Touring - what do you recommend for touring in the cold?

Riding through Wyoming, Montana, northern Idaho, and Washington in the month of October.



Leg warmers?
I've read a lot of reviews that bash these things for slipping down the leg...



Cycling tights? Long underwear?
Over the shorts?



Neoprene booties?
Heard good things about these...

Non padded cycling tights over my bib shorts are my preferred... But I also wear leg warmers when I know it's going to get warmer as the day goes along. So.. my answer would be both depending on what the day is going to be like. No to long underwear but I suppose it would work but you might look pretty stupid ;)

Washington weather can vary tons in Oct. Anything from the 40's to the upper 60's on the Western side of the state.

I like cold weather riding. What you need on the bike isn't as much as you would think. Body temp at exercise provides lots of help to stay warm. Don't choose bulky clothes. I use long underwear, light weight vest, shell pants and jacket with hood, wool gloves, wool and water proof socks, balaclava and helmet. For me, that's good down to the teens. But I love the cold...

Trapping heat with a shell layer is the key to staying warm on the bike, IMO.

I use cycling leg warmers and have not had problems with them. The advantage over tights is they are easy to remove and put on without taking your shoes off (mine have a zip at the bottom). Some cycling tights have a strap to go under the foot and you need to remove shoes to get this on.

I wear booties while road cycling but they fail after about 20km so you end up with cold feet anyway. Other people swear by them. I don't take them on tour.

I have some wool long underwear that I layer under some wind/water proof pants, with some waterproof booties for my shoes. The booties make a big difference!

The upper body is standard, long-sleeve wool jersey, vest, windproof layer. Gloves are the hard part, tough to find gloves that will keep you warm and dry and still breathe. I don't personally use a balaclava, but it doesn't get that cold here. Just a tight skull-cap that comes down over my ears, under my helmet (when I wear it). I think I'm going to pick up a nice winter cycling cap for next season though, I like the Rapha one.

It's best to start out a bit too cold, you'll warm up quick.

I recommend learning about weather conditions in the Northern Rockies before even THINKING about such a trip in October.

I have lived in rural Wyoming for 20 years. A close friend volunteered for search and rescue for many years. October is the most dangerous month because people are often unprepared for the dramatic changes in weather - often without much warning. It can go from 75 degrees and sunshine in the afternoon to 10 degrees with a 50 mph wind and a windchill of 15 below by night.

A North Face aero jacket and leg warmers will not do much in such conditions. And, yes, my friend has had many rescues shift to retrieval. Mostly hunters, a few hikers, no cyclists that I have heard of. Yes, cyclists are usually tied to the road network - but here's the enchilada. Many times the weather change occurs overnight - when you are cozily camped away. You wake up with snow collapsing your tent and the road closed. So the option of flagging a car down disappears.

You are new here. I do not know how much experience you have touring or with the Intermountain West. If you are experienced in expedition conditions - then more power to you. If you are not, then I urge you to think carefully before commencing an October tour in the Northern Rockies - - regardless of clothing choices.

Trapping heat with a shell layer is the key to staying warm on the bike, IMO.

+1

Layer as you normally would for aerobic activity (super light base later, light insulating layers, and so on) and put a breathable shell over it. I have a rain jacket with Gore-tex paclite that I like. Depending on how cold it is, keep the front zip open partially. A little ariflow over the core and it'll keep you from sweating too much.

For base layers and insulation, I really like light wool like Smartwool, but synthetics are great too. No cotton, for the love of god! I run warm so I never use a heavy fleece or anything, but it's a good way to go. Ooh, and a light helmet liner if it's really cold.

Wool! and have something to put on when you stop riding, down is good.

Aaron :)

I recommend learning about weather conditions in the Northern Rockies before even THINKING about such a trip in October.

Agree with this! The last time I saw snow was when driving across Wyoming on I-80... in October. Even before the snow started to fall, wind chill made it bitterly cold! Not weather I'd want to ride in!

I ride up here as long as I can and as much as I hate the insane price use a pearl izumi gavia jacket. Makes a very big difference on cold 20-40 degree rides

I recommend learning about weather conditions in the Northern Rockies before even THINKING about such a trip in October.

I have lived in rural Wyoming for 20 years. A close friend volunteered for search and rescue for many years. October is the most dangerous month because people are often unprepared for the dramatic changes in weather - often without much warning. It can go from 75 degrees and sunshine in the afternoon to 10 degrees with a 50 mph wind and a windchill of 15 below by night.

A North Face aero jacket and leg warmers will not do much in such conditions. And, yes, my friend has had many rescues shift to retrieval. Mostly hunters, a few hikers, no cyclists that I have heard of. Yes, cyclists are usually tied to the road network - but here's the enchilada. Many times the weather change occurs overnight - when you are cozily camped away. You wake up with snow collapsing your tent and the road closed. So the option of flagging a car down disappears.

You are new here. I do not know how much experience you have touring or with the Intermountain West. If you are experienced in expedition conditions - then more power to you. If you are not, then I urge you to think carefully before commencing an October tour in the Northern Rockies - - regardless of clothing choices.

This is an excellent point, and well said. Even down here in the Southern Rockies, October is pushing it. You should probably leave the leg warmers and tights alone and look into full blown fleece pants and down. Realistically, you're going to want mostly winter gear, and be warm during the days.

To those of you in the North, am I way off base saying this? I would probably bring winter stuff with me in October here in Colorado. I did a tour of the state in September and was barely warm enough at night in my 15 degree bag wearing every piece of clothing I brought on the trip(including down jacket).

Coming from a former mountain rescue and backcountry volunteer here myself, urge you to consider the issue of weather seriously- october in the rockies west to the cascade range & south thru much of the great basin to the sierras stands you a good chance of a blizzard - If its any consolation though, its early enough the snowbanks won't have had a chance to build up much! you should be capable of winter camping if your planning this trip.

October in the high country you will be needing quite a few active layers, puffy insulating layers for off the bike, warm gloves. shell layers that are non waterproof for riding, and a waterproof storm system as well.

One of the best layering pieces i've used off season touring are Outdoor Research Mukkluks. On the bike, a Gore Next2Skin windstopper beanie.

see a slide show from one of my weekend trips for some gear ideas. i think this was in october or november, it was the weekend they were gating this road for the winter approaching one of the LOWER passes in washington state.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ORO_nxEba0



further tips for winter bike camping.

it gets dark early in the northern lattitudes in winter. plan for less than 12 hours of daylight. much tent or dark riding time. a pocket am/fm radio is great to help pass the off the bike time.

Candle lantern in the tent warms and dries.
Water bottles buried upside down in snow stay unfrozen at tops until morning in most conditions.
A hot bottle in the jacket does wonders, and in the sleeping bag at night too. just not a bike bottle, use screw top bottles.
Use foot of sleeping bag to keep things warm like shoes and battery flashlights and etc.
Alternately in morning you can warm shoes by wearing inside jacket while preparing breakfast.
Two sleeping pads let you keep outer layers from freezing if you sleep on them between the two pads and allow clothes to dry somewhat as well.
Bandana around neck to pull over nose/face while riding is STILL one of the best face covers around for winter riding IMO. gets soaked after a while, but just dry it in jacket and out by candle lantern, and good to go!

jmenking ... where are you from? Do you currently cycle through the winter? If so, what do you wear?

Personally I'd pass on "Riding through Wyoming, Montana, northern Idaho, and Washington in the month of October." It sounds dangerous and not much fun.

As far as what to wear in cold weather...

Tights with a bit of a brushed surface on the inside are much warmer than ones without. Tights with a windproof front are pretty good in the cold. I don't usually ride in weather below 20F, but have on occasion. I find my windproof front tights comfy for running at a bit below 0F which is as cold as it usually gets where I live. Not sure how much colder they would be OK for. Sitting around in camp is another matter though.

Leg warmers are great for days when it will warm up and you will want to take them off. No problem keeping them up if they fit right and you wear them with the tops under the grippy bottoms of your bike shorts.

If it is really bitter, as was said, a shell over fleece is hard to beat. I don't ride when that is required. I have found a shell nice in camp worm over tights on cold evenings. My cheap coated nylon rain pants work well for that.

I like neoprene booties and wear them for cold weather riding, but don't tour if I expect it to be cold enough to need them. These days my need for them isn't frequent since I would much rather trail run than ride when it is cold.

Echoing Jamawani et. al, I would be riding in CA/AZ/NM instead.

We are actually headed up this way in June. Our route takes us through Utah over the high mountains, through western Wyoming, into Idaho, over the Bitterroot into Montana and then back into northern Idaho and on to Eastern Washington. It'll be the first time for me on some of these routes, and I'll record what I see.

I can't imagine riding on what are mostly winding narrow two-lanes in an early season snowstorm would be at all safe. Everyone has their own idea of what 'fun' is, but getting flattened by fast moving vehicles in bad weather conditions probably isn't it.

Now, depending on where you are talking about traveling, it is perfectly possible to stay off of the really high passes... but I wouldn't even want to be touring in the valleys of Montana or Wyoming in October. Brrrr.

I have not toured in cold weather but I have driven a motorcycle when it is in the teens and 20s (degrees F) and I can tell you that windchill on hands can be pretty bad. A friend and I did a century several years ago, he got very bad frostbite on his feet when the blizzard hit half way through the ride. Since your hands and feet are the radiators of your body and loose heat quite rapidly, know the signs of frostbite. In the cold, your head looses heat more rapidly than anything else, do you have a stocking cap that fits under your helmet? I often use a neck gaiter for cold weather camping, it reduces heat loss quite a bit for the small packed size and weight.

I do not recall people on this forum commenting on weather radios, I have a small marine band radio that I use for kayaking, it also has weather bands and I bring that on all camping trips. Several years ago in some areas I needed a high gain antenna, but the weather service has added a lot of weather stations since then. Not all weather radios are equal, my marine band one has worked when others could not get a signal.
http://www.weather.gov/nwr/

Thanks to everyone for your comments and concerns. They have certainly made me consider more seriously the winter gear I'll be taking with me, although I was planning on packing most of the articles of clothing that have been mentioned.

I am also reconsidering our route, though I'd still like to try it.

I should have been more clear: There will be three of us, so I am not undertaking this alone. And to be more specific, our original intention was to be finished with Wyoming by late September and to only spend the earliest part of October in western Montana before we are on our way into Washington. According to the plan, we would be in Ellensburg, WA by mid October. Do you think that is unreasonable? I am basing it on an average pace of 60 mi/day.

As for cold weather experience, I spent 2 months on the Juneau Icefield in 2008. Temperatures were usually in the range of 25-45F, and most days were rainy (8 days of sunshine in the whole 2 months!). Got experience in traversing ice (cross country skis), tent camping on ice, some 'what to do' training in survival situations, and MOST IMPORTANTLY how to be pro-active about staying warm and energized.

While I have cold weather experience, I've still never biked in it. However, knowing my own limits I am less worried about staying warm while biking because I'm going to invest in the proper attire and take care to keep myself well fed/ hydrated. I'm also less worried about the camping because I have camped in the cold and will have a warm bag and the proper change of warm, dry clothes, candle lantern, etc. I AM worried about being caught in a blizzard and finding ourselves on a closed road many miles from civilization.

I believe the best thing we can do is to plan this part of our route to a T so that we always know exactly how far we are from other humans. If we keep a close watch on the weather and talk to all the locals we can, I think we will increase our odds of avoiding the worst case scenario.

We cycled t hrough Montana and Wyoming in September and October a few years ago and it was fine. Yes, we had a few winter storms come through and yes, we had to hole up in a hotel for four days due to a major storm - but we made it through with our 10-year-old boys and you can do it too. Just be prepared for cold.

So what to take? Wool, wool, and more wool. In layers. Lots of layers. You will find some days when it warms up very pleasant temps and you'll be wearing shorts and a long-sleeve wool shirt. Other days, you'll be totally bundled up and the temps won't even rise above freezing.

I really liked my Ibex wool long underwear and wore that the whole time - never needed another layer on my legs at all. check out Ibex wool or Jone's Wear - they both have lovely wool clothing that will work.

152383

i've toured up until heinous amounts of snow and storm make the passes treacherous and the roads close, but conceivably you could keep riding with an eye to rearward visibility in inclement weather and the hotel option to keep it grounded in a real howler. route planning will be crucial if you are going off the main roads. Getting stuck on a gravel mountain pass in a remote wilderness as a canadian clipper rolls across is a sure recipe for an evacuation or other similar fiasco.

that juneau icefield experience sounds like it puts you in the camp of being able to enjoy a little poor weather!

enjoy the riding, should be fun! put up some pics when it all comes together.

In 1980 I rode across the country, and I rode across Wyoming, parts of Idahoand Montana , and Oregon in October and early November, and I remember a number of bright , clear, comfortable days, some cold clear days, one soaking rain storm some snow and a major snowstorm which I rode through over the Cascades from Sisters, OR, to Eugene..

In Missoula, or somewhere along the route I picked up a pair of woolen Canadian Navy pants in any Army surplus store, which I modified into knickers, and wore with kneesocks in cold weather and snow. I had a mountain parka which served as a windbreaker. Nowadays I'd use a Gore-tex or similar rain suit. I also had some shoe covers for the rain and snow. I also remember climbing some long passes in shorts and a tee shirt, and then putting every bit of clothing I had with me on for the descent.

I had done a lot of skiing, both DH and X-C, so cold weather was nothing new to me and I was mentally prepared for a lot of things that could have, but didn't, happen.

The most disagreeable things about the ride were the grain trucks,barrelling along the Clearwater west of Missoula.