winter ridin' duds
 

i ride in boston and nyc, but this is my first winter ridin' a lot. what warm stuff ya'll rockin' for ridin'? especially hands and feet.

i got some waterproof insulated gloves, and i'm looking into gortex socks

i'm a commuter, so i need stuff that i can remove when i get to work, so i'm thinking about making some knee-down wool leg warmers that velcro on and off. i'm also thinking of making a matching wool facemask or something. although, wool could be itchy... i'll have to think about it more, but that's the general idea. i'm gonna buy some decent gloves tho, but i'm not sure what kind.

For severe cold (20 degrees and down) - from head to toe:

thin cap under BMX helmet.
neoprene fase mask
soft shell jacket with wool sweater/fleece/jersey underneath
perl izumi lobster claw gloves- these rock.
thermal tights under cargo pants/carharts or overalls if it's really cold.
wool/fleece socks.
lake winter cycling shoes.

for medium cold:
earband with helmet.
scarf/bandana around neck.
sort shell jacket
wool liner gloves under full-finger.
single layer tights or leg/knee warmers- with some safety pins, you can run leg warmers under regular pants without problems.
lake shoes.

If you keep yer core temp up, then it's easy to keep your extremities warm. Be carfull not to cut off circulation to your feet, and keep feet and hands dry. Real full fenders front and back help out a lot.

smartwool snowboard socks are great

This winter my gear will consist of:

Outdoor research Gorilla Balaclava
Cheap ski goggles
Patagonia lightweight baselayer tops
The North Face TKA 100 1/4 zip shirt (100 weight fleece for the 30+ degree days)
Thick wool sweater (for the 30- degree days)
Arc'Teryx Gamma SV softshell jacket to go over the previous 2 items.
A yet to be purchased mid and/or heavy weight tight (perhaps bib style)
Jeans
Neoprene socks under...
Smartwool midweight socks
Pearl Izumi Vagabond MTB shoes
Outdoor Research PL100 gloves (for the 30+ degree days)
Thick wool gloves (for the 30- degree days)
My regular fingerless gloves over either of those for grip on my naked steel drops.

For the low-budget commuting convertibility, I like rain pants over regular pants over long lohns (as needed), and galoshes over regular shoes (sneakers, work shoes, whatever) over wool socks. Of course, my commute is only three miles, so there's not such a risk of my getting really sweaty.

seconded. In fact, they don't even need to be snowboard socks. I have a number of pairs of smartwool socks and they are a beautiful thing.

i wear various combinations of layers depending on the cold...

such items include: outdoor research ice climbing shell, assos windblocker jacket, hoodie, arm warmers, wool sweater, wife beater, assos winter gloves... though i lost one so i need a new pair, thermal long underwear, two pair of pants with usually a wool pair under jeans, toe covers, smartwool socks, scarf or bandana, beanie, and a beard.

I have found that a sleeveless vest and arm warmers help me regulate my temperature better than a shell with sleeves.
I get too warm with sleeves.

If I can keep my extremities comfortable, my core adjusts.

My biggest problem has come from keeping my hands warm, but not too warm.
Just comfortable seems very hard to acheive.
This year I have put an extral layer of tape on my bars, to insulate my hands from the metal, and this has made a huge difference because it lets me ride with a lighter weight glove.

even better than the smart wool socks, or actually exactly the same except cheaper are the Eastern Mountain Sports merino wool hiking socks. You get two pairs for a couple dollars more than one pair of smart wools.

I wear jeans, an amazing arcteryx fleece that is twice as warm as most fleeces (can't wear it indoors its so warm) and is somehow way thinner and lighter too. Over that lands end gore tex shell plus whatever layers of hoodies and vests are necessary. Top it off with a huge scarf and a beanie pulled over the helmet.

For the perhaps the most important part, the hands I wear fingerless wool gloves from the army navy, and some fleece wind proof mittens. If it gets really cold I use some goretex ski mittens I found lying around. They are tore up pretty nasty though, would love to replace them with these: http://www.silverstarsurplus.com/army_mittens.html but they are out of stock and cost 5x as much every other place I've seen them stocked. Ordered the trigger finger mittens instead, we'll see how they hold up.

I found some thermolite/wool ski socks on Sierra Trading Post for about $5. I learned my lesson last winter after losing feeling in my feet riding home form the Davis Sq. Midnight Crit. I have a pair of those waterproof Pro-Keds. I also layer. Wicking long underwear under regular pants. Wicking undershirt/sportsbra thing, under wicking long sleeve shirt/sweatshirt, under fleece, under whatever necessary outer layer. I rocked some 3M waterproof fleece gloves last year, but if I have some extra cash, I may get real winter bike gloves. Oh, and a relatively thin hat I can wear under my helmet, but it usually just makes me too damn hot.

i find that the pearl izumi winter stuff works really good. it is somewhat expensive, but it keeps you really warm. for hands, i'd recomend thick gloves, either the lobster claw ones, or just full fingered gloves, but make sure they are the insulated kind, not just riding gloves. for feet, the neoprene booties work the best. they are good for wet or dry weather, as i've used them in both during last spring's racing season.

Although I am all for saving money I have to say that the cost of Smartwools is worth it. Their construction is superior and the technology (you know..how they hug your foot perfectly and never get loose/saggy) is amazing.

I also work for a company that sells them, so I get them for like $5.52/pair. haha

Oh and I got a new arc'teryx softshell this week for free.

yowza

I highly recommend N.E.O. overshoes (overshoe.com I believe). They are amazing. The only problem I have with them is that they're so big you HAVE to use flat pedals with no clips, which can take some getting used to for riders of fixed gears. Well worth it though, seriously. The best part is, you get to work, and you take them off, and there, magically, taking up no extra space, are your regular shoes! AMAZING!

live in the SF bay area...
best way to stay warm year round...

Or you could just buy neoprene socks and wear them over your socks...

yeah, but that means you need a larger shoe to make room for the socks.

It does mean you could still ride clipless all winter, so I might investigate that option, but I think the neoprene socks would make my feet sweat too much on my six-mile commute.

You think? Neoprene is pretty thin

I guess it depends on the Neoprene and how tight your shoes are to begin with. Having REALLY WIDE feet (especially toes) means that all my shoes are tight (unless I buy REALLY wide shoes). So I can't afford much more than a thick smartwool by itself or I get REALLY sweaty and REALLY crunched toes.

My two best finds are:
Cut off the tops of boot socks and pull them up under your pant legs to keep your knees warm, and
Leather mittens on top of whatever you wear for gloves. They cut the wind and help your gloves to work better holding in the heat.

I used to agree with you, but the EMS knock offs are identical to the smart wools. If anything they are more durable, I've yet to wear a pair out. Smart Wools are great, wore nothing but for a couple years, I wish I could get them at that price... but there is absolutely nothing in the "smart wool" that can't be duplicated besides their trademarked name for merino wool.

On the other hand I've never seen any company duplicate arc'teryx. best designed and constructed gear I've ever own. Used to have an alpha shell that got stolen, still haven't been able to afford to replace it...

Gorgons earmuffs are wonderful. I could be outside in my skivvies and be fine with those keeping my ears perfect.

In california it doesen't get that cold in the winter, but I found I was wheezing a bit when I got to work. I bought a neop[rene mouth covering from REI for $13 and it works great.