I have those tights as well. Very good build quality. But since i had some Louis Garneau bib tights and some other gears in both brands Louis Garneau and Sugoi i was able to compare. I've have noticed that Louis Garneau massimo 2 bib tights breath better than the Sugoi one, cut wind better and restrict leg motion less. (This could be because the Sugoi tights were too tight on me though). I have several Sugoi and my take on these is that they don't breath as much as some other brands which makes them comfy on a narrower range of temperature. Those subzero tights might works as an insulation layer (tho wool long johns are better at this, i believe) but not as a single layer as they aren't much wind resistant.

Anyway, my solution now is none of the 2 but rather some hicking pants with 10% minimum of spandex in it

Here's what I've learned in a couple winters in Missouri, typically down to the high 20s.

1) Wool is awesome because it retains insulating value even when it gets wet. And it will get wet if you are going up a long hill, and this is important on the following downhill. A wicking base layer and a layer or two of cheap merino wool sweaters from Costco or Kohls are better than I ever thought they could be.
2) Buy windproof shell gloves that are a bit too big. This is typically enough, but you can put a insulation layer in if you need it.
3) Windproof bike wear shell is worth every penny. I have a Gore version. Vents and removable sleeves are worth the money.
4) Buy a nice thin fleece hat
5) Put a some toe warmers in your boots on the coldest days.

Never been to DC, but I find that regular athletic or bike shorts are warm enough when I don't need the AmFibs (~45°F). If I do happen to get a little too warm with the tights on, venting the upper half usually does the trick. :thumb:

The typical day in DC is a 20 degree temperature rise. So if you wear a single layer such as Amfibs in the morning and are comfortable, you are stuck wearing them when it warms up. Or you end up riding home with bare legs. The single layer approach doesn't work around here that well. I'd recommend two or more lighter layers on the legs when it gets cold enough, so you can drop a layer when it warms up.

I wear an old pair of worsted wool dress pants in those temperatures (I wore them today too when it's 35 out) and they work fine. Especially when I walk into the office.

these look like just what i'm looking for. except i HATE how stores like REI make everything with a single inseam length. I'm 5'5", i wear inseam of 29 or 30". These are 32.5" inseam for every size. So annoying. Hopefully I'll be able to roll the cuffs up a little. i'll hit up my local REI and see if they have any in stock.

I like the Showers Pass Elite 2.1 jacket I use. Nice cycling specific vented waterproof jacket. It has pit vents and a vent in the back.

There are other companies that make the equivalent type of jacket.

Another vote for Headwinds pants. These + longjohns and I'm good into the teens. I never got the matching jacket because they didn't do them in a proper bright yellow. For jackets,I use a water/windproof shell with pit zips and an adjustable hood that fits over my helmet(with proper adjustments,it won't block your vision). I'm a big fan of these to protect my face/neck,I usually get 2 to 3yrs out of them before they become too stretched out. When the temps drop below 30°,I replace my regular helmet with a Bern that only has a couple vent holes and built-in earflaps.

Love mine below 32F, toasty even down to the teens. That and neoprene booties. Regular tights or warmers are fine for me above freezing

Went and tried on the Novara Headwind pants today at REI. Walked out with a pair. I'll probably get a second pair to switch back and forth during the colder weeks to come. For now wearing these in the morning I'll be able to wear my shorts on the way home since it'll still be in the 70s and 80s.

Also tried on the Headwind jacket. Liked it. They didn't have the Orange in store so I had to order it online when I got home. Looking forward to giving it all a try.

LL Bean Stowaway rain coat and pants. Wear over normal office clothing. Downhill ski gloves. Unzip when warm. Good to 0 F.

+1 re the temp rise from morning to afternoon being something to address. I'm not bike commuting regularly now since work is weird, but did for 7+ years in DC. You need to distinguish the good advice you'll get here on bundling up in the dead of winter in an arctic place from advice that gives you tools for managing things in the widely varying temps you will probably see in DC within any given day, and from day to day. We have a
few cold days but a long fall & spring and even many relatively temperate days in the middle of winter. You want to be able to:
-- start cool in the morning, but not cold
-- vent a bit as you warm up, mid-ride
-- for the ride home in the afternoon, you'll often be in 20+ degrees warmer temps
Things are slightly different if you're going from 20 to 40 than if you're going from 45 to 65, but either way you need some range.

Key versatile things for me have been --
- lighter tights that you can pull over cycling shorts. NOT the AmFibs, too hot. Performance had some (years ago) that were much cheaper, windproof front and breathable rear of legs, and I liked lots more than the AmFibs. Don't bother with chamois, just wear summer shorts underneath. Mainly because you will want to strip those tights off for the ride home and the shorts will come in handy.
- leg warmers
- between the two of those above, you can load up in the morning and strip down at night
- helmet cover -- the thing like a shower cap that goes over the helmet. Easy to pull off even during a ride, like 20 min into it after you've warmed up a bit but you didn't want to be freezing at the start.
- windproof vest, might be mesh back, that's fine. Easy to unzip and stuff mid-ride.
- a light jacket with good vents that can be worn with or without a wool base and the over-vest. And maybe arm warmers.

You decide whether you're going to ride on very rainy or very cold days, get kit accordingly -- rain coat, soft shell riding jacket, balaclava, gloves, etc. But while you don't want to under-dress, it is too easy to over-dress here and you want to be able to layer up for the morning / peel down for the afternoon.

IME, the pit zips are at least as important as the front zipper.

Most of us who've commuted through a few winters have our own guidelines. For instance, on my legs I'll go knee warmers down to 45-50F, light tights down to 35, medium tights down to 25, and the heavy ones below that.

OP will want to develop their own. A few things to "worry" about are, first, start off cool -- you'll warm up. Second, dress so you don't get hypothermic; the rest is a learning experience. Finally, an advantage of cycling specific gear is that it'll pack up small enough you can pack extra layers in the afternoon so you'll have them the next morning. (Doesn't work as well with big, fluffy coats.)

My rain jacket has pit zips because I want to keep it zipped up in the rain and still have ventilation, but for an outer jacket, the front zipper works fine, so long as it can be zipped all the way down. I guess pit zips could be an added bonus, but I wouldn't spend extra on them.

All of my upper body under layers have at least partial zippers for cooling.

http://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...nter-gear.html

:)

- Andy

I must be missing something; you have a rain jacket AND an outer jacket??

I only wear a rain jacket when it's raining. Otherwise, I wear a cycling jacket. The rain jacket packs down pretty small, and goes in my trunk bag 24 x 7, unless I'm wearing it. In the colder months, I also carry rain pants in my trunk bag.

Do you wear a rain jacket all the time?

Legs: REI "Mistral" pants. They are soft, windproof to about 20 mph, and "somewhat" water resistant. Very comfortable. They are not "bikey" pants, just plain ol' pants. I have two pair now and use them every day for the winter commute. They are too warm for temps above 60-ish. They are fine by themselves for temps down to low 30's. Below that, I add wool thermal underwear. Caveat: They are a bit pricey at $100 per pair. Ouch.

Torso: Layers. Down to the 40's, I'll have a long sleeve polyester tee shirt, a short sleeve polyester tee, maybe a zip-up jersey, and a wind breaker. Below 40, I'll probably just switch out the polyester long sleeve tee for a merino wool thermal underwear top.

Note: Typical "COLD" days in this part of NC is maybe 25 degrees and I'm out in that for no more than about 25 minutes. Yea, we do have temps down to the single digits, but that occurs maybe once per winter. And my clothing works fine. Again, I'm out in that cold for about 25 minutes.

Breathable softshell jacket and pants with Schoeller dryskin fabric that I purchased for back-country skiing work well down to 25 F degrees. For the really cold and windy/snowy days I add a breathable/waterproof shell, balaclava and ski goggles. Last winter the temps were down to zero and I was comfortable, although the bike's lubricants were congealing. :mad:

It's a wind shell! It's a rain jacket! If I wear it to work in the morning because it's cold, I don't have to wish I had the other jacket for the afternoon commute if it starts raining. Plus, it gives me lots of flexibility for layering underneath.

At the risk of sounding like a shill; I buy all my winter gear from Alertshirt.com. Cant beat their quality for the price.

Try some merino wool sweaters, thrift stores are a great source. In addition to a thin ploypro hat, find a helmet cover, I use the J&G one. I also really like the Patagonia merino wool base layers.

Riding in North Carolina (not quite as cold as Washington but not all that different), I found the most important factors for me on a 40-minute, 6-mile commute have been:
- Warm hands and feet (windproof gloves from Performance with elastic cuffs, warm wool socks from Costco)
- Warm head (wool or tightly-woven synthetic skullcap)
- Windproof jacket (I have two different weights: one which is just a windbreaker, and one which is considerably warmer).

I generally don't ride much in below-freezing weather. I did do so for a while, though, and at that time benefited from:
- Insulated windproof jacket
- Lightweight scarf for neck and sometimes face (this makes a remarkable difference in cold, windy weather)

On colder commutes I have to have somewhere on the bike to stow my heavy jacket for the ride home: it's just too warm for an afternoon ride.
The coldest I ever commuted in was 22 F, and quite honestly I would prefer not to do that again. I found it too unpleasant, and my knees were very cold from the wind (even under jeans). That day I never warmed up; usually I'm feeling much warmer (and taking off layers) by the time I make it in to work.

I like to go multi-purpose and use my Showers Pass rain gear as my outer shell for layering. It has good venting and allows for wind block, heat trap and of course shelter for the elements when it rains, freezing rain or snows. At this point my Showers Pass stuff has gone well beyond its useful life so I might try J&G which seems to be a better value.

From where I sit, DC seems to get some pretty balmy winter weather with lows around freezing and highs in the low 40's... this is much like the winter weather in Portland.

In any case a wicking base layer and windproof / waterproof shell are essential and then it is up to you to decide how much insulation to add... merino does work wonderfully for this but so would your favourite light sweater (if it is wool).

Feet and hands are always a personal thing as some of us run hotter and some of us run colder, if you are riding flat pedals a decent pair of hiking boots with wool socks will keep your feet warm and more importantly, dry... wool gloves with an outer shell work really well as if it is not wet and warmer you can lose the shell.