newbie here just getting back into the sport again...Can anyone help me with what to wear for cold weather, I live in Southern CA so during the winter months it doesn't get much colder than like 40 degrees, so far I have a skull cap and arm warmers I don't know if I should go for knee warmers or a base layer don't think I will need it any advice? Thank you in advance.

Those chilly humid early AM rides can be pretty chilly when doing a descent. You're lucky you don't need a full winter jacket in our mild climate.. I'd at least spring for a good base layer, arm warmers, knee warmers and maybe a wind proof shell jacket. When it's in the low 40's this is hardly overdressed.

you have winter in SoCal??

I commute to work. I leave home at 5am, get to work by 6:30. When I lived in Santa Clarita, some mornings were 30--32 degrees. This is what I wore on those days...

• Long-fingered gloves (still not warm enough)
• Leg warmers (not just knee-warmers)
• Thermal bib-shorts
• Base layer
• Arm warmers
• Short-sleeved jersey
• Jacket
• Headband (covered the ears)

Obviously, on warmer days, I didn't have to go to these extremes. (Coming from Upstate New York, it's laughable calling it "extreme".)

Where you live in SoCal can make a difference. Closer to the ocean, the air-temps don't dip as low, nor do they get as high in the summertime.

Then, for the ride home at 3:30pm, it had warmed significantly so I only wore...

• Bib-shorts
• Arm-warmers
• Jersey

I left the base layer at work (picked it up for washing at the end of the week) and used another the following day. I then stuffed (layered, really) everything else in my jersey pockets. Some days were cool enough I could get away with wearing the jacket, but fully unzipped.

At 40 degrees F I'll wear a base layer, long tights, shoe covers, gloves, and my kit. I may pack a light jacket for when I warm up, but once I get going I'll take it off.

Winter Cycling Forum: https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...Winter-Cycling

Funny, I am a SoCal native living in the NE, 30 degrees, I might wear long pants, and a sweater. If its over 45, shorts and a jersey. Had you asked me that question years ago, I would have said a parka, several pants, two sets of gloves, a beanie, wool socks . . .

But seriously, the trick is layers and being able to peel em off as needed.

SoCal here and i wear these: https://www.performancebike.com/bikes..._400000_400020
maybe add an Ashirt under it, if it gets a bit colder wear knickers instead of conventional bibs

hope that helps

you need knee or leg warmers if it's less than 65f

but other than that, you're in socal, so you don't need much. does it even rain there?

When I first came here, I was shocked at how cold it gets. 40F in SoCal feels incredibly colder than 40F in the north-east. My running theory is that the air is so dry, it sucks the moisture right out of you, and doesn't allow your body to hold it's own temperature as well. I'm not a meteorologist, but that's my theory.

Everyone's got their own comfort zones. You'll get someone saying you need arm and leg warmers below 65ºF (really?), and you'll get people in Minnesota who ride in shorts in any weather above 20ºF.

This is something you have to figure out for yourself. My advice: thin layers do a good job. Avoid bulky items. Expect to be a bit cold when you start riding, knowing that your body heat will kick in later. If you are comfortable at the beginning of the ride, you'll soon be overheating when your body starts generating heat.

Everyone is different in how they deal with cold on a ride, but here's how I do it (copy-n-paste):

The usual dress is bibs/shorts, jersey, cycling shoes, coolmax-type socks, helmet, sunglasses and half-finger gloves. As the temps drop and depending on whether it is sunny, cloudy and/or windy, here’s what I put on:

• @ ~ 60º F – arm and/or leg or knee warmers, add short sleeve thin base layer under short-sleeve jersey.
• @ ~ 55º F - switch to a mid-weight thermal long sleeve jersey and switch to mid-weight thermal tights
• @ ~ 50º F – switch to a long-sleeve thin base-layer, switch to a thicker wool sock, add glove liner under half-finger gloves and add a headband to cover my ears.
• @ ~ 45º F - add toe covers, switch to a skull-cap.
• @ ~ 40º F – add a thin packable-type wind resistant jacket, and add a windproof gloves or switch to a windproof insulated gloves.
• @ ~ 35º F - switch to a thicker base layer top, add a silk-weight base layer tight, add a sock layer and switch to wind booties.
• @ ~ 30º F and below – switch to windproof thermal jacket, add balaclava, switch to a thicker mid-weight base layer tight or switch to a thermal tight with windproof panels, switch to ski gloves and switch to sunglasses with a larger ‘shield’.
• @ ~ 25º F – switch to ski goggles, add a silk-weight base tight, switch to neoprene booties, add a windproof/waterproof helmet cover.
• @20º F or if it snows – I switch to rollers inside.

Is it so cold?But it's important to hold body's temperature