Commuting - Outerwear

Ok, just picked up an '05 Kona Jake to replace my '95 Moab for my commute and now want to get things started a little earlier this year -- but I have no cold/wet-weather gear. Looking for suggestions as to online retailers & products now that I wimped out on the ride home today due 40+ mph gusts w/ wind chill adjusted temp of 29F. I figure I need jacket, pants & gloves. Commute is ~ 15 miles one way.

TIA

edit: just found the winter forum, sorry if i jumped the gun on this post.

I think it's a legit question to pose here, but there isn't a simple answer. The short answer I will give is this:

layers

I use 2 outter layers

One for pouring rain
http://showerspass.com/cart/product_info.php?cPath=21_25&products_id=29&osCsid=e9a5e8cefffff58a801d056b376983d5

One for everything but pouring rain
http://www.ibexwear.com/F05/View_Product.php?GarmentID=348&thePhoto=../Photos/F05/532_2522.jpg&Category=1030&CategoryLine=

or

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp;jsessionid=GWpv4TQbpf5DVlSP03vqSTmJYLTmRy8322bhwz1kK9wnlywVymdQ!259469093?PRODUCT %3C%3Eprd_id=845524442617574&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302699337&bmUID=1142352239538


Then when its warm enough i replace them with
http://bspbikes.com/itemdetails.cfm?ID=873

Those seem like nice items, but for me personally, they are all out of my price range. Anything out there that will substitute at a fraction of the cost?

For weather above freezing I usually just wear tights and a long sleeve jersey.
I'll wear a winter weight jersey over a base layer for 35-45F and a winter weight alone or a light weight with base layer for 45-55F.
If its raining in these cool temps I wear a vinyl rain cape and a lighter layer. When its warmer I usually just get wet.
A cycling cap and a skull cap are also useful head gear and perhaps a warmer hat for sub 40 temps.
Booties or water proof socks keep the feet warm in cold weather. In warmer weather again I just get wet. Bring an extra pair of socks and stuff your shoes with newspaper or paper towel to dry (replace after a couple hours).
Dryline tights (available from Nashbar) work well above 40F and Polar Stretch tights are good down to 20F and still comfortable to 45F.
Craig

Those seem like nice items, but for me personally, they are all out of my price range. Anything out there that will substitute at a fraction of the cost?

Nows a great time to search nashbar, rei, and any other outdoor type shop for last years models.
The ibex neve jacket i linked at $270 i picked up for $70 a year ago at an online discount in the spring.

Softshell jackets will cary you thru the largest temperature range. Softshells are also made in a large range of breathability vs wind/water proof. The 2 I linked are the most breathable material at some sacrifice to water and wind resistance. The polartech materials are used a lot and are warmer, less breathable but more water/wind resistant than the schoellar materials.

THis time of year with some time spent searching online should find you some good deals.

Ok, got sick of searching for deals on the internet, took a break from work and ran down to the pearl izumi store at the local outlet mall. Picked up a pair of gloves, pants & vest on sale for about $130. Since my bike was still at work from Monday's aborted mission, I decided to leave the car @ work and ride home. It was probably just under 30 F w/ wind chill and wind gusts up to 30mph+ -- all in all I was pretty warm. Ears & toes were a bit chilly, but nothing major. I'll be riding back in tomorrow morning when things should be a bit colder.

To paraphrase a saying about bikes; It can be warm, it can be comfortable, it can be cheap. Any two not all three. For cheap rain gear a local farm supply store sells plastic "rain" trousers and jacket (with hood) for field workers for some $12.00.

Also for every day commuting Spring & Fall, you need Wool, lots of Wool. Sweaters, socks, gloves etc. If you get caught in a shower, it still keeps you warm when wet & you don't have to wear bulky raingear.

I use a Pearl Izumi vest for most of my commuting down to the mid 30's and then a light weight shell below that. It works really well for me because it keeps my core warm and keeps me from overheating.

Get a leight weight scull cap and a pair of Pearl Izumi toe warmers, they are $19 and keep your toes tosty and the front of the shoes fairly dry.

I use a Pearl Izumi vest for most of my commuting down to the mid 30's and then a light weight shell below that. It works really well for me because it keeps my core warm and keeps me from overheating.

Get a leight weight scull cap and a pair of Pearl Izumi toe warmers, they are $19 and keep your toes tosty and the front of the shoes fairly dry.

I'm gonna stop over and get the toe warmers today, it was probably < 20F w/ wind chill this morning (my water bottle had ice forming in it at about the 8mi mark) and my toes were definitely the coldest part of my body. They were out of the caps when I stopped by though.