Originally Posted by tsl

It occurred to me that I left out a key component in my discussion of strategy above.

All our lives we're taught to bundle up to keep warm. In cycling that's only half the equation. It helps to thing of the whole package of heat management. This includes generation, retention, and dissipation. It's also why what works for me may not work for you, since we may generate different amounts of heat based on our metabolisms and cycling style.

With the photo above, I talked about heat retention and mentioned in passing that I generated more heat that day due to climbing. I was doing hill repeats. There's really no serious climbs within 50 miles of R-Town.

But the photo also shows my heat dissipation strategy. I have skinny stickman arms. They chill easily, so I make sure to keep them insulated. I use my neck and head to dissipate excess heat. That's why I don't wear a balaclava until the single-digits. It would cover my "radiators".

I also sweat heavily from the the head. As you learned, sweating leads directly to chills. So by keeping my head cool and using it to dissipate heat, I also don't get streams of sweat running down my face and neck.

Other riders may prefer a balaclava to keep their face and neck warm, but wear a vest and use their arms as their radiators. I know one guy who wears knickers all winter because he uses his calves as his radiators.

It's all really personal in how you execute the strategy, but in general, you need to factor in conditions and how you'll be cycling (hard, regular or easy) then plan your insulation and radiators accordingly. For instance, I generally wear a little more when commuting so I don't freeze at stoplights. But I"d be overdressed with the same clothes at the same temps if I was doing hill repeats.