I'm tempted by knickers with long socks. I have tights that I wear over Assos bib shorts. My problem is that nothing fits me like Assos. I actually had to give away some PI tights because of fit. With the price of Assos tights or knickers with chamois the chance of me ever having a pair is virtually non-existent.

Here's a question...Has anyone who has worn Assos tights/knickers ever found another brand that fits similarly?

No Assos, but I wear knickers a lot in fall/winter.

Ibex wool, thermal Nalini bibs, and a couple of others. Paired with wool ski socks on the colder end- work great

and gets rid of that "drooping leg warmer" thing.

I would recommend a more inclusive pattern/design.

P.S. Not intended as a joke of any sort.

It's the fit that keeps me with Assos....if I can afford it.

+1

I tried padded tights but I'm very particular about my pad and use different grades of pads for different types of rides. So I quit doing that and now only use unpadded tights over padded shorts. That's warmer and less expensive as the tights last a long time. No visible butt crack, ever. Also, no fit issues. Any brand works, though I usually use PI.

The downside of knickers and knee socks is that there's no way to keep rain water out of your shoes - it wicks down the socks. With tights, one puts dry-suit leg seals above one's booties, right on the bare ankle, then zip the tights over the leg seals. Dry feet.

Heck, that's normal for me. I just finished DALMAC, and typical lows were in the lower 50s and highs were just shy of 80F. My rule for tights is that I'll wear either tights or leg warmers if the temp is NOT predicted to go over 60F during the ride.

Tights go over shorts, that way you can strip the tights when it warms up and you don't lose the pad when you do it. You can also go with knickers for keeping your knees warm in cool weather.

For quite a while I've been wearing running pants by Sporthill (https://www.sporthill.com/mens-triplex-slim-pant/) while riding recumbent bikes.

I have a good mirror that I look in before I leave the house - so I don't wear tights or spandex. Nobody wants to see a chubby old dude in spandex. I just wish a lot of other people would buy themselves a mirror! (Ever look at the WalMart customer pix on YouTube?)

I use insulated base layer top & bottom under a jersey, cycling windbreaker & lined sports pants. If it gets colder I may add a sweatshirt. Don't have a lot of hair so I wear a helmet liner under the vented helmet. I try and ride as long as the trails are clear, but about 35 degrees is my cutoff point.

Leggings or tights.

Why are you worried about appearances? A 69 year old cyclist in cold weather is impressive, period.

Well its not the most attractive thing, but as long as there's no bare skin you won't get any verbal objection from me. Also, its not about your age but your condition and the shape you're in. There are plenty of people that are taught in their middle years and even more saggy millennials.

When I encounter a "zaftig," or just plain overweight/obese older person on the road or trail, I give them a and think (or sometimes even say) "Sierra Hotel!" (Look it up if you don't know.) Why? Because I know from a lot of experience just how hard it can be, and that it gets harder every year, after a certain age. I don't give a !#@$% %&*@! what you are wearing or how you look (unless you look like you are having serious difficulties!) You are golden in my eyes.

There's a thread that heralds the advantages of ageing. One of them is knowing the difference between someone generally trying to change their lives and someone just going through the motions. Sure, the first step is getting out there (and for some that can be a huge first step), but one step won't get you're going if you have a long road ahead. There needs to be a second step, and one after that, and one after that.

I've went out of my way on many occasion through the years to help others that were trying to change the way they look and every single one of them have given up soon after starting. Many of which fall back on the old excuse of age. Fortunately, I've lived long enough to know that's rarely an excuse. I feel the same things they feel.

Some days I feel I can barely move and have to literally drag myself up to go exercise, but that's the path that I have chosen. Most cyclist I've seen have a pretty good focus on keeping in shape. But when it comes to anaerobic training, its just the opposite.

People of all ages would regularly come up to me to ask me questions about training (I could give you pages of examples of why I no longer bother -- my time is valuable too), but suffice it to say that anyone who carries a cell phone to the gym isn't serious about training. The moment I see that, I politely say, "Rule #1 , leave the cell phone at home," and walk away.

Castelli Nanoflex knee warmers and normal bib shorts below 65°f

Castelli Nanoflex bib knickers below 55°f

Castelli Sorpasso Wind bib tights below 40°f

What about fleeced lined jeans?

Ancient wool Sergal leg warmers on the road, tucked up under the leg bands of padded shorts. Off-road, they don't stay up so well, so I wear tights over my shorts. It works.

Lot's of great advice and encouragement, thanks. I picked up a pair of running pants that have zippered ankles that are snug, so they should be fine for now, and MEC has some tights on sale that I have to have a looksee at.

What about gloves, apparently I have something called shaking hand syndrone, from my 35 years working in industry and using power tools. Anyhow, one of the symptons is a very low tolerence to cold. Even making hamburgers has me sticking my hands under the tap with warm water running, every minute. Last fall I used leather driving gloves but they were useless really.

And ear muffs or balaclava's for the face. Might as well get all the cold weather gear that riders use and are happy with out here for all to see.

cycling specific pants are great & my go-to combo is thin lined trishorts under snug (not tight) Novara Headwind Pants. not available anymore. but they fit just right for my 60 yr old body. I'm sure there are other pants around these days that have a similar fit







they're also good for snow shoeing!

I have some Pearl Izumi fingered gloves & also a pair of their lobster gloves. you're right, cycling specific winter gloves are the way to go. but I like bar mitts w/ glove liners or other cheap light gloves



bar mitts are great for wet weather to & make a good dry place to stash them during pit stops



these are the PI with my road bike bar mitts

Look at Youngstown Gloves. They make cold weather Mil-spec gloves that might suit, keep your hands warm while preserving dexterity.

Underarmor makes (or made) a nice double layer, wicking balaclava. You don't want ear muffs or anything that might interfere with hearing.

I've yet to don the long johns. I've managed to stay in shorts for the whole winter and managed 37 degrees in shorts. It is not my legs that are the problem in the cold but my groin. When I ran cross country many years ago, our coach always said your temp sensors were your armpits and groin area. In the cold, keep those two areas warm and you can survive.

If it is cold and it usually doesn't get that cold here in the south but when it goes below 55 I just rub some Atomic Balm on my legs and I'm good to go. Good ole Atomic Balm from 40 years ago. Still being made and it keeps the legs warm. Just use rubber gloves to put it on. If you get it anywhere you don't want it, you will regret it. Since it has properties like Vaseline, it does not wash off easily so if it is cool and rainy, it will keep the legs warm even if they get wet.

I do have limits though as I get older. Fewer rides under 50 degrees now. It just isn't worth it. I'll just head indoors now and go to a spin class.

john

What was the line? "I may be fat, but I can always lose weight. You, on the other hand, will always be ugly."

Feel free to wear what you're comfortable in. That's what we are doing, whether we look good in it or not. It's a functionality issue, not a beauty contest.

No.