rangerdavid

shoe covers
windproof/thermal jacket
bib tights or bib knickers with windproof panels (nothing underneath, the wind panels protect the jewels)
gore bike wear tool gloves
gore bike wear jersey
UA compression base layer
skull cap if its really cold
sunglasses to keep wind away from contact lenses

SlimRider

+1 ^ This ^

I often venture out into the winter weather with only a sport shirt, a pair of dress pants, and loafers. Sometimes, I'll even have to wear a light windbreaker. Occasionally, I'll wear sandals or perhaps even flipflops.
I'm still rarely cold wearing such light clothing, though.

I dunno, here in California, it just doesn't ever get that cold to me. It's you guys up north that tend to have all of these weather problems.

Oh well, I guess I'll go back on the patio and finish smoking my last salmon, before my commute.

Have A Nice Day, Guys!

- Slim

hhnngg1

I disagree with this. I think it's far better to overdress than underdress.

I also live in CA, and have had to bail on rides in my first year of training because I underestimated how cold some canyons would get in the Santa Monica mountains. Even something as simple as forgetting booties can become a ride-ending problem that requires more than HTFU to get through, particularly if you're planning a 3hr+ ride.

I've both over and underdressed for rides, and I far prefer being overdressed. With overdressing, you'll sweat a ton, but you can definitely, 100% just HTFU and deal without much difficulty. On the other hand, if some part of you is getting frozen solid, even small parts like feet or hands, your planned ride can end very early.

The canyons in Santa Monica drop down to freezing in the morning hours of the winter months, which can be a rude surprise when you leave from Santa Monica and it's still 45F there before the sun rises in winter.

10 Wheels

Different layers for different conditions and different riders.

I ride with a group and we each dress to our own needs.

Trial and error until you get if figured out.

I still have problems dressing for a Cold North Wind.

tmass

Being from the tempered south myself one of the practices i definitly do the night before a ride is to check the temperature forecast for each hour in the morning on my weather channel app. I can easily leave with it being 34 degrees and in two hours it can be up to 58 degrees. I try to dress enough to keep me warm yet easily cool down with only a few zippers pulled. For me on the coldest mornings.

Silk base tights upper and lower
UA base turtle neck
Tights
Long sleeve jersey
Silk base socks & gloves
Regular socks
Lightly insulated wind jacket
Balaclava
Fingerless summer gloves
(looking to invest in helmet cover this year and maybe booties)
Oakley Radar Range sunglasses (Clear or amber lense in morning)
Chapstick

AndyK 

Checking my bathroom thermometer before I dress for cycling helps a lot. Coldest I've ridden in the dark, morning hours has been 32f. I wore:

Long sleeve base shirt
Long sleeve jersey
PI wind proof shell jacket
PI therma fleece tights
wool socks
toe covers
winter gloves
cap

Cold at first, comfy for the remainder!

Juan Foote

Thanks all for the suggestions and examples of what you are wearing. I am headed up to the Salvation Army today to see if I can find a decent light wool pullover to wear under my jersey. I pulled my nice wool sweater out and realized that the moths had their way with it during the summer and made HUGE holes in it...so bummed, nice sweater.

JohnDThompson 

I've found that if you can't keep your head, hands, and feet warm, nothing you do with the rest of your body will help much. I wear a thin wool or fleece cap under my helmet, mittens with exposable fingers over my bike gloves, silk liner socks and smartwool socks on my feet and fleece-lined bike shoes. On my body I'll wear one or two wool jerseys (long sleeve over short sleeve) with or without silk long underwear tops, and if its cold enough a nylon windbreaker with removable sleeves. Wool tights on the legs.Works pretty well, but I seldom ride once it gets below 20F because my Reynaud's kicks in.

An old racer trick in cool weather is to stick some newspaper under the front of your jersey when you start out. After you've warmed up in a few miles, you can simply discard or recycle the newspaper so you don't overheat.

fiataccompli

Great stuff. I'll add a couple things I've learned:

experiment - apparently we're all a bit different so what works for one rider may not work the same way for another. Some stuff that's warm, cheap, or simple turns out to be uncomfortable for me because finger dexterity is goofy, or it flaps around or something like that.

Layers - they can go on & off + the value of the air space between them has an insulating effect greater than a single, thicker layer

For me, a liner glove with a fleece glove over it works MUCH better than any of the nifty high-tech cycling-specific stuff I've seen or tried...that was a surprise to find out. Wool socks with boot covers works well for my feet...again, layers. Under 50 degrees, I usually wear a long sleeve underarmor base layer (tight...guess it's what you call compression) that seems to do wonders to regulate core temps. I've been told that if you are prone to knee problems, knee or leg warmers are a smart consideration for any weather that feels cold, fwiw.

Paul Y.

Nice!

surgeonstone

Above 60 F- regular cycling garb.
50-60- Long sleeve wool jersey, cycling shorts.
40-50- Long sleeve cycling jersey, wool shorts and leg warmers, Lightweight windbreaker, full gloves, 2 layers wool socks, cap.
30-40- All of above plus wool cap, Sidi hydro winter boots, extra layer of wool (long sleeved wool midweight base layer), Heavier Novara rain jacket and winter gloves.
20-30- all of above, Balacava and wool cap, extra layer of heavy wool socks and neoprene booties.
10-20- all of above, warming packets into shoes and gloves, increase to three layers under rain/wind breaker, ear muffs over balakava and under wool hat, heavier weight baselayer of wool.
0-10 Stay the f....k inside.

surgeonstone

As you can see, I really like wool. Even wear it in 90-100 degree temps.

back4more

Around here if you don't want to have a realy short riding season you need to be prepared to ride in the cold. I draw the line at snow - if it's on the road I'm not. Last winter we rode down to about 15F at the start of a ride. I agree with the posters who say to start chilly. Whether I'm biking or running I'd rather be a bit chilly when I start than to be carrying stuff on the way back. That said at 20F I have been reasonably comfortable with a UA cold gear compression base layer, covered with a regular jersey, and a wind proof tight cyclying jacket. On the bottom I throw on a pair of UA compression briefs and a pair of Pearl Ozumi Pro Bibs, that are wind proof in the front. My cycling shoes with the bottom vents overed, with wool socks and shoe covers. For my hands I use silk glove liners in lobster gloves or in Hystra modified mittens. For the goard I just wear a skull cap under my helmit or a UA hood/mask.

I am thinking of adding a pair of Sidi Hydro's this year.

JonnyV

First, I grow my beard out. The key for me is keeping my hands and feet comfortable. The rest of me is easy. Giordana bib tights, UA shirt, wool jersey and then a Capo jacket. Smartwool socks, PI Amphib shoe covers and PI lobster gloves. Capo skull cap. I think thats about it. That keeps me warm down to about 20-25 degrees depending on precip and wind. I'll be honest, I'm looking forward to cold weather riding. I just got in from a jog, it's about 43 degrees out tonight, it was great.

JohnDThompson 

I've had a "tropical weight" Protogs wool jersey for many years. The fabric is quite similar to T-shirt material, but wool instead of cotton. It's quite comfortable over a wide range of temperatures.

nixternal

Today I rode and it was in the low 30s here in Chicago. Yesterday I did a little shopping at Target and picked up a pair of C9 by Champion compression tights and a 1/4 zip thermal pull over. I wear bib shorts with leg warmers and throw the compression tights over. Up top I have a tank-top base layer from Voler (team equipment), a base layer t-shirt, a short sleeve jersey, that C9 by Champion pull over with a set of arm warmers. I was damn near perfect today. I didn't ride hard enough to really heat up, but wasn't freezing, just a little cold, but not uncomfortable cold.

The C9 by Champion thermal base layers are really nice and much better priced than anything at Performance and works just as well. I am going to pick up the first thermal base layer on Black Friday because I heard that stuff will be 1/2 off. I got the tights and the pull over for $40, and thus far it has been great for temps in the 30s. I will need another base layer up top for below 30s no doubt, but with the tights, bib shorts, and leg warmers, my bottom half is perfect. I don't feel a bit of cold win piercing the compression tights.

Then for my shoes, a bit of liquid electrical tap or plasti dip to pain over the vented areas of the shoes. I use black on a black shoe and you can't tell that I did it. Works perfectly and is easy to remove. The reason I don't use booties or toe warmers is they usually interfere with the toe spikes on my mtb shoes. Oh yeah, forgot to mention, I ride only the cross bike during the cold months outside. The road bike is at the shop for my weekly CompuTrainer rides

longhaulblue

I've not driven to work since May. It's definitely increased my tolerance for the cold as the temps have dropped. Like others have posted, experiment. I think I've pretty much figured out what works for me in terms of clothing. I still need to "fix" a couple of things. One is feet. They are numb by the time I get to work in 30 degree temps. I have toe clips and I wear a pair of Keen's hiking boots. Thinking about toe covers that attach to the pedals. Also, the tearing from the cold hitting my eyes. I wear glasses and I am interested to hear what you have to say about wearing over-the-glasses goggles. I'm thinking about getting a pair. Do they work? Or is the fogging up a bigger problem? I'm planning to ride through the winter so some adjustments are in order. Thanks.

sced

Keeping the wind off of your skin is key. You don't have to wear much underneath if you do. I wear running wind pants that are neither baggy nor tight fitting and a windproof breathable jacket. Gloves and skull cap as needed. Being cold at the beginning and a sweaty at the end is just part of it. After riding I just turn the pants inside out to let them dry, and wash them every now and then (I have 3 pairs).

banerjek

Reynaud's sucks. Have you tried chemical warmers? I have to use lobster mitts when the temp is below freezing, but with the warmers, my hands are fine. Also, I've found that keeping your forearms warmer helps with Reynaud's.

Excelsius

In 50F you don't really have to wear too much beyond the regular shorts/jersey. When I first started riding, I didn't have anything but the bare essentials. I was also not aware that there are warm cycling clothes and thought that shorts are the standard. I am in SoCal and when I showed up in the morning to some of my group rides, the guys used to joke around as to whether I had checked the weather that morning - everyone else was in long sleeves. It sure is cold the first few miles, but after that I was very comfortable. There is also a school of thought that you will be healthier if you (gradually) expose your body to cold temperatures and get acclimated. I used to take ice baths after my long runs, even in the winter.

Some months later GF gave me a gift that consisted of a jacket and cycling pants, so I wear them sometimes just because I have them. At least wearing only a windbreaker can be ok because you can easily put it in your pocket once you get hot. The pants are a pain though.

idc

So far I've learned that layers, layers and layers work wonders. None of your stuff has to be really thick or bulky. That said I haven't gone below 30F yet.

I also like fleece lined neoprene for stuff like balaclavas or leg warmers.

rat fink

Aside from gloves, shoecovers have been the single most useful addition to my winter wardrobe. With full finger gloves, shoecovers, and knee warmers, I've found that I really don't need anything more. You can change your riding style to regulate body temperature. Make sure that everything you wear fits snugly, but not tight enough to reduce your circulation. That makes a huge difference. Oh, and be sure to eat/rest right because that will screw with your energy levels!

dalava

To the OP, riding in the low 50 and high 40 is a tricky one to dress. If the temp is staying in that range, this is what I would do:

- a tight, relatively thick, short-sleeve baselayer (Descente Pro-V are the best I have discovered so far. Better than the pricier versions from Castelli/Giordana/ASSOS, in fact)
- a fleece-based long sleeve jersey (some company market their jersey with Roubaix or Super Roubaix material. Bonktown has them on sale all the time for about $40-50.) The alternative to this would be a short-sleeve regular jersey with a wind-block or wind-proof vest and arm warmers. The latter gives you the benefit of shedding if the temp rises.
- a fleece-based shorts (again, some companies, e.g. CapoForma, make specific shorts with Roubaix/Super Roubaix material.) They are a wonderful and versatile addition to your wardrobe. With a pair of knee warmers, you can ride in the low 40s, and with a pair of leg warmers, you can ride in the 30s. But in the temp you are talking about, just the shorts alone should be enough.
- a pair of toe-covers for your shoes
- a wind-block headband that could also cover your ears like these (https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-iZUMi-Ba...1&sr=8-2-fkmr1)
- a pair of full finger gloves with some wind blocking property
- a pair of nice wool socks would be good, but not necessary.

They key in riding in cool/cold weather is that you shouldn't dress to the point feeling warm *before* you go out. You should feel a bit of chill/cold when you go out.

Under no circumstances should you wear anything *under* the shorts, or wearing anything loose or flapping in the wind. That's reserved for freds.

dalava

Just add to what I said above, it was 30 degrees when I left my house this morning, and got up to 35 when I was done. The things I added/changed to what I mentioned above were:
- a wool long-sleeve baselayer
- a WindStopper neck gator, doubles as half face mask (I use balaclava when it gets to the 20s)
- leg warmers
- winter gloves
- neoprene shoe covers

I didn't feel cold or too hot for the 2 1/2 hour ride.