Bob Ross

At 7:15AM today: 41ºF with a Wind Chill Factor allegedly making it 33º

long sleeve base layer
long sleeve wool jersey (Ibex Amparo)
wind vest
cycling shorts
tights
wool socks
toe covers over my regular cycling shoes
polypro glove liners under my regular cycling gloves
summer skullcap
helmet

..and by the time I'd gone about 8 miles I was still too hot! Oh well, it'll probably be just right for the ride home tonight.

In hindsight, I should have had something covering my ears.

caloso

7:55 am today: 55F and calm.

polypro t-shirt
merino sweater
cotton chinos
glove liners

I was still a bit sweaty.

jpdesjar

it was a cold one for me too, i had to keep blowing warm breath on my hands for some of the ride...it's a five mile commute so it's not too bad, my feet were warm though

no motor?

10:30 last night, 39 degress F with 20 mph headwinds with strong gusts to contend with

head: Bell Influx helmet, thin basic balaclava, saftey glasses
trunk: long sleeved ventilated base layer, medium weight base layer and Performance Illuminite commuter jacket with a backpack
legs: compression shorts, Novara tights and generic windpants.
hands: old ski gloves
feet: same cotton socks and running shoes I wear in the summer

This was the first time I rode in this much gear and this much wind. The wind really slowed me down, but I was nice and warm after being just cold enough for the first mile or so. My arms did get sweaty enough to open the pitzips, and I was able to shed enough layers when I got home to keep from sweating so much when I put the bike away like I do when it's warmer out. Prior to this, I'd worn long underwear under sweatpants on my legs and polartech over baselayers on top. The wind was too strong for that last night, I'm glad I had the better gear then.

caloso

49F and calm. A touch of mist on the American River.

head: helmet, clear glasses
upper body: baselayer, S/S jersey, arm warmers, windvest
lower body: bibs, knee warmers
hands: glove linersn
feet: cotton/poly socks, cycling shoes

Notes: Glasses totally fogged up when I reached the river. Combination of my warming up just as I hit the cooler and moister air near the water. Super comfortable except for my toes. Need to find those toe-warmers!

schu777

This morning - 32 degrees with a 15-20 slight tail/cross wind, supposedly making it around 20 wind chill.

Wore a thin hat with helmet on top.
Long sleeve jersey with C9 wind resistant jacket (new as of yesterday)
Performance blue thermals with normal biking shorts over those with sweat pants on top of that.
Two pairs of summer socks.
One pair of gloves

I had to stop a bit to check out my rear brake - I didn't get cold nor too hot while sitting, so I guess my outfit was pretty good. Only thing is my feet and face were a bit cold, but not unbearable.

Michael

Rodeo

About 38F and raining. Wore Gore-Tex pants and jacket shell over a lightweight thermal. Nylon cap under helmet. Full foot booties. Wool gloves under old Mt. Bike gloves. Worked great.

alfie43

Cloudy, 20 mph north wind, 39 degrees, 30* wind chill factor, very light snow with no accumulation.

Head: Helmet with cover, lightweight balaclava
Upper body: Thin polyester base, polypro 2nd layer, wind proof outer jacketl.
Hands: Ski mittens
Lower body: Shorts, light weight tights
Feet: Wool socks, Nike running shoes.

Rode due north for 5 miles, turned around and rode south for 5 miles. Very comfortable ride.

Alfie

srmatte

27f, light wind. Med under armor shirt, light poly long sleeve, golf windbreaker pullover. Sweat pants. Heavy wool socks with newspaper stuffed in hiking shoes. Ski gloves with inserts removed, use biking gloves inside, turtle skull cap. 12mi, felt good.

Lonewolf48

30 degrees with 20mph wind/wind chill around 20. light head/ear cap, head band. helmet on top with gaiter. poly pro mid-wt. jersey, sweater and windproof shell on trunk, pearl izumi winter tights, mid-wt. wool socks and Lake winter cycling boots, ski gloves. After 21 miles the only thing that was cold was my right index finer (?). May try wool gloves inside lobster wind-proof mittens for tomorrow's pre-dawn ride probably 10 degrees colder.

sheba

Last night through this morning. 10 degrees F and light snowfall.
Windproof beanie, helmet, t-shirt, wool sweater, Columbia jacket outer softshell, tights, Dickies, thick wool socks, cycling shoes with a custom duct tape wind barrier, windproof mittens.
Rode for a couple hours, had a bonfire, rode some more. My feet lost feeling after the first hour.

RLHawk

Conditions: Overcast, 17*F, light variable winds.
- Head: light balaclava, helmet, sunglasses - could have use another light layer on my head like a plain cycling cap, and better protection for my eyes
- Torso: summer jersey (as base layer), windstopper long sleeve shirt, long sleeve fleece jersey - also had a light shell but didn’t need it
- Legs: summer shorts, heavy windstopper tights
- Feet: smartwool skiing socks, mountain bike shoes, windstopper bootie
- Hands: Full finger gloves, which were totally inadequate. I should have had gloves with windstopper, and possibly also with fleece

Notes: Planned on 20 miles, but had to cut it short early because my hands HURT. Torso, legs, and feet were good. Head/face/eyes could have used more protection.

NutzCrazy

-1 C, light snow and mild wind. Pitch black first half. 55 km.

head: balaclava, too hot, switched to a buff just over my ears and head.
torso: thin polyester long sleeve long underwear, windstopper fleece, reflective vest, camelback (keeps my water warm). Seemed a bit warm since I was sweaty after the ride
legs: thicker long underwear (wool blend?), bike shorts, windproof pant fronts (breathable backs)
feet: some b-stock winter bike shoes, wool socks. Surprised how good they were.
hands: Shimano 2by2s (lobster claws). They were a little too warm.

I think I will adjust with a different head solution and maybe thinner long underwear for the legs.

manlem01

2*F, lots of unplowed side streets, light wind, dark, 5 mi.

head: helmet with cover, wicking headband, merino wool balaclava over neck/face
torso: fleece softshell, goretex outer shell with vents open, dress shirt and tie
legs: wool dress pants and cheap wind/rain pants
feet: adidas SPD mountain shoes with wool socks and neoprene booties
hands: some cheap, super-lofty mittens

My feet were cold when I got in, definitely need a better solution. My thighs were also cold, may be time for leg warmers or long underwear, although I think I'd be too warm then. This was my first ever commute in single-digit temps and with snow on the ground. I liked it.

plodderslusk

4 hour ride through mostly on forest roads, temp from -2 C to -7. Head:Halo winter liner under helmet.
Armless poly baselayer + thin poly long sleeve + wool long sleeve, Craft windstopper Jacket. Swix skigloves . Windfront boxers under long winter cycling bibpants. Neoprene booties over Shimano spd shoes, long wool socks and the new addition: Therm-ic battery insole warmers. They worked OK and I had a great ride.

arni0202

manlem01 hey fellow Minnesotan!

Today: partly sunny, 14F windchill 9F, snowplowed terrain. 4 Mile cruise around town testing winter gear.

Head: Craft Balaclava, old earmuffs put around the back of the head, helmet(duh)

Upper: Nike Pro Fit Longsleeve Baselayer, t-shirt, North Face Apex Bionic Shell, Canari Eclipse Rain/Wind Jacket, Scotts Locket Gloves

Lower: Nike Pro Fit Tights, Normal Jeans.

Feet: Wool Socks,Sneakers

Verdict: I'll probably be getting some lobsters or pogies in the future. My toes were also cold and left foot toes were numb so I'll be needing something better maybe thicker wool socks. Booties or shoe covers just aren't functional for me. I bike everywhere where I need to be able to function in society and not just be wearing my bike apparel (hence the jeans and t-shirt). Perhaps I will eventually sacrafice appearance to save my toes from falling off lol, but I want to check out the toasty feet insoles I keep hearing about on the forum. I was actually hot about halfway through so I took the canari windbreaker off and threw it in my backpack. The northface is so thin yet so warm! Thinking I maybe should have gotten the thermal lined one for $50 more but oh well.

evblazer

Head:
Helmet
Illuminite Versa Gaitor

Torso
UA Coldgear turtleneck long sleave, Performance short sleeve jersey, Performance Wind Vest, Illuminite Arm warmers

Legs
UA Coldgear Tights, PI Knee Warmers

Feet.
Smartwool socks, sealskins, keen commute sandals

Hands
PI Cyclone gloves, glow gloves

Conditions
2 hours ride before sunrise.
22 degrees (In DFW TX?!?!) 6mph tailwind most of the way.

Notes:
Played alot with the versa gaitor pulling it down and putting it back up to cover ears. First day wearing but I like that it is loose and not tight on my ears. Probably too warm for anything over 25 though since most of the ride it was just around my neck.

rotomotor

Conditions: I'm new to winter biking. 30 minute test ride in 8F. I would have gone longer but my feet were becoming the issue. I am going to have to bite the bullet and buy some overshoes or dedicated footwear. I might try some light hikers before buying something new but it does help to have the right tool for the job. 2nd layer fleece was too heavy, I was getting too warm in the torso.

Head: helmet, ski goggles, windproof fleece balaclava

Torso: capilene long sleeve crew, no-name brand lightweight fleece pullover, canari shell

Legs: capilene boxers (love these), Pearl Izumi tights, biking shorts, Hind rain pants

Feet: poly liner socks, smartwool hiking socks, leather street shoes (mistake)

Hands: poly liners, Patagonia mittens

neil0502

Never blogged on this thread before, but ... here goes:

Where: Fort Collins, CO

When: 2pm 12/15

What: my old Diamondback Response Comp w/Marzocchi fork and Panaracer Smoke tires, f/r. No studs. Maybe 45psi. 7sp Deore XT (?) all around. KoolStop pads, f/r.

Conditions: clear roads, snow, slush, and ice on bike lanes/shoulders. Sunny. Temps hovering between about -4F and 0F.

Head: Performance Bike polypropylene balaclava, no eye protection (Oakleys iced up. Soon after, lashes iced up!), helmet

Upper body: s/s base layer, l/s turtleneck base layer, wool cycling jersey, fleece-lined Canari jacket

Lower body: PI AmFib tights, surplus store insulated nylon physical training (PT) sweats

Feet: thin cycling socks, neoprene socks, canvas MTB shoes (Specialized), Toasty Feet insoles, PI toe covers, Performance Bike neoprene booties

Hands: thin neoprene-type gloves, Mountain Hardware over-gauntlets

How'd it go? Beautiful. Toes were still cold, but not painful, after app. 1.5hrs. Everything else was just fine. Good freedom of movement. Ears stayed toasty. Eyes watered so much that there, eventually, was a fine mist coming out of them

Beautiful ride, though....!

Hickeydog

Temp: 28.

Windchill: 15

Head: Balaclava (open faced) with ski goggles

Torso: 2 under-armour-look-alike ****s, cycling jersey, Fred vest

Hands: Thin, yet heavy gloves (if that makes sense)

Legs: Cycling shorts, tights, knee-high wool socks

feet: wool socks, heavy booties

I was very comfortable. The wind was terrible and kept changing direction (so that I was always riding into it.) I rode for 1 hour and the only reason I stopped was my water bottles were frozen.

pgoat

what a great thread!

temps around 40, windchill low 30s.

Head: North face cap (nice!) under helmet with Smith Thresholds
I brought a wintersilks balaclava just in case it gets cold later.

Torso: ss Canari summer MTB jersey as a base, North Face Cirque thin Fleece, Showers pass jacket...a little chilly but not as sweaty as usual.

Hands: Cannondale LE gloves - excellent

Legs: Ibex wool blend hiking knickers over Icebreakers wool long johns over tighty whities. Plenty warm!

feet: wool dress socks, smartwool hiking socks, New Balance leather walking sneakers - fine

Sixty Fiver

Where: Canuckistan

When: 9am to 6 pm

What: 1988 Kuwahara Shasta fixed gear conversion.



Conditions: Snow, freezing rain... roads were treacherous. Temp was -11 F

Head: Polar fleece toque, neoprene face shield, ski goggles, and of course my helmet

Upper body: poly base layer, light sweater, polar fleece jacket, and a heavy shell jacket.

Lower body: Polar fleece pants, MEC shell pants

Feet: polypro base layer socks, two pairs of wool socks, waterproof hiking boots.

Hands: cotton gloves under wool and thinsulate flip mitts

How'd it go? The extra socks went on later in the afternoon as my toes started to get cold...the rest of me was toasty and dry.

The bike handled the horrendous roads like a champ although this also involved some good rider skill to keep things upright.

jpdesjar

17ºF and no wind
i wore a long sleeve wicking first layer with a wool sweater on top and then my marmot shell
had my sugoi biking shorts on with the windproof panel to protect the important parts
burton long johns on top of those and then my thick patagonia jeans
burton knee high snowboard socks and my tigers...toes were cold but it doesn't bother me any more

balaclava on head and helmet and a turtle fur neck gaitor
snowboard gloves

does the job

pgoat

I am sad to say my Ice Breaker wool long johns have developed several small holes, mostly in the seat area....they work really well, but for $55 I expected longer life....I got maybe a dozen rides, tops out of these Just a word to the wise if you are considering them.....

Dangerous Dave

Today I wore:
Sweatpants over cycling shorts
Short sleeved poly shirt, windbreaker
socks, trainers
thinsulate gloves
I was fine, except my legs sweated slightly.
It was 39, overcast with a slight breeze and very light rain late on.