superNoid

I live in southern california and am used to warmer weather but damn is it cold lately. Cycling is a new hobby that I picked up this year so currently my garb is mainly short in length, for summer warmth. As the weather changes I find myself in dire need of warm clothing.

This is all new to me so basically I'm looking for pointers/tips and potentially sites with affordable solutions.

I was at my LBS yesterday and they had some long leg pants that I would wear over my bike shorts, I liked them. However they also had some leg 'warmers' or knee 'warmers', which apparently are removable (for changing temps). My question is which is better? I'm riding in the mornings/evenings so I dont need remove warmers, but are they better than full leg pants?

I see other cyclists wearing long legged pants, are these specific in nature? Where would I look for something like this as well? Outside of browsing online retailers is there something I know before buying? I hope this hasn't been asked lately, I didn't see another thread and couldn't find a good sticky anywhere to cover this.

Thanks!

Blackdays

Since you live in Socal, get the arm/leg warmers.

NickDavid

You live in CA. I don't think the temps ever get cold enough for full leg tights. Get yourself some knee & leg warmers. There's nothing to know before buying

knowledgdropper

The coldest I've ridden in has been maybe 35-40*F and I do just fine with arm + knee or leg warmers. I'll throw on a wind vest too, if I'm riding at night or the early morning. For a base-layer, I find that the quick dry t-shirts from target work just as well as the cycling specific stuff that I own. If you have very well ventilated shoes, you may also want to add wool cycling socks and toe covers. YMMV.

kvangundy

For us California cyclists, you can pick up a pair of "runner's tights" from a local sports store for ~= $20. It's plenty for the winters here.

Anytime its under 65* I've been taught, knees must be covered to prevent damage to joint via the "lubricant" inside the joint loses viscosity rapidly when cooled. Fun fact of the thread!

adamrice 

I've never been a fan of arm/leg warmers. I'm not a fan of feeling cold when I ride. When it's cool/cold I'll usually ride in knicker-length tights (which are a heavier weave than most shorts) and a cool-weather jersey over a regular jersey or over a smartwool undershirt. Booties when it's colder.

There's nothing magic about cycling tights—running tights over cycling shorts will work about as well.

MichaelW

With some people, arm and leg warmers slip down. They are versatile and useful if the temp changes greatly during a ride. For more static cooler temperatures, long tights and long jersey are more comfortable.
Tights are best worn over padded shorts. The shorts get washed after every ride. Running style tights are perfectly adequate.
A lightweight windproof jacket is essential. Dont get a waterproof, they are never breathable enough.

Caracalla.

arm/leg warmers should be fine. when it gets warm during the ride, easy to take off. not much choice when wearing long sleeves and full leg pants.

Seattle Forrest

The arm/leg warmers are probably right for SoCal, but see if you can borrow a pair and take them on a ride first. Since you'll warm yourself up after five minutes or so from the energy you expend, layering is probably going to be overkill where you live.

Try merino wool, if you can get your hands on some.

superNoid

Awesome, thanks for all the advice! Originally I thought I would need full length pants/jersey but after the seeing the warmers it threw me for a loop. I'll take a look at those, and perhaps even compare prices to affordable running tights. Ultimately, I just need to be warm but also comfortable. I suspected this wouldn't be too difficult but wanted to ping experienced riders before ordering online.

Thanks!

collegeskier

Here is a link that might be useful to you for figuring out layers you need.

https://www.trainright.com/articles.asp?uid=5281

I think it is a little conservative. About 45F I do tight over shorts and a long sleeve technical top that has some wind resistance to it. Warmer then that is Arm warmers, leg warmers and a wool jersey. Below about 32F I do the same as 45 but add leg warmers under my tights and a wind breaker on top. Bootie for 45 and below as well.

eippo1

I have a pair of Castelli Leg warmers that do a great job of staying up compared to anything else I've had. I use them all the way down to freezing before I throw on tights. I also have some windproof Craft undies that I also use at these temps, but I tend to sweat much less with this combo.

analog_kid86

Lately I just layer a lot. The other day I wore two pairs of tech. tights and cycling shorts over top. I had two pairs of medium thickness Smartwool on. I had two long sleeved tech. shirts on under my jersey (one tech shirt had a hood). I wore a Lavawool headband to keep the ears warm. The headband isn't as breathable as I'd like, but it sure is toasty!

As the temps drop more, I will add my windbreaker to the lineup and possibly some booties and leg warmers.

collegeskier

Generally is it bike shorts then tights. Nothing comes between my chamois and me other the assos. (Actually Utterly Smooth because I am cheap.)

wrr1020

I'm in So Cal as well and yeah its been super cold lately down here. I just wear arm and leg warmers when i ride and my normal bibs and short sleeved jersey. I wear a sleeveless baselayer underneath no matter what temperature it is. I'm thinking of picking up some long sleeve base layers to try out. Don't wanna spend a lot of money on them since its usually not that cold here so i think i'll just pick up something cheap from target.

superNoid

Great advise, exactly the stuff I was looking for.

caloso

FWIW:

65F to 45F, I wear knee warmers

Colder than that, and I'll wear tights over my bibs. As mentioned above, a generic pair of running tights is cheaper and more useful than cycling-specific, particularly if you also run or ski.

truckstop

+1 to inexpensive running tights over bike shorts.
I did a lot of hand wringing over the cost of cycling tights, and in the end, $20 running tights worked out great.

collegeskier

Important note on leg warmers. When you put them on it is often recommended that you fold over the top with the grip elastic on it so that it actually holds against the shorts not you. Usually prevents them from falling down or opening up a cold spot on your leg.

Daytrip

I like to XC ski, so most of my skiing gear works just as well on the bike. I have racing tights, a nylon long-sleeve jersey, socks, basewear, etc. that I use for both activities. Works well if you use it correctly. That's the trick.

I do have a question about vented cycling shoes. Mine (L. Garneau), have "summer" and "winter" sole liners. I think when using chemical toe warmers, I'm ahead to use the vented "summer" soles because there's more airflow around the toe warmer, making it work better, since those things are activated by oxygen. Also, since my feet tend to sweat, I think it's probably better for me to wear vented shoes in the winter in any event, as the moisture has a better chance of being vented out. Does this make sense? I haven't had a chance to ride enough recently to really know.

Joe Road

Knee warmers and arm warmers work great for me down to 40 degrees. Add a baselayer, jersey and wind vest and you're good to go.

Best base layers I own - complete comfort from 35-65 degrees. Outperforms all the synthetics I have.

New Zealand Merino Wool from Icebreaker.

https://www.icebreaker.com/site/icebr...mb_value=Black

knowledgdropper

Thanks for the tip- I'll be sure to try it out tomorrow.

gbs

I picked up a long sleeve Champion C9 base layer from Target last week ($15). Wore it on this morning's ride and it felt/worked great, especially considering the price.

Looks like this: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....NL._AA380_.jpg (comes in assorted colors).

DRietz

Up here in the Northern Bay Area it got below 30degrees about a week ago.

patentcad

Friggin left coast wussies. Unbelievable.