Gloves or mittens for BELOW freezing

[flash]

I love my new Louis Garneau WindTex lobster gloves. They are lightly lined with warm fleece, but also super-super windproof. So far I have trained and raced with them at temps as low as 18F ... comfortably. I'm planning to add a liner glove and/or hand warmers if the temperatures get closer to 0F.

[Melalvai]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll think about it and let you know what I try. I want to make a decision pretty quick because it is sure not getting warmer.

I love my merino wool undershirt, although I'm slightly traumatized by owning something labeled "undershirt" that cost $70! This undershirt plus a light windbreaker is all I have needed to wear on top even on the coldest days. (If rain threatens I wear my new goretex rain jacket, which is actually too warm. However, since I got it, it hasn't rained, leading me to believe that goretex doesn't keep rain off the wearer, it keeps rain off the ENTIRE CITY!)

Anyway, I've enjoyed the shirt so much I'm inclined toward merino wool glove liners. By the way, the gloves I was disappointed in are Phantom Gloves from Gore. They are not Goretex material but they are the same company.

SadieKate, I honestly thought California was warmer because it's on the coast. I didn't know parts of it get snow. Your correction of my misconception could have contained less ridicule.

[SadieKate]

What? You need a smilie face? Maine is on the coast also.



There. I maxed out the smilie limit. That better?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Melalvai,
Some of us who have Goretex rain jackets find them to be too sweaty and non-breathable. If you sweat and then get cold, it's not good.
I tend to wear several merino layers to keep warm, and maybe a windresistant VEST on top, so my arms can breathe.

Just remember if you layer gloves, get the outer ones in larger sizes, maybe even men's sizes. The extra air layers in between gloves help keep your hands even warmer. Same with wool socks- too tightly packed and they hinder circulation and keep you less warm because of less air/insulation layers.

Those BarMitts might be good for some people and probably very warm....but I'd be creeped out by the feeling of not being able to get my hands out to the side instantly for signaling and other possible emergencies. I can't imagine them in a busy traffic environment. Maybe it's just a psychological thing, but still.

Personally, I never pay much attention to winter clothing advice from Californians either.

[SadieKate]

Personally, I never pay much attention to winter clothing advice from Californians either.

Neither did the Donner Party.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Neither did the Donner Party.

Well I could always eat my gloves I suppose. Or a Californian cyclist or two.

[maillotpois]

What? You need a smilie face? Maine is on the coast also.

I've lived on both balmy coasts - CA and ME. ME tended to freeze the nose hairs. CA has in the past frozen my water bottles while riding.

Some of us don't live in CA for the beaches.

[michelem]

"CA has in the past frozen my water bottles while riding."

Oh! I've had that happen as well! However, my PI AmFib gloves kept my fingers toasty (thanks Santa!).

[snapdragen]

What people in the tiny eastern states don't seem to realize is California is more than beaches, which if you're in the north are very likely to be foggy. There are alpine mountains to lose flat lander cyclists in, deserts (Hello Mojave!), and the central valley that probably provides a good amount of the produce we all eat. The climate ranges from arid to subarctic, temperatures have been recorded from minus 45° to 134° F. Annual rainfall has exceeded 161 inches in some places, while other points have gone for more than a year with no measurable rain. There is lots of snow for playing in the Sierras, providing the roads can stay open. It is not uncommon for them to be closed due to snow.

And that my doubting Thomases is your California geography and climate lesson for the day.

[Tri Girl]

Ok, ok- we are now all well-versed in California geography and climate. Having been born in Yorba Linda and lived in the OC, many of us can attest for the many climatological differences in that state. Enough already. It's like the generalization that all people in Oklahoma live on farms and have cows and play cowboys and "indians" out on the Plains. Most people just assume that California is warm because lots of it usually is (although you're now getting pounded with strange snow and such- so weird).

I'm glad you started this thread, Melalvai, because I was wondering the same thing. I just can't keep my toes and hands warm no matter how much great advice I get on this topic from these wonderfully wise women here on the board. I keep trying new combinations, hoping I can find something to keep the digits somewhat warm. No luck yet, but I have hopes for warm toesies and fingers... some day.