Winter Cycling - Pants other than tights?

For winter riding, I usually wear sweatpants over some baggy MTB shorts with a padded bottom. That is pretty good to a little below freezing. Colder than that, I add some Pearl Izumi leg warmers. Those keep me pretty warm, except for the small gap they leave between them and the top of my socks. The other problems with the leg warmers is they can creep down after a while, rendering them useless.

So I'm looking for a warmer solution for my legs. The problem is I am not a huge fan of tights. I bike commute to work... personally, I'd feel funny showing up with my junk on display. I think the main problem with sweatpants is the wind goes right through them, so I'm thinking something similar to them with some wind-proofing would be good.

Any suggestions?

http://foxwear.net/products_pants.html

Powershield pants.

http://foxwear.net/products_pants.html

Powershield pants.

+1

But the even the tights are more like pants cuz they are loose fitting. YOu could wear them into a restaurant and probably not be stared at too much.

I wear polartech fleece pants most of the winter. It's not too pretty but it keeps me toasty well below zero.

Look at the SportHill XC pants. They are loose-fitting and warm down into the 20's. Anything lower and you might have to add some thermals underneath. Look around for a decent price. Myself, I commute everyday to work and I just wear my regular workpants with leg warmers over them. If I go into a store I might roll them down and tuck them under my pant leg, No big deal for me. When I ride home in the aftn I switch over to XCpants because they're comfortable to ride in. Go to Sierra Trading Post or Campmor and see what they've got in the Snowpants/Skiing pants category.

I wear polartech fleece pants most of the winter. It's not too pretty but it keeps me toasty well below zero.

Is that Polartec 200 weight fleece? I was always concerned about the wind getting into that too much...

For winter riding, I usually wear sweatpants over some baggy MTB shorts with a padded bottom. That is pretty good to a little below freezing. Colder than that, I add some Pearl Izumi leg warmers. Those keep me pretty warm, except for the small gap they leave between them and the top of my socks. The other problems with the leg warmers is they can creep down after a while, rendering them useless.

So I'm looking for a warmer solution for my legs. The problem is I am not a huge fan of tights. I bike commute to work... personally, I'd feel funny showing up with my junk on display. I think the main problem with sweatpants is the wind goes right through them, so I'm thinking something similar to them with some wind-proofing would be good.

Any suggestions?

I'm going to say meh. Unless your boss has a personal agenda to **** anyone wearing Lycra/tights, then you shouldn't care what anyone thinks. You'll be happier and your legs will thank you.

Its more me not wanting to be "that guy"... :)

Another one of my co-workers already has that role... of course he comes in late to meetings in full sub-zero garb and then peels it off with sweat flying everywhere.

I like flannel lined jeans (http://http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&partNumber=86036&hvarTarget=search&cmCat=SearchResults).

Its more me not wanting to be "that guy"... :)

Another one of my co-workers already has that role... of course he comes in late to meetings in full sub-zero garb and then peels it off with sweat flying everywhere.


I am that guy. You other guys are amusing with your insecurities. :p
That being said, I have actually been riding in jeans, long johns, and jogging pants this winter since my commute is 14 each way. When I ride the occasional 28 each way I stick with tights. Nice and comfy.
With the shorter commute I do not see a need for cycling specific garb at the moment.
Here is a recent thread in the commuting forum. It appears that novara headwind pants are a favorite. I may pick up a pair.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=374508

Is that Polartec 200 weight fleece? I was always concerned about the wind getting into that too much...

I wear polartec 200 weight fleece pants under light shell pants... makes for a perfect combination.

If it gets colder I wear extra thermals under the fleece.

Good sweat pants are great for cool but not cold weather. When it gets too cold, put a pair of wind pants or waterproof pants on top. The heat you generate won't escape and you'll stay plenty warm. This is a commuter or short distance solution. It's not for spending a day cycling in cold weather.

For cold days, I have some Gore tex baggie pants. They flap about in the wind. Inside it feels like a sauna. I'll take my fleece lined tights. They are more effective at keeping out the rain. The baggie Gore Tex pants, water seems to seep in about the seams.

Nashbar crossroad pants with your favorite long underwear or riding shorts/tights.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=6000137&subcategory=60001209&brand=&sku=15100&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Tights%20%26%20Pants

For cold days, I have some Gore tex baggie pants. They flap about in the wind. Inside it feels like a sauna.+1. There's not much use for waterproof clothing such as Goretex when it's well below freezing. I prefer a lighter, windproof, breathable material. I hear Gore Windstopper is better than normal Goretex, looked into it but decided to buy cheaper generic shell. Underneath I have knee-length baggy bike shorts, or thinnish wicking long johns, or fleece / merino wool long johns, depending on how cold it is. Getting dripping wet from sweat is a bad idea in winter.

--J

Softshell pants, non laminate, with your layers of light insulation underneath.

Outdoor gear manufacturers like Patagonia, Arc'teryx, Mountain Hardwear, The North Face, Marmot, Outdoor Research, all offer excellent winter pants for fast forward cold weather activities.

Marmot ATV, Patagonia Guide Pant and the like are very respectable looking pants are the bomb for winter biking and cross country skiing.

snowpants!

seriously, i bought a pair of basic snowpants second-hand a year or two ago and they're great for my commute in lower temps. nothing fancy, but that means i can just slide them off when i get to my office (and close the door) and i don't have to worry about overheating in longjohns (the staff keep the thermostat awfully high, and i'm often in front of a hot stove).

for warmer, wetter weather i bought some schmancy gortex cycling pants, but i worry about damaging the material when it's below -5/-10C. plus, if for some reason the ice makes me unable to keep the rubber side down (knocks on wood) then there's a bit of padding in the snowpants, and i also don't have to be worried about ruining a $100 pair of pants.

Hmm.
I usually get by with lycra shorts and legwarmers. This ok down to about -5C, but not when snowing or raining (England is weird, we often get below-freezing temperatures and rain). So this morning I was caught out by the snow - it froze onto my legwarmers, then melted. Chilled my knees too much, I'm sore now.

IF I'd been sensible, I would have added my 3/4length walking trousers. These are made of a stretchy fabric that sheds snow, even tho' it's not waterproof.

Easiest solution: get some windproof pants to wear over the sweats.

This year I made a trip down to my local Military Surplus store and bought some wool pants that came from the Swedish Army. They are light brown and I think quite stylish with their button down pockets. I am all legs--these are just long enough to tuck into my Sorel packs. I got the waist big enough to fit over my regular pants but I wear either a pair of tights or polypro long underwear underneath so there is plenty of room to move.

My riding was severely curtailed in December but the few times I've used them in single digit weather I was toasty warm.

Very affordable, too--my pair was $29.

Jeff

I have a broad collection of "tights" of all weights and all degrees of wind and water resistance.

I wear baggy shorts, baggy knickers and, rarely, regular trousers over the tights.

I prefer Levi Dockers shorts.
The pockets and the ability to hang things on my belt, like a flashlight and Leatherman, come in handy.

In the summer, I still wear the shorts without any tights.

In Fall and Spring, I'll wear the shorts with "tight" knickers underneath, and knee socks, such as soccer socks.

If I have a work or meeting situation that requires more formal dress, I carry nice trousers with me, and I've learned to change clothes in a hurry and thus look appropriate for the occasion.
It takes a minute and a half to change one's trousers and shirt in the men's room or a bathroom.

Is that Polartec 200 weight fleece? I was always concerned about the wind getting into that too much...

I've biked with it in 70 mph north winds in the middle of winter and haven't had much of a problem. They breath a little but don't let the wind in. I only resorted to a union suit underneath at 15 below zero, but even then it got too hot. I don't use a shell because I need the sweat to evaporate.

I just got a pair of AFRC Schoeller Stretch Windpants from REI yesterday and tried them today in below zero windchill and they worked great.
http://www.rei.com/REI-Outlet/product/752592

Schoeller, Schoeller, SCHOELLER! is the goods.

In 20's or 30's temps. I wear either my work-pants/leg warmers in the morning. Or my SporHill 3SP X-C pants in the aftn. These keep me warm and comfortable . Beats anything out there.

I wear regular pants over the tights. No one knows who doesn't need to know ;)

J&G Patrol Pants with a pair of polypro longjohns keep my legs plenty warm down to below 0 temps.

I wear a pair of bike shorts, then long thermal underwear over that. If it's >35F I wear either cheap China-Mart wind pants or a pair of joggers. If it's <35F then I wear the joggers and wind pants together.

My biggest problem has been my feet. I use old-fashioned toeclips and straps, and ride in sneakers. I've tried wearing two pairs of socks, and have even tried the plastic grocery bag in between trick (can 3,000,000 homeless people be wrong?), but my feet still get cold.

I have a pair of Danner hiking boots, and this weekend I may just remove the straps from my toeclips and try riding in them.

I don't want to have to change when I get to work. I wear snowboarding pants over my work pants - they're nice because they're wind/waterproof and have zippered vents over the thighs if it is too warm. They were only around $40-ish on close out.

The fact that they are gaitered around the ankle helps to keep any wind riding up my shins, they are also reinforced at the leg cuff so they won't get mangled by my chainring.

For those of you who ride fixed gear (and those that don't), how do you keep those floppy wind-proof pants out of the drivetrain? I've tucked in the pants into my socks, but I wish there was a wind-proof pant out there that was form-fitting so I didn't have to tie it down somehow. Does such a thing exist?

I forgot to add, Tuesday's commute was at 10 deg F. with around 50 mph windgusts (headwind, of course) and my legs never felt cold after I started moving and stayed warm the whole ride. My coworkers think I'm insane; they're probably right.

For those of you who ride fixed gear (and those that don't), how do you keep those floppy wind-proof pants out of the drivetrain? I've tucked in the pants into my socks, but I wish there was a wind-proof pant out there that was form-fitting so I didn't have to tie it down somehow. Does such a thing exist?
You need some sort of pant clips to fasten your pant legs out of the way. On the cheap, a pair of shoelaces, wrapped around your pant legs at the ankles, will do. You can spend a little more and get cheap velcro strips designed for cycling.

Here's another vote for the Sporthill 3SP pants.

http://sugoi.com/item/76121/SUG41493U

http://sugoi.com/item/76121/SUG41387U

I am not certain which one of these I have. But I like it a lot.

I use long johns with nylon hiking pants over them. Below around 15 degrees I add leg warmers. If the pants have floppy bottoms I use reflective Velcro-fastened bands to keep them out of the chain on my MTB.

The Col d'Lizard Power Stretch pants are soft, very articulate and comfortable - and not expensive. Very similar to the Foxwear pants already mentioned. These are Icebike's (http://www.icebike.org/Clothing/lowerhalf.htm) top pick. Wear them over the shorts.

http://www.coldlizard.com/cgi/wc.dll?GEKKO~catalog~DETAIL~34

I'll wear tights for road and fitness rides but for the commute, I have 2 options depending on conditions.

First choice: Soft shell, REI Mistral pants, (schoeller dynamic) alone or with base layer or bike tights underneath depending on the temp. Super comfortable, not great in pouring rain, super wet snow or really high winds. I down hill ski in them too. They're great for all things outdoors.

Second choice: Hardshell REI stratos rain pants. Again layered for temp underneath. These are wind and water proof, so they provide a lot of protection. Best for the super cold and wet days.

I usually wear a pair of wool golf knickers with knee-high wool socks, such as they make for inside fishing waders. If you go to http://www.bicyclefixation.com and go into the gallery, I'm the second one down, Bruce W. of Charleston, WV.

I pretty much just wear any pants or jeans...if it's anything less than -10 then I stick some longjohns on underneath.
Works for me.

I mean....I wear tight jeans with the cuffs rolled up, wool socks pulled up high, two hoodies, and a bandana hanging out of each pocket.

JacenC,

Here's another option,

Just wear a pair of lined polyester track pants over a good warm winter bike full tight and you should be both warm enough and breathable. Make sure the track pants don't have a cotton lining.

If the ride is short I would recommend winter bike tights under jeans and take the tights off at work so you don't over heat.

I wear a pair of windproof pants from EMS over tights. Between those my legs stay warm, dry and not assaulted by the wind.

My girlfriend picked up a pair of pants from Marmot. I think they are more of a snow pant but it seems to do her well. They look like pants rather than tights or dedicated rain gear.

You need some sort of pant clips to fasten your pant legs out of the way. On the cheap, a pair of shoelaces, wrapped around your pant legs at the ankles, will do. You can spend a little more and get cheap velcro strips designed for cycling.

If you ride at night, here's an idea. They make LED-studded collars for dogs. Use one of those to confine your pant leg and you will have one more point of visibility.

Commuting by MTB: Snowboarding pants, long underwear and padded Lycra shorts. Pants must be very water resistant at least. I have reflective velcro ankle bands to contain pant legs.

Road riding: long underwear, padded Lycra shorts and leg warmers. Only time anything gets between my skin and my shorts (short 10 mile ride/sprint).

All times: Sugoi booties over Shimano MTB shoes

If you ride at night, here's an idea. They make LED-studded collars for dogs. Use one of those to confine your pant leg and you will have one more point of visibility.

Ya, I have found that a nylon dog collar for small dogs is the best thing for pants. It's adjustable, strong and cheap. And lasts forever. The kind with the quick release plastic connector is the easiest to use. Any kind of reflective coating or lighting would be even better.

i wear long johns under my jeans and take them off when i get to work