I've gone the knocker route this year... if is really cold I put on some knee warmers under the knickers.... that generally works for me.

+1 - unfortunately the Headwind pants are no longer available (temporary I hope).
A pair of J&G Patrol Pants work well too, but only down to 40 or so before I add a base and are a little more expensive.

+1 - I got a pair of Rebok active pants for $19.99 on sale at Modell's sporting goods. They're inexpensive and can be worn for various activities.

Fleece lined dungarees. I can ride any cold dry weather.
Wet stuff, thermals with rain pants or snow pants.

For those who wear jeans, how do you protect your jeans from your chain?

You can get some reflective velcro bands, fold your pant leg up, or you can do the fake pegged foldup. Regular fold up won't work on older and/or softer jeans cuz sometimes it won't stay up.

Or get a chainguard, I suppose.

A chainguard works ;) I asked because in the "commute pic" thread I never see chain guards on the majority of bikes.. so I figured they wrapped their pant leg or something.

This is my first Boston winter. down to about 25-30 and dry, a nice midweight, cotton/poly blend long underwear and jeans are fine. I just rode 4 miles in the first real snow of the year, with that and a pair of $35 Columbia rain paints, and was very toasty at 23 degrees with a windchill of 6, riding into the wind. I have a cheap pair of snow pants for when it gets really cold.

I wear Patagonia Guide pants - soft shell pants for climbing/snowsports. Warm enough for the temperature range you mention, windproof, and water resistant, so I can wear them in a drizzle as well.

I recently reached out to Lou and he's sending me some samples of the materials he uses. If it's not too much trouble, could you link me to the pants you purchased? Would you recommend them for cycling for exercise (average speed 15-20 mph) as opposed to commuting? Thanks.

Lou Binik calls them rain pants, which is what originally I was after. His web page showing the pants is http://www.foxwear.net/products_pants.html, but mine were custom made so I can't tell you how they compare to any other pants he makes. He can explain your options though.

I'm a tall, skinny guy, so I can't get stuff off the rack. Lou made mine to fit me.

As for recommending them for exercise versus commuting, I'm not sure I see the difference. What I can tell you is that I have worn them in all kinds of weather since I got them. A couple of times they were too much, meaning that shorts would have been better and I will eventually have to put them up next spring and through the summer.

This morning I wore a pair of tights under them since it was 9F (sub zero wind chill) and they were fine. For the most part I wear them without any layer underneath from 15F to 55F and they are comfortable.

Ironically, I think they are less useful as rain pants, unless it is a very light rain or you are not in the rain for very long. They will eventually get soaked so I carry a cheap rain suit to wear over them if need be.

Good luck.

Dork strap.

I've been using these tights for more than a year. They're not really "tights" in the strictest sense of the word, because they're a bit loose around the "area" so you should be okay if that was a concern. I've worn them down to -10C (14F) comfortably with nothing underneath but either cycling shorts or liner shorts with padding. Fabric is 100% waterproof (tested in Vancouver rain) but the seams are not taped, but so far my experience is that the seams hold up well even in heavy steady winter rain.

MEC Cyclone Tights
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1262664216408

They're great pants, and they'd be just fine for exercise. I even wear mine when I'm shoveling snow.