Here's what I'm not seeing:

-Clear lens glasses (even shop safety glasses would do) will really help cut the wind on the cheeks/eyes.
-thin cap on your head (that will fit under the helmet) and possibly an earband (like an XC or skiing head band) with overlap to the face mask (at the ears).
- shoe covers or baggies inside the shoes.

Other than that, it looks like what I ride in those temps (I have a thin balaclava, but that's the main diff)

I would take your shoe covers along, just in case. and anything else you think you might use.
+1 on the eye protection and face and ear protection also. Goggles or safety glasses should do the trick.

In those temps I wear LL Bean Snowsneakers with a good pair of wool socks. That keeps me comfortable down to about 5°f. I wear a balaklava below 42° and add a earband below 30°. mittens below 25°.

Keep a log or a journal of what you wear at different temps, that you can refer to and adjust when the need arises.

That doesn't fit in all that well with "Winter Bike to Work Day". Funny thing is, Friday is my last day working this far from home. It should be a great commute in the evening, at 28 degrees.

I think my initial guess of 15 degrees will turn out a bit optimistic. It was only 9f/13c degrees this morning at 7 am. Guess I'll throw a pair of goggles in my Metropolis messenger bag, just in case it turns out I need them. Having that big bag on my back will help keep some heat in.

Fascinating!! I'd been told that no one is born in the summer in Minnesota. :)

Close, August... I suppose most people who have to deal with potentially super frigid temps develop an additional layer of, insanity, that helps us deal with the weather. I am going to try to *look* more like a cyclist next winter though. Sort of posturing for a big sale at the end of the season. Or, maybe I'll wait one more year...

Below 10 is going to be a bit insane for an hour long commute in Colorado. It's almost March already. If it wasn't "Bike to Work Day" I'd pass and wait for us to get back to our normal morning temps. Off to the supermarket to pick up a couple of chem toe heaters.

I live in Lake Tahoe, and that is about the temp of my morning commute every day in the winter. The coldest I have had this year was -2, but normally it's in the teens. I wear the following: Cycling shoes with full neoprene covers, wool socks, wool thermal bottoms with a pair of wind pants over the top, wicking t- shirt with a wool shirt over the top, and then a wool sweater followed by a thin cycling wind breaker...Turtle fur balaclava, shop tinted glasses (sunglasses for the cheap), and a pair of thick wind proof fleece gloves with thin work gloves over the top. I am always warm after the first hill, and usually I have to pace myself near the end of the commute on the last hill to keep from overheating. My friends think I am crazy, but I am very comfortable, and the air is crisp and fresh at those temps.
Good luck, and enjoy the ride!

Will stress what others have warned about... head, fingers, toes. I routinely ride in 15F weather, am nice and toasty. For feet, I have MTB SPD shoes - I wear one pair of DeFeet socks underneath, and PI XL booties outside. These work great for me.

I usually put on goggles around 15F because otherwise my eyelashes ice over (I call them eye-cycles) and eventually I can't see.

You said sandals were an option. I wear sandals year around because I can layer socks as needed. If you go this route, just be sure the sock layers don't constrict your toes or you'll sacrifice insulating properties.

You probably already know this, but if you'll be in the cold for an hour try to regulate heat early on so as to avoid sweating a lot. You don't want to get wet in the first 10 minutes and then have to ride that way the other 50. It can be easy once you start to warm up to forget to ventilate until it's too late.

Good luck.

While out picking up toe warmers, I decided that I'm going to give my trusty sandals a try. Mid-weight hiking socks, heavy "water proof" socks and SPD sandals. If I get a mile down the road and it's not working I can add the toe warmers. My feet have good circulation and they rarely seem to get cold. We'll see. 10 degrees, not counting the windchill will be new ground for me with sandals but I've seen plenty of soaking rain and 40 degree temps for 5 hours while out on tour. Tomorrow is going to be a "dry cold".

Looks to me like you've got it covered (pun intended). I don't find much difference between 30 and 15. I would add one more core layer, eye protection (I use Ace hardware safety glasses,) and below 30 I wear one of these - http://www.amazon.com/Seirus-Innovat...rus+face+mask.

I just went out for 10 minutes. Night @ 20 degrees wearing what my planned gear has evolved to.

Head and Face: Thin beanie cap, nose down balaclava, ski goggles, helmet.

Up Top: Long-sleeved polo work shirt, Patagonia r1, SportHill 3SP breathable running jacket with pit zips similar to THIS.

Hands: Loose, mid-weight fleece gloves with wind-block over mitts.

Bottom: Lycra biking shorts, SportHill 3SP pants like THIS.

Feet: Mid-weight hiking socks, Seal Skin water proof socks and SPD cycling sandals.

All of this gear is several to many years old and I'm sure has lost some off its effectiveness but I think I'll be good. I just biked up and down the 200 ft driveway over and over for about 10 minutes. I didn't hit the street because I don't have lights on the bike. My legs had a little bit of a chill but I wasn't even warmed up. I think if I add a sub-layer on the bottom, I'd be too warm but that's at 20 degrees. I should probably add my Smartwool base layer for tomorrow. It's a hard call. I'd rather be a little cold, rather than sweat. My feet were fine, we'll see what happens after an hour at 10 degrees. My face was a little warm but I'll be able to adjust this coverage tomorrow.

Down to the coffee shop at 7am for a city transit meet & greet (this is their bike to work day gig) and then off for another 50 minutes to the hospital where I work. Then a more rural route home with some real fast descents and a good bit of climbing. Same ride time but 20 degrees warmer.

Here's what I wore on a group ride, when it was 32 degrees. I was overdressed. But, it would have been good for about the low 20's I reckon. At this link I have the items tagged.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8221/8...1f59e837_b.jpg

[QUOTE=Ritterview;15326040]Here's what I wore on a group ride, when it was 32 degrees. I was overdressed. But, it would have been good for about the low 20's I reckon. At this link I have the items tagged.




Thanks for playing but we're now talking about 10 degrees and commuting. A group ride is a different ball game. I'd agree that you were overdressed though, but that's all relative. If it were me at 32 degrees and a group ride, I'd be wearing less than half of that.

It may be too late but I'd substitute a different pair of socks for the waterproof ones. You don't want to trap moisture inside.

You had all that stuff on... at the same time?

:lol:

my thoughts exactly

My toes are my only real problem. What I do is to put a plastic grocery bag over the toe, then layer duct tape on it until it's a toe cap, then cut that back so it ends halfway down the shoe, cut a cutout for the cleat, then put a couple strips of duct tape towards the back to secure it.

This makes a huge difference in how warm my feet are (or more accurately, now not frostbit they are)

I suppose I should actually buy some neoprene toe caps, but the duct tape chic is too good to pass up.

And I too thought the same thing. Perhaps the rider is from Bermuda or someplace where 32 degrees is a crisis. I'm not even sure if I could breath with all of those tops on at the same time.

It turned out being 12 degrees this morning and I had on two layers, top to bottom...actually on the face and head only one layer and I went with glasses instead of goggles. I was fine and actually a little warm at my neck where the balaclava and jacket overlapped, until I opened the jacket to get some cooling air going. For the ride home I dropped the balaclava and entire base layer. Beautiful commute but pretty dern cold for Colorado.

So, how did the ride go today?

I think I beat you to it. To add to what I said above, I was a little unsettled at first because I couldn't find a spare tube for my bike before I left the house. I just moved and still have a lot of my garage in boxes. That said, I've never had a flat with Schwalbe Marathon XR tires and didn't think about it again after the first few minutes.

Great ride and the commuter gathering was cool to see but I couldn't hang around long.

Toes and fingers are the only areas where I have problems. A balaclava and ski goggles will keep your face/neck/eyes very comfortable into the teens.

I agree about too many layers in that picture. I rarely wear more than 2 or 3 if the top one is windproof. And I usually just wear cycling shorts with leg warmers even in winter.