Originally Posted by
jbembenek
How cold can you use the jacket as a "shell" and what kinds of jackets are you layering? I have an old virtually non-wind/waterproof pearl izumi jacket that I feel fine in with a fleece jacket underneath to about 40 degrees. Any colder and I use a large and bulky winter jacket.
It was down into the lower 40s and raining on my 400k. I was wearing a short sleeve wool jersey, arm warmers, and the SP Touring jacket. The only time I was chilly was after a 30 minute nap on the concrete; but after 5 minutes of riding I was warmed up again.
I just bought the Touring this summer, but for the winter I'd feel comfortable using it as a shell over a Smartwool base and shortsleeve wool for anything down to 30 degrees. The windstopper fabric at the front of the jacket keeps things pretty warm. If it was really cold (around here, that means around 20F) I'd wear a Smartwool base and a longsleeve wool or lightweight fleece.