Cool-weather clothes

[skinimini]

It's still summer here in the south, but I'm trying to think ahead for fall and winter. Especially for the southern TE girls, what are the cycling clothes that you find to be favorites/necessity?

Currently, I have arm and leg warmers, a light windbreaker vest and jacket, and one synthetic long-sleeved jersey. For colder days, I have no clue. I see that many people love the smart-wool. Is that too much for warmer climates? We do get cold weather here in Atlanta, just not for months on end.

Any help will be most appreciated!

[Eden]

For cooler weather I like light long fingered gloves, and if it isn't going to warm up, a long sleeve jersey in place of arm warmers.

If it is cold (or cool and wet) I like tights, shoe covers, heavier long finger gloves, wool socks, a hat and a base layer if it is really cold.

[Crankin]

Toe covers might be an option, most of the time, instead of booties, although I have been in Atlanta in the winter and it was cold and rainy.
Lightweight wool layers/wicking base layers, and a good windproof jacket will probably suffice.

[GLC1968]

I lived and rode in North Carolina and wore quite a bit of Smartwool & Ibex back then. It's actually really well suited to winter riding in the south because it breathes and yet still keeps you warm when you aren't moving (stoplights and such). I was comfy in a lightweight wool baselayer or jersey under a wind-breaking type jacket almost all winter.

[KathiCville]

I'm in Virginia and wear Smartwool or Icebreaker tops as light layers under a jacket on really cool or cold days.

One thing you might want to keep in mind as you're planning a winter cycling wardrobe is the value of ZIPPERS on your underlayers. My wool tops are mostly lightweight mock turtleneck 1/4 or 1/2-length zip-ups. The zippers allow me to dial in just the right amount of ventilation. Being able to adjust as I go along makes an amazing difference in comfort on a long ride.

[OakLeaf]

I have several wool base layers for winter in central Florida.

[alpinerabbit]

In addition to all of the above I would recommend a mesh undershirt n(cheap and effective) and maybe windstopper jacket (not cheap). That has not been mentioned yet.

A windstopper tight might also be god in the high 30's (it does get that cold in ATL, doesn't it?)

[Cataboo]

Skinimini,

It's maybe 65 degrees here and I just went for a ride. I've a bit of a cold, so I didn't ride very hard so I probably wore more clothes than I normally do for a ride in these temps. But I had an ibex wool tank/bra on, a short sleeve jersey, and an ibex wool serrano full zip jersey over that - the serrano is fairly thin, but is a great layering piece - keeps you warm, wicks away sweat, and being full zip you can unzip or zip as much as you want... and it does let some wind in to cool you down if you're working hard. I just wore bike shorts on the bottom. I did have leg warmers & a lightweight windshell in my pack.

On a normal ride, I'd have stripped off the serrano probably because I've found that even in 30 or 40 degree weather after I get warmed up and am working hard - I overheat if I'm wearing more than a jersey & shorts... Unless I stop moving, then I freeze. Those rides I'll usually have arm & leg warmers on to remove as needed... I have a fuzzier capri set of bike shorts that I use in the cold. I also might use my mammut ultimate hoody instead of my lightweight windshell... the ultimate hoody basically completely unzips at the pitzips... it's gore windstopper, so it blocks all the wind, but I can also completely regulate my temperature by unzipping the sides or front.

[tctrek]

I also might use my mammut ultimate hoody instead of my lightweight windshell... the ultimate hoody basically completely unzips at the pitzips... it's gore windstopper, so it blocks all the wind, but I can also completely regulate my temperature by unzipping the sides or front.

Catriona, the Mammut Ultimate Hoody advertises a "helmet compatible hood"... does this mean you can put the hood up and put your helmet over it?? Have you ever done that? I plan to ride in very cold weather this winter and need a top layer. I'm wondering if this would be it.

[Cataboo]

Catriona, the Mammut Ultimate Hoody advertises a "helmet compatible hood"... does this mean you can put the hood up and put your helmet over it?? Have you ever done that? I plan to ride in very cold weather this winter and need a top layer. I'm wondering if this would be it.

Tctrek,

I just went and tried a bunch of jackets with helmets... Most of the jackets that advertise helmet compatible hoods are made for skiing helmets which are a lot more rounded & not as long as biking helmets are... Skiing helmets also allow you to open & close the vents, and I'm not sure why biking helmets don't do something like that for a winter helmet.

So I tried them using my giro animas helmet and my limar something or other helmet - my giro has little things that stick out in the back, and my limar is rounded in the back - so all the jackets worked much better with the limar than the giro helmet.

The mammut ultimate hoody - I could put the helmet on over the hood no problem. When I put the hood on over the helmet, it covered all of the helmet but the front above my forehead - so the front vents were still uncovered. I gotta say, I prefer it with the hood underneath, because when you have a hood over your helmet, when you bob your head up and down, it moves your jacket... that was kinda an annoying thing about having a hood over your helmet period.

I tried a few of my other jackets with pitzips, which I thought would have helmet compatible hoods and they did better - but unfortunately most of them are arc'teryx, and all I can say is that they don't quite come cheap.

Hardshells... my arc'teryx theta lt and my theta ar 's hoods had no problem going over the bike helmet down to the visor. The jackets are gore-pro shell (the lt is lighter weight than the ar), so are waterproof, windproof, and have pitzips.

Softshells... The arc'teryx gamma sv hoody's hood also fit completely over the helmet, it's gorewindstopper & has pit zips - and as far as I know arc'teryx only makes it for men, so I have the mens small.

The marmot superhero jacket - the hood covered the helmet slightly more than the mammut ultimate jacket. it doesn't have pitzips (it's got thin fabric at the underarms to vent) and is a thicker windstopper than the ultimate hoody - its pitzips don't unzip as far.
However, it's currently on sale in the rei sale for $77:
http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/793678

[tctrek]

Holy cow -- I want your closet!! Thanks for the tips. I'm going to check out several for this winter. I don't mind spending a bit more for the right outerwear that's going to keep me warm and covered, but still give me a chance to breathe a little ie: with pitzips or other features like that.

[Cataboo]

Holy cow -- I want your closet!! Thanks for the tips. I'm going to check out several for this winter. I don't mind spending a bit more for the right outerwear that's going to keep me warm and covered, but still give me a chance to breathe a little ie: with pitzips or other features like that.

My closet was bought in various bargain sales - can't afford any of this stuff full price.

You're in Atlanta... Check out The Gear revival:
http://www.thegearrevival.com/

I've bought stuff off ebay from them and had a friend who worked for them for a while - they do consignmnet outdoor gear, and the owner used to work in the outdoor industry, so he's friends with a lot of the gear reps and they sell their "sample" lines through him... So you can ocassionally get good deals on their stuff, and their women's gear does not sell very well on ebay typically. They normally get the icebreaker sample line (merino wool) and usually it doesn't sell for all that much in the women's stuff. But given that they sell a lot of the sample lines, most of their stuff is medium.

But I bet you could go in store with your helmet and try on quite a few jackets. You could also do that at REI and given that they currently have their superclearance going on, you may find a great deal.

You can also watch steepandcheap and their related websites for deals.... backcountryoutlet.com has been clearancing a lot of stuff. cleansnipe.com or gearattack.com show you what's on all the backcountry/steepandcheap sites... all of those put one discounted item up till it sells out, if you're not familliar with them. Sometimes great deals can be found.

[Cataboo]

It occured to me that I didn't mention pants - bike shorts with leg warmers for as long as that works... I have fuzzy capris that are endura something or others that come up on bonktown periodically for like $20-30

It is gets really really cold... Wool wise - I've got the ibex energy tights that I use, but mostly I usually wear softshell pants over my bike shorts, wind & water resistant & stretchy. The rei mistral pants are what I normally use... Those are currently in store selling for about $30 in their sale, if they have them still...

Other rei pants that are on sale in store & on their website that you might want to consider:
the rei acme pants:
http://www.rei.com/product/770975

rei taku's are more of a hardshell:
http://www.rei.com/product/770963

[Cataboo]

smartwool wool bottoms are currently on steepandcheap for $15.

If you use mountain bike shoes/pedals & if you're a size 6-7, rei's got some goretex pearl izumi bike shoes for $40 if you just want a winter pair of shoes:
http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/783157

I find booties a mild pain in the butt.

[redrhodie]

The thing that I can't leave home without in winter is a buff. Depending on how cold it is, I either wear it around my neck, or like a balaclava. Even though I'm in the north, I wear a summer weight one year round. I just happened to get that kind, and it's been fine so far, even into the 20s.