primaloft ll bean jacket but i have not pulled it out yet this season.
ive been wearing the ll bean long underwear i got 7 years ago some courdarory old navy cheapo pants and some defeet blaze socks. i do the long underwear shirt,
a flannel,a sweater and a gore tex windstopper fleece. i then do a wool scarf, a backlava i got for 20$ and a stocking cap.
no problems thus far but gonna be 20 for a high tomarrow,gonna try to skip the sweater and use the heavy coat with the windstoper under it.

My feet are the thing that has always got cold on me so I bought a pair of Kamic sub 40 degree hiking boots. That combined with my Walmart nylon pants, fleece and my Performance windbreaker, balaclava and gloves make me warm enough.

In my panniers I have my pants and sweater for work and a rain suit. Two extra layers just in case.

wool is the anwser, the golden fleece.
So true, if you can afford it. I always wear an old cashmere sweater as a base layer, either right next to my skin or over a wicking t-shirt. This keeps me warm, dry and comfy. I bought it second-hand years ago for $ 3, but a new one would probably cost 100 times as much.

But I have found that ordinary (economical)wool can be scratchy next to the skin, and develops an odor. What is your solution?

Had that problem of odour as well. But my wife put some vinegar in with the laundry and it cut out the odour just like that. On a nylon shell and the wool sweater.

Try it , worked for me.

OC

Military surplus wool pants--look good on and off the bike, warm and $7 off eBay, brand new. Military surplus wool "trigger finger" mittens, perfect for bikes with trigger shifters/hand brakes for $3/pr off eBay. Lots of great surplus wool kit on there for real cheap.

2 magic words: Polartec, Wool