Winter Cycling - Pants Pants Pants

The other day I posted about buying clothes on a budget. I totally forgot to ask about pants. I know doing a 26 mile ride w/ jeans on would be a bad idea and just be stupid. For riding in the cold what would I be able to get on a budget.

http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?subcategory=60001209&category=6000137&browse=&storetype=&estoreid=&brand=&searchbox=&start=1&orderby=price1&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Tights%20%26%20Pants

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/d/18679_Mens-Workout-Bottoms.html

I have several pairs of Army surplus winter weight wool pants. I think they may have been around $12 a pair.

I run a seam up the rear of each pant up to just below the knee. So they are tight in the calf but still roomy in the knees and thighs.

They where like iron. And with an underlayer, are really amazingly warm.

jim

A softshell pants and jacket are your best bet. Wear the jacket over a windshirt and you won't feel the wind chill. On windy days, wear a balaclava under your helmet. And of course winter gloves. You shoudn't feel cold and if anything, you might get overly warm during a long ride.

Thanks guys. I'm away from my bike right now. I'm visiting family in OK and can't wait to get back and ride regularly for about a month.

The other day I posted about buying clothes on a budget. I totally forgot to ask about pants. I know doing a 26 mile ride w/ jeans on would be a bad idea and just be stupid. For riding in the cold what would I be able to get on a budget.

In my opinion you would be best served if you spent a little extra money on a pair of winter weight bike riding tights and some cycling shorts. Combined you can ride down to 30-40F depending on your cold tolerance. Torso layers can be purchased from thrift stores or surplus or discount stores and need not be bike specific so you can get them cheaper.

Some very good and well reviewed tights that don't cost too much are Col d'Lizard Swift icebike Powerstretch 100 tights.

See here: http://www.coldlizard.com/cgi/wc.dll?GEKKO~catalog~DETAIL~36 (http://www.coldlizard.com/cgi/wc.dll?GEKKO%7Ecatalog%7EDETAIL%7E36)

Reviewed here, 4th article down: http://www.icebike.org/Clothing/Ctestedonice.htm

What kind of weather and conditions are you riding in? I prefer a Gore-Tex type rain pant that goes over my regular pants as I ride in a lot of snowy and slushy conditions. They block both the wind and the wet, which is perfect for me.