I went out for my first winter ride this past Saturday. I rode with another guy who is a much more experienced rider. We rode about 34 miles. The temperature was about 24* with a standing windchill of around 14-16*. It was a pretty cloudy and windy day. These are typical conditions for winter here. I went out wearing:
1 pair of thermal base layer tights by champion
1 pair of canari cycling shorts
1 pair of sugoi cycling tights (not lined or thermal)
polyester wicking socks
wool wicking socks
adidas cycling shoes
pearl izumi neoprene shoe covers
1 polyester base layer crew by champion
wind-resistant fleece soft shell type of cover
wind breaker over the fleece
slightly brushed polyester balaclava over my head
helmet
base liner gloves (poly-pro palms with microfleece lining everywhere else)
Louis Garneau thermal lobster gloves

Most of this stuff I just bought for the purpose of being able to ride in the winter and not get too cold. I do not know if I just did not buy the right gear or what, but I was freezing at the end of the ride. The LG lobster gloves were horrible. I felt like I wasnt wearing gloves at all. I think I am going to go to my LBS and buy a pair of thermal Specialized 5-finger gloves. I tried them on and they seem to be much warmer and suited for freezing temperatures. My legs were freezing to the point that I don't think I would have been able to continue had we gone much further. My muscles felt frozen. I am guessing that the best solution to this would be to buy some nice thick brushed thermal tights? Should I invest in knee/leg warmers instead of or in addition to thermal tights? My feet were kept warm for a bit, but after about 15 miles they were cold as hell too. Those shoe covers by PI did little to nothing it seemed. A tech guy at performance recomended that I get some gore-tex socks (45$) and he said if I got those I could go without shoe covers and just wear the socks and be completely fine. I find that hard to believe but I do think that would be ideal as shoe covers are bound to get torn up after contact with the ground. I will say that the only thing I was extremely satisfied with were the champion base layers that I bought at target for 12$. They did a good job of wicking away the sweat from my body. The balaclava on my head did a decent job.

My question is should I just give up on cycling when it is that cold and stick to the rollers or should I spend even more and get more gear? I mainly need suggestions for good things to keep my legs, feet, and torso warm and dry and protected from the wind (while spending the least amount of cash...I am a college student). I have already sent back the gloves and shoe covers to performance because they are not even worth the money I paid. Any assistance is helpful. Wind where I am is brutal and the winters are rarely sunny.
~Nick

I know for myself in that weather which I just prove a few days ago. I would need a pair of windbreaker over my thermals. You might want to think about another pair of thermals for the legs. If you are planning on riding in anyhing colder, you should either get another thermal top or a thicker wool top underneath the shell. One thing you do not need is two layers of wind protection. If the shell is windproof, it should stop allt he wind, while the second layer should be focused on keep your heat in. If your covers did not work you might find something with some padding. One thing I use is a pair of booties that are waterproof, but I wear regular socks with a pair of thermal socks. I would think about buying thermal socks if they can fit. I also use mountiain cycling shoes, they then to be more enclosed and warmer. I would try anything to extreme with the booties since your legs were cold, your feet would also be cold, so I would try to get my legs warm first then set my feetwear according. I hope this help. Also bump for somebody else more experienced.

Sounds like you need a windproof shell over your legs to keep the air still in your insulating layer.

Also try some plastic baggie action on your feet (put plastic sandwich bag over shoe, put bootie on over it). 2manybikes suggests that you, uhhh, double-bag your foot by adding another plastic baggie and then pulling a biiiiiiiig sock over the whole assembly (cut a hole for the cleat, obviously). Leave your shoes pretty loose so blood circulation isn't cut off, because all the insulation in the world won't create heat, you need blood flow.

Other than that, is there room inside the lobster gloves for another pair of thin inner gloves? Also, bring an extra layer along if possible. Maybe you don't have the luxury of panniers, but you can get a Camelbak with enough stowage room for another layer. You don't want to have a mechanical and then go hypothermic for lack of clothes.

Personally I do rides in similar temperatures with ghetto gear: a couple cheap wool dress sweaters against my skin (check thrift stores), then a cotton layer like a XXL T-shirt (cotton will take water from wool, but wool won't take water back from cotton), a windbreaker, and then a water-resistant windproof cycling jacket over that. Denim blue jeans on the legs with windproof water-resistant cycling slacks (REI) over them. Yes, and *looks around cautiously* Fruit-Of-The-Loom underwear

For sub-freezing temps, I put the hood of the windbreaker under my helmet unless I'm going to hammer. For sub-15°F temps, I put on a thin balclava. Oh, and some REI gloves, the Stormfront model I think.

OK, let's address the issues one by one:

1) The gloves. Go to your local Walmart, Canadian Tire, or general Sporting Goods store and buy two things: a pair of mini-gloves ($1 at Walmart) and a pair of ski gloves (~$10 at Canadian Tire). Make sure you can wear the mini-gloves inside the ski gloves and that there is still some looseness to them.

2) The legs. Did you wear the follow three pieces of clothing:
1 pair of thermal base layer tights by champion
1 pair of canari cycling shorts
1 pair of sugoi cycling tights (not lined or thermal)
Probably not thick enough for the temperatures you experienced. I wear a pair of cycling shorts, a pair of tights, a pair of basic, ordinary sweat pants (Walmart!), and wind pants (Walmart!). If I'm still cold, I might add another pair of sweat pants. One thing to keep in mind though ... keep them loose over the knees.

3) The feet. You wore:
polyester wicking socks
wool wicking socks
adidas cycling shoes
pearl izumi neoprene shoe covers
In those temps, I wear the light poly socks, a HEAVY pair of Kodiak wool socks ($7.00 at Superstore) which come right up to my knees, thus keeping the lower part of my legs warm too, neoprene ankle wraps ($7) (because I had ankle troubles and discovered these ankle wraps are also good for keeping my feet warm), loose Lake mtn bike shoes - one size too big (looseness is the key!), and neoprene booties that come right up over my ankles.

4) Torso. If your torso is at all cool, the rest of you will be cold. You said that part was OK, but if you wanted to warm it up a bit more, add a sweatshirt overtop your base layer or fleece (something that's a 50/50 cotton/poly ... NOT 100% cotton), or maybe a wool sweater which you could pick up at a local thrift shop.

I went to the local Marks work wearhouse and bought non-bike specific stuff there. So far it has worked for me (and prices are good).

- nice pair of 'hi-tech' winter boots keep my feet warm
- stanley industrial polar long johns
- goretex rain pants
- sweat wicking industrial wool socks
- snow boarding jacket (ripzone) this was not cheap
- micro polar fleece base layer / stanley industrial base layer
- wallmart 100g thinsulite -30C snowmobile gloves
- fleece vest for really cold days
- micro fleece skull cap
- fleece neck warmer

now the only problem I have are my glasses, they keep fogging up.

Congratulations! I think 34 miles on a really cold day is great, especially this early in the season. I predict that you will do well with winter riding.

Remember that conditioning for cold weather is just as important as training for heat or high altitudes. Usually mother nature cooperates by giving us gradually colder temperatures. This year it seems like winter started overnight, so it's harder to acclimate. But keep going, and you might get used to it.

I vote with Machka and rilles that bike-specific gear is not always the best bet for cold weather. Probably because 95 % of cyclists don't ride in the cold, and let's face it, many riders are more worried about their fashion statement. It sounds like you're really serious about winter riding, so experiment courageously until you find what works. I know that I come up with a different "solution" every winter.

I'm wearing stuff similar to theirs (Machka and rille). My current favorites up top are an old cashmere sweater I bought at goodwill for a base layer, with a long sleeved Champion wicking t-shirt if it's real cold, then a polar fleece sweatshirt, and a water-resistant shell with double zippers that I bought at Kmart for $17. I throw on another heavy sweater if it's below like 20 F. I carry an extra sweatshirt in my backpack for emergencies. BTW, the backpack itself really helps keep you warm.

Down below I wear cycling shorts with light poly longjohns over, then a pair of canvas pants, or if it's real cold, LL Bean fleece lined khaki hiking pants. I use platform pedals in the winter, so I can wear warmer shoes or hiking boots if it's real cold, and winter hiking or skiing socks.

The one problem I'm having is keeping my head warm. I used to not wear a helmet in the winter, so I could wear any warm hat. But since I fall a lot on the ice (klutz ), I want to wear my helmet this year. I bought a poly skull cap but that is not keeping me warm. I don't like balaclavas (I mean the headgear, not the pastry) because of my eyeglasses.

Thanks for the help/encouragement. I was really discouraged after last Saturday. Like I said I am going to get those Specialized gloves as they are much thicker and feel much warmer (they also have a long cuff). I am going to try and find some of those heavy socks that some of you mentioned. I am still unsure what to do as far as covering my foot. Have any of you used those gore-tex socks? I do not trust those PI shoe covers as the pair I sent back already showed some wear even after 1 ride!!! I will venture to wally-world tomorrow to see what I can acquire for layering purposes.
~Nick

P.S. Regardless I am purchasing rollers for the rest of this winter...I want to have the option of staying indoors!

Nothing wrong with that. But you obviously want to do some winter riding (or you wouldn't have bought all that gear) so don't give up after just one ride. Maybe your next ride should only be 15 miles instead of 34, but don't just pack it in. To paraphrase or misquote Lance: "Cold is temporary, quitting isn't."

I think most of the serious winter cyclists end up looking sort of like homeless people or something by the time we're dressed!!

Have you tried a balaclava like this? It doesn't interfere with your glasses and doesn't fog them up:
https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1133853738469

not really... I love this pic ...



19 farenheit with 10 mph breeze. - Not Fast Riding - under 14 mph average (so to calculate how much heat i was generating)
Chest = wick free spandex = 3 layers // Cycling Jersey // Polar Fleece 300g with some windstopping
Feet = Thin Ski socks // thick wool socks // Shimano MTB shoes with plenty ventilation
Hands = 1 pair of cheap all purpose 40gr thinsulate gloves / non waterproof but warm
Legs = 1 pair of spandex underwear (there is such thing... Target) // 1 pair of capilene long underwear //1 pair of unpadded lycra shorts // 22$ Target outdoor long fleece pants (stops Most wind = breathable).

Head = ski mask (thin) / clip on ear warmers / ski hat/

Helmet does not create any insulation from the elements, just the mellon protector.

What I am implying?

1) The only cycling specific clothing item is the jersey, wich is not really warm
2) The multiple breatheable layers allow for most moisture to escape.
3) By the same token, all those layers stop most of the wind.
4) The whole thing weighs 4 pounds on total. Not so bad.

For my feet I wear Nashbar Booties over my road shoes. The Nashbar Booties have a rubber sole which is holding up well. Still you will need a couple of warm sock layers under the booties and room in your shoes for the extra layers. I have worn waterproof socks down to 30F but booties give you more room in your shoes for extra insulating layers.
You will still need to warm your legs up in order to keep your feet warm. I like the Performance Triflex tight. I wore it for a 45 min ride at 10F this morning with only a thin layer under it. The front of the Triflex tights are windproof which is what will make the real difference for you.
Lobster claw gloves really help to keep your hands warm but many are designed as shells to be worn over a glove liner. Consider a light fleece or wool liner glover inside.
A common saying is "if your feet are cold put on a hat". If your head was at all cold consider adding a fleece head band or skull cap or a helmet cover. Atleast my balacava is not warm enough to be worn by itself. The light layer protects my face but I need a second layer for my skull.
Craig

I am surprised about the Lobster Gloves... course I have the Pearl Izumi Lobster Gloves.
I find if I keep my Ears, Hands, Feet warm, then I can take anything!
Under Armour Cold Gear is well worth the money. There is a TON of Under Armour on eBay!!!
I tried (on my old shoes) Gator Booties and a "Super Sock"... never worked! 22.00 for that dayum sock, worthless lol. The Lake winter shoes are GREAT. Check out Alfred E. Bike for good deals.

Here is my setup:

Upper Body:
1.) Under Armour ColdGear MOCK LONGSLEEVE (eBay)
2.) 9.5 oz. High Visibility Sweatshirt 'Moisture-Wick' (Alertshirt.com)
3.) VERY Old Marmot Ski Shell (tight against core/frabric lined)
4.) Performance illumiNITE Cycling Jacket (very lightweight and great for cutting the WIND)
(Layered in order)

Legs:
1.) Under Armour Compression Shorts (Long) (eBay)
2.) Under Armour COLDGEAR Leggings (eBay)
3.) Performance Triflex BIB Tights (online store) Great in WIND
(Layered in order)

Head:
1.) Pearl Izumi Microsensor Balaclava (+Wolf Leather Scarf for Extreme Temps)
2.) Bell Metro Helmet with Flip Mirror, Winter Kit, (and Rain Cover when its Snowing)
3.) Small Goggles (until temps plunge then its Good SKI GOGGLES!)

Feet:
1.) Thick Wool Sock
2.) LAKE MXZ301 Winter Shoe

Hands:
Pearl Izumi AmFIB Lobster Gloves (with Performance Polypropylene Liner Gloves when temps fall below -10 F)

That's my FULL Winter set up. Seems to work so far.

I agree you did really well on a first winter ride. It sound as if you are overdressed on top (sweating) and underdressed on your legs. Hands and feet are the big problem.

I'd recommend a good pair of overpants -- Gortex rain pants are good. I'd second the recommendation for downhill ski gloves. If you are using clipless, consider going to platforms and riding in street shoes with overshoes (or boots) with thicker socks. People who like foot attachments often get PowerGrips.

The really critical thing is to keep your head, hands, and feet warm. Other than that, what you wear on the rest of your body is not very critical.

Remember that most cycle-specific gear is not designed for cold temperatures.

Enjoy winter!

Paul

I use windproof /water-resistant overpants in the cold. I prefer pertex to gortex, it is cheaper, more breathable and packs up really small. Once you cut out the wind, you just have to pile on enough insulation below.

Thanks for all of the advice! I think the hardest thing will be finding something to keep my feet warm and yet still be able to use my road shoes. Luckily my shoes are probably a half size larger than they should be which allows me to wear multiple sock layers without coming close to cutting off circulation. I do not like the idea of going back to platforms as I think that it would detract from my training, but if that is what has to be done to keep me warm and riding then it may be what I end up doing. I will make sure to pick up one more head layer as well. Another problem I think I may have run into is that I did not eat enough before leaving and about 25 miles into the ride I started to feel really weak, dizzy, and that is when I got really cold. I have done this in the summer where you start feeling clammy even when it is hot out. Maybe this added to the level of frozen I was feeling.
~Nick

You don't have to go back to platform shoes. The one and only time I used them was on an extremely cold century, but otherwise I just use my normal cycling shoes. The thing to remember though is that the cleat will conduct the cold, so you need to pad the inside of the shoe at the cleat point with something. That's where my neoprene ankle wraps come in handy, and that's also where the heat packs you can pick up from Walmart come in handy (get the hand ones, not the feet ones - they are smaller and last longer).

And yes, you bring up a good point ... you still need to eat and drink like you would if you were riding in the summer. A lot of people don't feel thirsty in the cold and so are tempted to forget about drinking, but you are still sweating and you still need to drink. Same with eating.

Also, your level of tiredness can affect how warm you feel. If you are exhausted because of too many short nights, chances are you'll feel colder. I haven't managed much more than about 4 hours of sleep on average for a long time now, and no matter how many clothes I put on, and even if I'm inside a warm room, I am COLD. I find I experience the same thing on the longer Randonnees.

Check out this tread to see what others wear.

First of all, if you were that uncomfortable in 25 F weather than one thing is for sure. You did something wrong. Probably a number of things. One thing you didn't mention was what type of bike you were riding? I presume roadbike based on the mileage.

I ditch my road bike in the winter. THe reasons are many, but the greatest reason is because of the added windchill and speed. I much prefer my mountain bikes in these temps. They are more stable with less speed.

If you look at the thread i gave, then you can see what myself and others wear. It is a useful thread because in everyone of my posts i was basically comfortable for most of the ride. You were uncomfortable and need to get to the point of being comfortable.

25 F weather sounds balmy to me right now. We are stuck in a Canadian air mass, clear down here in Kansas and it is cold. Low is supposed to be around 0 F with strong winds for my ride in the morning. I fully expect to be comfortable tomorrow despite this.

It is really quite easy to be warm while pedaling on the bike. My much larger concern is what happens if i have to get off of it. (flat tire, mechanical failure) I've had two flats in the last few weeks. One was in 40 degree temps and the other was around 15 F.

It doesn't take long to get uncomfortable when not pedaling. I don't know how to tell you to specifically address your problem other than to read the link i gave you. Get some warmer gear and work backwards. Most everyone dresses to warmly when they start cycling and have to learn what to back down on.

Usually it is just the hands and feet that continue to give trouble. I wear a thin pair of fleece gloves with a thick pair of convertible Thinsulate glove/mittens over the top. Convertible means the mitten part folds back to give me my fingers if i need them. (Wouldn't consider anything else because i often need dexterity, like for flats, etc.) The aforementioned gloves all came from Target, Walmart.

Feet are pretty simple to keep warm as well. Anything above freezing and you can pretty much wear any shoe with good warm socks. Below freezing and you have to adopt a new strategy. I lose the clipless pedals and switch to Thinsulate lined hiking boots. These boots are HUGE. Way to big for me normally, but perfect for winter cycling. This is probably the most important advice that i am going to give you.

GET SOME HUGE WARM BOOTS!!! I'm not talkin just a little big. I am talking two pairs of thick wool socks and you still have room for a couple more. You don't want the end of your foot (toe area) touching the sides of your shoes at all. You need air around the end of your foot. Lots of it.

If i tried to wear tight shoes like my cycling shoes with a bootie in 25 F weather, my foot would freeze too. Don't give up on winter riding. Part of the appeal to me is learning how to dress. It is a challenge and also pretty rewarding when you get it right. And potentially costly when you don't.

There are a couple of things to consider for your feet (if mine get cold, I'm done!). A shoe cover works well as insulation if you make sure you don't have drafty places. The sole of any shoe does a lousy job of insulation and when you put holes in the bottom of that shoe, the insulation just gets worse. Put tape on the inside of the shoe over the holes for your cleats (if you are using cleats). Then get an insulated insole for your shoe (there's a product out there called Thermofeet that looks interesting). Next get shoes that are bigger than you would normally wear. This part is important because you are now trying to stuff feet, liner, sock(s?) into a close fitting shoe. If you cut off blood flow, which your body is doing anyway in reaction to the cold, your feet will only get colder.

As for Wally World, don't! Bicycle specific clothes work well and last a good long time. I have bicycle winter gear that is 15 years old and still going strong. Sure it cost a lot when I bought it but it has served me very well. But it fits better and is less bulky than anything you'll find at a big box store.

The worst thing you can have is shoes that are too tight. I use ordinary wool socks and shoes that are roomy enough not to constrict blood flow to my feet.

For legs, I like 1 insulating layer and one wind break layer. Insulating layer is either expedition weight polypropylene or cotton sweatpants depending on the temperature. The wind break layer is just standard nylon pants.

I wear a standard shirt, a polarfleece layer, and an oversized breathable raincoat. I have two thicknesses of polarfleece that I use depending on the temperature. The rain coat is a Lowe Alpine Atom which I bought one size too big. It fits over my fleece. The arms don't ride up when I reach for the handle bars. The hood fits over my helmet. If it isn't too cold and not raining, I fold the hood inside the jacket.

I have a variety of gloves and mittens that I use depending on the temperature. My latest find is a pair of mittens made of Gore Windblock fleece.

I wear a tight fitting winter weight dome type stocking hat under my helmet. I also have a thinner one for when it isn't so cold.

I have a polar fleece neck gator around my neck and lower face. My nose just freezes. If I pull the gator up over my nose, my glasses fog up. I am looking for some goggles to solve this problem.

My biggest problem lately is overheating. I didn't ride today, however. My bike is disassembled in my basement pending repair / upgrade of the drive train. The fact that it is below zero Fahrenheit today wasn't the reason.

Commuting in this morning it was 18F and I was on the road for about an hour. I was toasty top to bottom in the following:

Head: PI fleece skull cap and marginally vented Bell commuter helmet (two layers - face was stinging a bit for the first 10 minutes)

Torso: PI winter slice l/s jersey, PI barrier jacket, PI barrier vest (three layers)

Hands: PI amfib gloves (three layers)

Legs: Sugoi thermal tights, PI fleece leg warmers, GoLite baggies (three layers)

Feet: mountain bike cycling shoes over heavy defeet wool blaze socks (two layers)

I could have easily gotten by without the leg warmers but there was a 10+mph wind so I added them in for good measure. Probably could have added some toe covers though.

If you can wait until spring when the coupons and the mark-downs start hitting you can get some great deals on this stuff.

I may try some of those wool defeet blaze socks. I want to address some of the recent comments:

Ranger, you say that in the winter you ditch the road bike for your mountain bike. That is all fine and dandy but completely defeats the purpose of me riding. I am riding outside because I do not want to do long endurance rides on a trainer/rollers. I do not feel comfortable doing endurance rides on a MTB and furthermore I do not own one so the investment of a MTB would be way too costly and probably not cost-beneficial to the type of training I am looking to acheive. You also mention boots. I understand that work boots will keep my feet warm but at the same time, they will also mean that I have to go back to platform pedals. If I have to do this, I will, but I would prefer to try to keep my bike outfitted as closely to how I plan to use it come race time in the spring. I do not plan on doing very many of my hard workouts on the road, but rather on rollers or a trainer. As I mentioned before, the road will be used for those long endurance rides of 30-50 miles. Also, you mention the weather in your area in KS...I am in NE Missouri and it is already much colder here, not to mention the iowa winds that we are known for.

As far as my road shoes are concerned, I have enough room to be able to have one poly sock and a wool sock and they still are not tight on my feet. I may have to try the sock and baggie idea next time I go out along with using some duct tape to tape up all the holes in the sole of my foot as well.

Keep the suggestions coming!

I have just made a quantum leap in foot comfort with a clever twick to insulate my foot from the SPD cleat. I put the waterproofing sticker that came with my new shimano shoes. Then, I took *these* out of my high heels and put them in my cycling shoes:

Scholl Party Feet Gel Cushions

They are made of the same clear gel as my new Fizik bar gel pads that came with the tape. Works great.

I was wearing about as much clothing last night at -4f. I had to shower when I got home. Maybe you're not built for cold weather riding.

Sounds to me like extra socks, ski gloves, and a good meal are about all you really need. You could ask the person who you rode with what he wore.

Keep in mind that your body reacts differently to cold as the winter continues. Later on, the cold will not affect you so much. I think a 30 mile ride at 20 F is a very ambitious start to the season.

Paul

Paul

You sound like you have it all figured out. It just seems strange since you froze on your last ride and came here asking for advice. Good Luck.