Street Pedaler

I'm another Under Armour fan. At least as far as their tights go. For upper body, I like Frogg Toggs. The Toggs aren't particularly breathable but they're wind resistant enough (for me) that, even if I'm sweating underneath my jacket, I still stay comfortable. The thing that gives me fits is trying to keep my hands warm. I've yet to find a pair of gloves that work for me. I've learned to keep my hands off of the hoods, though, when the temp is anywhere from about 40˚ down. Even with the rubber hood covers, the aluminum gets cold enough that it just goes straight into my hands. I stay on the tops and can keep things bearable if not actually comfortable.

Myosmith

For winter riding gloves I use Wells Lamont insulated work gloves. They come in several weights of Thinsulate insulation, have good dexterity, and have double layer leather palms. Not as good as real cycling gloves but for $10-12 and warmer than the $40 cycling gloves I have, I'll take em.

libero

+1
A fan of capilene. (by Patagonia). Note that capilene comes in 4 weights, as I found recently. The lighter 2 are more for warm weather ("keep you dry and cool") and the heavier 2 are for keeping you warm in the cold ("keep you dry and warm").

Ultimately you will need to find your own combinations of gear. I noticed there are different size pockets on bike jerseys and I try to consider pocket size when shopping. And at least I keep aware of which ones I have that do have bigger pockets so I can take them in the winter.

One thing I think is a great choice is a skull cap: I have a nice warm polypro/fleece one for under my helmet. This helps a lot toward temp control. And takes up just small space in my (usually big) pocket.

Have fun.

vesteroid

Cap 1-2 should be enough for most people. When used as an under layer these are pretty warm.

sstorkel

It's fantastic! Because the windstopper fabric is only in the front, you can use it with temps into the 70's and you won't overheat. I wear it frequently in the summer, when mornings might be a little chilly but I know it will warm up dramatically as the ride progresses.

TrojanHorse

Sounds like that t-shirt might be exactly what I need... in the process of investigating some of those links yesterday, it also looks like some of those convertible jackets would be suitable, especially the ones that aren't weather proof.

Hey Askel - look at how freaking cold it was at the beach yesterday! No beach bunnies it's so cold! It was 8 am, so that might explain it too. It had to have gotten into the mid sixties by then... brr.

fietsbob

Wicking treated Polyester ala PataG Capilene basest layer , fleecey stuff next,
and Raingear for the shell..

I have a summer low of 50, and the winter high if lucky is that..
The Sea, on the Coast keeps things from swinging wildly over the year..
so 80+ in the summer rarely happens, likewise 0C.

today's novelty Snow to sea-level , overnight, but was just thin slush on the road.

Askel

Mid fifties here today. I almost died from the heat.

chefisaac

Have you tried bar mitts? I have been hearing great things about them.

Street Pedaler

Chef, no, I haven't. Don't think that I've even heard of them. I'll look 'em up. Thanks for the tip!

nymtber

I have an exercise bike for when its <55F outside. Sorry, biking is no longer fun for me if I am freezing and sweating at the same time. That is what snowshoeing/hiking are for.

Askel

Everybody I know who tried them quit using them. It's major pain to get your hands in the things and get them sealed up tight enough to keep out any drafts, especially while riding.

I have no problems riding with my downhill ski gloves on. It's important I keep my fingers moving though, even if I just take my hands of the bars and stretch them out some, otherwise they'll start to feel painfully cold.

EGUNWT

From the inside out:
Wool t-shirt, ibex.
Bike shorts
Knee warmers
Wool socks from REI, SmartWool, or if you get really lucky and find them, Costco
Merino wool long sleeve jersey, from Twin 6. Which is AWESOME.
Wind pants (MUSA pants from Rivendell)

My shoes are really the weak point in my outfit. I've got some I'm going to be trying out if it gets cold again.

One tip I stole from Noah (https://kc-bike.blogspot.com/) was to take notes on what works at different temperatures so you know what to wear next time it's that cold so you don't overheat or get cold.

Drew Eckhardt 

Obviously. You're wearing too much clothing. Mid 50's I ride in shorts and a short sleeve jersey.

Seattle Forrest

Yes. It's good to take a page from the book of the hikers every now and then.

A base layer isn't supposed to keep you warm, that's not its job, but any layer you add will bring some insulation with it. Its job is to move sweat and water outward, and keep your skin dry. It should be very thin so it won't hold much sweat and so it won't provide much insulation, and it should still be warm when its wet.

Merino wool at about 80 to 150 grams per square meter of fabric (that means very thin) is the best base layer you can get. I wear mine no matter what the temperature is, eg from as cold as it gets (below 0 F) to as hot as it gets (110+ F). A light-colored merino base layer is a wonderful thing to have even when you're hiking straight up in the mountains in July and August. In the summer, I don't wear anything over my base layer.

You got cold because of your sweat, so there's no point in talking about insulating layers. But you said your wind breaker doesn't breath. A lot of people are recommending completely wind proof ones, but I'd go the other way. The best wind breaker there is, is the Arc'teryx Accelero jacket, which lets about 1/3 of the wind through, and breathes like nobody's business. I wear it over a merino base layer when it's warmish (above 50 F?) and also wear a cashmere sweater for warmth down to about 30 F.

Rona

when it's cold, merino base layer, angora and wool blend long johns, long bike pants, wool socks, leather shoes and neoprene covers. I have a merino sweater and then my windbreaker over top. It's easy to get rid of layers if you need to, but if you are underdressed-- there's no going home to add more.

My windbreaker can zip sleeves off. If it's raining it's not a great jacket, but the layers of merino keep the water off if out there for less than an hour. Over an hour I get soaked though.

RubeRad

Here's a tip that works great for me; instead of laying out long green for neoprene booties (and looking like a poser), put your socks on (I have some SmartWool socks I like a lot, but I still get froze toes), stick your feet into two of those plastic grocery shopping bags you have a billion of at home, put on your shoes, and then snip off any bag that sticks out of your shoes with scissors. (or for that extra homeless look, just let the whole bags stick out and flap in the breeze)

I'm in SoCal, so for me "cold" is a dawn commute at about 40deg. I'm not into cycling clothes, so I wear a padded liner, basketball shorts over those (nobody wants to see my fat ass in cycle shorts!), hairy legs may get a little chilly but that's ok. On top, for my warmest I'd have a long-sleeve (regular cotton) tshirt on the bottom, then a short sleeve synthetic technical tee (dayglo orange or yello), and on top a fleece vest (with some zip pockets that are good for swapping gloves). My shorts also have pockets for sunglasses and mp3 player. Wallet and phone go in the seatbag with the flat repair stuff.

If it's cold enough to numb my fingers in my regular fingerless cycle gloves, then I'll just wear my winter gloves, which are made from I forget what material, Thermalite? Thinsulate? It's kind of fuzzy/felty, not really holey knit gloves, but not really waterproof ski gloves either.

Mr. Beanz

I guess I'm lucky. I can dress the same on a 90 degree day (minus the windbreaker) as I do on a 39 degree ride in the mountains. I wear a base layer, jersey, tights and if it's below 75, I have no problem with the windbreaker. Over 80 I'd stuff it in the jersey.

On 90 degree days I've been known to climb GMR with tights and an underlayer. Mostly to keep bugs away but the heat doesn't bother as much as the bugs.

75 degrees

D4C4 by gulpxtreme, on Flickr


39 degrees...same outift

IMG_4407 by gulpxtreme, on Flickr

TrojanHorse

What kind of baselayer are you wearing on those 75 days? I usually just go with a jersey down to 60 degrees or so.

My current windbreaker is too bulky to stuff in a jersey pocket so I'm watching for one of those Gore convertible vest/jackets to go on sale and I'll get one of those. My windbreaker is one of those illuminite things that lights up like a billboard when headlights hit it, so I really like it for night use.. It doesn't breathe, really, but if the temps stay cold, I leave it on and all is well. I just hate tying it around my waist when it warms up - not really the area of my body I'm trying to draw attention to with a highlighter yellow jacket wadded up.

Seattle Forrest

I've worn one of these (in white) on steep fire trails in the mountains at 95+ F, and been perfectly comfortable:



They come in short sleeves, too. That would be better when it's very hot, unless you're around biting flies.

That one's merino wool, and 150 g/mm^2 which means paper thin.

Mr. Beanz

I'm using teh cheap underlayers from WallyWorld ($12'ish/ Champion brand) for 1XL in black or dark blue. I looked at the UnderArmor stuff at the local outlet stores. I can;t see blowing $50 for an underlayer.

My windbreaker is Pearl I. Pretty thin, no pockets so it's easy to roll up. I planned it that way.($75)

Gina's is a thicker PI with pocekts but removable sleeves etc. ($100)

bigfred 

@Beanz

You wear "that" at 75 degrees!? Good lord man! Around here, if its that warm we're unzipping and thinking about going sleeveless. Your pictures more closely resemble our sub 55 attire.

chefisaac

Let me know if you need a link. I can find one. I have not gotten them yet but I plan to for next winter.

chefisaac

They have these in big boy clyde sizes?