no1mad 

I went to Atwood's intending on buying a pair of insulated leather work gloves but didn't like what they had for a couple of reasons. For one, none of them had any kind of cuff or other means of restricting skin exposure at the wrist and I'm not real sure on how well the leather would fair if they got wet (looking mainly at deerskin). I did get a 4-in-1 gaiter and a pair of sport ear muffs, though .

I'm trying to figure out if I want to invest in a pair of insulated bib overalls or in more pairs of fleece lined jeans.

Hypno Toad

I have a set of Pearl Izumi Elite tights, damn those things are warm! Men's ELITE Thermal Cycling Tight - Pearl Izumi I got them on sale at REI. I'll ride them down to ~20F, below that I put a pair of rain pants over the top as a wind break, that's good down to 0F.

Also have some PI glove that are great in the cold - Men's ELITE Softshell Glove - Pearl Izumi

Super excited to hit the road in the morning in when it's foretasted to be near 0F in MPLS.... wait, what?!? are you kidding me, it's not even Thanksgiving and we are diving for ZERO! NO! I'm not excited. Looks like another long, brutal winter ahead.

no1mad 

Appreciate the suggestions, but I wasn't looking for cycling specific gear- my cycling days are long gone due to failing vision.

wolfchild

We got a very light dusting of snow in some places this afternoon , it's only 30F, still very mild. I stopped at one the local parks during my commute from work and had an outdoor workout for about 45 minutes. Cool weather is very refreshing.

Marcus_Ti

Commutes all week have been well below freezing. Today there were pretty snowflakes falling in -9C air.

To think on Sunday I was in bibs and short sleeve jersey enjoying a 20C fall day.

gerv 

@Marcus_Ti... welcome to harsh reality!!

Zedoo

Winter coats need big durable pockets to hold gloves, mittens, hats, etc. I lost a glove out of an inadequate pocket and had a cold ride home once.

Dahon.Steve

I haven't found a pair of gloves that work so this year I'm spending money on battery heated snow gloves. I stopped riding in the winter even for enjoyment because I've yet to discover a system. Anyway, I'm getting something from here.

Heated Gloves, Electric Gloves, Battery Heat Gloves - The Warming Store

Sixty Fiver

It is really bad...

Portland-area yarn stores shut, adjust hours due to weather | OregonLive.com

no1mad 

Yeah, that is no bueno. I lost a glove during a multimodal commute once and had to finish the ride in a cold rain. Since then, if I'm not wearing, it goes in a bag of some kind to greatly reduce the odds of losing anything again. Plus the backpack (or mess bag) adds insulation and/or acts as a wind blocker

B. Carfree

That's one funny article, especially since the last I saw the forecast had changed to mostly rain with perhaps a splash of freezing rain and/or snow dusting.

JoeyBike

It's not all about fingers and toes. It's about core temp and a good, warm hat.

The bodies' thermostat is in the brain. If blood to the brain is warmer than 98.6 the thermostat triggers veins just under the skin to dilate in order to shed heat to the outside world. This hot blood gets pumped down to the tips of fingers and toes for warming them up.

Conversely, if the blood is colder than 98.6 reaching the thermostat, the brain conserves heated blood to itself and the bodies' core, in effect sacrificing fingers and toes for the vital organs to be happy. At this point, you could have gloves and boots three feet thick and it would do no good as HEAT in the form of blood is not getting down there. You can use battery power to heat the skin but good luck in the long term. And I hope you own a Radio Shack for cheap batteries.

Fingers and toes going numb is the first sign of hypothermia. It's easy to fix.

1. NEVER WEAR COTTON! Use the ABC rule: Anything But Cotton

2. Start with a synthetic or wool wicking base layer.

3. Add insulation - fleece, wool, polyester...ABC!

4. Add a shell to keep wind from blowing heat away from the first two layers.

5. Adjust the middle insulation layer for variations in temp.

The colder it gets, the more insulation you need. Just like a house. But if you insulate a house and close the vent to the bathroom, the bathroom can't heat itself. Neither can your fingers and toes heat themselves. You have to get warm blood pumped to them using the method above.

I outfitted mountain climbers for 15 years with everything they needed to NOT FREEZE on big ascents. And trust me, they were not carrying a dozen batteries with them other than for their headlamps.

NOTE: If you are underfed or dehydrated it is much harder for your body to generate heat. If you skip breakfast you have little chance against the cold. Add two pieces of toast with lots of butter and you will heat up like a furnace if you dress properly too.



This is my wife at 13,000 feet and 0°F. See that big smile! I dressed her.

Hypno Toad

THANK YOU! Stated so well! I've had a hard time getting people to understand this. I ride winters in Minneapolis, last year I rode in temps down to -20F and I was hot from the effort of pushing through the snow. So hot, my goggles fogged and froze, so I rode 6-7 miles with nothing over my face. I was comfortable with my bare skin exposed at -20F (not counting windchill factor).

It all starts with the core, keep it warm and you'll be warm.

JoeyBike

In fact, the biggest problem with doing it right is you are likely to get TOO HOT from activity. I did not state in the above tutorial that there is also a heat management issue to staying comfortable long term. For long distance/hours exercising in the cold it helps to have under-arm zippers on the outer shell along with vented front pockets and front zipper that can easily be worked with gloves or mitts. These vents are crucial for moisture management as it is easy to produce more perspiration than the breathable outer layer can handle.

I assumed that most Winter bike commutes are an hour or less and no biggie about moisture build up. For those hardy souls who like winter touring on fat bikes (for instance) or the bike Iditarod, moisture management is CRUCIAL and most important. Next would be diet and physical fitness. Take the best athlete in the world and dress him/her incorrectly for Winter endurance and they have no chance.

Hypno Toad

Nailed it again!

I use an old snowboard jacket for 15F and colder. It's a 10 year old Bonfire jacket with the BIGGEST pit vents I've ever see, from mid-ribs all the way to the wrist. Two zippers so you can adjust the amount of venting and location, and vents have mesh to hold the jacket's form. Another feature I really like about this old jacket, waist gater, built into a snowboard jacket to keep the deep snow out of the jacket, but on the bike, when temps drop below 0F, I close the gater and keep the core happier.

It is truly amazing how much you can sweat when it's cold out. 5F this morning and I get the office, strip down to a T-shirt as soon as I get inside. Then spend a couple hours with my gear in front of a fan to totally dry before the ride home.

enigmaT120

It's damned cold rain. I'm a lot more comfortable in dry, sub-20 temperatures. I know, I know, I'm on the wrong side of the mountains.

The thing that gets me is I don't think that article is making fun of our northwest wimpyness.

Sixty Fiver

-18 C today, icy, and snowing...

Rode my fixed gear to physiotherapy and back and was pretty comfy.

wolfchild

You don't need any of those electric battery operated gizmos...In my own experience I found that mittens are a lot warmer then gloves. Another thing is layers. On very cold days I like to wear a thin lightweight pair of gloves and then wear some heavier mittens over that. That set up has never failed me. I can easily do rides lasting few hours and my hands stay warm. One of the most important things about gloves is that they need to be loose and relaxed fit. Tight fitting gloves cut off blood circulation and it's impossible to keep your hand warm. You also need to stay well fed and well hydrated. Having a thermos of hot tea or hot chocolate is really nice on a cold day. Personally what I like to do is to throw some butter into my hot tea or chocolate and drink that, fat is the most important fuel for your body during cold weather.

wolfchild

I have a lot of respect for all you people who ride in places such as Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, some of those places are almost as cold as Siberia.

wolfchild

I agree. This is a great post from a guy who doesn't even live and ride in cold climate.

Sixty Fiver

Sometimes it is even colder here... but you get used to it.

Smallwheels

It's Friday afternoon and we're up to twelve degrees. My outside thermometer said it was sixteen but it is in direct sunlight. The local weather station a couple of miles away is reporting twelve degrees via the internet. Tuesday is the next day to reach thirty-two degrees. By Thursday it might get to forty. I hope so.

bruised

This is my issue ^

I'm riding the trails on a fatty and would like to spend a few hours outdoors. The problem is the level of exertion is high, and I sweat. I need to take a break every hour or so, and I get cold VERY quickly when I stop riding. At which point it's almost impossible to warm up again and the ride gets cut short.

Having wet clothing over my torso is no fun. I wonder how people deal with this? (I'm experimenting with all the layer combos, windbreaking vests, jackets etc, but it's still an issue).

Also, I still haven't cracked the hands and feet problem. I've tried different glove types and different footwear, sock-combos etc. But my feet end up like ice, as do my hands. And cripes it hasn't got into single digits yet...

Trial and error I guess...

Knowing me I'll have it nailed down by spring..

Marcus_Ti

What kind of gloves and footwear are you putting on?

Do you have lobster-claw gloves and neoprene (heavy) full-booties? Once it gets to 20F or so full fingered gloves don't work for me.

bruised

I've been trying to do it on the cheap. No doubt it will end up costing me more in the long run.

I have a pair of decent hiking boots that I bought last year for walking the winter trails. They were toasty warm for walking and I figured they'd be ok for the bike too. But they're not. I bought thigh socks in wool - a few heavy pairs, some lighter. I've been trying different sock combos but nothing works.

I went cheap on the gloves too. I have some fleece gloves which are quite warm until my hands get damp, then they pretty much freeze up. I have some heavily insulated gloves that I paid $40 for at Target. They're worse than the fleece gloves.

I've thought about going to a larger fur-lined boot but then I'll struggle with the pedals. I already struggle with my more compact hiking boots, they're a size 14. They rub on the cranks.

I'm thinking of dropping $50 on a pair of bar mitts. But to be honest, my feet are the bigger problem and are the main priority. I'm gonna end up with frost bite if I don't fix it. I could hardly stand up today when I got back from my ride, my feet were that sore....

Ah well. I'm not whining....honest...just looking to avoid reinventing the wheel, as I'm known to do