freakin cold out there today. recommendations for a real serious winter cycle jacket? not bulky, longer in back and toasty warm pls

go try out some stuff at NYCVelo... they have some good gore, descente, and craft stuff. i'm getting a Gore Tool for xmas, but waiting sucks!

Rapha Jacket is amazing. But costs $325 through www.preemcycling.com. If you have a well-heeled gift giver who is stumped, that's the ticket.

can't afford rapha, unfortunately. went to nyc velo the other day and bought a pair of gloves. didn't see anything super-warm looking though. i want something i can wear today with my long underwear, and my pearl izumi l/s jersey, and be good on a day like today. i wanna spend like $100 ideally

gore tool works well for me-
that jacket together with a long sleeved shirt kept me warm on -11 c commute this morning.
if you get it on discount, it should be ~$100.

why doesn't anyone ever mention fur coats? hey, they work for most other mammals.

i have a cop jacket that i got at a thrift store. warm as hell, has four cargo-style pockets on the front, zips into three pieces--outer, insulated liner, and rainproof insert. fairly mobile, overlaps my mittens nicely. only downside is no collar, so i rock a fleece neckie also.

I go with a goretex shell and layering underneath (i usually go 2-3 layers of long underwear tops. It works for skiing (including gatekeeping at races where all you do is sit in the snow brrrr) and biking. As for making it affordable, I do web searches for some of the better known brands and often, online, you can find last year's designs and whatnot. If you can wait until January, you can probably get some sweet sales on top of that. Brands to look at: Obermeyer, Northface, mountain hardware, helly hansen, marmot, patagonia... someone mentioned descente i think... Not a big fan here, their stuff tends to be pretty ugly IMO and no more functional than other things.

burley rain shell + fleece mid layer + wicking layer of your choice.

good down jacket can be had for around 150$. problem is bag compress down making less for warm. but downfeather jacket very warm.

do you want waterproof, or just water-resistant? i have an adidas jacket that kicks ass, but i cant find it anywhere online. its not super warm, but ive been riding around with it, patagonia capilene and some arm warmers in 35-40 degree weather pretty comfortably. it says climawarm on the side of it, and it has three pockets in the back and two zippered pockets in the front. its a good weight, has a long tail, and i got it for around 100 bucks.

The Gore Tool is pretty amazing for the price, and it's on sale all the time everywhere; back pockets, pit zips, all the bells and whistles. Put that on over a base layer and heavy jersey or fleece you should be fine on a day like today. Any soft-shell will do, though (you don't have to spend 350 for a rapha or arctyrex or suchlike); EMS has some cheapies, if you can find a Loki those are really warm (and have convenient/annoying built in facemasks and fold-out mittens). Problem is what's good for moving isn't necessarily good enough when you stop, so throw a down or primaloft jacket or vest in your bag if you're also going to be standing or walking around in sub-freezing weather.

nah i want something that i can wear on days like today when it's 19° in nyc. i want it to be slimmish (not down). i want it to fit properly (longer in back etc). i like that gore tool. it looks like the jam. i just got a nice check so i'll look into it.

cheers all.

The North Face sells a softshell jacket called the Apex Bionic. Cheapest wind/waterproof softshell you can get. $100.

p.s. buy a size up so you can layer properly underneath. I wear a $10 fleece from old navy under my $250 arc'teryx softshell.

EDIT: you might not have to buy a size up with north face since all of their clothes fit like fat frat boy clothes

With a breathable base layer (like a cheap polyester shirt or two), I've never needed more than my Marmot Driclime Windshirt. Even when winter cycling in Massachusetts and Canada. It's a little chilly when I start out, but by the time my legs are feeling warmed up, so are my chest and arms. Cuts the wind, fits well in an extended reach posture (designed for rock climbers), has a slightly longer flap in the rear, and fits snug. I know it's pricey (~$100), but I can't live without it. I'm a minimalist, and this is my only winter jacket.

One other note, it's not the warmest if you're not moving. This jacket's beauty, to me, is that it keeps the wind off me and keeps me warm while cycling. It probably would not be a good jacket for just standing around in the cold, waiting for a bus or something.

The fabric to look for is GORETEX Windstopper.

I bought a Castelli jacket around 6 years ago that is the warmest, the lightest and most durable cold weather riding jacket ever created.

That fabric as a shell is very effective in keeping you very warm and is surprisingly also breathable. The only downside is that most jackets using that fabric are expensive.

You can't bike in a down jacket. If you sweat at all, it turns into a hot, clammy, nasty cocoon in no time flat. That and your range of movement is severely impaired and you look like a DUI rider.

I just got an REI One jacket for $125 bucks and wear it every day while riding outside in this ****ty Chicago winter. Really comfortable, sleek-fitting/thin, super-warm, and looks nice. It's a softshell, windproof and mostly waterproof. Last week when it was 17 degrees outside, all I wore was a Craft longsleeve undershirt, a t-shirt, and my jacket. Today we got this horrible snow drizzle all afternoon and I was dry and comfy. They make a men's and women's version. I considered the North Face Apex Bionic softshell, but all I could find at the local stores were, like, pastel pink and lavender colors o_O. So the REI jacket won in the end because it's black and also cuz it's slightly stretchy -- I like that freedom of movement when riding.

the combination of my outdoor research ice climbing shell and my assos windblocker jacket make for one warm ass jacket power combo...

I've got an Assos gator jacket and love it. It's more than a hundred dollars, but absolutely worth it. Kept me warm in nyc lately with nothing but a t shirt & wool undershirt underneath. It also has a long back and three big rear pockets, which are nice to have

Pearl Izumi Barrier Jacket.
Check it:
https://www.pearlizumi.com/product.ph...color_code=489

i have a pearl izumi zephyr II that is unbelievably thin and windproof. that, a jersey and arm warmers take me down into the LOW (12- 15 F) double digits w/ no problem. add a patagonia longjohns top to the mix and i can ride comfortably however low the temp. now if i could just keep the tips of my fingers that warm. . .

I have the predecessor of the RaceFace Shore. It is a windproof/waterproof shell with zippered vents, long back and long sleeves for on bike. It is suprising how warm it is with just a wool long sleeve jersey under. If it is the low thirties and sunny I have to leave the vents open.
The Zephyr, above, is good to. There is more room in the Shore tho.

I 2nd the REI One jacket. I bought mine two winters ago and have never needed more while
biking. I just saw a newer one and they've made them even better.

For the record REI rules if you pay the one-time lifetime membership you get 10% back cash,
their return policy is unbelievable, and the people who work their have never let me down.

jeff