54 degrees this AM...my ears are cold...
 

I need to regroup this cold riding stuff here...I guess on my next cold ride it will be a beanie cap and a fleece shirt...I will also find something warmer as far as pants are concerned, The arm and leg warmers were just not warm enough...I am still gonna go out as much as i can the whole winter...

You're kidding! 54 degrees is perfect start-of-ride temperature - light windvest and (optional) arm warmers.

You're in luck ... there's a Winter Cycling forum here for just this sort of discussion:
http://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...Winter-Cycling

Everyone is different in their tolerance to cold. I, too, hate cold ears. I use three levels of protection. Below 55 degrees F. I wear a microfiber headband that stops wind. Below 45 degrees I use a Gore Bike beanie that keeps my ears and head warm. Below freezing I wear one of two balaclavas.
Do what you need to do to stay warm and you'll enjoy your rides. Once I discovered how to dress warmly, I began to ride all year round and I love it.

I'll go with ear warmers somewhere below 45-50F. However, since I almost always have a sweat band or bandana, I find they work pretty well to pin my ears close to my head and keep the ears warm down through the 50s.

Agreed.

Below this I switch to a full face balaclava (and if it's really cold I'll put my ear warmers on over it).

I have one of these, keeps my beard dry and my ears warm ;)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31m9yoHjkUL.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/Skull-Bandana-...bike+face+mask

I guess i will have to go to my MC clothing bin...LOL... thanks all y'all. Matcka i will look at that link also thanks.

Here is the funny part.... I am a Canadian by birth,,, I grew up in New Brunswick Ca and moved to Toronto when i was 21 then at 26 i moved to Norht Carolina... I ride my Harley all winter long and i thought i wouldf be less of a WUSS this morning but i digress... WUUUSSSSSSS.....LOL... I have clothing to wear except for the hi viz sweatshirt,,,The arm and leg warmers are pretty useless so i will get some better stuff.I am bald so the cold wind goes throught the helmet pretty quicly.....I have a few balaclavas and beanies for the head already that i wear on the Harley...I even have electric warmed gloves and socks...LOL...I was just complaining... i will go to the witnter section now and B__ch some more over there...I just have to adjust...

Ha, I agree with the comments of "What?!?" about the 54°, LOL.

My first cold ride was 46°. That was cold, I had no idea how to dress nor do I have wind stopping clothing. I wore a sweatshirt and sweatpants and when it reached above 50, I couldn't wait to get back and take them off (was wearing shorts and t-shirt underneath, but didn't have a way of carrying.)

The next weekend it was 52°. That was perfectly comfortable in my shorts and t-shirt.

Then again, if it wasn't for the snow blowing back on me, I would probably wear shorts and a sweatshirt out snowblowing the typical 12 inches of snow out of my driveway when it was 20° or colder.

Now if i can get a nice rack mounted on my CAAD8 i can use my battery powered gloves & socks....I need a place to mount a nice big sealed lead acid battery...

OK , much better this AM, Sweatshirt and balaclava helped...i see myself biking throught the winter now...LOL...Kept a very nice pace and in 9 miles i only stopped 1 time...

You need battery powered gloves and socks ... and a balaclava ... at 54 degrees?

..I hope you know i am kidding right? I use them on my Harley for winter touring but only when it drops below 40... We usually do a day ride to the Blue ridge Parkway every winter...Balaclava this morning YES...with no hair on my head it gets cold quick in the wind...
I saw a nice lined starter brand windbreaker yesterday i might go back and get it...My gloves did ok but are borderline cold...i have better ones... the pants i need to work on...i found some for $20 on line...might try them out because the legwarmers are... marginally good at best...Look, what would your response be if i said i am not riding at all because it's 54....At least i am getting out and riding, this is my first winter in over 23 years....

Well, as mentioned before ... go to the Winter Cycling forum. Lots of information there. :)

I have been, i am in both places at the same time...it's like magic.... The other day i rubbed a girls A$$ by mistake and i called myself Mr> Cop a feel....Like i said....Magique...C'est de la magie....

54 degrees this AM...my ears are cold...
 

I like wearing the Buff brand head wraps. You can wear them in different ways and they are stretchy.

It was in the mid 50s this weekend up in Door County, but we still did a family ride through Peninsula State Park. (sort of a tradition that pre dates my son's birth). Anyhow, I was unprepared for the cold, and should have packed a base layer, leg warmers, and a windbreaker, along with my long sleeve jersey. I bought a pair of cycling tights on sale at the LBS in Fish Creek and wore them over my cycling shorts. It wasn't optimal, but I survived.

it's a matter of degrees, meaning the colder it gets the more stuff you add. for what you mention I was very excited to get my cycling specific headband! :-)

I have a
Pearl Izumi Thermal Headband and I love it!



http://www.rei.com/product/837209/pearl-izumi-thermal-headband,-black?preferredSku=8372090001&cm_mmc=cse_PLA-_-pla-_-product-_-8372090001&mr:referralID=f549ec49-2486-11e3-a88a-001b2166becc

then, as temps drop you can add a cheap clear motel style shower cap over the helmet for wind protection. you can alternate that with a headsweat, then when colder all a thin knit (wool-like) watch cap, or a cycling specific thermal skull cap. after that you might be getting into the full face mask setup - but yeah - check out winter cycling for the full deal!

It was 51° today when I got off work. I wear thin t-shirts and cargo short for work, I bike directly after work thus was wearing a thin t-shirt and cargo shorts. I was most comfortable, LOL. Loving the low 50° temps for riding. My gloves aren't dripping wet from wiping my brow before it runs into my eyes and stings my contacts making me stop.

Yesterday it was 54° when I rode. Figured I'd wear a pair of sweatpants along with just my t-shirt. Big mistake. It may as well been back to the high 80's and extreme humidity. I was drenched with sweat.

I use to be more acclamated to the cold but 23 years in eastern NC has made me a Wuss when it comes to cold...LOL...I will adapt.

It was a bone-chilling 67 degrees this morning before dawn! :eek: I almost turned off the air conditioning last night.

Usually in September we get at least a taste of "fall" weather here in Louisiana, but so far, the heat and humidity have been relentless.

You don't know how lucky you are to be chilly in September.

180's earmuffs=problem solved

54 degrees is perfect weather! Even for my commute, which is 3 miles one-way, I get too warm when it's over 65, and I have to take off my sportcoat around mile 1.8, or go into work with giant beads of sweat dripping down my brow.

I do need to put on light glove liners below 50 degrees, and when it's under 40, I'll start to layer seriously.

Ears are particular, though. Some people don't mind cold ears; others find them objectionable. If it's only your ears, check out the 180s that xtrajack mentioned, or find a sweatband that covers your ears. You might find that everything else is tolerable if your ears are toasty.