Today: 22F calm, overcast.

55 miles on dry pavement in Illinois

Headband, Helmet
Light knit base, wool jersey, medium fleece layer, wind resistant vest
Knee socks, cycling shorts, PI AmFib bib-length tights
Cycling shoes, natural fleece insoles, Descente boot cover & Sugoi rain covers
Army surplus 3 digit mitts with 2 sets of wool liners: a dry liner replaced the 1st set at the half-way point.

The last couple of winters I've notice that also, tending to go slower in the cold and not riding as much in addition to commutes. Before that I wasn't fast enough to go any slower. This year though it's more having to back off in the darkness than cold but both do affect me.

With me I think the difference is mostly being more uncomfortable breathing heavily in the cold air so I tend to stay more aerobic.

I must be the odd man out here
I went for a 20 miler today it was 33 degrees when I left
I wore long handle top an bottoms, blue jeans, a tee shirt, a leather jacket, lite gloves,
cotton socks and my merrell slip on shoes oh and a ball cap
and I was too warm
but then again I like cool weather

Thats what I call being dressed for success!

Is your medium fleece layer a Champion garb? My wife picked one up at Target for $19 and I liked it so much I had her buy me several more.

And what's this about natural fleece insoles? Never heard about those before.

I've become mainly a commuter since turning 50 twelve years ago, and I usually take the layered approach.
Magicshine headlamp and double MS taillights set on alternate blink have erased any fear of motorists not seeing me.
I haven't yet crossed over to studded tires because both bikes are still 27" and I haven't bothered to convert either to 700c.
My asthma forces me to cover my nose and mouth with a scarf - and I find that exhaling through my mouth and inhaling through my nose completely keeps the asthma at bay - primarily because of the moisture I recycle as I breathe in.
When it's really cold, my eyes start streaming tears - I may try ski goggles to see if they help with that.
When conditions begin to get mushy or slick, I'm on the bus. No need to be a martyr just yet.

Once again I find myself quite impressed with how tough the riders on this forum are. I just don't know if I would ride if I lived where winter makes an appearance. I'm so glad winter skips over where I live. We just do a slightly cooler version of spring from November to February, then the weather changes over to mild-spring followed by dry-spring. No real winters or summers, as in it rarely freezes and is never hot. Still, I do wear several layers this time of year and it is often wet.

I don't change the length of my long rides in the cooler weather, but I do fewer of them. It seems to take longer to recover from a double century done at 35-40 F than it does to recover from one done in warmer temperatures. Of course, I do end up doing a lot of night riding, which I happen to enjoy immensely.

30 Brisk miles. It was 26 F. when I left and 33 F. when I finished, 2 hours later. A nice 15 mph breeze too. My toes were still cold 8 hours after the ride. I hate winter and it's not even here yet. At least it was sunny (that's how I got talked into riding today)

The fleece outer-layer was a close-out I got from Backcountry.com. I could not find anything like it on their website tonight. I like upper layers that breathe and will shed perspiration, this fleece does that.

The fleece insole came from here: https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/s...or_Shoes/26655

I remember having the cold foot issue decades ago when riding with inadequate footwear in subfreezing temps. I'm sure that technical fixes should help - like the fleece liners, wicking layer undersocks, etc. Does anyone have experience with heated socks such as these? https://www.thunderboltsocks.com/heatedsocks_active.htm. There's others in the marketplace too. I know it's an expensive solution, but hey, if they work...
I wonder if they'd be hard to regulate or whether they'd cause more evaporative cooling due to increased foot perspiration? Still, something to consider if cold feet are the only thing between you and riding.

$179? No whey, Josie.

These were tried for a while in alpine ski boots. They never caught on. Cost and the weight of the battery pack are the two biggest drawbacks. Chemical heaters are more popular.

Ten degrees in Suburban Boston yesterday morning, but at least it was dry. 40s today, but cold again tonight. Milder tomorrow, and possibly up to
low 50s on Thursday. Gotta love New England weather. There have been years when we have had three feet of snow on the ground at this point.

This is also the "time of intense darkness". Go to work in the dark, come home in the dark. I keep thinking of that great Alex Proyas film, "Dark City".

I'm a 12 month-a -year rider (except for snow, ice, and winter-time rain). I have all kinds of good gear (light gloves, medium gloves, heavy gloves, lobster claws, medium booties, heavy booties, balaclavas, caps, winter cycling jackets, numerous base layers, numerous jerseys, light tights, medium tights, heavy tights, rain pants, rain jacket, light sock, medium socks, neoprene socks, warm weather shoes w/ cleats, heavier shoes w/ cleats, etc, etc. I ride in the teens (down to 10 F) but when it's that cold I can only last about an hour due to too cold fingertips/toes. I'm not upset by the reduced mileage b/c if you ride all year, it's generally good for your body (knees, back, etc) to cut back in the winter as an active rest period, allowing you to be fresh and rejunvenated come Spring/Summer. So, if you're very consistent all year, reducing mileage some (relative to what you usually do) in Winter shouln't hurt. But, do ride! Be safe!

Today was a weird day for the coldness factor. It looked great on paper: 57F. But the wind was 20 MPH and gusty. I felt colder at the end of today's ride than I did on Saturday when it was mid-30s.

That, and I'm fighting a cold, and I rode a bit harder than I should have, because of the sensations.