Hypno Toad

It's that time of year in MN, morning temps are cold and afternoon temps are nice. This morning was 35F and we are near 60F for the afternoon. Practically need two totally different outfits for AM and PM commutes. I am thankful for good layer options and will simply need an extra bag to haul all the morning layers home in the afternoon.

Yes, I do need some cheese to go with this whine....

no motor?

This time of year I just plan on being ready for most anything and can add or subtract layers as needed.

jrickards

It goes without saying that it is always coolder (cooler + colder, originally a typo but I'm just going with it) in the mornings than in the afternoons but in the summer, the morning may not be so much cooler that you can't wear the same outfit home and I suppose, for the hardy winter riders, the same may be said in the depths of winter. At this time of year, I find that, in addition to an extra layer for the morning ride, I also bring along a rain jacket in case it rains on either or both commutes.

The morning could be: shorts, tights*, long-sleeved light jersey*, rain jacket*, skull cap*, long-fingered wool gloves, lobster overmitts*.
The afternoon could be: shorts, short-sleeved light jersey*, mid-weight long-sleeved jersey*, long-fingered wool gloves.

Anything with an asterisk was packed for either the ride in or the ride out, the only constants being the shorts and the long-fingered wool gloves.

I plan to try to do an experiment this month: determining which temperatures (getting colder) at which I add a new layer over the base starting with cycling shorts, short-sleeved jersey my regular long-fingered gloves, short merino socks (my summer ones) and shoes as the base.

alan s 

My ride to work this morning was fairly typical for this time of year, in that the temperature increased about 8 degrees in 20 minutes, coming into the city along a river valley that traps cold air. This, combined with my body getting warmed up, means I usually have to stop half way and shed a layer in the morning. In the evening, the temperature drops, but that coincides with being warmed up, so usually the clothing I start out with is good for the entire ride back. I have a Topeak trunk bag with drop down panniers to hold the extra clothes for the ride home if they don't fit in the main compartment. Obviously, the key to dressing is "layers."

BobbyG

Fall and Spring there can be an almost 20 degree difference between the start and end end temperature of my morn ing commute. Today it was 45 when I left the house, and 35 minutes later it was 62! I usually stop once and strip off a layer, gloves and belaclava.

Hypno Toad

OK, that's 'worse' than my commute . Normally the temp doesn't change that much on one ride. Mostly open zippers and vents as I go, but normally don't need to stop and stuff stuff in the bag.

RidingMatthew

it was 45 this morning and it is supposed to be 73 when I head home. I am shoving a lot of stuff in bags.

Rerock

The wind this afternoon was brutal!!

I keep one pannier with 'summer' riding gear for the afternoon trip.

PatrickGSR94

I just layer up. With mornings in the 50's I'll just add arm warmers and not use them in the afternoon. In the 40's I'll add long tights over my bike shorts and maybe a long sleeve jersey, and then not use those in the afternoons. I've gotten it down pretty easy I think.

danspun

Layers and extra room in the pannier for the afternoon. Same boat as you, cold mornings (35 this morning) and decent afternoons (except for the rain last week). These days I usually just commute the 9.5 miles in my work clothes with smart wool layer and windbreaker outer. The ride home may be a short sleeved shirt, but still wearing the pants.

metz1295

depending on the length of a commute, simple arm and leg warmers are great. wool socks and toe covers work wonders for your feet. a thin balaclava under your helmet and glove liners under your normal gloves finish off the critical areas affected by cold. some sort of wind cutting and stuff-able jacket will take care of your core. all these things are inexpensive on amazon and add very little weight to your pack when your not wearing them on the ride home when it's warm.

Cyril 

I went to the thrift store and bought a pair of nylon track pants then cut the liner out of them.
Now I have a windbreaker for my legs...very effective and packable.

TransitBiker

Since i now have panniers, this fall & winter i've figured out that i could pack a pair of shorts and a button up long sleeve shirt just in case my long pants and sweatjacket or jacket become too warm. I stow them in the same bag as my reusable shopping bag & tools and put my lock on the opposite side to balance the weight.

Next up when the weather gets a bit colder, i'll be carrying alternate hats and gloves and whatnot. Sometimes on certain days when i make a trip via SEPTA in the mornings it can be somewhat tolerable, while when i get home at night it can be very chilly, especially near the various streams, creeks and green spaces in the town.

- Andy

modernjess

This time of year always throws me off. It's so nice for so long and then suddenly you have to actually pay attention to the weather and devise your clothing strategy every day. One great piece of kit I bought a few years ago are Showers Pass convertible commuter pants with the zip off legs. They are long pants in the morning and shorts in the afternoon. They rule during these shoulder seasons. Otherwise all layering options usually include at least a short sleeve shirt for the ride home. But some days it's worse in the evening than in the morning. Like today looks to be.

Honestly, there are worse problems to have

PatrickGSR94

The days that REALLY throw you off are when a front comes through, the high temperature is recorded at midnight, and the temperature falls throughout the day. Yuck!

Hypno Toad

I have to add, my FAVORITE laying material for transition seasons - WOOL! Great on cold mornings and not too hot for warm afternoons.

wphamilton

I have to recalibrate starting about now, every year, details from years past are fuzzy. An industrious, organized individual would keep a log of date, temperature, humidity, what they wore and how it felt, enter it into some smartphone database and query it in the morning. I'll just go by feel however, feeling mostly cold this year.

Being overdressed bugs me the most, having to stuff my bag in the evening with clothes I really didn't need in the morning. So I've only used arm-warmers so far.

caloso

Armwarmers, kneewarmers, and a windvest. They were designed for these conditions.

ill.clyde

This is the time of year I look like a homeless person.

Mornings: bike bibs, tights over bike shorts, baggy shorts over tights. Long-sleeve t, tucked into the bibs, with a short sleeve t over the top of it. Gloves are half finger cycling gloves with winter golf gloves under. Shoe covers and a fleece skull cap. I'll also wear my rain jacket as a wind break.

Afternoons depends largely on the temp, but can be anywhere from 10-25 degrees warmer. If we're in the 60s its usually bibs, long sleeve t, short sleeve t. In the 50s I'll often put the tights on for the ride home but forgo the jacket and the fleece skull cap.

In my backpack I keep a pair of arm warmers, and a fleece ear band if I don't want total head coverage. I'm also contemplating knee warmers for when I don't want to put the tights back on for the ride home.

It's all about layers and those layers being somewhat interchangeable to me.

Drew Eckhardt 

I keep rain pants, rain shell, shoe covers, leg warmers, long-sleeve jersey, gloves, and jersey pocket sized wind-resistant shell in my pannier so I'm ready for anything, although this time of year it's nearly always short and short-sleeve jersey weather.

When I lived in Colorado I kept 27mm cyclocross tires mounted on a spare wheelset for snow, and broke out ski pants + shell + goggles + ear warmer for very cold and snowy weather (a winter beard which iced up into a personal igloo avoided the need for a face mask).

pdlamb

Warmers, tights, wind jacket -- anything that'll keep you warm and stuff down small to put in your panniers on the way home are good things. Ear warmers and long gloves are also good, although the gloves take up as much room as knee warmers.

TransitBiker

Last january or februrary we had a day when it went from 53 to -2...... the change took 8 hours. Then we had that fantastic ice storm, bookended by heavy snow. No riding those days, good 14 inches on the ground.

- Andy

Maxillius

On these fall mornings I just take the opportunity to pour on the coals in the morning. More pushin' = more heat. I find that happy medium of full power and no sweat at about 45-50 degrees in a tshirt and jeans.

TransitBiker

Oh man, 45-50 degrees and i have a jacket & hat (under helmet) on. Just thinking bout tshirt & 45 degrees makes me queasy.

- Andy

tarwheel 

In the mornings, my seatbag is filled with food for lunch. In the afternoons, it's filled with clothes that I needed for cool morning temps.