winter commuting necessities? (help me shop!)

[Aggie_Ama]

I am a total cold weather weenie.....

I like Smart Wool socks, use toe covers (they work). I have to have a jacket for at least wind stopping. We are in Texas so we don't see much cold, I only go to about 40.

[crazycanuck]

Umm, when you say cold, are we talking about -20C or 5C? (ya never know..)

In terms of lights, we recently purchased Ayup lights (http://www.ayup.com.au/usa-shop-kits.html) and love them! We've used Cateye double shots etc but these things are bright & VERY VERY light!!! (i'll have to take some photos)

Long sleeved jerseys & something to cover your knees..

Since you mentioned we should help you shop...www.groundeffect.co.nz ( get an Ice Queen or a Ristroetto, Popsicle, Montezumas, Lucifers and some Zig Zags)

www.mec.ca-Cool Canuck co-op

[amy]

Umm, when you say cold, are we talking about -20C or 5C? (ya never know..)

In terms of lights, we recently purchased Ayup lights (http://www.ayup.com.au/usa-shop-kits.html) and love them! We've used Cateye double shots etc but these things are bright & VERY VERY light!!! (i'll have to take some photos)

Long sleeved jerseys & something to cover your knees..

Since you mentioned we should help you shop...www.groundeffect.co.nz ( get an Ice Queen or a Ristroetto, Popsicle, Montezumas, Lucifers and some Zig Zags)

www.mec.ca-Cool Canuck co-op

WOW! I am so bad with cold. It's why I moved to California. But after seeing this shopping list, I'm excited to give it a try.

[sfa]

What about glasses? In good weather, I wear sunglasses pretty much all the time, but haven't thought about eyewear for cold/dark--I'm just thinking how much my eyes sting and water when they are whipped by the wind in the winter when I'm standing still and how much worse that would be on a bike. Any suggestions?

Sarah

[Becky]

What about glasses? In good weather, I wear sunglasses pretty much all the time, but haven't thought about eyewear for cold/dark--I'm just thinking how much my eyes sting and water when they are whipped by the wind in the winter when I'm standing still and how much worse that would be on a bike. Any suggestions?

Sarah

I wear a pair of $5 clear wraparound safety glasses from Home Depot for dark commutes. Cheap, easily replaced when scratched, and no constant switching of lenses in my interchangeable sunglasses- switching morning and night was making me crazy.

Orange--->brown photochromatic lenses for just about everything else.

[Geonz]

I got "squall" shoes from Lands End for reasonable price and they're amazing. No wet feet!

[tulip]

I found that layering is very important, and being visible because of winter darkness. When it was really cold (in the 20sF) I wore an old cashmere cardigan as one of my layers. It was the best! It had holes in it and was no longer presentable as a regular sweater.

Also a skull cap under the helmet will help alot. I also was fine with two pairs of socks, one being wool. You might need to get some larger winter cycling shoes.

My favorite gloves for winter are Pearl Izumi Lobster gloves, but ski gloves are also quite warm and sometimes cheaper.

[Becky]

There are some awesome ideas here! These forums are such a great resource.

I went through my skiing and cycling stuff last night, and I have a fair amount of stuff already. I even found my yellow Illuminite wind shell, which should be perfect for cool commutes. (If you haven't tried Illuminite, check it out- it's so cool!) I did order some booties, gloves, and a soft shell. We'll see how far that gets me once the mercury dips.

[7rider]

I went through my skiing and cycling stuff last night, and I have a fair amount of stuff already.

I find that most of my skiing stuff slides over easily into cycling duty when the need arises, and vice versa.