Square & Compas

I had heard that male cyclists used to wear women's pantyhose in the winter to keep thier legs warm. this was before the days of the moisture wicking and wind break thermal materials we have today. Is there any truth to this? I am not saying there is anything wrong with doing this, just asking if it is a myth or true. If it is true did it work? How well?

My wife told me when she was a cheerleader her nad the other girls wore panyhose in the winter during the games they cheered at to keep their legs warm. She said it worked great. She also told me some football players used to use women's pantyhose as well which worked for them. (Yes I am one of the lucky few who married a former cheerleader).

Kotts

In my former days as a rider/student (25 years ago), I did that all the time commuting to class in the winter.

Square & Compas

How well did it work? Was it effective? Did it keep your legs wind proof and warmer?

pluc

It sure can work, but I'd rather use a base layer (aka long underwear). They come in various thicknesses and would probably last much longer than pantyhose. I wear that under my jeans in the winter when it's too cold.

caloso

We used to wear panty hose under our football pants during late season games. Don't know if it really made much of a difference.

Machka 

Speaking as a girl who used to wear pantyhose and dresses to church even on extremely cold Sundays I can say this ... you might as well wear nothing at all. Pantyhose offer absolutely no warmth at all.

Tights, however, would be better. Or if a person wore several layers over the pantyhose, it might work.

Square & Compas

I understand if it does not offer any warmth. But what about as an wind barrier with say 2 other layers over the top?

behemoth

dude, if you want to wear hose just do it. then, when asked about it, give it a rave review.

CbadRider

I find that thicker support pantyhose keeps my legs warm in winter. I wear them under slacks if it's cold enough.

And some men didn't think it was weird to wear pantyhose before all of the new fabrics came out.

roadfix

Are we talking about pantyhose fetish? I have a couple of favorite free sites.

Suzie Green

Thickness matters. If you must, go with tights instead of pantyhose. JC Penney makes a good pair with a tight weave. Still, they won't be as warm nor work as effectively as cycling specific gear. The might be OK as an underlayer for cool days, but hard core winter riding will require a heavier material. Don't expect miracles.

Hobartlemagne 

Very sexy.

CastIron

No. No. No. No.

I-Like-To-Bike

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

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The Real™ Deal Broadway Joe; not like Drama Queen Hackensack Brett

Hezz

The pantyhose method does work to some extent. Back when there was no wicking base layers and you needed low bulk and more warmth they worked to some degree. They are not as warm as more modern base layers. Football players used them because they were lightweight and added little bulk under the football pants and long socks. And they soaked up little sweat creating a barrier between your wet clothes and your skin. This is probably the main reason they worked for football. But I don't think that they are wind resistant enough to be effective on a bike in cold weather. Unless they are covered with a nylon or polyester shell. You could probably wear them under a cheap breathable shell and stay pretty warm down to 30F or so.

They will help you stay warmer if you are wearing cotton long johns over them because they create a thin barrier between the damp long john and your skin so you don't have so much of a chilling effect.

Perhaps they might be a good and cheap method for staying warmer if you commute to work wearing cotton jeans. Since when the jeans get wet they are cold. The nylons still allow for a good fit with jeans.

pwdeegan

i use think silk long underwear (got them cheap at REI)—wicking and dry enough for pants, think like pantyhose (just slightly thicker—or very similar to "old pantyhose" when they were more commonly made of silk and required garter belts [the long underwear require no such belt!], and recall an earlier posting about fetishes); they are also surprisingly tough and warm for their weight.

i wear winter bicycing tights down to about 35°, and below that i wear the silk long underwear under the tights—they don't get bunchy or in the way, and don't noticeably reduce movement, but they do a great job of keeping me warm! did i mention they were pretty cheap compared to the synthetic fancy-name-brand alternatives? oh, and for the hairy-legged (i.e., the naturally insulated), they don't mash the hairs like heavy-duty synthetic long underwear does!

Square & Compas

Here is the problem I am having. I ride a recumbent. I bought and use a pair of Specialized Therminal tights and under them I wear a pair of Under Armour base layer shorts and when I need to a pair of poly-pro long john bottoms. The therminal tights only has the wind proof panels in the front. Because I ride a recumbent the back of my thighs get cold from the air and wind that flows between my legs and seat as I pedal. there are no wind panels on the back of the tights. The tights, shorts and poly-pro bottoms are not enough to keep the wind out of this area of my body. I am looking for something to add to it to help do this.

Another option I have been entertaining besides panyhose is have my wife sew a fleece panel inside the tights as an additional thermal barrier. That plus the under armour and poly-pro could be enough to keep the wind out or at least keep me warm enough.

I only commute to and from work about 7.5 miles round trip. I don't need anything to keep me warm for anything longer then a 3.5 to 3.75 mile ride one way.

what do you think?

AEO

soccer socks that go up to the thighs are also good for something underneath, but perhaps you might be better served by light wind breaker pants, the kind used for skiing.

Hezz

Square & Compas,

Since your commute is not that long I would suggest wearing an inexpensive pair of breathable nylon or polyester cycling or running pants over your existing Specialized tights and substitute a heavier weight pair of athletic compression shorts to get more insulation around the thigh area. Or wear a regular pair of cycling shorts over the Under Armour shorts to keep the thighs warmer. This will keep your leg warmer without binding the knee much. Since you are not cycling that far you can use a pretty wind resistant shell pant since you won't be in them too long they don't have to breath as well as for longer distance rides.

kwyll

In the u.k,carpenters,bricklayers etc.......use womens tights under there jeans in winter.I myself have tried it it works.....!

Square & Compas

That is what I am going to do. In fact on the way to work this morning I stopped at Wal-Mart and bought a pair of the Nylon wind pants that are large enough to fit over my tights. I am a big guy and usually can get away with 2XL, but I bought the wind pants in a 3XL for ease of movement when I use them over the tights. I have been wearing a pair of compression shorts under the tights. I think that with the Under Armour compression shorts, the poly-pro long johns, the Specialized Therminal tights and the nylon pants I ought to be able to keep the wind off of the backs of my legs and stay comfortable enough to commute to/from work.

I have not commuted since last Monday. I had to have some minor surgery on my hand and will not be back on the bike until next week after the sutures come out.