Been searching these threads but still have questions.

I'm looking for pants. In the cold weather I usually wear jeans or sweatpants on my daily 14 mile ride. I prefer commuter-type clothes. You know - stuff than can pass for street clothes. Any recommendations? Temps around 30 to 40 F. Thanks.

I wear jeans all the time and in the winter my go-to choice are flannel lined jeans I get at Menards. When it gets colder I just wear a pair of polypropylene long johns I get there as well. It's a little colder up here in Wisconsin, though.

Thanks. I'll try a pair of the lined jeans. Why didn't I think of that?

I don't know if there is a Menards around you but I found the waist size of their flannel lined pants runs small so I had to take the first pair back that I bought to get the next largest size. No dressing room there to try them out for fit.

do you have an eddie bauer, an REI or some other type of outdoor store?

in both stores, i was able to find some pants that looked like sweatpants or athletic wear that totally block the wind on clearance. i recall paying less than $25.00. just this morning the temperature was about 40 degress and i coudln't believe how well the eddie bauer pants blocked the wind. it was awesome and a cheap investment.

Hear in New England a good choice is LL Bean. https://www.llbean.com/llb/search/?f...&gnattr=-1&bc=

I like my Novara headwind pants. they are cycling specific & perfect. a little snug but not tight, & certainly are not tights. I think they are discontinued & mine have a tiny hole on the top of one thigh after 10? yrs of use. not bad I guess. need to find a good reliable replacement sized for US

You need to know the tricks, like put your arm inside the waist band, from your fist to your elbow, that is pretty close to your waist size. Or grab the waist with one hand on each side and pull it tight, and then wrap it around your neck, the two ends will probably barely touch.

More or less, depending on how big your waist is. But once you figure it out, you'll be able to better approximate without trying on.

Wet is the enemy. Dry socks stay warm I start wearing 2 pair @ 20F.
Ride the bike, feet on the ground @0 F degrees transfer cold to the feet fast.
Feet & hands need the most protection.
Mittens are superior but can really suck riding a bike so I wear big mittens & wool gloves inside them for needed dexterity pulling off a mitten with my teeth. I use scarfs to keep cold out of neck & face.
The body core is more of a problem regulating to stay cool & I still often over dress my bodycore in below -0 F temps. I wear a lined vented hip length Nordica III All Terrain rain/windbreaker with liner removed, back vent zipped open, usually & regulate my body core with my rain coat frt.zipper.
I wear a hoodie instead of the zip-in liner.
Good long johns, or double layer more affordable L J's.
I wear this ridiculous hat below zero. Yes, it has red pom poms
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hat2.jpg

Let's face it--guys have it much easier than women in buying clothes by size that predictably fit "off the rack".
I know my waist size and inseam and it's been many, many year since I've bought something that doesn't fit.
How does your trick work for buying clothes online? But at age 65 I think I've got it down well in choosing clothes that fit me.

Are you using long underwear? If not, I highly recommend it! Around here (western WI) I generally wear it from November - April. I prefer the thinner synthetic fabrics over the old school cotton waffle knit kind.

Personally, I find that denim gets a bit cold and stiff when biking in lower temperatures, and there can also be the chafing problem from the seams. I tend to go with several thin layers (often polyester or wool blends) rather than one thick layer. Track pants over the top can be a good choice if you're not going to work and just want to avoid the whole wearing-leggings-in-public look.

Flannel lined pants will likely accomplish the same objective.

Does it rain/snow a lot where you live?

I just got a pair of showerspass pants that I can wear over regular pants and I completely love them.

I dig it, so you skip the helmet? or do you not wear helmets in general? I only started wearing one when my kids started riding 15-18 yrs ago

I generally don't use a helmet. I have 3 good helmets the fit and others in the house use. My bad.

Hopefully it's okay if I piggyback onto this topic, I'm in a similar situation.


I already have two pairs of tights (one cycling specific, the others generic athletic) and multiple pairs of snow pants that are baggy.


The tights should be fine for most of my cold weather riding, but when it get's really cold I was planning on just throwing some of my snow pants on. Is there a clever method to keep them out of my chain? I was thinking about something like a gaitor that would wrap around the leg to keep it tight but not sure if there's an easier/better method.


To the OP, I hope this isn't too far off topic.

I ride a long wheel based recumbent which has a long exposed chain which is a problem when I wear long pants so I use one of those short and very thin bungee cords and just wrap it around my leg.
I was once stopped at a stop sign with my right pedal up as usual and when I started the down stroke my pants got caught in the chain. I had only just started and both pedals were off the street so there was nothing for it but simply to flop over (fortunately I'm not far from the ground). I didn't get hurt but felt stupid as there were people watching, looking at me like I was simply inept when I really am ept normally.

I use reflective velcro straps. They work OK - the problem then lies in the bunched up/flared up bottom of the pant around my shoe. The biggest enemy are long shoelaces on some of my commuter shoes. I've snagged them twice on the cog despite always trying to tuck them in!


Ha, I know the feeling. All of my falls were while clipped in & stationary. Bending or turning to do something and then losing balance.

+1 for ankle straps & tucking your laces under the other laces

In my opinion, you should get some cycling shorts and tights and wear them under your jeans. But you would be much more comfortable on the bike and at work of you just carried your jeans to work in your backpack and used cycling shorts and pants for the ride.

I don't like to have to change. I know, I know. I'm lazy. But it's just simpler.

I am in a similar situation. But my commute is very short and flat. And I am loathe to have to change in or out of any clothes when I get to my office. Jeans are okay here, but I usually go a little dressier with cotton or light wool dress slacks. I rode to work yesterday in sub-30 temps and learned very quickly that cotton dress pants at those temperatures will not work. I have worn long johns to work in the past, but they quickly become too restrictive and hot in an office environment. Any recommendations for a heavier wool pant or something similar? I think LL Bean and others have flannel-lined chinos that I may give a try.

i use these base layer pants for $12 from Walmart. No sweat since they wick and keep me warm. I'm a recent wicking convert for T-shirts, sweaters ets. Is all very comfortable. and when washing i notice it comes out of the washer almost dry since it doesn't soak up any water. No more cotton for me.

I also wear them off the bike.

I tried those insulated pants with fleece etc. Problem is cold air still seeps in by the feet because there is a gap between pants and boots. So a baselayer helps with that. This and wool socks.

Tights and wind pants work for me.

Lots of ski wear at the thrift stores now. I snagged some Marmot Gore-Tex pants, that zip all the way up your legs, for $5. 😎

Good, thick wool pants are ideal for winter -- and using Velcro straps on the bottoms keeps the wind out as well as keeping the pant leg off the chain.