Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - let's talk about legs

I've lived in Portland for just over a year now. Last winter was brutal. My jeans were always soaking wet and as you know, wet jeans are probably the worst thing ever.

This winter I'll be riding every day/night delivering food for work so I wanna make sure I am 100% legit.

I was thinking about just getting leg warmers (they look like spandex and go up about mid thigh) and just wearing cut off's over em. Anyone else ever do this?

All I have together so far is an american apparel thermal (****ty quality for sure), a hoodie and a northface venture shell. Any recommendations for staying warm/comfortable without looking like a yellow jacket/road warrior?

I had the Chrome Cobra for a bit but honestly, it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. It's a sweet hoodie but for $160.. I ended up reselling it for $120 to put money towards my bike.

What are you guys in the NW doing?

I don't live in the NW, but I bought some waterproof overpants from here: http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/ . I don't see how leg warmers are really much better than jeans if it's raining- they still will just serve to hold water against your skin. I wear jeans or whatever, and just take off the wet shell when I get where I'm going. One nice thing about the motorcycle gear too is that it's got a heat resistant part on the inside of your calf for hot exhaust pipes that serves to make the material too stiff to get caught on your chainring. The gear I bought was about 1/10 of the money you're talking, $10-15. They have gloves and such too.

http://www.swrvestore.com/servlet/Detail?no=107

Layering is your friend, like **** load of them.

It is not that cold here in Vancouver yet.

I think it's ridiculous to buy winter motorcycle gear when there exists winter cycling gear that's just fine. Motorcycle gear isn't designed for your legs to constantly move up and down.

Legwarmers are a good idea. Don't be afraid to buy full-on tights or pants. If you are working, then it is essential that you get proper equipment. You will appreciate having quality outerwear.

Have your pick: http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10052&langId=-1&sortBy=Dollar+Rank%2F%2F1&searchType=categoryId&searchTerm=400070&beginIndex=0&pageSize=96&ipState=c0%3Di%253A1%253B3%253Biphrase%2Bbundle%2Btaxonomy%2Bid%2Bfrom%2Broot%253B400070%253B%253A40 0070%253B1%252C1%253B0%26q%3D16%26a1%3Diphrase%2Bbundle%2Btaxonomy%252F%252Fv%253A0%26a0%3Diphrase%2 Brelevance%252F%252Fv%253A0%26i%3Dsitemap%2Bid%26k0.0%3D400070%26qt%3D1286304354%26qid%3DqQ0xZrQ6BeN Wh%26vid%3DvqZWrzx44E6LE%26ioe%3DUTF-8%26s2%3Dsitemap%2Bid%252F%252F1%26qtid%3DqQ0xZrQ6BeNWh%26s1%3Diphrase%2Brelevance%252F%252F0%26rid% 3DrQI12RXfY0W9r%26s0%3DDollar%2BRank%252F%252F1%26t%3D0%26m0%3Diphrase%2Bbundle%2Bid%26mcmode%3Dtest&cn1=&categoryId=400070

cycling leg armers are not the same as AA thermal. I can wear just my leg warmers w/o anything over it at about freezing point, no problem. Pearl makes some cheap ones. Saw some cheap ones on Nashbar but i never touched them so i don't know.
If it rains, throw some waterproof pants on top. Booties are also great in rain/snow.

Swrve stuff is so ridiculously overpriced for what it is. Pass.

cycling leg armers are not the same as AA thermal. I can wear just my leg warmers w/o anything over it at about freezing point, no problem. Pearl makes some cheap ones. Saw some cheap ones on Nashbar but i never touched them so i don't know.
If it rains, throw some waterproof pants on top. Booties are also great in rain/snow.
I live in Portland so by the end of the month, it will rain just about 7 days a week until Feb.
I've heard that when leg warmers get wet, the cold water actually heats up, keeping your legs warm.

I've also heard that rain pants slow you down like a muh'fugga. I am gonna swoop up some leg warmers for sure and tights if I can end up affording them.

Also, http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/ProductImages/300/2009_Zan_Headgear_Balaclava_with_Neoprene_Mask_Black.jpg

Do you have full fenders on your bike?

By the way, I ride in the winter and the form-fitting stuff feels much better than loose flappy regular winter clothing.

Also, try to get some sort of wicking shirts to wear as a base layer to wick the sweat away from your skin. You can find lots of options at a local sporting goods store. Cotton is about the worst thing to wear.

Balaclavas are nice to keep the ears warm and you can hear traffic through them. But, you can't enter some buildings with them. I rolled up on 2 cops and scared the crap out of them one day hahaha.

Balaclavas are badass. Thanks for the info!

And only a rear fender. No clearance for a front fender.

look into some gore-tex socks!
http://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satellite?c=fabrics_product_c&childpagename=goretex_en_US%2Ffabrics_product_c%2FDetailEvolution&cid=1250027635158&packedargs=gender%3DMen%26prodtype1%3DMensGlovesAndMittens%26prodtype2%3DMensGlovesAndMittensSocks%2 6subpageid%3D1179537217299&pagename=SessionWrapper

anything waterproof is generally a bad idea, as you'll just get wet from your own sweat. Even gortex sucks, especially if you're moving all day.


what i usually do is wear all synthetics, maybe mesh or nylon shorts with knee high baseball socks. tights would probably make you look considerably less goofy though.

Wool blend long underwear and socks ftw.

Swrve stuff is so ridiculously overpriced for what it is. Pass.

I thought it was cheaper than anything else.

And also, says the guy with Cinelli leather tape..

;]

Balaclavas are badass. Thanks for the info!

And only a rear fender. No clearance for a front fender.

This makes me think you should look into a proper winter/foul weather bike rather than trying to force your clothes into picking up the slack.
Especially if you're working/commuting on your bike—you need the right tool for the job.


ETA: FWIW, go with wool. Get wool everything.

swrve stuff is not cheap, but it's not overpriced. i love my winter weight knickers, but i got them half off oops bin seconds.

Wool is great stuff.

A front fender too. The best clothing in the world won't prevent water from splashing your body. Get a different bike with full fenders if you're serious about staying warm and dry.

ETA: FWIW, go with wool. Get wool everything.
+1
speaking of wool. Also look into hiking base layers. A lot of them are very breathable, which keeps u dry, while keeping u warm.

fun fact-wool, while warm when wet, dries slower than synthetics once saturated.

i find that most wool baselayers are kinda fragile and expensive. they don't hold BO like synthetic, and they breathe much better, but if you have a bag on your back, wool has been known to wear through pretty easily. if you're gonna buy wool, look for expedition weight stuff.

as long as OP stays away from cotton anything, he'll be fine.

There is a great info-graphic on page 52 & 53 of the October 2010 Bicycling magazine that addresses cold weather attire for 55, 50, 45, and 40 degree weather.

My preference of rain cycling is a synthetic long underwear (polypro type thing that wicks away sweat and other moisture) with some wool pants over top. For the wool pants, go to a second hand store and find a cheep used pair of high quality wool dress pants. They are not too thick, yet warm.

I rode in Portland last winter and was there for the little skiff of snow at Christmas... anyone who has not spent time in the PNW riding probably has no idea how craptastic non stop rain and cold can be.

Fenders are a no brainer as they will keep you, your bike, and what you are carrying much cleaner.

Proper rain gear will make riding so much more enjoyable and high vis clothing will help keep you from becoming road kill as will some decent lighting.

I bought a Columbia jacket there last October and love it as it is waterproof, breathes well, and can be be separated into it's shell and fleece liner... go to their outlet and you can probably score a much better deal than you would at any local store.

Rain pants and shoe covers will make things much nicer... I worked as a messenger and staying dry and warm was more important than looking trendy and freezing your ass off.

Wool is also your friend... cotton is the work of satan.

Swrve stuff is so ridiculously overpriced for what it is. Pass.

My $40 hoodie is awesome. The jeans I bought cost the same as other jeans that fit me. $40 jeans do not fit my legs, sorry. Swrve stuff is ok. I bet those trousers linked do the same as any other $125 pair of water resistant pants that you can walk right into the office with.

I was out in the castelli leg warmers, booties and bib tonight. Had a trasparente jersey on and base layer tucked in the back just in case it got chilly. 12c and medium humidity. That's about 55f for you Yanks. I was happy with the heat generation and the wicking. If it started to rain I would throw something over top that setup. Most likely something from MEC or whatever. Something cheap.

Patagonia stuff is real nice. But expensive. You get what you pay for.

For what it's worth, North Face has a great customer service policy. I had a jacket that was several years old start to come apart at the seams. Took it to the local North Face store with no receipt (bought it at Macy's) and it was obviously an older model. They didn't care. They shipped it back to a service center and they repaired it and returned it to me at no charge within about 10 days. I was impressed.

That rules. I just had a similar experience with Castelli. Shipped it (jacket) back to realcyclist and they replaced it well outside their 30 day window under the manufacturer's policy.

Good customer service goes along way.

Patagonia R4 jacket is the best piece of winter outerwear I have ever owned. It's not too thick or obnoxious looking, it repels water well, it breaks the wind and it's two fleece layers keep you super warm.

Granted, the winters in Austin aren't as bad as in the PNW, but last winter was super wet and cold for us and this jacket held up like a champ.

Cold as in what, 70f? lol

any recommendations for rain resistant pants good for riding? ie water proof but comfortable for riding in? possibly any bicycle specific rain type pants?

Cold as in what, 70f? lol

whoa let's not get carried away...but it did get down into the low '80s...

seriously, tho, i rode w/ that jacket and a t-shirt underneath during long rides on 40f and raining days. Again, not that cold but the jacket was great and it repelled the rain like a champ. Besides, lots of ppl have given it great reviews who are from super cold places

If you wanna drop $90 on a waterproof cycling spec jacket hit swrve up:

http://www.swrvestore.com/servlet/Detail?no=50

It doesn't get that cold in Portland. Just stop wearing cotton, yeesh.

My experience with leg warmers is that they fall down if they aren't tucked into the bottom of cycling shorts. I'd go with fleece long underwear. I bought mine at JC Penny's for about $20 3 years ago and still have them. As far as waterproof pants, I just ear mid-range rubber pants from Wal-Mart sporting goods dept ($20-30 if I remember correctly) and either tuck them into wool socks or get one of those reflective pants clips. It looks dorky, but it works. If you get hot just wear shorts under the rubber pants.

If you wanna drop $90 on a waterproof cycling spec jacket hit swrve up:

http://www.swrvestore.com/servlet/Detail?no=50

It looks like it is 50 to me, seems like a very sweet deal. Thanks!

To the OP, since you are working on your bike, definitely invest in cycling specific gear. It keeps you dry, keeps you warm, and is durable. Later it might be wise to build or buy a bike that has fenders.

Also, I've had a lot of luck buying women's cycling specific clothing. The sizes that go on clearance because they don't sell for women fit me perfectly. Last winter I got a wind breaker, water resistant jacket, and a pair of rain pants for <$50 at REI. Fit and work amazingly, and you cant tell its womens stuff.

Not sure if anyone else

It doesn't get that cold in Portland. Just stop wearing cotton, yeesh.

I would take our very cold and very dry winters over those they get in the PNW any day.