Winter is coming

[calebdelaney]

Hi there..new to the board. I have been riding since May. Just got off the couch in years in January and since then have completed two triathlons, several long rides (including 73 miles) and I am about to do a century.

That being said (and yes I wanted to toot my own horn a bit ) it is getting cold out here. What do I need. May I also add that my children do need new winter clothes so I do not have an endless reserve of cash for my new hobby.

All I have right now is a pair of cold weather under armor tights. Those I had to get at the beginning of the year as it was cold on some evening rides. And since I showed up to one one of those rides with sweatpants tucked into my white socks and all but got laughed off my bike I thought it was time to buy. Not to mention the second time I tried the same look my pant leg got stuck in my chain as we were crossing a very busy street!

Anyway, clothes, warmers, what do I need?

[KnottedYet]

My favorite is wool. Mostly I deal with damp and chilly, and wool works great for that. Expensive stuff, but you can find it on sale here and there. (biking knickers, socks, shirt, sweater, helmet liner, gloves)

I also wear man-made fiber running pants (nice tight cuffs) over biking shorts. But I find wool keeps me more comfortable.

Windpants/rainpants over whatever you are wearing can be a great comfort. I have a pair of hiking pants with elastic ankles and zippers on the side, they're nice for venting.

Try Sierra Trading Post ( www.sierratradingpost.com ) and the REI outlet ( www.rei-outlet.com ) for stuff at really good prices. I got a pair of wool long underwear bottoms for about $20, rainpants for about $20. It seems like if I get the legs taken care of, the rest of my warmer clothes can just come from what I already have for everyday wear.

[indigoiis]

I am in a similar budgetary dilemma as yourself.
Here's what I am already doing, as it has already started to chill a mite.

I wore slim fitting lyrca/breatheable yoga pants (Salvation Army, $3) over my cycling shorts, and where the ankles flared, I wrapped one of those velcro straps (Home Depot, $1) around to hold them close to the ankle to avoid tangling into the chain.

I wore a slim fitting breatheable long underwear shirt ($25 at Kenyon mills but I just found one online for your for only $13.95 here) I had had from hiking under my jersey the other day. Kind of had that punk / skater look going. It was cute.

Socks? Go with alpaca socks. They are lightweight, breatheable, not scratchy, and come from wicked cute animals. Here's a link: sale on alpaca sport socks at Sierra Trading Post

[RoadRaven]

If you are on a budget, here's something you can do to keep your feet warm... the Scots blood in me really likes a no cost solution to a problem...

I just posted an answer in another thread which fits well here, so forgive if I copy and paste:

From this thread : Toe Covers
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=18699

You could always do what I do most of the time .... socks, plastic bags to fit over toes and most of foot but cut down so they are not sticking out the tops of your shoes, then your shoes.

Works a treat for cold days, frosty mornings, or polar blasts...
I use most often supermarket bags - a double layer if really cold day.
Bread bags are better because the plastic is thicker, but in our house it is easier to find supermarket bags.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Look for merino wool sweaters in thrift shops and Salvation Army. Merino is usually quite thin and soft but very warm.
Real wool is a good bet because if you take good care of it it will last you for years. In cold weather you don't sweat much and real wool does not get bacteria-caused body odor easily (like man-made fabrics do)- so you can probably wear wool items several times before needing to wash them.
You don't say where you live or hold cold it gets....but with your Underarmour leggings and then a thick pair of polarfleece pants/wool leggings/or windproof tights over them, you can bike into some pretty cold weather.

Get a warm helmet liner to keep your head and ears warm (look here on TE shopping area)- that helps a lot.
The hardest parts for me in temps in the 20'sF to keep warm are hands and feet. Again, 100% wool glove liners and good wool socks will serve you well. Since wool doesn't get smelly easily- you can often wear your wool socks several times before washing them.
You want to try to break up the cold wind on the outside....wear a warm thin top or two, covered by a good windbreaker. The windbreaker will keep your warm body heat in.
You don't really need a giant wardrobe- if you get a few good quality items, you can wear them over and over in the cold. Wearing 2 or 3 thin layers works better than one bulky layer.

[Torrilin]

I got a truly amazing haul at a thrift shop yesterday. 3 lightweight wool sweaters, for about $15. A pair of wool pants for $10. 2 of the sweaters go to my partner, who is a wee short on snuggly wool. The pants are for me. I should be able to bag another sweater or two for him for under $15. Add in some wool pants for each of us, and we'll have much of our layering taken care of.

Long underwear is also on the list. I'm watching the local Land's End Not Quite Perfect store for cheap silk long underwear. Keep your eyes open, you may have something similar nearby.

I have a respectable supply of handknit wool socks (yay for hobbies), and am working on his sock supply. Turning entertainment budget dollars into clothes doesn't work for everyone tho *g*. There are often good sales on wool socks in January. Same for other woolies.

I haven't figured out outer layers fully yet. I suspect it will vary based on conditions.