azza_333

I am planning for a tour of 3500km, while looking at my list I think I am packing way to many clothes. So I am woundering what on bike clothing do I need for cycling in 24°C(75°F) - 0°C(32°F) as these are the extremes of what I will be expecting the climate to be like, I will also need to take raid gear.

Machka 

You're not going on your tour until 2016 ... right? You've got lots of time to figure out the answers to all these questions.

Go ride ... do long day rides, do short tours ... find out for yourself what you like. Ride lots in all kinds of conditions.


What are your winter temps like where you are? If your temperatures don't drop very low, take a week and go to Victoria or come down here to Tasmania and cycle. Get some experience.


The thing is, it is very hard for us to tell you to wear this or that, or leave this or that out, because we all feel temperatures differently and have different comfort levels.


Also, there's a really good chance that you'll find shops along the way. If you're missing something ... chances are you'll be able to buy it. I've done that on several occasions. The year I went to Wales ... when I headed over to Europe, they were having a massive heatwave so I packed light. About 2 weeks later, it got quite chilly ... so I bought a fleece pullover. Easy solution.

azza_333

Due to my occupation, I don't really have the time to travel to Vic or Tassie, and due to my location and climate I can probably only fit in 2 or 3 week end tours in my local area in between now and the time I leave in 2016. My winter temp in Jul is 26.2°C.

Machka 

Start reading ... these are in the Winter forum and may give you some idea of what people wear at various cooler temps.

https://www.bikeforums.net/winter-cyc...ing-guide.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/winter-cyc...ay-i-wore.html


Otherwise, go with layers:

-- wicking T-shirt for on or off the bicycle (bring 3)
-- long-sleeved polypro or merino wool for on or off the bicycle (2)
-- small, lighweight fleece jacket (1)
-- wind vest (1)
-- wind jacket (1)
-- rain jacket (1)
-- lightweight down jacket (1)

Layer up when it is cold ... and if you find you're chilly on the road, buy clothes.

bikenh

Remember one thing...how the body operates. When your body temp is below 98.6F, roughly...varies person to person, you shiver to warm up. When your body temp gets above 98.6F, you start sweating to cool the body down. If you want to stay warm you need to stay dry. Wicking sweat away is the stupidest thing you can do. If you are already sweating you are already too warm to begin with, you don't need the clothing on. Stay dry and you will stay comfortable. It's not that hard to do, just stop listening to marketing cents and start listening to common sense. I ride year round here in New Hampshire. I've ridden 100 mile days when temps never made it above 15F all day long. I had very little clothing on. I typically only wear a long sleeve cotton t-shirt and an uninsulated wind jacket during the winter months. I just rode into the library a little bit ago to get online and that's all I had on, the temp was 20F and it was snowing outside. I've ridden with that on down to 0F after dark and have felt fine, as long as their is no wind. Wind does add a whole new factor into the equation. Most of the winter I just ride in cycling shorts and wind pants, this winter I have put the tights on quite a bit more than normal but this winter has been a lot colder than normal as well. I haven't seen a single day above freezing this month. I've seen well over half the nights this month with temps below zero F...I've never seen this many subzero nights before in my entire life combined(41 years old).

I agree with Machka, you have to find what works for you but I will give out a few secrets here.

Don't start off warm. If you leave the campsite/house/hotel/where ever and you are warm, you've already screwed up.

Start off cold and let the body heat keep you warm. It'll take 10-20 minutes for the body heat to kick in. The body heat comes from exercise, aka riding the bike. It starts slowly and as you increase your heart rate and the muscles are moving, the body heat starts generating and keeps going as long as you keep moving and then it stops and slowly lets the body cool down. As I start off, the first 10-20 minutes I'll have cold hands and my body will even be cold. I can tell you the second the body heat starts to kick in...I feel it moving in the body. My hands start to warm up and the rest of the body warms up as well and I feel fine the rest of the day as long as I keep riding. Anytime I stop riding and take a long break I have to redo the above procedure to get the body heat started back up. I can keep riding even for 100 miles and I'll be fine, even with temps well below freezing with nothing more than a t-shirt/cycling shorts and wind layer on.

Never remove a layer of clothing. Okay, so everyone is going to flame me big time for this. FLAME AWAY! How much winter biking do you do. I ride 7 days a week and at times I'm riding 100-125 miles in a day during the dead of winter. I think I have the experience to know what I'm talking about. Adding a layer of clothing is okay, removing a layer of clothing shows your stupidity. You should have never had the layer on in the first place. Granted if you are riding mountain passes than this rule can change. You need the protection for the descent but you need the ventilation for the climb so you have to remove the layer to let the ventilation working for you to keep you dry. For any flat/semi flat riding you should never have to remove a layer of clothing. If you do you shouldn't have put it on in the first place. It was totally unnecessary. I never remove a layer. Start off cold and let the body heat warm you up.

Forget the insulation, focus on the ventilation. You need to get rid of the body heat unless you are just standing around doing no biking at all. The body heat will be being generated all the time you are riding. You have to get rid of the heat or you will start sweating(evaporative cooling, not evaporative warming). If you trap the heat you will start sweating. I rarely wear anything but a long sleeve cotton t-shirt at temps above 20F. Most of the time even down to 10F and on one occasion, after dark this winter, I've been out riding at 0F in nothing but a long sleeve cotton t-shirt and an uninsulated wind jacket. Generally I only add the fleece when it gets windy outside just to help protect against the wind and when I do I generally end up sweating as well. Yes, I still stay warm but not as comfortable as when the wind isn't blowing and I don't have the fleece on. The sweat just makes the riding feel much more uncomfortable. The sweat/moisture on the clothes also sucks the body heat out when I stop riding, much faster than if I just had the dry t-shirt on. I can easily stop, in a wind protected location and spend 20-30 minutes standing around doing nothing at 10-15 degreesF and still feel warm, even on a cloudy day...I'm dry and the clothing is dry and as a result the clothing is still 'insulating' me from the environment instead of trying to evaporatively cool my body down at a fast rate. Yes, the wet clothing will suck the body heat right out from you. Keep the clothing dry and it keeps 'insulating' you. One other big benefit is when you get done riding for the day you can set up camp in dry clothes, without changing the clothes. This is a major benefit as you don't have to expose any part of your body to the weather elements. This is also a major benefit as your clothing is already dry and you don't need to dry it out before leaving the next day. Sure you can put damp clothing inside the sleeping bag to let it dry out overnight but when the moisture leaves the clothing it has to go somewhere, namely into the insulation in the sleeping bag. Over the course of time this will make the bag insulation not do its job like it is suppose to and you won't stay as comfortable and warm overnight as what you could have otherwise.

The only places wool or fleece touch my body...hands, feet, ears and on more extreme days the upper body. I wear rag wool pop top mittens, NO GLOVES. Year round I wear merino wool socks. I put on a skiers fleece ear band to keep the ears warm. Otherwise the bulk majority of the winter, minus the extreme/windy days I don't have any other fleece or wool on my body. You want to keep the fingers all together in one cocoon. If one finger gets cold the other fingers can warm it up. This can't happen with gloves. In the temp range you are talking about I would probably just go with the homemade fleece mittens I have. Generally somewhere just above freezing I make the switch over to the rag wool pop tops but I have ridden down into the 20sF with the fleece mittens...and the hands do get a bit chilly when I do that as the fleece isn't heavy weight fleece, just stuff I bought at Walmart.

I don't wear a winter hat anytime during the winter, just the regular summer helmet. I was out late last week, after dark, and it -9F and I had no protection on top of the head other than helmet. I could have ridden all night long like that. The two biggest areas on the body for losing body heat is the heart and the head. Keep them as open to the environment as you can. Hence why I generally don't wear fleece/wool pullovers or the winter hat. I want to get rid of the body heat and stay dry as a result.

You said you won't have much of a chance to do any experimenting, unfortunately. That's the first thing I would suggest as well. I've been amazed when I've expected one thing and gotten home to find my expectations weren't met...aka, I thought it was in the mid 40s and I was dressed for what I thought was 'acceptable' for the mid 40s and I get home to find out its only in the mid 30s. I stop and remember how comfortable I was riding with the clothing I had on and come to realize that maybe I don't need the extra clothing on when conditions are so 'balmy'. It's what has changed my winter riding gear more than anything else...experience. I keep more comfortable at colder temps with less clothing on all the time, even when riding higher mileages.

Thus far I think the two best conditions I have found for riding...light to calm winds, either sunny or cloudy and the temps between 15-25F...or 30-40 degree rain. Those are the two weather conditions that are the easiest to dress for. Everything else generally leaves you feeling way too warm/clammy/uncomfortable.

Let the body heat work for you, not the clothing, or else the body heat will work against you and the clothing won't be able to do anything but make you feel more uncomfortable and can actually put you in harms way. Stay dry in the first place and you will stay safe. Get wet and it will make you sweat/scare the crap out of you.

pdlamb

Good advice, so I'll just add:

Take multi-purpose clothing as much as possible. E.g., poly skull cap you can wear in a sleeping bag, makes the bag 5-10 degrees warmer. Rain jacket is also a wind jacket; with enough vents, you can wear it in the rain until it's warm enough to ride without.

MichaelW

For temperate conditions 0-24C, I like merino wool T shirts, a bike jersey on top for high-teens. A light fleece hiking jersey (x2) and a padded sleeveless gillet. I usually carry a heavy fleece pullover for evenings but a padded synthetic jacket/pullover packs better.
I use 2 shells, a windproof and a waterproof, and can wear both together in extreme conditions. A rain jacket may be a wind jacket but is nowhere near as breathable.
Midweight leggings for on bike as well as a light pair or poly/cotton hiking pants. W/p pants.
Don't forget extremities:
woollen hat
long gloves + mitts
thick and thin socks (wool)
neck tube/buff
waterproof foot protection (sealskinz)

For hills, I use the gillet over my shell for easy on/off.
Think about weight vs versatility, eg neck tube weighs 10g but adds 2-3C of insulation

I use a lot of generic hiking gear rather than specialist cycling stuff. The obsession with rear pockets on everything is stupid; you have bags.

nun

The clothes I carry in my usual touring gear will easily cover the temperature range you need. The secret is to have layers and and clothes you can combine as necessary.

So here is what I carry

1 x Midweight synthetic long sleeve, zipped T-shirt
1 x convertible long pants
1 x polyester-spandex running tights
1 x socks
1 x padded merino underwear
1 x Marmot Catalyst jacket
1 x Marmot Mica rain jacket
1 x rain booties
1 x Merino beanie hat
1 x plastic shower cap
1 x neck buff
1 x "windstopper" gloves

what I usually wear

1 x cycling cap
1 x bandana
1 x light weight long sleeve zip T-shirt
1 x baggy cycling shorts with pockets (no pad)
1 x merino padded underwear
1 x socks
1 x MTB SPD shoes

by combining these clothes I'm comfortable in a wide range of temperatures on and off the bike

If it was 0C I'd wear both T-shirts and the Catalyst jacket, merino underwear and the running tights, both pairs of socks, shoes and rain booties, gloves and on the head, my merino beanie and the buff around my neck, tucked inside my jacket and pulled up over my nose and ears.

azza_333

Ok so here is what I have figured it I will take

On-Bike Clothes:
1x waterproof socks
2x thin wool socks (https://www.rei.com/product/844513/sm...ike-socks-mens)
1x full fingered gloves
1x rain/wind jacket and gloves (Outdoor cycling rain Jacket 2014 ARSUXEO Mountain bike ultra thin breathable fission rain poncho raincoats and pants portable-in Jackets from Sports & Entertainment on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group)
1x thin balaclava
1x shoes for riding/hiking (undecided what to get yet)
2x running tights
2x kmart running shorts
1x long sleeve turtle neck thin shirt
1x long sleeve under amour type shirt
1x short sleeve under amour type shirt

Off-Bike Clothes:
1x shoes
2x underwear
1x t-shirt
1x long sleeve overshirt
1x jeans
1x singlet(to train in)

Machka 

Lose the jeans ... go with lightweight, quick-drying pants, which can also be worn over tights on the bicycle if it gets chilly.

Go with at least 2 wicking T's so you can wear one on the bicycle and one off.

Singlet to train in?? Train for what?

azza_333

Both long sleeves and the T-shirt in my on-bike list will be wicking shirts, and the long sleeves will give me good sun protection.
Train to maintain my fitness, for my job I have to be able to pass a fitness test, the test isn't so hard, but I always aim for the top tier. 40min in the morning before I set off each day should cover it.

nun

ok so far

I'd invest in a good rain jacket and you also need some form of insulating jacket.

ok

why 2x these?

get shirts with zips so you can regulate temperature, the long sleeves are good for sun protection

Not necessary

I would not take the last 4 items. Rather than jeans I'd take a pair of light weight convertible pants

bikenh

One question no one has asked yet...is 0C the overnight low or the lowest daytime high you are expecting? Depending on which would actually change the way I would plan on packing for something like this.

If 0C is the overnight low I would probably just take summer clothes only and leave everything else at home and not worry about it. Unless you are planning your trip to be in a very humid environment, aka not much movement between overnight lows and daytime highs, then if you wake up to 0C in the AM by 9AM it will probably already be 5-7C(low to mid 40sF) with any kind of sun at all. You can just start out in the summer clothes and tough it out for the first 20-30 minutes and let the body heat kick in and then you'll be fine the rest of the day. I would take along a wind/rain jacket. I wouldn't worry about anything for the legs as they are generally real good at keeping themselves warm with the biking.

azza_333

0c is my over night low 5c is probably the lowest temp I will find myself riding in in the mornings.

azza_333

I was thinking two sext of skins and shorts so I only have to wash my clothes every two days
and the short sleeve shirt for when I get off the bike I can put a clean dry and shirt on, and when I'm riding around the cities sight seeing I can also ride around in it.

Rowan

For crying out loud, get acquainted with the Crazy Guy on a Bike website and read the journals there about what people have worn in the climates you are talking about. The search functions are really, really useful.

And FWIW, layering is where it's at, plus a decent windshell that's also waterproof to protect you from the chill caused by evaporation particularly in windy and wet weather. For layering, I go polypro as a base, then whatever you like over the top (I prefer a very light polarfleece as the outside layer in the cold, but Capilene has been very effective for me, too). Make your layers so that they can serve a double function -- the polypro as extra warmth when sleeping, the additional top presentable enough to wearing socially.

I think the fact you live in one of the hottest areas of Australia will make you supersensitive to anything below 10 deg C. So this is something you are going to have to give deep thought to especially as you refuse to do any practice tours beforehand to sort all this sort of stuff out. Long-fingered windproof gloves may be required along with decent woollen socks. And your choice of shoe will be influenced by this, too.

By the way, exactly what job in Australia is so lousy that you don't get any annual leave entitlements?

azza_333

No need to get cranky Rowan. As you are someone much more experienced than I am, I value your advice greatly, just keep in mind that everything you advise me to do is not always possible for me.

As I have stated in many posts on here, I will be doing a couple of short weekend tours locally in July when the weathers a bit cooler.
As for the "lousy job" that gives me no annual leave entitlements, I get 20 days a year of leave, but as the tour I intend to take is 9 weeks long I have so save up 2 years of annual leave, so I can't take any leave between now and going on tour, or I won't have enough leave for the tour.

Also FYI the "lousy job" is an Australian Soldier

Machka 

I figured.


But what Rowan says is true ... use Crazy Guy On A Bike. Use the Search feature here in this forum. Read through threads on the topics you're starting. See if you can find a book on touring Japan ...

Here: https://www.bikefriday.com/community...an_cycle_tours ... or Living Abroad in Japan

We met Ruth and bought her book because we would really like to return to Japan again. Who knows, we might even do one of her tours.


And what Rowan and I have said about layers is true as well ... I gave you a list of clothing (tops) that worked for me on an extended Round-the-World tour that had us in autumn most of the time. When it was chilly, I layered. When it was warm, I didn't layer.

But just about everything I brought could be worn on or off the bicycle ... and there wasn't much that was cycling-specific. I did bring 3 pair of cycling shorts ... and regretted it. I could have easily gotten away with 2. Maybe even 1.

For bottoms, I brought ...

-- 3 pair of cycling shorts (shouldn't have brought that many).
-- 1 pair of lightweight basketball shorts to wear over my cycling shorts in circumstances when I wanted to be a little more discreet.
-- 1 pair of stretchy capris which I could wear on or off the bicycle. I liked them so much, I bought another pair mid-tour. You might go with a pair of knee-length shorts and a pair of convertible pants.
-- 1 pair full length Target women's sport tights ($10) ... they are black ... no one would know if they were men's or women's if you bought a pair. I mainly wore them on chilly nights as sleepwear.
-- leg warmers.
-- 2 pair of warm wool socks

As with the tops, I could easily layer to keep warm. For example, it was pretty chilly in Plymouth, UK when we were there, so I wore the full length tights under the capris with the wool socks.


If the coldest time will be evenings/nights/mornings, get a lightweight down jacket ... you can pick one up at Anaconda. I was skeptical about ours at first but it didn't take long to love them.


But relax ... you don't have to get it perfect. If you're missing something or bring the wrong thing, it is quite likely you can get what you need along the way.

And get out there and ride, ride, ride as much as possible.


(PS. For non-Australians reading this, it is unusual for a person to have less than 4 weeks of holiday time each year ... and many positions provide more than that ... hence the question about the lousy job. )

LeeG

I like what Machka said about not worrying about gettin it perfect. The ride will sort things out.

staehpj1

For me it varies a little with the trip, and I have replaced some of the items with lighter ones since then, but here is a list from the Southern Tier I did in Feb.-Mar. of 2013. The low temperature of the trip was 18 F (-7.8 C) and it all worked out OK. You can skip the Crocs and may want more duplication than I had, but this will give some idea of what a fairly minimal but workable list might look like.

I didn't wash stuff very often and sometimes put things back on damp because I only carry one of most items. I did not find this to be a problem. Airing out your clothes and your body when off the bike helps as does putting your (inside out) shorts out in the sun some for some sanitizing UV. Getting out of my bike shorts and into running shorts once off the bike for the day is important.

[TABLE]
[TR]
[TD]Clothes[/TD]
[TD="align: center"] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]Category total 4 lb. 4.20 oz.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bike shorts[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD]0.0 oz.[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]Weight not counted because worn on bike[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bike socks[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD]2.0 oz.[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tights[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD]5.5 oz.[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Jersey[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD]0.0 oz[/TD]
[TD]Short sleeved[/TD]
[TD]Weight not counted because worn on bike[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Warm shirt[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD]9.2 oz.[/TD]
[TD]Immersion Research[/TD]
[TD]Worn on or off the bike[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tee shirt[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD]4.7 oz.[/TD]
[TD]UA Heat Gear[/TD]
[TD]Worn off bike[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Down vest[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD]12 oz.[/TD]
[TD]Cabelas[/TD]
[TD]Used as pillow[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bike hat[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD]2.5 oz.[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Cap[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD]2 oz.[/TD]
[TD]Warm[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Rain jacket[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD]7.5 oz.[/TD]
[TD]Sierra Designs[/TD]
[TD]Worn on and off bike[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Rain pants[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD]7.5 oz.[/TD]
[TD]Sierra Designs[/TD]
[TD]Worn on and off bike[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Running shorts[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD]3.9 oz.[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bike shoes[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1 pr.[/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD] [/TD]
[TD]Weight not counted because worn on bike[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Crocs[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1 pr.[/TD]
[TD]9.4 oz.[/TD]
[TD]Crocs knock offs with straps removed[/TD]
[TD]Worn off bike[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

fietsbob

Yup, layers .. hot you protect your self from sunburns , cold you wear more insulation and your rain gear to block the wind.

Rowan

Thank you for at last explaining the scenarios we are dealing with here. At least we have some context to deal with. Your implications from all your other postings were that you were tied to a job that provided no leave opportunities whatsoever, and that, in Australia, sounds pretty lousy to me.

Anyway, carry on...

gregjones

Wow......I might have to plagiarize that for a line in my sig. Modified, of course, to include tires, pumps, gear ratios, pedals, shoes, handlebars, racks, panniers, spoke count, brake systems, and lights..........with an option to add other items as I see fit.