Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
The "thermal bridge" is what keeps one from overheating. I strongly disagree about wearing waterproof below freezing. There is absolutely no reason to wear waterproof clothing when it is not raining. One gets wet with sweat and then cold. When winter climbing or otherwise exercising, one wears breathable clothing and regulates body temperature to stay just below sweating by varying pace. When I was a kid, I delivered papers in Fairbanks.
Not exactly, the average heat transfert by air helps but the heat transfert by water do not in cold weather.
And there is one reason to wear waterproof below freezing it is called frozen rain.
By the way, I have tested several of the best cold weather cycling jacket on the market:
a goretex paclite jacket i have been wearing for 10 years (windproof and waterproof)
a louis garneau massimo 2 jacket (wind and water resistant)
a sugoi firewall 220 jacket (wind and water resistant)
a sugoi firewall 180 jacket (wind and water resistant)
plus different layers under
What i can tell you is that against cold the goretex paclite jacket beat the others hands down.
The more breathable jackets have better comfort overall as they can adapt to the level of intensity which helps against sweat.
But against a cold wind burst the softshell louis garneau and sugoi jackets which are supposed to be wind and water resistant but not waterproof can't stop the cold wind from reaching the skin under which is not at all comfortable.
With a paclite jacket nothing go through but the tradeoff is sweat.
At the same temps with the goretex jacket i need only 2 layers and with the other jackets i need 3,4 or more layers and they don't even stop water and wind properly but overall comfort is better