What do you wear when it's 70 degrees?

[pooks]

I've never biked when it was this temp. It was either roasting outside, or cold. I'm here in my knickers because I've been wearing them around the house this morning because it was cool, but now I'm thinking, are they too long for 70 degrees?

And if I take off riding in short sleeves will I be warm enough? If I wear long sleeves will I be roasting in no time?

Help!

[mimitabby]

well, you have wind chill too.
When I go outside, if i am not cold, i have too many clothes on. If you're going to work out in 70 deg. without the wind chill, short sleeves should be fine.
sounds nice!

[alpinerabbit]

Arm and leg warmers ;-) can be stuck in your jersey pocket once you get warm. That's like 21°C, right?

[DeniseGoldberg]

Seventy degrees is a good riding temperature for me. I'm most likely to be found in shorts and a sleeveless jersey.

If it's windy and edging into the 60s, short sleeves might be found wrapped around my arms, and if it's cooler at the start, I might opt for a sleeveless jersey and a bolero, then shed the extra layer as it warms up.

Keep in mind that I live in the northeast, so it's likely that I'm used to riding in cooler temperatures than you are.

--- Denise

[missymaya]

Do you own a pair of sleeves. I know Peal Izumi and other companies make sleeves that you just pull up over your arms to just underneath the short sleeves of your jersey. When you get hot, you just pull them off! They also make the same thing for leggings as well to where you pull them up to just underneath your shorts.They're really convenient.
Lately, it's been around those temps and a little cooler and all I wear are the sleeves and maybe a lightweight jacket over top, so if I do get hot, I just pull it off. As for the legs, I wear shorts, since the legs are constantly moving. If you start when its sunny out but finish your ride around dusk or later, wear or bring something lightweight that keeps you warm. Also, when do you ride and is that during the high temps? If not, again carry something light so you won't get the chills. That's my advice, hope it helps

[pooks]

I never got around to getting a bolero or arm warmers. I guess I'll just go short-sleeved and see what happens.

I'm probably not going far. I've had trouble with my blood pressure the past few days because (I think) I started taking a new med that caused it to spike. I stopped taking the med -- didn't take it this morning -- but my BP is creeping up. So I'm going to take a ride, take it VERY easy, and see how I feel and then check my BP when I get back!

Thanks for the feedback!

[HillSlugger]

Bike shorts and a short sleeve jersey usually work for me at 70 degrees (21C).

[indysteel]

Seventy degrees? Are you trying to incite a riot? Until yesterday, it was at or below the freezing mark in my neck of the woods. The 12 inches of snow we got last week is starting to melt, but the slop is almost as bad as the snow. It's a mess out there. Needless to say, I'm jealous that you're able to ride at all, let alone in 70-degree weather. I haven't been able to ride since December 28th.

But to your question, I second the short sleaves and shorts. I might bring some arm warmers with me, but I don't bother to cover my knees unless it's 65 degrees or below. I might also wear a wicking base layer of some kind just for an added measure of dryness.

Kate

[Bluetree]

70° is warm to me, personally, so that means shorts and a short-sleeve jersey! But I'm a weather wuss who like things between 50-70° all the time. Fortunately, where I live, that describes about 300 days of the year. Sorry Indy! :o

[CycleTherapy]

Shorts and a short sleeve jersey ! :)

[Bad JuJu]

I don't know much about Texas, but 70 degrees isn't all that hot in Florida. 20+ years of living here has thinned my once-hardy Yankee blood to the point that I'm a weather wimp, and at 70 degrees, you'll find me still cycling in my knickers and maybe a thin long-sleeve top. I like this one from L. L. Bean: Fitness Tee (http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?page=cotton-fitness-tee&categoryId=47009&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&parentCategory=4140&cat4=1189&shop_method=pp&feat=4140-tn) It's very lightweight cotton, treated to have wicking properties, and with a nice zip-neck. If I get hot mid-ride, I just scrunch the sleeves up above my elbows. I find that my legs are still comfy in knickers up to about 75 degrees, depending on humidity.

[7rider]

At 70, I break out the short and ss jerseys.

[Grog]

When that weather comes (!!!), I'll probably enjoy a shortsleeve jersey with armwarmers that I'll eventually take off, or a very light longsleeve jersey. And shorts.

Below 18C I wear shorts with legwarmers. Below 8C I wear shorts with tights on top.

Enjoy! Lucky you.

[crazycanuck]

Ummm so 70F is 21C? Uh..that's not cold!!!

When I start my commute at 5am it's about 18c..not cold at all.

I'm a bit lost..

c

[pooks]

Sunday afternoon it was sunny and 59 degrees and I wore knickers, a long sleeved jersey, and thought I'd be fine. But I rode a very short distance and snagged my new Amici Veloce buff (yay!) and pulled it on. It covered my neck, my ears, my head and I even pulled it up over my chin. Without it, I would have been too cold. (Wind chill, of course.)

So today it was in the mid-60s in my house and I was wearing my knickers around the house and they felt very appropriate. It was hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that at 70, they would be too warm.

Odd that I've ridden when it was pretty nippy, and when it was way too hot (ugh!) but have little to no experience riding when it's NICE.

I think I could get used to this.

(Except for the sun on my skin, which worries me, even with sunscreen. I would have been more comfy in a tank, but even with the sunscreen I got from my dermatologist, I felt like I my arms and face were roasting. Sigh.)

[IFjane]

70 degrees is perfect! - shorts & short sleeves (or no sleeves) for me! I am taking off Thursday afternoon to get out on the road on the bike for the first time in a month & it's supposed to be 57. I'll have arm & knee warmers on unless there is a stiff wind - then I MIGHT wear my tights & jacket.

[pooks]

Those are exactly the reasons I'd like it to be cooler! I love the cool breeze, and need to have my arms covered. Family history of skin cancer, and I've already had a small one removed from my nose!

[Crankin]

Seventy is hard to figure out for me. I'll do shorts above 65, but the top layer is hard. If it's 70 at the start, I'll wear arm warmers and sometimes a vest over short sleeves, so i can peel the layers. If that's the highest it will be, I might be in a thin long sleeved jersey. Denise always has less clothes/layers than me when we ride, but I am slowly getting used to feeling cool at the beginning of a ride. Don't like it, though.

[bcipam]

Shorts even when it's very cold (my legs never get cold) and normally sleeveless if sunny or short sleeves if overcast. Between 65 - 70 degrees is perfect riding weather for me. Anything over that its hot and I get whiny!!!

Saturday here is was in the high 80's. I tried to mountain bike but the heat made me queasy. Sunday it got cooler around 68. Did 54 miles, piece of cake. The temp is a make or break for me.

[pooks]

Me too, Pam. I just don't tolerate heat at all.

[CyclChyk]

Ditto to the shorts and Tee's

And as for 70 degree weather........pleaseeeeeee bring it on!!!

[tygab]

70 degrees. hmm, I'd say it depends on the month.

If it's May, arm and leg warmers, to be removed if the breeze ever dies down.
If it's July, shorts and jersey, because it'll be 85 soon.
If it's January, a swimsuit!

:D

Seriously, it does depend to me what the ancillary weather is like - breezes, humidity, temps rising over the ride or not... but all things being equal, 70 is about the perfect temp here! I don't like to ride much higher than the low 80s.

[annie]

I LOVE it hot. 80's, 90's and I am happy. Crazy, maybe, but true. 70 just doesn't feel all that warm to me. I would wear arm warmers, for sure. And probably either knickers or knee warmers (a little shorter than full leg warmers.) Once moving and armed up, it is easy to shed the arm warmers and either pull the knee warmers up or down. They are one more expense, but so worth it in changing temps. Have fun riding, Pooks!! I hope to be out soon.

annie

[Batbike]

the safe answer: whatever you want that makes YOU comfortable!!

actually, I cut-out something a few years ago from Bicycling Magazine on what to wear when the temperature is XYZ degrees -- it is a really good guideline as to what to wear, but not necessarily exactly what I would wear, but it gets me started in the "general direction". At 70 degrees they suggest base layer: short sleeve jersey and shorts.

so, I would suggest start with base layer and add/subtract based on your internal body temperature -- eveyone is different! good luck.

[bcipam]

I remember at the start of my first century (Tour de Tucson) seeing a woman in front of me wearing shorts and a sleeveless jersey. I don't usually wear much either but at the time it was 45 degrees. I was cold looking at her. Of course I was also wearing a sleeveless jersey but at least had on a bolero.

The coldest I've ever been on a ride... several years back I did a tour through Utah. It was in September. Weather varied alot. I never got it right. Day before I was over dressed. Knowing I had some climbing ahead of me I wore a ss jersey, shorts and arm warmers. Well that morning it was 30 degrees and we had a 10 mile downhill before the climb (which I did not know about). After zooming downhill for 5 miles I lost all feeling in my legs, arms, fingers and I couldn't see - I think my contacts froze. A friend made me stop riding and got me into a local truck stop, took me to the rest room and put me under the arm blower to warm up. I sat under that thing for 20 minutes. We then decided to have coffee and some pastries and waited until it warmed up. By the time we started I was now roasting in ss and wish I wore sleeveless. I just never got it right!