Winter riding gear
 

for those that are riding in this ridiculously cold weather, i have a few questions...

first, how cold is too cold to ride? the cutoff is about 40 for me. perhaps it's because i don't have the right gear to go out when it's colder...

what type of gear are you guys suiting up with? how many layers? any special winter gear that is an absolute must have for freezing weather?

...depressed from only getting a few rides in over the past 2 weeks... damn dallas winter.

-josh

I finally got a chance to really test some of my Assos clothing last Saturday morning, when it was in the upper 20's. I used an 851 Jacket over an older Rapha long-sleeved jersey, with Assos Roubaix knee-length bib tights. I wore Smartwool over-the-calf length thin ski socks, and some Specialized gloves that were not quite warm enough, being made for the 50's. My body was quite toasty, but I was still breathing cold air, and developed an episode of asthma worse than anything I had experienced since a teenager, almost 30 years ago. Before this, I had ridden when it was in the mid-to-upper 40's, but no colder.

I probably should have worn something on my head, under the helmet. It miight have made a difference. Possibly something on my face, too?

I don't claim to have any answers here; just relating my experience this past weeekend. I will need to train through the winter to have any hope of making the proposed one-day Houston-Austin ride in May. I will follow this topic.

By the way there is a winter cycling forum here on Bikeforums, too.

(Edited to correct some horrendous typos.)

He is my two cents on cold weather gear. It all depends on your tolerance to cold. I have ridden and seen other cyclist wearing tights and light jacket, so adjust accordingly. I have only ridden in the low 40's later, but the cold usually is not the problem, it is the wind. I have the Nike cold version of their under armour both top and bottom, normal cycling shorts, leg warmers, wool cycling socks, a short sleeve jersey, long sleeve jersey, then a cycling jacket on top and then a helmet cap. On rides were it warms up, I can take off items or open up the jacket as necessary. Good Luck.

AG

It really depends on what your tolerance for cold is, just like your tolerance for heat in the summer. Go with many thin layers instead of two thick ones, that way as the day warms up you can shed some stuff. I go for a couple of wicking fabric shirts (don't have to be cycling specific, check Target for a decent deal) then a jersey so I can have some extra pockets and then a cycling jacket for a wind breaker. The wind breaker is important because you don't want a draft stealing all your warmth. If it is really cold wear ski gloves, if it is in the mid to low 30s for the start and supposed to warm up I just wear long finger cycling gloves. For the legs I wear under armour tights over cycling short or leg warmers and short, depending on the temps. I use the under armour tights because I also run and can multi-purpose those but you can also buy a cycling specific tight with ass pad. For your feet, go with wool socks. Multiple layers there too for the really cold and get some toe warmers or booties to block the wind. You should feel kind of cold for the first couple of miles. If you step outside and are comfortable, you are dressed too warmly and will overheat.

Amen on the thin layers. My base layer jersey mentioned above was very thin.

Rode 30 miles today. I can dress with layers, but found the cold air limited my breathing as in asthma .
Guess I need to cover my face and nose.

I love the BarMitts (pogeys) to keep my fingers warm with normal bike gloves.
I cheat and put some plastic or saran wrap between socks+shoes just in the toe area in my too-snug ventilated bike shoes.
Make sure you have toe wiggle room. Really cold days I'll wear soccer socks (need the extra calf width)
Balaclavas are awesome. I have a fleece one from Performance. Cool days I have a thin fleecy beanie cap.
Safety glasses are nice.
Moisture control is the hardest for me. Even if my skin is cold, my core can get plenty warm so I sweat. It's hard to balance on long commutes with stops, hard uphills (sweatmaking), fast downhills (breezemaking), shade vs sun, traffic (warmer), rural (cooler).
Really cold days I've worn cycling rain pants over the tights and was warm but sopping wet.

I haven't found the ideal solution. Part of it is just a willingness to deal with it, though. I wear blue jeans, poly long johns underneath if necessary, thick wool hiking socks, poly sock liners under them if needed, non-cotton undershirt, shirt, and fleece pullover. And gloves. And facial hair. That gets me down to 32 degrees for a 20 mile ride if it's not rainy. I'm actually warm enough for a longer ride, but try not to get too far from home ground if my clothing is marginal, either. And I'm liable to wind up sweaty before it's all done, too. Body fat is good insulation, and makes for a big variation in how you can deal with cold and heat.

I tend to use thin layers also. I have ridden all the way down to the mid 30s with bib shorts, leg warmers, full coverage booties over my shoes, an underarmor long sleeve lightweight shirt under a normal jersey, covered by a lightweight PI jacket, with full finger gloves. I usually wear a band type ear warmer, but find i don't like much else on my head other than my helmet as it tends to cook me too much if I do.

I am currently looking into some decent bib tights instead of the shorts and legwarmers combo, but haven't settled on the ones i want yet.