This time last year was when I started taking cycling more seriously and going out to ride rather than just a leisure trip on a nice sunny day and bought proper lighting so can go out in the evenings and continue throughout the winter evenings.

I bought a decent Altura Evo jacket which whilst it's OK for the really cold winter winters days (even then it's almost too hot) so bought a more light weight running style jacket for not so cold days but even that whist it's cooler when I set out quickly warms up and becomes quite sweaty ... I'm guessing I'm just buying the wrong things.

What do most people wear ... I'm not going to be going out in the rain but the worst thing around here is the wind can be cold and hence why I've tended to go for windproof jacket type clothing as I imagine if I wore a light jersey the wind would just go straight through it on a bad day and I'd be freezing ... flip side windproof is probably less breathable hence why the sweat builds up?

Silly thing is my Altura Jacket could easily be my favourite for walking the dog on the beach on a cold windy day but you look a bit of a knob end wearing something quit so high vis just to walk the dog

My typical sort of cycling is a hard 20 miles but fairly flat on a mountain bike and a mix between quite bumpy off road tracks and country lanes .. if that helps.

I just can't seem to get the balance right at the moment and don't want to waste more money buying what is reasonably expensive gear that's just not right so any help really would be appreciated.

You really have to try. Get layers, get stuff that is good with sweat. Sweat is liquid water, which will insulate less than the air in your insulating clothes.

Sometimes at 75°F I ride in shorts and T-shirt and I see cyclist on road bikes with full arm and leg length lycra whatever cycling clothes (looking like they are on the way to the winter TdF). Everyone is a bit different.

There is a trick that is very versatile, costs very little and has been done for at least 100 years. Newspaper. Take a full sheet, fold it on its natural crease and pull in up your jersey, waist to just over your shoulders. Tear a vertical tear down 6" at the neck and fold back.

When you warm up, sitting up and pulling it out is very easy.

Arm warmers are also very versatile. Easy to push down to your wrists going uphill then pull back to descend. Armwarmers and newspaper combined are very close warmth-wise to a light cycling jersey.

In any case, the trick is to ride wearing layers. No one heavy garment. Instead lots of light layers, none of which should be waterproof or fully wind proof unless it is raining or very cold respectively. Also plan your ride so that you have asy to take off and store first layers (or start dressed a little too cold) so as you warm up, you can keep from sweating. (I do not like the start cold approach. I'm skinny. I run the risk of never being able to warm up.) Warm hats are a good trick if you can make a quick stop to take it off.

There are lots of tricks. This is just a start.

Ben

Arm warmers, leg warmers, vests, jackets with removable sleeves. Clothing you can download as your body warms up.

Someone posted a list similar to this that I adapted to me. So, here is what I do...

As soon as it dips below 15°C I add knee warmers;

Between 13°C and 15°C, I add a sleeveless or short-sleeved base layer and long finger gloves;

Between 10°C and 12°C, I add arm warmers and long merino wool socks;

Below 10°C I swap out the short-sleeved jersey for a long-sleeved jersey, light balaclava;

Below 7°C I swap out the knee warmers for leg warmers, and add a wind vest, shoe covers;

Somewhere between 3°C and 0°C I swap out the vest for a jacket, fleece balaclava, winter gloves

I think we should go a step further. Upload the clothing you no longer need. Get caught in a shower? Pull out your phone and download a rain jacket. (Might take an app you have to pay for.)

Ben

I've found the most wallet-friendly approach is to try to acclimate. I wear the same bib shorts and short sleeve jerseys from "as hot as it gets" down to 50ºF. Some arm warmers and thicker socks down to around 40ºF. Convertible jacket with zip off sleeves also very handy-- some days just the action of a wind vest is enough-- keep the core insulated.

There were plenty of guys out this morning (low 60 temps) in the full winter regalia-- arm and leg warmers, jackets, full finger gloves. Insane. When actual winter comes (what we have of it here) those guys are gonna be sipping cocoa under an afghan on the sofa.

Yup Layers. Starting with your basic summer kit, this is what I do, all temps in Fahrenheit.

68 and up. Summer gear. Short sleeve jersey, lightweight base layer, shorts, summer socks, short finger gloves.
Low 60s to upper 60s - Add a long sleeve baselayer (I use Craft, Pearl Izumi, and Under Armor) under the short sleeve jersey. Alternately, go with a short sleeve base layer under a lightweight long sleeve jersey.
Low 50s to upper 50s - Add a light windproof layer such as a windbreaker or windvest. This can be taken off and stuffed in a jersey pocket if the temp rises and I start to overheat. Add leg warmers which can also be taken off if it gets warmer. Switch to long finger gloves. Switch from summer socks to merino wool socks.
Low 40s to upper 40s - Switch from technical base layer to thermal base layer or merino wool base layer. Thermal long sleeve Jersey over that. Wind proof layer over that. Thermal tights over cycling shorts. shoe covers and wool socks. Switch from headband or cycling cap to thermal cycling cap or beanie under helmet.
Below 40 degrees. - Base layer, long sleeve jersey, insulated cycling jacket. Thermal tights. Wool gloves.

Being skinny with a slow heart rate, I stay cold at anything below 70. Before spending a lot, try experimenting first. Find a large thrift store or salvation army and buy a dozen various items that look like they might work at anything between 20 and 70 degrees. And a small backpack. For twenty bucks you can field test out a lot of combinations. Basically you are going to find out what does NOT work and then spend good money for good gear that fits what you've found out you need.

Good lists here. Essential pieces of equipment for me include:
- Arm warmers (especially for morning/evening rides with temperature variations)
- Wind jacket (easy to pack, for when arm warmers aren't enough)
- Wool base layer to wear under jersey (for me, if it's not going above 55F)
- Wool socks
- Soft shell jacket (for 40F and below).

I'm considering getting some knee warmers. Honestly, though, I have no problem just putting some fleece long underwear on over my shorts if it's not going to be warm. I don't worry too much about hands until somewhere in the 30s F - that tingle means that you are still alive!

Also skinny with a low heart rate, but I don't tend to get cold easily. The family kept complaining when I tried to keep the house at 62 all winter. I'm also from Michigan

Lots of good things here.
Layers, layers, layers. It's suprising how much you can get out of a couple or three light layers vs one heavy one.

Also, acclimatization is a great thing. If you're out there every day, or at least 3x a week, you're used to what it's like this week, so when it's 5* cooler next week, it's no big deal.

Knowing yourself is a key to what will work the best for you. I am one of those 'start cold' people, because I know that by the end of the first mile, I will be putting out a lot of heat, and want to start taking things off. I also know that I need to keep my hands warm. If my hands are cold, I'm miserable.

Yes ... layers. When it comes to base layers and that sort of thing, you don't need to go cycling specific. I wear running jerseys, polypro, and merino wool.

But when it comes to jackets ... you need cycling specific. And for me, long pit-zips are the key!

I do a decent amount of touring in areas where it could be 50 when I start riding and warm up to the 80s later. Arm warmers, leg warmers and a Rapha wool base layer work great. I almost never use a jacket/windbreaker anymore as it traps moisture.

Brilliant guys ... I've been trying to do one thing of clothing from start to finish without any changes but maybe unzipping a jacket which I can see from the replies obviously isn't going to work and when you think about it makes perfect sense.

Thanks so much for everyone's input ... really do appreciate and will totally re-visit my approach to what I'm wearing and layers it is :-)

In the mid range of temperatures, I generally just resolve to be cold for the first few miles. I hate being cold, but I hate dealing with additional clothing even more so I learned that I prefer just shivering for the first ten minutes or so knowing I'll be fine once I get warmed up.

Your Altura Evo jacket is waterproof. That's great for riding in cold rain, but too hot for most weather.

My most useful jacket is my Pearl Izumi convertible jacket. The sleeves with attached shoulder yoke zip off and stash in the back pocket. With the sleeves on, there's a big mesh panel in the back under the shoulder yoke, so it has great airflow with the front zipped down partway. With the sleeves and the vest rolled up separately, they (barely) fit in two jersey pockets when the day warms up.

Years ago, I was skeptical that a vest would be helpful, thinking my arms would be too cold. But on moderate days, it's often just the right amount of warmth, and isn't sweaty like a jacket.

Or I'll use three thin base layers under a short sleeve jersey on 50F / 10C days. Each layer isn't wind resistant at all, but three of them are actually quite good at cutting the wind. And it's extremely breathable.

Gloves
My fingers get cold. I have two sets of glove liners, very thin or middle weight. These are great under fingerless gloves on moderately cool rides, and very good inside heavier gloves when it's cold.

I mostly use windproof goretex shell gloves with various liners for cold rides. The layers can be removed if the day warms up, and both the shell and liners are easy to wash and dry.

Newspaper vest
Yeah, the newspaper vest is useful. I have some plain "newspaper" packing paper, used for cardboard shipping cartons. I cut a chest sized piece, put it under my jersey. Quite effective, and very good for those rides that start off cold for the first half hour, or "just in case" an evening ride gets colder than expected. Even while riding, I can pull it out and roughly fold it up, and put in my pocket.

In fact, I'll use it today, the first mile or so is downhill, and it'll be chilly. I'll carry it folded in my pocket after that.

Exactly this .. it's great when it's really cold and you 1st go out but withing 15 mins even with just a T-shirt underneath and the zipper undone it's baking hot.

What are softshell jackets ... I'm guessing these are breathable but with no wind / rain resistance .... I'm thinking long arm but thin ish jersey and a softshell jacket with removable sleeves might be a good starting point.

The other thing with peeling off layers ... what do you then do with them.

last year I rode consistently thru the summer, fall, winter & spring & wound up using some stuff I had kicking around the house but also bought some new stuff. I'm a fan of cycling specific stuff but sometimes I can make do w running stuff or other outdoor stuff. cpl things/combos I wound up using more than once were a standard pullover hoodie. a zip-up would be more useful, but flipping the hood up & down was surprisingly helpful. when it got really cold, this North Face fleece jacket (w/pit-zips) & Novara cycling wind break w sleeves zipped off

Same. It needs to get pretty darn cold before I'll even consider putting a jacket on, and even then I'll probably start overheating. I definitely need to carry gloves on me though, because once temperatures drop they cramp up pretty easily.

They are thicker jackets with a soft fleece lining and an outer technical fabric shell, with the two layers bonded together. The outer shell will give you SOME wind/rain resistance while maintaining better breathability than a hard shell like Gore-Tex. I have one, but it doesn't get used until temps are well down into the mid 40s or lower.

Everyone is a bit different, I can generally deal with temps down to low 50s/high 40s with nothing more than a long sleeve jersey. I don't think of tights until it is in the 40s, and if it is warm enough for shorts, I've never used knee warmers. What is important is learning how to layer, and working out what works for you. I get laughed at, because once it hits 80, I am generally in a sleeveless jersey, but I am not heat tolerant. OTOH, we're down to 60s nearing the evening here, where I am still in short sleeves and shorts, others are already into multiple upper layers, long gloves and long pants.

As [MENTION=4588]Machka[/MENTION] says, when it comes to jackets, cycling specific is well worth it.

Sounds like that's still going to be way too warm then .. what about something like this
Boardman Mens Removable Sleeve Cycl...

I am a huge fan of base layers. Doesn't have to cost a lot or be cycling specific. Just any microfiber under layer.


As the others have said layers are very important, have a way to take clothing off as you need to, so you may need to carry a bag on your bike even to put the clothing in as you take it off.


The balaclava is essential in my opinion. Loose a lot of heat through our heads, and that is the part of my body that gets the most uncomfortable cycling in the cold. You can pull the face part down to open it up for more air as you are riding, or remove it completely if you warm up enough. Super thin, also goes a long way toward keeping the cold air from burning your lungs.


I like the windproof jackets, but it has to be pretty cold before I break those out. I like fleece hoodies, again doesn't need to be cycling specific.


I bought a pair of bib tights for winter, well worth it. No messing with leg warmers.


I ride in weather down to a little below freezing but I typically do much shorter rides in the winter, less than 20 miles for sure.

Don't overlook the time of exposure factor. What works for a one hour ride, may not work for 2 or more. I ride in the early mornings all year round but only for about 50 minutes before I get ready for work. For that amount of time, I can get by with a base layer and long sleeved jersey, cycling tights, and good gloves down to near freezing. For that amount of time, it's fine but if I was out for another 30 minutes or more, it wouldn't be enough.

Clothing companies are always bragging about pieces of gear that are good for almost any temp, but in reality, nothing is, and you just have to have layers if the temp is going to change any appreciable amount during your ride.

When I was motorcycling, I had heated gear with a dual thermostat and could adjust jacket liner and glove temp on the fly. With that I could ride from freezing to the mid 60's as long as I wanted. That was a great setup for touring.

Again, all depends on your personal temperature tolerance. My fiancee is already wearing something just this side of a softshell, as are many that I see on the trails. I generally prefer to avoid jackets like that, because I sweat a lot and all that builds up as moisture, although they can be nice for a bit in the morning before the sun peeks up and starts warming things.

I have a mini front rack and a small bag mounted to the front of my bike. It is perfect for stowing a windbreaker, arm or knee warmers extra gloves, and food. I also have a bag mounted to my Seatpost that might work in a pinch for smaller items, but I mostly use that bag for tools, tire levers and spare tubes.