Advice on pants for commuting
 

as it gets colder out, i'm considering buying some cycling pants to wear instead of the nylon hiking pants i normally wear when commuting. (and no, i don't want to wear just tights when arriving at work) i'm looking for something that will help keep me warm and comfortable in the 15-40°F range, adding thermal tights as needed.

I tried on a pair by endura which seemed quite nice. it was nice to wear pants made for cycling.

Any advice on cycling pants for commuting in cold weather?

that's where I draw the line to, I don't want to get to work and have anyone not ask me "hows it hanging" because they already know the answer.

I just wear my work pants in overtop of my thermal parts. might get some cheap gym pants from target to block more wind or something, when down under 25 or so, I might wear 2 pairs thermals.

The latest State-of-The-Art cycling pants can be found at www.foxwear.net/products_pants.html . Showers Pass have a good rep also. My Performance rain pants have lasted almost 20 years.

I usually wear nylon rain pants over top of my regular pants in winter. Not only due they help block the wind, they are great if it actually does rain, or if its slushy out stops the road spray of passing vehicles from getting on my pants. At first I was just wearing them when the roads were wet but now I'm liking them every day for warmth.

Sweat pants work fairly well..... don't cost that much. Other days I'll wear my tights....

I wear bike shorts under sweat pants under rain pants. When it gets really cold, I add a pair of lycra exercise pants under the sweats.

I've cycled 3 years with just lined nylon running pants. I should get some actual waterproof ones since my legs get wet and it kind of sucks if it's cold, but I've just been living with it.
I have a J&G jacket that I love; I wear it daily in the winter and when it rains in the summer. www.bicycleclothing.com - I'll probably wind up with one of their pairs of pants.

I have Performance fleece pants, and I'm pleased.

When I lived where it snowed, I did what others have said and wore nylon running pants over a thermal underwear base layer.

I just got a pair of those - they are, as advertised, relaxed fit, and fairly warm.

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Prod...&viewAll=False

Highly recommend these.

Holy crap. The price.... :eek:

Anyhow, lately I have been riding with a pair of nike jogging pants over whatever I feel like. Mainly due to the fact that my roads alternate between clear, snow packed, slush, and wet.
Jeans, tights, cycling shorts, etc.
I don't feel like spending much cash on winter stuff. That is except for hats and gloves.
I think I will try sweat pants next.

Worth every penny.

Novara Headwind pants from REI.

http://www.rei.com/product/724365

They're 69 bucks but worth it. Not tights, but not too loose either.

I'll second that. I love the rain pants I bought from Foxwear. They even stood up to sliding on the pavement after I played superman.

I wear blue jeans and tie a bandanna around my lower right leg to keep the pants out of the chain ring.

I've been using water repellent jogging pants I bought for $20 bucks a pair at Mervyn's. They do a good job of keeping the rain off, and if I wear another layer underneath, they are warm.

my favorite, too

I did, and no one was shocked. They all think I am nuts for riding a bike, so this didn't surprise them.

Love my Showers Pass pants...though I did crash with them and got a small tear last winter. They are plenty warm down to about 20 degrees with just cycling shorts on underneath them. Put on tights or even fleece long johns underwear and I'm good to about 10 below...

Now if I could just solve my hands.

How about breathability of these products? Even when it's 30F out, my nyum-nyums get way too hot on a few climbs! Someone should make a mesh crotch vent or something.

When I had a longer commute I wore a pair of REI fleece sweats. They taper so they're snug on my lower legs (no chain problems) but fit more like normal sweats up top. Also, they don't [I]look[I] like tights, avoiding your concern (which I fully share).

I've been riding with snowboard pants the last few months and they have worked out well. They are not too bulky or they are warm. I bought a couple pair last year from Campmor for around $40.00 a pair or something close. It might be nice if you could find a pair of cheap snowboard pants with vents for your temps but with single digit temps in the mornings around my area the pants I have work great.

I use sweats as well. They work well alone down to freezing. Lower than that I wear bike shorts and soccer socks underneath, leaving just the knees with a single layer. I've done that down to about 20°.

This works OK in a light rain. If I splurged on rain pants I'd fare better in a driving rain...

I use cheap lined wind-proof jogging pants from Dicks (or random sporting goods store). Below 25F I add running tights (not thermal). This suits me down to as cold as I've gone...about -17 F. I only have 30 min commute though...if out longer I might add another layer.

In rain I use showers pass pants, but I have to use the running tights with them because I can't stand how they feel on my skin.

I also have these and like them a lot. They are windproof in front and breathable in back, designed for biking, are looser than tights (which I won't wear as an outer garment), and I can just add thermal underwear beneath if I need it for more warmth.

I wear Pearl Izumi Amphib tights with knee warmers and lycra shorts underneath. It may be a little under dressed, but I sure do get hot in a hurry. My main concern isn't my legs, but my knees. I'm skin and bones, so I have to keep my knobby knees covered.

The amfibs have that water panel that makes a great windbreaker, too.

I've been wearing cargo pants, as I like being able to put everything into the pockets (lights, batteries, keys, etc.). When I get to the office and change into work clothes everything stays in the cargo pants pockets and is ready for the ride home. Am thinking about getting a pair of cargo pants with the 'zip off" legs so I can use them when the weather warms up.

not a popular choice but one I've been real happy with so far this winter...
Running tights, with or without knee warmers, under Carhart double knee jeans. So far, this combo has been great down to about 5 degrees and riding in snow. I do wash the jeans with nik-wax product so thats my disclaimer. No jeans in rain. I have goretex over pants for that...

Old Columbia BugaBoo shell system for cold/wet, and a nik waxed Nike running jacket for dry down to about 15F....

Hope that helps...Mostly multipurpose equipment. Have a hard time swallowing the prices' of bike specific gear...

Sometimes I wear just my Dickies jeans or cargo pants when I ride because my legs heat up quicker than anything else, and I just deal with the chill early on. Because it rains in the Puget Sound so much, I picked up an inexpensive pair of nylon outer pants for soccer, I think (with zip bottom legs to take off while still wearing shoes) at a thrift store to keep wind and light rain away. It works really well. I do not get cold at all in that department. Because rain is such an issue, I am really eying a hundred dollar pair of rain cycling commuter pants that would be good enough to wear on their own (to the pub or school) as well as as an over layer for more work-orientated things.

I wear long underwear that is appropriate for the season, my work pants (dress slacks), and gaitors.

The gaitors keep my legs warm and keep my pants clean.

When I get to work, a tug on the gaitors and off they come. In seconds, I am walking to down the hallway clean and comfortable with my helmut, gaitors and gloves under my arm looking professional and saying good-morning to the colleagues.