Cool Weather Wear

I bought a road bike back in June, and LOVE IT! As a mtn biker, I never thought I would get a road bike. Now I hardly ever hit the trails! Luckily we still have over a month of warmer weather here in North Georgia, but as it begins to get cooler I am curious to know what type of cycling wear to buy for riding in 50-60 degree weather. I see arm warmers, knee warmers, leg warmers, windbreaker shells, base layers, full finger gloves, full length bike pants . . . . on and on and on. . . . anyone have any advice as to what to buy? Not wanting to spend a ton of money, but appreciate quality stuff!

For 50-60 degree weather:
--arm warmers are your friend. definitely get at least one pair, I have several in different weights (um and colors :o). I would also suggest a vest and LIGHT windbreaker (something like the Pearl Izumi Optik jacket). You may not need long sleeve jerseys if it doesn't get much below 50. I find that a silkweight, long-sleeve long underwear top under a short sleeve jersey is good for around 50-55 too, if it's not going to get warmer later in the ride. If it's in that temp range and windy, you WILL want a jacket.

--I've lived most of my life in a coldish climate (Vermont), so I may have different tolerance than you (though I HATE being cold). But for 50-60 degrees, I'm not sure I'd go out and buy lots of tights. Maybe one pair to have on hand in case of emergency :). (I'm actually a big fan of Sugoi's Midzero and Subzero tights, which are for much colder weather than you've mentioned, but are pretty weather-resistant if you happen to encounter wind and precipitation). But for me, 50-60 degrees would be knicker weather. I have some leg warmers but I find them such a pain that I haven't bothered to invest in knee warmers. They are unflattering (grippers go under shorts at about the fattest part of your thigh, creating bulges even if you fancy yourself to have firm or relatively lean thighs), they slide down sometimes while you're riding... And I'm rarely in a situation where I really need tights, and then shorts later -- usually I can get by with wearing knickers in in-between weather, or I can put up with being a teeny bit chilly at first in shorts. With arm warmers, on the other hand, I really find that flexibility (start out with arm warmers, push them down as you warm up, then pull them back up as the wind changes or you go from climbing to descending) to be very useful.

--I would probably invest in a pair of lightweight full-finger gloves, between 45 and low 50s you may want to have them. I have a pair of Terry light full finger gloves (I think TE sells them) which I like very much.

--I don't do shoe covers until maybe 30 degrees and under, but some people seem to wear toe covers at warmer temps...

So that's what I do, but your mileage may vary :).

Good luck!!!

Do a search of the forums...there's lots of good advice about clothing :)

That said, in the 50s and 60s, I reach for arm warmers, knee warmers, and a lightweight vest. If I know that it's not getting above high 50s, I might wear knickers instead of shorts and knee warmers, and a summerweight long-sleeve jersey. My hands get cold really easily, so I'll often wear a pair of Manzella silkweight windstopper gloves over my cycling gloves once it's below 60.

All of these pieces are really lightweight and smushable, so they fit well in jersey pockets if I get too warm. It all really depends on how cold it is when I start, how much it's going to warm up, and how hard I'm working.

Data weenie that I am, I actually started keeping a spreadsheet of what I wore for a particular temperature. By next spring, I should have a good picture of what clothing works at what temp.

What Liza said. I, too, am a big fan of knickers. I especially like my Shebeest Shindiggers because they hit me mid-calf and are good for temps in the 50s. For lightweight tights, you might try the Sugoi Helix tight. I actually wear these even in cold weather over knickers and prefer them over thicker tights. Add arm warmers, a light, breathable jacket and full-fingered gloves and you should be good to go. Toe covers and wool socks are nice to have, too.

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Originally Posted by Becky

Data weenie that I am, I actually started keeping a spreadsheet of what I wore for a particular temperature. By next spring, I should have a good picture of what clothing works at what temp.

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I did this for running a few years ago. I actually do refer back to it each year as the temps change and I can't remember what's comfortable for running when it's 25 degrees out :D.

AND:
I have a winter sock wardrobe. In the summer I wear super thin unpadded nylon-lycra (or something) super-low cut socks for running and cycling. Once the weather gets cooler (and I'm wearing tights) I switch to unpadded, quarter-length merino socks from Defeet, Sockguy and Smartwool. I'm not SURE it makes a difference but they definitely make me FEEL cozier :).

If you already have several pairs of shorts and jerseys I'd say the cheapest option would be leg warmers OR light unpadded tights (the leg warmers do fine on me, the tights are a little sleeker but warmer), midcalf thin wool socks, arm warmers, a vest and thin fullfinger gloves. I prefer covering everything with a thin layer instead of leaving skin exposed as with knickers, but we tend to get wet weather around now.

There's a bit of difference in arm/leg warmers though - I have Assos arm warmers which are very sturdy, thick and warm (the grippers are almost annoyingly "sturdy") but Sportful leg warmers, which are very thin and breathable, and look like they might get sloppy around the knee with use.

I do the spreadsheet thing too - invaluable whenever the seasons change :p

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Originally Posted by liza

Once the weather gets cooler (and I'm wearing tights) I switch to unpadded, quarter-length merino socks from Defeet, Sockguy and Smartwool. I'm not SURE it makes a difference but they definitely make me FEEL cozier :).

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I own several pairs of Defeet Wooleators, and I think that they definitely make a difference once it turns cool. If the toes are happy, I'm happy!

I'm in Arkansas that has warmer temps in the fall and early winter months. What I found works for me is wearing capris paired with a short sleeve jersey and vest in temps of 65 F or so. With temps of 60 F or so, I'll put on a summer weight long sleeve jersey and a vest and capris. In the dead of winter I'll wear a wool jersey with a wool tank underneath, bike shorts paired with a pair of fleecy tights, and a jacket. Or I'll wear a jersey with windblock and a wool tank . I have worn a helmet cover in the past but this year I'm going with a cap under the helmet so that I don't look like a mushroom.

Lots of wonderful threads have already been written on the forum about cool weather biking wear. Try searching for terms like ""cool weather", "cold weather", "warm gloves", "wool clothing", etc....and you will find more great info than you could ever imagine! :) Some threads are about really cold weather biking (0-30 degrees) and others are about temps in the 50-60s, like yours.
The search tool is near the top of your screen, between "New posts" and "Quick links". Have fun!

In cool weather, I'll wear a long sleeve summer weight baselayer and knee warmers. Or, I might break out my new fleece bib knickers that (due to many problems with the team kit order) arrived after it had gotten hot. I will still wear fingerless gloves till it gets under 50 degrees, typically. I may put on toe covers. I may also use a light coolmax scullcap.

In the winter, I'll wear a winter weight baselayer, jersey, and either a thermal vest or a fleece jacket (with wind panel). I don't really like my tights, so those only come out when it's REALLY cold. I typically just wear shorts with leg warmers, with toe covers or booties. I'd love to get some fleeced, padded bib tights, but those are so hard to come by in sizes that work for me. Long fingered lightweight gloves to serious winter gloves, depending. I also wear a fleece skullcap that goes over my ears and has a wind panel on the front.

Hey!

I am in atlanta too!

Where have you been riding in north georgia? Luckily for us it does not get as cold as it does for some of our northern friends :-)

Thanks for all the great posts. I think I have my 'starter' shopping list! I think I'm going to try the knickers. I can appreciate the comments about the knee warmers being bulky and not flattering. I think I'm going to get:
- Knickers
- Arm warmers
- full finger gloves
- Vest

The other thing that seems to bother me is my ears. Does anyone else have that problem?

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Originally Posted by kacie tri-ing

Hey!

I am in atlanta too!

Where have you been riding in north georgia? Luckily for us it does not get as cold as it does for some of our northern friends :-)

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Hi,
I have been up in Dahlonega a couple of times to ride the gaps. I hope to get up there more during the fall!

I agree with all of the above. I have a Pearl Izumi jacket and the sleeves zip off to make it a vest. I just bought arm warmers. I usually wear a long-sleeve microfiber shirt under short-sleeve jerseys and tights over my bike shorts. My hands got the coldest so I am trying a different pair of long-finger gloves this year. I also wear a microfiber hat or headband under my helmet.