Originally Posted by
wilfried
It was 16 F this morning, 13 if you go by the National Weather Service numbers, the coldest I've yet biked in, and I managed to arrive sweaty. On the top half I wore a heavy sweater and mid-weight waxed cotton jacket over my regular street clothes, with a fleece scarf. On the bottom half I wore blue jeans and sneakers. On my head I had a thin wool cap with ear flaps under my helmet, which made me look profoundly silly. It did do just enough to cut the wind on my ears though, so they were fine. My light biking gloves were my only weak point; my fingers were cold, but not unbearably so. My commute is only about 3 miles, so I don't have to sweat the cold weather, as it were, too much, but then I tend to get warmer as I ride, including my hands, rather than colder.
Last night was slightly warmer, but I felt colder. Maybe it was lack of sun, and that the cotton jacket does a better job of cutting the wind than the wool coat I was wearing.
That may be, but it's what I wore,t-shirt and Oxford shirt under the sweater and jacket. I should probably look into something better, but I don't know about investing in a woolen base layer; I'm surviving so far without it.
The biggest problem with cotton is that absorbs moisture rather than wicks it. On top of that it doesn't insulate well when wet. As long as you don't sweat too much and the cotton isn't getting wet for other reasons, it's not really as bad as it's often made out to be. There are also many cotton blends, different weaves and treatments that help offset some of its shortcomings.
I've lived through over 40 upper Midwest winters and have worn plenty of cotton during that time. I tend to avoid it now for extended outdoor activities in very cold or very warm temps but I'd make it work if it's all I had available.