Redrom

I'm looking for some pretty specific products, wondering if anyone can point me to some links.

I like to just slip on an over pant that goes on top of the pants I would be wearing to work. The Ibex over pants I have been using, are good down to about 10 deg F. The cotton anorak that I use as an outer shell is perfect for this temperature range (with a thick wool mid layer). So, I would like to find a tight weave cotton pant lined with wool... anyone seen something like that?

Similarly, the mittens I have been using are not quite the ticket at this temperature range. I think I would like a leather mitten shell with thick wool liners...

cons

Lobster claws are the bomb

squintal

Just bought some lobster claws from Pearl Izumi - I haven't used them yet but my brother loves them. They were also the warmest and most comfortable gloves I tried on - I also liked mountain hardware Jalepeno gloves. I also tried on gloves and mittens from OR, Black Diamond, Swix, Toko and Marmot.

For temperatures below 0º pogies are the answer. they are basically over-mittens that attach to your handlebars. here's a link: https://www.trails-edge.com/retail/te...mfbikemits.htm
Underneath those you can wear whatever gloves you wear at warmer temperatures.

LesMcLuffAlot

I agree with the previous 2 posters. I have tried riding with mitts and didn't find them as secure. To use the brakes on a flat bar bike, the mitts force you to release all fingers and you only have your thumb wrapped around to hold the bar. Sure mitts are probably warmer but the lobster claw is almost and warm and allows you to keep 2 fingers and your thumb around the bar and use 2 for the brake lever. I feel much more secure this way. This has been my experience.

Yours in cycling, winter or otherwise,

LesMcLuffAlot

Hezz

Check out Cabelas. They have 2-3 different types. ALso try Carhartts work clothes. I think they make some. I take it that you work outside or in a cold environment since you want the insulated pants as your primary pants. If not, polyester microfiber slacks with a light long john underneath work well under a shell for commuting.

https://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...entId=cat21082

Redrom

I'm interested in knowing how cold I could ride in the pearl izumi lobster claws... has anyone who uses them ridden in 15 degrees below zero? I would like to avoid the Pogies if possible.

Part of my selection in products stems from a desire to use natural materials. Leather, wool, cotton; that's what I'm shooting for... if I can't get there I'll fall back on oil based products, but I want to look for natural first.

Along those lines, neither the Cabellas nor the Carhartts are lined with wool... like I said, I'm looking for some pretty specific products...

Hezz

For some reason I was thinking that the flannel in those pants was wool but it is probably a cotton flannel. I should have looked more closely.

Not completely pure but more along the line you are looking for?

https://www.duluthtrading.com/store/c...ture=product_4

There is some amount of acrylic but it doesn't say how much.

fishman473

Redrom, why are you trying to avoid poagies? They work incredibly well to keep your hands warm. I put them on when the temps are consistently below 40 F and leave them on until spring. I just switch which gloves I wear under them and my hands are warm and dry all winter. I have had some good luck wearing liner gloves under leather work gloves, but I have not tried it under 20 F or so.

As for finding natural materials, your best bet is to look for wool base layers. Liner gloves long underwear, etc. Smartwool and Icebreakers make some great stuff. With a couple layers of long underwear you can probably wear your normal pants on the outside, maybe a baggie pair of blue jeans, over top. Otherwise hit the thrift shops, I found some great forest service (or park service?) surplus pants that are mostly wool.

Why are you looking for natural materials? If it is for environmental reasons you should also consider the impacts of producing these "natural" materials such as the pesticides used in the growing of cotton and, well, the entire cattle industry. You should also consider product longevity and product consumption (buying stuff that doesn't work and then never using it) when considering the environmental impacts of your purchases. For example gloves wear out and get lost, but I expect to have my poagies for a long, long time.

ghettocruiser

Pogie question. How easily can I get my hands in and out to give *ahem*.. hand signals .. to other traffic?

fishman473

I suppose it depends on the brand. My Moose Mitts have pretty big holes in the back so they are pretty easy to get in and out of.

ghettocruiser

Are yours this big?

They seem to be halfway to having an insulated fairing on the handlebars.

jgedwa

Some of those Cabela's pants are lined with Polar Fleece. Not exactly natural, but it will work much better for this than the cotton flannel ones. Also, check out the all-wool hunting pants from them. Pricey, but very warm. I got a pair years ago that I modified for bike use: the legs were cut too wide and floppy so I ran a seam up the back of the calf and tightened them up.

jim

arcticbiker

For me, lobster claws are a good choice for temps down to about 5 deg. F or so depending on how long you are riding. Anything over an hour, I need pogies and claws or more. Temps below 0 deg F, I need more help. Usually, I use a hand warmer. No matter what mitten or glove I use, I need pogies at least. Another tip is to keep your torso warm. Wear warm layered clothes that maintain a good core temp. This will improve circulation to your hands. I try to keep moving my hand position and not grip the bars too tightly.

Also, keeping your feet warm is a prioriity. Similar tactics can be used. Good boots with insulated layers. I've switched to stick on feet warmers this year. My Sidi toasters failed.

Redrom

I think that environmental reasons definitely play into my search for natural materials. I recognize that cotton and cattle can be produced in a manner unhealthy for the planet, but they can also be produced in a way that is sustaining and healthy. Don't environmentalists seek out electric cars even though the electricity is most often produced by coal? I suspect that they visualize a time when we all have solar arrays on our houses and produce our own energy for most of our driving. Similarly, I visualize a time when we will (need to) free ourselves from products with oil in their ingredients. I'm interested in learning how Eskimos lived using cotton, wool and animal pelts in temperatures much lower than what we (or at least I) come across on our daily commutes. As we begin our ascent into a post-oil, post-consumer society, how do we adjust and respond? This is what interests me, and fuels my search.

Trust me, I'm a huge fan of Smartwool and Ibex; were I rich I probably would have just bought the Ibex Expedition pants for nearly $300. However, I believe that there are simpler and more cost effective solutions out there to be had. The wool lined cotton pants from Duluth Trading were more like what I was looking for; it would have been nice if they were 100% wool, but it's close enough. They were on sale for $5 off yesterday, and I found an e-coupon for free shipping. $55 total seems reasonable (compared to nearly $300). Wool overpants are great but without a windbreaker they just don't cut it in these temperatures.

I know all about layering. Because of layering it currently takes me 15-20 minutes to get ready for my ride each morning in the winter. I'm looking to add a certain amount of simplicity to my morning ritual. If I had to put on a wool baselayer, I would then have to take it off when I got to work. Not only would that be an inconvenience and waste of time, but my company does not have the facilities for that. If I can take a pair of overpants off like a jacket, and be dressed and ready to work underneath, it makes it more feasible to commute year-round. For half the cost of the pogies I can have the leather mitts, and wool liners. If I have a set of snaps sewn in, I can put them on and take them off as one. Pogies would be one more thing that I leave on my bike and could get stolen when I stop in at the store on my way home. If Pogies are the solution, do I have a set for each bike that I ride in the winter, or have to switch them over each time I take a different bike? Will the same pogies work on all the handlebar types (drop, mustache, mtb bar & bull horns)? No, to me a set of natural mittens that can be turned into patches as they wear out, and eventually composted seems like the right solution.

I'm glad your solution works for you, but one of the reasons people think that a natural solution can't work, is that nobody is talking about it. I'll find the way to make it work, and let everyone know once I'm there.

Thanks!