dmooredesign

My main issue is inhaling the cold air, so I try to inhale through my nose. I've been meaning to get a balaclava. Any luck with those?

rousseau

I'll keep adding to this thread, hope nobody minds.

Today it was just below freezing at -2. I wore my UnderArmour Coldgear tights underneath a pair of MEC Flyer tights that are wind resistant. And that did the trick. My legs were warm. So doubling up the layers on the legs really is effective, and perhaps necessary for older blokes like me.

One con: the two pairs of tights made for some discomfort from the waist bands. I was thinking of taking a pair of scissors and snipping off part of the front of one or both pairs of tights, since I wear them underneath a pair of summer weight bib shorts anyway, which would help to hold them up. Anyone else ever tried this?

I won't wear the tights over top my bib shorts for reasons of vanity. I just can't do it. Though that wouldn't solve the problem of waist band discomfort anyway.

dralways

How did you keep your hands warm in those temps?

gregf83 

What's the issue with tights over shorts? They just look like tights.

BoSoxYacht

thanks for asking him this question. I wanted to, but was afraid my question would be mistaken for an insult.

K.Katso

They look like tights with a big puffy butt inside.

gregf83 

The 'big puffy butt' is part and parcel of cycling shorts. I don't think anyone is wearing Lycra cycling shorts as a fashion statement

rousseau

They don't look right to me. So, personal aesthetic decision. But even so, that has no bearing on the problem of the waist bands from two pairs of tights feeling constricting. Inside or outside, the tights will constrict. I'm not sure what to do about that.

I suspect bib tights wouldn't be as constricting, but I don't feel like dropping a ton of money on them right now.

rousseau

I wear a thin pair of gloves like this:



Then I put my cycling gloves on:



And finally I put a pair of split-fingered mitts like this on:



These have been fine down to -5 (23F).

Hmmm

The coldest I go out is around 36 fahrenheit and I wear this:

Wool socks
Long thermal underwear
Long sleeve base layer
Leg warmers
Normal bibs & Jersey
Arm warmers
Wind vest
Neck gator (extra warmth until I warm up)
Ear warmer


This seems to work for me at this temperature. Now only if the sun would come up earlier so I could get out more in the mornings..

bbattle

My last ride never got above 7C (43F) and I was comfortable most of the time, except at the beginning, of course. I had on a wool shortsleeve baselayer, Castelli longsleeve jersey, Castelli Nanoflex bib knickers, wool socks, toe covers, my summer half-finger gloves and a Pearl Izumi winter head band to cover my ears.

At the top of a big climb, I cooled off while we waited for others to catch up to us and was then cold for another 15-20 minutes.

For colder rides, I've got a closet full of baselayers, windproof jerseys, jackets, balaclavas, gloves, full shoe covers, etc. I've misplaced my light vest; a very usefull item when temps vary a lot during the ride.

It used to bother me to breathe in cold air when cycling but I must've gotten used to it as it no longer is a problem. The balaclava helped a lot with that, though. I've noticed other cyclists with bandannas and once somebody used a dust mask.

gregf83 

Maybe you just need different tights. I'm wearing them right now over bib shorts and neither the bibs or the tights are constricting around the waist. The bibs have a drawstring so you can make them as tight or loose as you like. I'm fairly certain no one can tell I have a pair of bib shorts under the tights although the pad on these shorts isn't very thick.

This is what I've been wearing this week -9 to 0°C:
- Bib shorts with tights
- Long sleeve wool base layer
- Craft poly layer
- Long sleeve jersey
- Northwave Artic Road commuter shoes
- Dept store or leather ski gloves

The shoes are new this year and keep my feet warm and toasty although they are not suitable for use in the rain without additional covers. I could probably lose one of the layers but I prefer to not use a windbreaker or jacket as I prefer clothing that breathes. I wear a backpack commuting so my back does get wet during my commute (65-70 mins).

mcours2006

Perhaps I'm alone on this, but riding in cold temperatures I find the biggest problem are my fingers and toes, not my legs or another other part. I put padded shorts, either over or under running tights. Base layer on top, if really cold, then a fleece, otherwise a thicker synthetic long sleeve, then a light windproof jacket.

As far as the fingers, I find mittens work best on my flat bar bikes, but not great on the hoods with the drop bars. Neoprene shoe covers with wool socks work until about -2. Below that I've been experimenting with chemical toe warmers.

bianchi10

Not to take away from your experience, but I had just the opposite experience with the phantom. That jacket didn't breath for crap for me. I was constantly overheated even down to 28f rides. colder than that and I just dont go out on the bike. I sold that and ended up with a showers pass skyline soft shell which ended up being much better for me. Everyone is different though. I'm usually freezing and hating life for the first 15 min on a sub 35f day. After that my core temp jumps up and I'm unzipping just to stop the sweat from falling. Others I ride with dont seem to sweat as much as I do, so they dont have the same issues. But for soft shell, I now use a rapha pro team with a merino base. I'd seriously contemplate selling that though and getting a Rapha winter jersey as that piece of kit is the cats meow!

ptempel

No worries on breathing cold air. Also getting sick from cold weather is a myth. If it were really true, then we all would be sick everytime we got home from riding during the winter. Think about it. :-) For cold riding I usually wear:

* - 19F - Ride the trainer indoors.
20-29F - Four layers on chest, two layers on the legs, two layers on feet with shoe covers, thick gloves (winter type with liner), winter cap with balaklava, helmet.
30-39F - Three layers on chest, two layers on legs, shoes and socks with shoe covers, medium gloves, winter cap, helmet.
40-49F - Two layers on chest (maybe short sleeve baselayer added), two layers on legs, medium gloves, winter cap, helmet.
50-59F - Cycling jersey with long sleeve baselayer, bib short with knee covers, shoes and socks, open-finger gloves, small cap, helmet.
60-69F - Cycling jersey (long sleeve baselayer optional), bib short, shoes and socks, open-finger gloves, small cap, helmet.
70-100F - Cycling jersey, bib short, shoes and socks, open-finger gloves, small cap, helmet.

For the leg layers, I have a thermal bib tight, regular bib tight, leg warmers and knee warmers to use. For the chest layers, a few long sleeve jerseys, long sleeve baselayers, short sleeve baselayer (or jersey) to use. You could get away with owning not too much clothing for most of the year.

BoSoxYacht

I love my PI armwarmers, and have been fortunate to only need them a few times during daylight hours.

dalava

If you are serious about riding in winter, then you should invest in a pair of bib tights and a descent jacket, both with front wind proof material. It's so much easier to put them on over a simple long sleeve baselayer to go as low as 25f. All this talked about bib shorts under/over tights and wife's stocking stuff just sound soooooo much work.

as for foot, I use a wind stopper toe cover over regular shoes, and I have a pair of Giro Pivot gloves. I also wear a skull cap and neck gator for any rides below 40.

rousseau

Solved the problem this way: I ditched one of the pairs of tights for leg warmers. I'm now going with a pair of leg warmers, then a pair of tights, then my bib shorts. That makes for one less waist band, so the discomfort I whined about in that previous post is gone.