boze

So i wanted to give a thumbs up for a few gear purchases i just made at Performance in case anybody is shopping for cold weather bike clothes.

i got the following for a total of like $260:

Pearl Izumi Escalation Jersey - $80

GORE Finish Line Windstopper Jacket - $120

Performance skull cap and shoe cover things - $9 and $20

LG Wind Tex-Eco long-fingered cycling gloves - $31

... i already had some tights.

The Escalation Jersey was nice as a non-windproof jacket for temps in the mid to upper 50s. probably could do 50º with a long sleeve under it for somebody who wasn't as big a wimp as me.

The GORE Windstopper i just tried out today for the first time in mid 40s weather. It's a great piece of gear - it's totally windproof, it has a nice athletic cut to it, and it's well designed and constructed with zippery things in the armpits good snugness around the neck and wrists. i'm 6'4" and i got the XL and it's not baggy at all really - which is more than you can say for all the wind-breaker type jackets. I thought the price was fair too since I've seen this jacket for like $160 at a few other places.

The LG gloves... i dunno... they might have to go back. I like that they're not too beefy because it feels better for shifting and braking but they've got no real padding in the crook of your thumb and pinch a bit and also i feel like they may be too cold if it gets much colder than it was today. maybe i can put on a pair of those silk glove liners or something to warm them up.

okay, here's pix - stay warm everybody and happy holidays!

sailor

To add to this, I have some legwarmers made by Gore that I love--my problem with my previous pair of legwarmers was that the wind just cut right through them, leaving me cold. These things stop it completely, and lowered the temperatures that I can ride in with them by about 10 degrees.

vrkelley

The full zip jersey's are the best, easier to layer on-off (without taking your helmet off) in winter

sailor

One question: did you find that jacket online or in a store? I cant seem to find it anywhere, but it fits what Im looking for perfectly: a snug, athletically cut, windproof jacket for riding in weather around 40 degrees.

bac

I bought that Gore jacket last year, and it is excellent. I really like the pit zippers for temp control, and the inside is lined with mesh, which also helps regulate temps.

boze

i got it on sale at Performance but they only had it in XL. price was originally $160 - and i've seen it for that at a local chain store too.

yeah, it's not easy to google for - especially with a brand name that is half of the word "goretex".

recommended if you can find one.

cool to know about the leg warmers. i was looking at those and the arm ones too but they're like $40 per arm or something.

Allen H

I tried Performance online, and there's nothing like it (well, 3 or 4 other Gore jackets, but not that style or at that price) - do the stores commonly have items that aren't even online??

Anyone find it anywhere else? Surely this wasn't a Performance exclusive?

bac

I bought mine last year through Performance Cycle. However, now I can only find it here:

Gore Finish Jacket

sailor

I paid something like $42 for the pair of leg warmers. Same price as the Pearl Izumi ones, with the added benefit of being windproof.

sailor

What is the inside of that jacket like? Does it have any sort of microfleece lining or anything, or is it just more of a shell?

bac

It's lined. There is a mesh liner + some more stuff (windstopper?) underneath. However, it is also relatively thin, so it's very comfortable (and warm!) on the bike.

boze

yeah, Performance is ****: the website and the stores have almost no contact with each other despite the fact that the stores have a red phone that you can use to call the warehouse or something for special deals.

the coat has a mesh lining that's poly and slightly fuzzy feeling but not fleecy. it's a nice mix of stiff windproofing and insulation that isn't bulky at all. i've only worn a jersey under it to this point but when it gets colder i'll be doing a base layer of some long underwear from REI or maybe a fleece pullover or something.

about the arm/leg warmers - that's good news. maybe i just didn't notice since they weren't like packaged in pairs when i saw them.

[brag]
i wouldn't be surpised if you had trouble getting the price i got. i'm known locally for getting the best deals on things. people i don't know will email me saying "i work with your friend so-and-so and she said not to get a laptop without talking to you first" or something like that.

i got some Pearl Izumi Vortex shoes last week on clearance at REI for $40. that was my latest really nice score. i tried to help two different people who i know are looking but neither of them made it there fast enough because of the holiday and now they're gone.
[/brag]

PaulBravey

I just got some of the Triflex tights w/o chamois yesterday, they're only $48 and change in the stores (though they're 65 online I think). All I need now is a skull cap and I'll be toasty. Just in time for it to drop to almost freezing in the bay area!

sailor

Wooo! I found one! Went by the local Performance and they had one. Black, size medium, $120. Me likes... Im gonna try to ride with it tomorrow but if tomorrow is anything like today, it may actually be too warm... Its definitely cut tightly--Im not sure I could fit a full size fleece under it, but I like it tight so that it doesnt flap, and honestly I think its warm enough that I wont be wearing anything but a base layer under it anyways.

Also saw those PI jerseys... Very nice, but I think if I wore one under this jacket, I could ride in weather down below freezing, which it rarely gets around here.

sailor

I just have to say... This jacket kicks ass! Went for a ride with it today, it kept the wind off, fits *perfectly* on the bike, and doesnt flap around. About the best $120 I ever spent...

Allen H

I found it at my local Performance store, but not in my size . (All the winter gear was already very picked over, since we've had a real cold snap the past week or so.)

It looks terrific - very sharp, really fitted. I'm going to try another store tomorrow - looks like the perfect "coldest weather" bike jacket, and fits really tight (if you can get the right size!).

jaypee

Not to jack the thread, but I just picked up a Perl Izumi Instinct Jacket and I love it. It's just a shell, but it's wind-proof and water-proof and fits -perfectly-. I recommend it for anyone looking for a lightweight cycling shell. I've been riding in 15-20 degree weather lately wearing nothing but a base layer, a wool sweater, and this shell and it rules.

boze

Sailor - congrats dude! i'm glad you scored one..

Alan - good luck finding your size - hope it works out.

(who knew there was a winter clothing sub forum? i'm glad this thread found it's proper place)

Allen H

2nd store didn't have my size either in the color I want (the black looks much sharper than the blue, IMO).

I tried on the blue in XL, and it was so snug I wouldn't wear anything but an undershirt underneath it - so it's more of a tight torso-fitted wind-proof jersey than a jacket.

cristoff

I wear a Louis Garneau jacket that has a windfront nylon and is fleece lined . The back is "airdry"and fleece lined and the arms are just poly. I wear a garneau drytex baselayer and I'm quite comfortable below 0c. I add a cheap vest and homemade arm warmers for really cold days. Just pedal and enjoy you'll warmup.

cristoff

just wanted to add that it is a drytex 3000 layer witha zippered neck, very handy for temp. control.

iowarose

You can go to www.gorebikewear.com to get the Gore jacket (or similar model). Thanks to a coupon I had in the goodie bag of my club century ride, I got a free Windstopper vest when I bought something from the site. The Goretex socks are high quality, and as cheap a price as I've found. The vest is very well designed for cycling too - lower cut in the back plus gripper so it stays where it should. Mesh lining and the Windstopper fabric is killer. Also, it folds up into its own little bag. I love it.

Bikerbarb

sigh, they are sexist. There is no jacket for women w/the zippers under arms, etc. I get so tired of this, you'd think things would have changed by now.

Simplebiker

I was just checking out the women's section a few days ago, and I noticed that there was much less of a selection for women. Do the jacket's in the men's section not fit women well?

Merriwether

Good luck finding women's winter cycling gear. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of demand for it, even compared to the low demand men's winter cycling stuff. It's a niche within a niche-- even the road cycling chicks around here stay off of the road during the winter.

Hopefully, you can find a jacket that will do during the winter months. Sometimes ski wear or cold weather running stuff from the sporting goods store can be useful.

I should say that there's only other person around here who's anywhere near as hardcore as I am about riding in the winter, and that person is not man. She seems to use some kind of windshell outer layer; not expensive looking stuff.