Clothing for cold weather commuting?
 

I'm just curious what kind of clothing commuters wear. For example, within the next hour, it'll be below 40 degrees here. Just cold. I'm sure that doesn't deter many commuters, though, so I'm wondering what you all wear to keep warm during your commute when the weather is in the 30s and 40s.

Thanks in advance

SG

I still bike as long as highs are at least 25. Below that is just too cold. I wear a long-sleeve mock turtleneck from UnderArmour under a sweatshirt with thicker warm-up pants. I wear a face mask that goes from my neck to my cheekbones and wraps around my head covering my ears. I wear mittens on my hands. After 35 minutes/8 miles, my toes are a bit cold but that's it. If it gets above 35, I'll leave the sweatshirt off. Above 45 and I leave off the facemask. The high today was 17 with gusty winds, so I drove in. :)

Go to the winter cycling forum. Lots of good info there.

The key is to dress in layers. The first or "base" layer would be something like UnderArmour cold gear. There are lots of options here. It fits close to the skin and wicks sweat.

The next layer is the "warmth" layer. I use a fleece pullover.

The third layer is the outer layer and you want something that blocks the wind. It doesn't have to be thick. Typically it's not.

On my legs I generally don't wear three layers. I'm not sure what you regularly wear but in the 30s you might be OK with that or by putting on a base layer under it.

A skull cap is generally fine for me until it gets into the 20s or lower. Then I'll wear a balaclava. A company called Seirus has a nice variety.

Notes: For natural materials, it's best to avoid cotton but wool is wonderful.

Cotton is the work of the devil, stay away from cotton at any cost, Barebutt is better than cotton.

Try the Winter Forum. Lots of good info there.

I have found that if my head, hands, and feet are happy, the rest of me is too. So I wear a skull cap under my helmet, XC skiing gloves, and toe covers. Then I just wear my regular office clothes plus a cashmere or merino sweater.

I commute to below 0degF but not much colder than that. The main problem for me below 0 is my face and eyes. I wear a beanie and balaclava under my helmet but I almost need a full face helmet and shield and feel that's too much and opt not to go colder than that. For clothing, I use dry tech wicking under shirts in layers as needed and my regular breathable, soft shell cycling jacket. I wear windfront tights with padded cycling shorts underneath. Merino Wool socks and waterproof hiking boots or sorels, snowmobile mittens or ski gloves as needed.

I've only commuted down to 14F, mostly because that's as cold as it's been on work days since I started bike commuting. I use a new outfit for every 10 degree drop down to 25F; e.g., light tights to 35, medium tights to 25, heavy tights below that. Gloves are the hardest to get right. :(

But I'm not tough. When it snows, I want two tons of protection from the rest of the idiots driving around here.

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.

At 35 I wear wool socks, tights, shorts, a long-sleeved jersey and jacket, medium weight gloves, and put a bandana on my head under my helmet to cover my ears.

This morning it was 7F. Wool socks, shoes, shoe covers, tights, jeans, snow pants (non-insulated), jersey, arm warmers, fleece pullover, wind jacket, winter gloves, scarf, ski helmet and goggles. And a beard.

Do you wear cycling-specific clothing? If so, 40 F should be a piece of cake. At that temperature, I would wear a thin wicking t-shirt, long-sleeve jersey and a vest on top if temperatures would be warming up on the ride, or a cycling jacket such as Gore Phantom over a long-sleeve base layer. On my legs, I would wear tights over bib shorts, or knicker bibs. Wool socks and shoes with toe covers. Fleece cap under my helmet.

I regularly ride in temps in the 20s-30s F all fall, winter and early spring with occasional morning commutes in the teens. I keep warm at those temperatures using the clothes described above, but will wear a cycling jacket rather than a vest at temps lower than 40 F, with base layers of varying thickness depending on how cold it is. I also wear warmer tights (Pearl Izumi AmFibs) on colder days.

Hands are the hardest to keep warm, and I have 4-5 different pairs of gloves that I wear depending on the temperatures. My warmest gloves (PI AmFibs) keep my hands warm down to the teens and are actually too hot when temps get above mid-30s. I often carry an extra pair of gloves while commuting since the afternoon temperatures are generally much warmer.

isn't there a whole sub forum for winter cycling? browse there for specifics where I and many have contributed vastly.

in general though you need:

• layers
• wind protection
• athletic clothing like "base" layers & skull caps, not cotton tee shirts for example
• look for tips and trickls like a cheap clear mortel style shower cap for over the helmet, it is virtually invisibale but provides an important wind block for the head

I just threw the money this winter for my first 100% wool baselayer (2 sets). I am very happy with them. I haven't even worn my other baselayer gear (polypro) since I got the wool.

I have been wearing 75% wool socks in the winter for the last 4 years, don't see that changing anytime soon. I won't even consider buying less than 75% wool socks.