Layers winter guide
 

Winter commuting. Can anyone suggest an infographic showing what to wear at different temperatures? I once had a simple but excellent, no-nonsense informative image but seem to have lost it.

Such a graphic is never personalized, of course. But it can be a good guide.

Good place to start.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8da1cd93d.jpeg

That sure is a starter, yes. THANK YOU! — Though I was hoping for something more general commuting, less "bib tights" ;-)

For international visitors, perhaps an FYI:
80 – 70 °F | 25 – 20 °C
70 – 60 °F | 20 – 15 °C
60 – 50 °F | 15 – 10 °C
50 – 40 °F | 10 – 5 °C
40 – 30 °F | 5 – 0 °C // Smells like winter is coming
30 – 20 °F | 0 – -5 °C // Toujours plus fort!

"Commuting" if you can change your clothes at work, it's a very different situation...

I write down after a few rides of the temp and what I needed to add or change. Tights for an example come in so many warmth's, that perhaps what is warm for one person and not the other. I tend to use cross country ski tights for 30 degree and below and then add long underwear in various thicknesses depending on the wind chill and temps. When I was commuting, I would wear rain pants over my work pants and that added a lot of warmth for my 30 minute commute. Now I have my list of clothes that has worked for the various temps I ride in WI. and that changes as I get near 75. Just remember as it gets colder your creating a windchill below certain temps.

Lots of normal casual warm clothes are perfectly all right for commuting. I just lost my favorite Northface fleece jacket, I left it in the airport a few days ago. It’s a really dense fleece that they call wind wall sometimes. It even works pretty well in a light shower. I had gloves made of the same stuff in the pocket and I’m really going to miss them. I’ll have to figure out what their current version is called.

for wet weather, I carry a shell, but I usually don’t sit out riding on those days anyway

Assos ULTRAZ bib tights are good at 30 degrees without adding any layers to your legs.

:thumb:

big fan of dense fleece! even protects me from light drizzle. sorry to hear about your Northface unit. I remember when I bought mine, immediately called my late Father & told him what he got me for Christmas :D (he appreciated good outdoor gear) I still have & use mine. I can look at the tags to see if the model # is still legible. Lately I've been shopping on Poshmark & Ebay for good gear that's lightly used. looking at some old pics I see it has a smooth covering in some areas., maybe for wind?
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e64fea4a29.jpg
please excuse my dumb face. I sometimes try to keep a record of various setups
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2cdb898118.jpg
if I remember correctly I added this hi-vis vest because it was a long ride on the road & wearing all black isn't always safe. this was at 17F degrees, so the added wind block didn't hurt either!
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e41b28d573.jpg

Here is a picture of my clothing log. I don't use it often.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f4387b18cd.png

I'm finding this week as the cold settles in, an important thing to do is ease up a bit to avoid sweating. Try to adjust your exertion level to balance heat generation with heat loss. I went too hard one day and soaked my base shirt, the next day I held back a bit and finished the ride mostly dry.

Thank you for posting this. Even though I live in Florida, it can and does get chilly here. Factor in the wind and it feels like it’s freezing.

Here's a guy in Minnesota smiling at that thought.

A lot depends on acclimatization.

And as everybody here already knows, having the right gear.

I’ve lived in Montana and Colorado, I do know cold. Which is why we live here now. Still don’t like it, but I do get out and ride in it. We don’t have enough cold days to get used to it, which is why we complain about it! LOL

Yes I learned that the hard way a few times. But now I do it without thinking. Also, cold days are the only days (for me) when it's important not to have cotton against my skin. On all other days, it's fine. I once got really sweaty and then fell prey to the wind. It was painful.

1st balaclava ride of the season
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...59db40439a.jpg

Concur. Now in my mid-60s, about five years ago we purchased a second house in Ft. Lauderdale and became snowbirds. My permanent home is in Rhode Island. So, I’m pretty much already riding in my winter gear. When I get to FtL just after Xmas, and the temps drop to the frigid high 50s/60s°F…I’m already acclimated, and get some crazy looks as I ride glove-less in shorts and short sleeves while other riders are in long sleeves/tights. WRT general riding in that megaopolis…not my favorite. Far from it. But that’s a story for a different thread.

Dan

rumrunn6 seeing your balaclava makes me realize that I make my own. I wear a thin beanie plus a Buff™ circular scarf. The buff is usually just around my neck, but when it gets colder, I wrap it around the back of my head and my jaw. It's versatile.

It seems like what is comfortable it varies quite a bit by person.

I don't need as much as most people, it seems. I'm a thick-blooded northerner and my usual body temperature is 1.5 °F lower than average.

I'm going to start a Google sheet like noglider's.

Things I've learned

- I need less layering on my torso than I would expect. I need my head and neck covered well, as well as my feet.
- Stepping outside into the cold, I need to be slightly cold initially so that I'm not hot later. This can be scary so I might carry an extra layer in case I miscalculated.
- I think I've developed ways of building tolerance for low temperatures. Sometimes at the end of my shower, I'll turn it on pure cold for just a second or two. During Pandemic, we lived full time at our house in the woods where it was fairly private. Upon getting up, while I still had no clothes on, I went outside and stood on the cold ground, even when it was snow covered or frozen. I stood there very briefly, not to the point that it hurt. I think this may have fixed my cold feet problem. I don't know if this stuff is scientifically backed, but it seems to have worked.

yeah, the other day, as I departed my house I was chilly & though uh oh I should have added a windbreak vest, or brought it. they compress into a bag really well, but it turned out fine

as for feet, I need all the help I can get. today, in the office, I broke out my electric foot cozy
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1cdeaad362.jpg

For commuting, once it gets really cold, I figure just wear whatever keeps you warm regardless of how silly it looks on a bicycle. When I lived in Boston I'd ride to work so long as it wasn't icy and the roads weren't too narrowed by snow pushed to the sides. When it got down to 25F or so I'd pretty much wear ski gear - a down jacket, snow pants, a mask that covered my nose, mouth and ears with a velcro closure behind my head, ski goggles over my helmet, and snow boots. It worked well for my 3-mile commute. I stuck with grip shift shifters on my commuter because I could shift them easily while wearing mittens.

I just stumbled upon this. It's oriented to the UK but most of the advice is useful here.

Here's my Google Sheet, for anyone who wants to see.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing

how's the ski helmet?! not too heavy for cycling? I was looking at winter cycling helmets for a while

It's not noticeably heavier than a cycling helmet. Covers the ears and back of the head, as well as coming down a bit lower on the brow.

Here's me in it early this year:
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4d3d3a8773.jpg
From the 2025 Frostbite 30-40-50 back in February. Ski helmet and Wynd glasses for me.


It does get hot if I'm working hard. The vent on mine only lets through a bit of air.