Hezz

I find that cycling specific clothes used for layering in winter are too expensive and uncomfortable due to zippered pickets bunching up and further, form fitting clothes don't feel good when used with too many layers.

For the top, under a cycling jacket I use wicking ski underwear or sportsmans wicking thermals. Cheap fleece pullovers or jackets without rear pockets work well. Especially if they are stretch fleece and one size smaller than you would wear for casual use. Because they fit a little more snug under the cycling jacket.

One thing that works really well for 50 degree F rides is a single snug polar fleece jacket under a very wind resistant cycling jacket. No shirt is needed as the fleece wicks very well.

For gloves I make my own out of 10 dollar walmart ski gloves by ripping out the fleece linings and waterproof barrier. I combine a nylon shell with a fleece glove and this works very well.

For pants I use a bike tight over biking shorts if not below freezing. Below freezing I use inexpensive snowboarding pants from the local discounter. Lightly insulated ones of lightweight nylon or polyester work the best. In other words, the cheap kind. I sew the lower legs so they are not so baggy at the bottom but I leave them baggy at the knee and hip and they work very well. I just wear bike shorts under them with no long tights. They are very warm and very comfortable. I don't know why but the large air space combined with nearly total wind block and light insulation create the perfect leg environment. My legs sweat far less in these pants and when I do they still are more comfortable than tights.

I have tried everything for my feet and although I have winter cycling shoes they don't keep my feet warm for more than an hour when it's much below freezing. The normal shoes with neoprene socks and wool socks and neoprene covers work about as well as the winter shoes with thick socks but still not good for more than about an hour below freezing.

I have a new plan this year for the feet inspired by extreme altitude mountaineering boots.

The only thing that has really worked to keep my feet really warm has been a pair of light weight winter mountaineering boots. However, I want to use my SPD pedals and I don't want to destroy the boot soles. And in any event they are heavier than I want in a bike boot even though they are relatively light by mountaineering boot standards.

Even many winter riders who have Lakes and other cold weather cycling shoes seem to agree that they are not warm enough for prolonged really cold tempertures.

One expensive idea that I had was a pair of ultralight ice climbing boots from La Sportiva. They have a very stiff sole and are insulated but are about three pounds. Light for mountaineering boots but heavy for cycling. And they are 400 USD so I need a cheaper solution.

This is what I am going to do this year. The idea is based on the double boot concept. The inner boot should serve as the backbone of the cycling pedal stroke and need to have the following properties. Light weight, very rigid sole and very breathable. And have total ankle flexibility. Guess what, this is served very well by a good quality standard cycling shoe. I just bought some Sidi bullet 2 mega's. They are wider for wide feet but also give more room for thicker socks.

Now the outer boot is the real problem but should be easy to solve in the DIY fashion. I have found that neoprene overboots have two problems. They are great for wet conditions and the cold as long as it's not really too cold. They just don't have enough insulation. And it seems that there is also a practical limit with how many thick socks you can wear under oversize cycling shoes because once your lower legs are so thick with socks you can't get your tights zipped up. I also find that neoprene socks next to the skin as a vapor barrier work quite well but are a pain to put on.

This brings up the second problem with neoprene overboots. They don't let your foot breath and moisture gets trapped in the insulating layers and makes them less effective. That's why I wear a neoprene sock next to the skin when using neoprene over boots because they keep the vapor from going into the wool sock. But as I stated above, I hate to put these things on because it is so much work and conflicts with my KISS desire for bike riding.

So, unless you are in tempertures at or above freezing or are going to be crossing ice flows in the Iditrod you don't need waterproof overboots. In fact, keeping the whole system wind resistant but breathable will yield warmer feet because moisture from the foot is not trapped in the shoe or the insulation layers. Even if you do need waterproof soles and rands around the foot for standing a short time in slush while commuting the top of the outer overboot needs to be breathable.

I found this out rather by accident when I bought an inexpensive pair of winter snow boots that were not the rubber toe kind. They are moderately insulated but completely breathable and my feet always stay warm in them.

So it turns out the best solution for below freezing riding is also the lightest and cheapest. And that is to make some homemade overboots out of basic outdoor materials. The only design issue is that they can't be very thick on the inside of the foot where the cranks rotate because there isn't much clearance.

I figure aerodynamics aren't that important in winter since the air is so dense at really cold temperatures that you can't pedal that fast anyway. Actually, you can pedal fast but it's just more work to move at the same speed as in warm air conditions. And since you've got more clothing on, higher cadence pedalling is also more difficult.

So I plan to make my own overboots that are well insulated and fully breathable. Simple Nylon and polyester shell material will do with a fleece lining on the thin side. Maybe some Cordura on the inside to resist crank abrasion and a thicker polyester fill covering most of the foot on the outside. A thin closed cell foam on the bottom since the sole of the foot is a major pathway for cold to enter on a cycling shoe. And maybe some thin neoprene for the sole material.

I've tried to see if anyone makes anything like this but all the companies just make copy cat neoprene booties saying theirs are the best. Well some might be better designed but they are all about the same in terms of warmth.