Winter Cycling - What do you think of fleece?

Early in the morning it can be in the low to mid 40's..To me that is cold.Usually warms up quite nicely by 10. I do not take the cold too well. Extra layers still feel cold..Most of my jackets are light. lo 40's even my heavier jackets seem chilly.
To really feel warm, what do you think of fleece. I have none. Think it would be toasty.? Does it feel wet and clammy, even if you are warm.? Do you find it an invaluable piece of winter gear.?

The wind cuts right through most fleece. In those temperatures I like to wear a windproof vest under my fleece jacket. There are some windproof fleece products on the market but I have not tried them.

It depends on how far you are riding. I ride ten miles a day in 30 degrees and do break a sweat, but not heavy like a bath. I use a base layer of polyester (100%), a thin fleece (target, $8), and my Canari wind/rain shell; gloves and headgear are personal preference. This seems to keep me very warm after 5 minutes of riding, and dries quickly when I get home and place them hanging over the chair. (Oh, the fleece doesn't get soaked, it wicks most of the moisture away from the body.)

Urbanmonk

I have very little fleece that I use for cycling because I haven't dropped the ton of dimes to get some windproof fleece. Plain fleece breaths too well. I am very tempted by the LandsEnd Maraniac jackets, they are wind and water resistent fleece that might do you very well in that temperature range.

I have about 8 fleece sweaters, a couple fleece jackets and a couple fleece vests. I like fleece. Doesn't block wind for beans.
I put a shell over fleece for riding. I would definitely say try one. You know something I want to try? The marinac windproof fleece jacket...
http://www.landsend.com/cd/fp/prod/0,,1_2_1931_2312_86695_65142_5:view=-1,00.html?sid=0774053843632166010

I love fleece.

Fleece is comfort without overheating.

I wear a fleece vest under a wind/waterproof shell if moderate temps and a fleece jacket if really cold. I wear a fleece headband.

I have about three fleece pants and sweat-shirt type garmets for wear around the house, cold weather walking and stuff like shoveling snow.

I use a thin pair to commute everyday to work in, only a mile and great if not really cold. They keep me warm and I don't have to wear tights into work. a big plus.

I have just started using fleece gloves as a liner with goretex mittens, but hasn't really been cold enough here to see about that, they seem to get wet.



If you shop right, it is not really that expensive. I wouldn't pay a lot for windproof fleece, seems unnecessary to have that if you already have a shell?

Early in the morning it can be in the low to mid 40's..To me that is cold.Usually warms up quite nicely by 10. I do not take the cold too well. Extra layers still feel cold..Most of my jackets are light. lo 40's even my heavier jackets seem chilly.
To really feel warm, what do you think of fleece. I have none. Think it would be toasty.? Does it feel wet and clammy, even if you are warm.? Do you find it an invaluable piece of winter gear.?


Target is selling a windproof fleece jacket for about $30. Can't recall the label but it has a sticker on it claiming it is windproof. I read a thread somewhere about someone who bought it and they were just ecstatic (sp?) about its performance. Downside is when the temps warm during a ride it'll get uncomfortable and it's fairly bulky. Me - I wear layers. A mid weight polar tec jersey from REI and a cotton thermal top under that - though I may swap that out for a polypropolene base layer top. On the bottom, cycling shorts and tights. All that keeps me tolerably comfy to about 30 degrees.

Fleece under a windproof jacket is standard wear for me all through the winter; works great. This morning it was only 32 when I left, so I layered an additional fleece vest under my fleece long sleeve pullover and was toasty all morning. There's so much generic fleece on the market now that works just fine, so now it's also pretty economical. Highly recommend it.

The wind cuts right through most fleece. In those temperatures I like to wear a windproof vest under my fleece jacket. There are some windproof fleece products on the market but I have not tried them.

I'm with blwyn on this one. We both come from 'up nort, der hey' where it is cold and windy.

Fleece has almost no warmth in the wind and when you bike guess what - there's wind!

Also, if you mean the fuzzy fleece, it creates a lot of noticeable wind/air drag. If you want to wear fleece, wear it under a wind breaker that will block the wind and offer less wind/air drag.

For my riding in cool, damp or wet conditions, a fleece under a windproof seems to works as well as a woolen jumper.
Most fleeces have too much belly, and not enough back.
The sleeveles "gillet" style are useful. I sometimes wear mine over the windproof, so I can strip it off quickly.