layering! please give me a how to!

[MightyMitre]

Cool idea. Sometimes I just wear my vest and get a bit cold but to be able to take the arms and zip them on if need been sounds great. What brand is your jacket?

[jobob]

My jacket is a Pearl Izumi "Vagabond" jacket - I bought mine at the LBS, but you can also find it via mail order from a variety of places, including our fine site sponsor

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=10502

Mine is in a fetching shade of coral-ish red, which matches the color my face takes on after a long uphill or in cold weather (color coordination being key, after all ....). I think TE only carries it in blue, but it looks like a very nice color.

I thought long & hard before I bought it, I thought it was awfully pricey and I couldn't find it for any less than full retail <cough, cough>, but it turns out to be the most versatile piece of cycling clothing I own and well worth the price.

If you look under "vests" in the TE site you'll find a variety of jackets that can convert to vests. I believe alll of the jackets on this page below have zip-off sleeves:

http://www.teamestrogen.com/categories.asp?catID=34

Also, Cannondale makes one - I had originally bought the Cannondale convertible jacket but the sleeves were ludicrously long so I returned it.

[MightyMitre]

Nice jacket!

Mine is in a fetching shade of coral-ish red, which matches the color my face takes on after a long uphill or in cold weather (color coordination being key, after all ....).

LOL - face/jacket co-ordination. Now there's a thought !!

[Veronica]

I have two jackets. One is a bright yellow Canari with zip off sleeves. The other I just bought a couple of weeks from TE because the Canari is really more of a windstopper than a rain stopper. It soaked through in a torrential downpour on my very short commute to work.

So I got this one
Sugoi Jacket

It was expensive but it stops the wind even better than the Canari and hopefully the water too. I haven't been out in as fierce a storm yet. The pit zips help to keep me pretty well ventilated.

Veronica

[Trek420]

MightyMitre wrote ~ I heard some story earlier in the year about Bush falling off a mountain bike and grazing his face! Don't like the sound of his bike handling skills.

his facial injuries would have been worse but he was wearing...a mouth guard. a mouth gaurd!!? on a bike? He fell off a Segway too....this is not boxing, there's no mouth guards in cycling.. sheesh kabob, well not to politicize the board but still completely bumbed out. Canada sounds good, my sister's invited me to Norway....

[MightyMitre]

Like the Sugoi jacket too. The pit zips would suit me too. I like to be warm but at the same time I like some ventilation.

Trek 420 - Norway sounds like a good option. Can I come too? I bet there's some nice mtb riding in the summer. They also have a road ride there in the summer where you ride from sunrise to sunset. Can't remember the name of it but they get loads of people taking part.

But don't forget to take your mouth guard.....!!!

[newfsmith]

Originally posted by pedalfaster
Yes the lobsters keep your hands warmer than gloves. Same idea as mittens, but with more dexterity. Skip the liners; you want skin-on-skin contact. Braking and shifting is not any more difficult than with other full-fingered gloves. .

I have had the opposite experience. The first winter I commuted I used pogies made by Terry, "Bullwinkles" These were great for warmth, dexterity, and wind protection down to 0F/-18C. However, I did have a safety concern in traffic; everytime I made a hand signal, it was a bit awkward getting my hand back into the pogie (& onto the handlebar) while riding. So I bought Lobsters. I was quite disappointed because my fingers were cold as soon as the temp dropped below freezing. Wool mittens topped with leather mitts were much warmer, but obviously not as dextrous. I finally tried some Descente liner gloves with the lobsters, and that made all the difference. The combination is as good as the pogies but are much better for hand signals.

[pedalfaster]

Originally posted by newfsmith
I have had the opposite experience.... I finally tried some Descente liner gloves with the lobsters, and that made all the difference.

newfsmith,

Thanks for posting this. I *should* have posted a disclaimer that my winter commute is generally in the 20-30F range.

Good to know that liners can extend the temp range of the lobsters!

-pedalfaster <--wimpy commuter

[Trek420]

MightyMitre

you may be thinking of The Great Test of Strength which is a ride from Trondheim to Oslo. Pro riders do it in a day or under, mere mortals take two days. BYOC, that's bring your own crew, it's totally unsuported. My sister and brother in law have been trying to get me to go, maybe i will!

Oh, back to the subject at hand I know that they (Norwegian side o' the fambly) often bike to work in the Northern Norway winter and they use....Lobsters

[MightyMitre]

Oh, back to the subject at hand I know that they (Norwegian side o' the fambly) often bike to work in the Northern Norway winter and they use....Lobsters

Hee- hee ! Nicely done Trek.

My apologies to others for veering off the subject.