Clothing for a cross country?

Hello all,
I have signed up for the Women Tours southern tier trip from San Diego to St. Augistine, FL leaving March 6th. To hear all the other participants talk about their fancy bikes and fancy clothes, I'm beginning to get a little nervous. I have never done a longer ride than the MS 150 three years ago. The coldest I have ridden in is about 45 degrees, last November. Physically I think I'm ready. But I'm very worried about clothing.:(

I don't have boots for over my shoes, I don't have fancy gloves (I've used cotton gloves under my summer biking gloves) and I don't have special riding pants. What I do have is a very light rain jacket (by Rain Shield http://www.rainshield.com/p_cycling.html), a wind-breaker type jacket by Gore, and running pants in three different thicknessess.

Does anyone know what the weather is like in southern California (San Diego, Alpine, Jacumba, Brawley, then Blythe, CA) in the beginning of March? Although it is finally above zero here in Minnesota, the roads are still WAY too icy to venture out on so I'm not going to get a chance to try any clothing suggestions before my trip. Also, I don't have a lot to spend on fancy stuff. But any suggestions for clothing ideas would be appreciated! Thanks for your help. :confused:

You might ask the tour organizers for suggestions on what to bring. You don't have to have fancy clothes per se, just things that serve their function or multiple functions. You'll likely want to buy some things that are versatile and that help you go from a chilly morning to a warmer afternoon without too much effort. For instance, a wind/rain jacket with detachable sleeves, arm warmers, leg warmers, toe covers, knickers, maybe a bolero. I'm not sure if your running pants are tights or just workout pants, but you'll probably want to invest in a pair of unpadded tights. It wouldn't hurt to have some kind of headcovering for both cold and rain and longfinger gloves. And unless you want to do laundry every night, you should have a few pairs of relatively new shorts, some jerseys (both long and shortsleeve) and a couple pairs of short-fingered gloves.

You might finds some deals on eBay. Otherwise, check for sales at online stores like REI, Sierra Trading Post, Campmor, Nashbar and Performance. Whatever else you buy cheap, don't scrimp on shorts. You're going to be spending some serious time in the saddle and it will not do to have cheap shorts.

Thanks for the feedback. I have running tights and I have layered them successfully on some of my colder rides. I think you're right that I need to invest in gloves and neoprene boots. I hate to spend a lot of money on something I may not use after this trip but I'd hate it more if I felt I had to get in the van because I was too cold. Thanks again!

As stated before, check with the tour organizer, they should have some suggestions. Washable and versatile are the key. Think layers. I've travelled to somewhere it should have been warm, but they had a cold snap. Put on nearly everything I brought and got out riding.

That said, you list MN in your profile. Are you at all fair skinned? If so, I'd be considering a long-sleeved SPF jersey and a pair of light weight knickers in case your sunscreen fails you. Whenever I bike travel, I always pack the long-sleve and knickers. About 1 trip in 3 I need to engage the cloth "sunscreen".

I've ridden in clammy-chilly-damp Washington and sunny-warm/cool California in wool from Ibex. www.ibexwear.com

One nice thing about wool is it doesn't need to be washed often (shorts you should wash!) and when you do wash it a normal washing machine on "cold" does the trick. Air dry. It dries overnight most of the time.

Layers of wool keep me nice and warm, one light layer keeps me from sunburn. (I burn quickly. I also have a 50 upf shirt for hot sunny summer days.)

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/annesoutherntier2007

Last year a woman on here posted abit about her trip, and her whole day by day blog is here. It might be a little overwhelming trying to read it all at once because as I recall there were some lengthy entries. I was reading it everyday because a friend of mine was actually ON that trip.

I do know that after a certain point many of the participants mailed their colder weather gear home, but unfortunately they did so a few days too early and I think one lady got a little hypothermic. I think you'll find you need to have the ability to add or remove layers as the trip progresses.

You will be in the saddle for some 56 LONG days. If I were doing this I'd spring for 3 pr brand spanking new Terry T-shorts WITH chamois, a couple bottles of chamois butter, and a pair of cold weather tights with wind protection, and a medium weight pair, with wind type fabric as well. Get the tights without chamois. You'll want to wash 1 pr shorts each night, but you'll always have a clean and dry one to put on. Alternate the tights as as needed, but they won't need washing every day. If it's really cold and or windy, add the rain pants on top. And sunblock on your face every day. EVERY day. You might need to buy the tights now while the stores still have them in stock.

Same principle for tops - layers. Wicking base layers are worth their weight in gold.

Ride and have fun! And be sure to post here when you can.

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Originally Posted by captenaj

Thanks for the feedback. I have running tights and I have layered them successfully on some of my colder rides. I think you're right that I need to invest in gloves and neoprene boots. I hate to spend a lot of money on something I may not use after this trip but I'd hate it more if I felt I had to get in the van because I was too cold. Thanks again!

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There's no reason to think that you won't use all or most of this stuff again. If you live in MN, then there's a fair number of days I would assume that you could use some cold weather gear.

I'm a gear junkie. I love the stuff and spend far more on it than I care to admit. The reason, however, that I don't feel too guilty about it is that I use all of it on a regular basis. I can only think of a few items that haven't gotten good use. End even if you don't use this stuff again, you've commited to a major trip that was presumably pretty expensive. If you want to have a good time (and there's nothing worse than spending a day on teh bike cold and/or wet), then I'd recommend investing in the right gear.

And you can always sell what you don't think you'll use again.....

Finally, I would suggest posting on TE what your'e hoping to buy. There may be some TEers who have some things to sell.

Hi! I am registered for the 2009 Cross Country Tour to celebrate my 50th birthday. I am sure you will have an awesome journey. I am looking forward to hearing from you when you return as to what your recommendations are for gear, training etc. Best wishes!
Stacy