So.. I have a ride Saturday. It is predicted to be 36 degrees at the start. It will warm up to 60’s, but that will not be until after the ride is over. I am not sure exactly the distance, but know where it will be, I suspect that I could go back to my vehicle at any time. I am not really sure how to dress, other than I need to use layers.

Here is what is in the closet. How would you dress?

Tops:
Long sleeve moisture wicking
Short sleeve moisture wicking (several)
Long sleeve light jacket
Several hoodies and sweatshirts

Hat:
Really nice stocking hat style; wicking material and fits under the helmet real well

Bottoms:
Cycling short (really would like to use them some how
Bontrager tights (worn them once; not reall warm)
UA Cold gear bottoms (used these during a 40’s degree ride, worked good)

My initial thought was to wear a short sleeve moisture wicking shirt, then a hoodie or sweatshirt on top. I also have a nice stocking hat that I will wear. For bottoms, I was thinking cycling shorts and then add my UA Cold Gear over them. I was also thinking about getting some hand warmers to take as well.

So how would you dress with the above clothes?

I'd be leaning toward short-sleeved T-shirt with long-sleeved T-shirt over, with light jacket + shorts with your UA Cold Gear bottoms over.

Have something to cover your ears (i.e. headband or your hat)
Have something to cover your fingers (i.e. full-fingered gloves)
Have something to cover your feet (i.e. toe warmers or booties)


If you can return to your car, bring a sweatshirt or something like that with you. If you get out of the car and start setting up the bicycle ... and feel really cold, wear it and then drop it off later.

From your selection I too would go short sleeve base, long sleeve layer, light jacket top. I would layer the lighter tights and shorts if you have good warm winter riding boots or toe warmers. +1 on the gloves and hat.

If this is your first cold weather ride it will show you what your wardrobe is missing.

Look for decent entry level winter boots, you can combine toe warmers with those. Find some good winter gloves, even decently insulated winter gloves from CVS are good for those sub 30° rides, but you shouldn't need more than full finger gloves for this ride. Also, wool socks.

Have fun, stay warm, ride safe.

Thanks for your thoughts. I do not have full finger gloves, but I could use regular gloves. I do not have any booties yet. I will have to tough this one out. These are things that I will be looking at, when the LBS has their black Friday sale.

Bring a couple small plastic grocery bags.

If the ride is long, and the toes begin to hurt with that pain of all the blood vessels crawling up into your leg for warmth, popping a plastic bag over your wool socks can help.

As for gloves, one of the tricks I've used on cool days is to wear a pair of mini-gloves ($2 at Walmart) under my short-fingered cycling gloves.

Buy some basic gloves at the local clothing/discount store. They don't need to be cycling specific. In fact, none of mine are. I often bring lighter gloves in my back pocket and switch if it warms up.

+1 on the non biking specific gloves. My best winter gloves are $13 thinsulate gloves from CVS and I bought a pair of weight lifting gloves from target for less than $10 a couple years ago (probably the best idea, they're perfect for sweaty riding in the summer and tough).

That isn't as bad as it sounds. Remember you're going to be generating a lot of heat as you ride. But also remember everybody has their own thermostat, so don't just copy some layering system somebody posts here and expect it to work for you.

I'd wear a long sleeve wool base layer under a wind breaker. If possible I'd warm up before the ride starts. Might wear a light down vest over the wind breaker at the start of the ride; it'll compress down to almost nothing and fit in the water bottle cage (inside a stuff sack) when it's time to take it off. Merino glove liners are awesome, too. So is a wool buff or neck gaiter, fold it a few times and it'll keep your ears warm.

Old racer trick for cold starts: slip a sheet of newspaper under the front of your jersey to block the wind until you warm up. Then simply discard/recycle the newspaper and ride on.

Lot of variables here, what usually gets cold on you first, how hard will you be going, do you usually sweat a lot.

My personnal experience with the cold, Canada Eh!, from commuting in the cold is to cover my head neck and hands. Anything else is warmed though effort. I would wear the short sleeve wicking under the light windbreaker. A dickie with ear-muffs and my rain cover over my helmet. I don't like having something against my head as it makes it sweat. My hands were always a problem, below freezing, but a good pair of ski gloves worked the best. They say to be careful with your knees but I never had that problem. If you wear glasses they can cause pain on the bridge of your nose if they get very cold.

Make a note of what worked in case it's a while before you get out in the cold again.

Good luck.

Above 35° I'd have one or two short-sleeve layers and one long-sleeve, skip the sweater or jacket. Hat and gloves definitely but I don't know that you need more than leg-warmers, or tights in your case.

I like short sleeve jerseys and arm warmers and riding shorts and leg warmers or tights. Depending upon conditions, and probably for this situation, a light jacket. The warmers give you some additional flexibility as the temperatures warm up.

+1 on the arm warmers. I have a set of roll up Nike sleeves that I keep in my golf bag that will probably now make their way into my biking gear pile as well. You can roll them on/off while riding and stow in your back pocket vs. trying to take off an entire shirt or base layer. I'll probably take them with me on most rides the rest of the year as a "just in case" sleeve.

Yesterday our temps dropped from high 70s to low 50s in 24 hours and I was not sure how to adjust. I figured I would have a week or two of gradual temp drops to fine tune cold weather gear. I went with long sleeve compression shirt under my jersey, but kept the shorts and long socks. I stayed warm up top and legs, but my feet got cold.

I had frostbite years ago (snowmobiling incident) in my hands and feet so they are sensitive. I have a pair of Pearl Izumi MTB gloves that I bought a size larger than needed - I can slip them over my half finger padded riding gloves for extra warmth - got them on clearance for $9. Life saver for someone like me who can't hold a cold beer when its colder than 55 degrees out without issues.

WOW, all great advice. I think the thing that gets cold for me are my hands and feet. I do a lot of ice fishing, so there have been times were they have gotten cold and I think they are more sensitive now. It sounds like to keep it cheap, non bike specific, and try layers and adjust to find what works.

Also with this ride, there will be quite a few stops. It is a Bike n Bite ride, where you bike from one stop to the next. I guess I probably will not be generating a lot of effort, but will be stopping at places that are heated. So maybe it is not as big of a concern as initially thought.

Thanks for all the great advice. It will definitely be a learning experience. I have another ride in 2 weeks, so I should have some knowledge on how to handle that ride.