knickers vs tights (cold weather prepartions)

[sundial]

Still like the idea of the bib-tights if I can swing the price.

Bib tights....very comfie around the waist, kinda difficult to navigate around it when one needs to really pee.

[Catrin]

Bib tights....very comfie around the waist, kinda difficult to navigate around it when one needs to really pee.

I love my drop-tail bib shorts - and I figure that bibs will be warmer in the winter anyway. But I am not going to bare my butt in 20 degree weather So, will just have to plan my winter routes with facilities in mind

Or just break down and get the drop-tail tights to go along with my summer drop-tail bibs...

[Crankin]

I can't imagine wearing knickers at 45 degrees! Or saving tights for below freezing. Of course, I used to wear mid weight wool jerseys at 65, but now I can wear short sleeved regular jerseys.
I also wear unpadded tights over my regular shorts, with wool socks ( I have 3 different thicknesses/lengths). This way, I can wear the tights for hiking or even x country skiing on a warmer day. I occasionally wear my wool/windproof Ibex tights that I bought for skiing, for riding. If it's that cold, it's usually just an errand or casual cruise on the hybrid. I don't regularly ride once the snow falls.
I bought a pair of padded Gore tights from someone on TE. I know she is as petite as me, but I cannot stand the chamois. It feels like a diaper. It's like spilling over the sides of the crease of my legs/body. I wear them because I feel guilty about spending the $ on something I really didn't need.
Your weather sounds like ours... one year hardly anything, next year blizzards galore.

[Catrin]

...
I bought a pair of padded Gore tights from someone on TE. I know she is as petite as me, but I cannot stand the chamois. It feels like a diaper. It's like spilling over the sides of the crease of my legs/body. I wear them because I feel guilty about spending the $ on something I really didn't need.
Your weather sounds like ours... one year hardly anything, next year blizzards galore.

There goes the Gore bib-tights idea then - well, I have time. Have to save the pennies and quarters up anyway...

Central Indiana does get interesting winter weather. Certainly not southern, but not that far north either - so we get everything.

[indysteel]

I personally don't like Gore's chamois, but that's personal. Frankly. I think there are other options out there that will work just as well for far less money. Do you have everything else you'll need for winter riding? Hat, balaclava, windproof gloves, a good baselayer?

Winter riding is a crapshoot in Indiana. For several years, I was simply unable to get out from the first of January to the beginning of March. It's not just that it's cold: it's rainy or snowy and very windy. This past January, there were some cold (15 or so degree) but dry and sunny days that I was able to ride, albeit for short distances. I tend to think they're the exception, not the norm, however. So, that leaves November and December, where the weather on semi-decent days is near freezing or just a bit below.

I guess what I'm trying to say is be sure you're really into winter riding before dropping serious coin on tights. I like it a point myself, but after that point...I go to yoga or spinning.

[Catrin]

I personally don't like Gore's chamois, but that's personal. Frankly. I think there are other options out there that will work just as well for far less money. Do you have everything else you'll need for winter riding? Hat, balaclava, windproof gloves, a good baselayer? ...

I guess what I'm trying to say is be sure you're really into winter riding before dropping serious coin on tights. I like it a point myself, but after that point...I go to yoga or spinning.

I have a good baselayer, thermal jacket and leg warmers, I pretty much need everything else. I do see that there are less expensive options for tights rather than the really pricey varieties. Last winter I did learn that I enjoy being out in temps above 24-25... but of course my riding style has changed a bit since then

Just mulling over what I need, and separating that from what I want. Not that I have a weakness for buying bike stuff. Nope. Not me

[indysteel]

I have a good baselayer, thermal jacket and leg warmers, I pretty much need everything else. I do see that there are less expensive options for tights rather than the really pricey varieties. Last winter I did learn that I enjoy being out in temps above 24-25... but of course my riding style has changed a bit since then

Just mulling over what I need, and separating that from what I want. Not that I have a weakness for buying bike stuff. Nope. Not me

In building a winter wardrobe, I think a sensible approach--and keep in mind I'm a fiscally conservative bankruptcy attorney--is to buy items that can be layered and to start with items that are suited for the cool and cold conditions you're most likely to ride in, which from my personal experience in Indiana are around the freezing mark and upwards. Like you, I've ridden on days with temps that were 25 degrees or less, but they're fewer and farer between, because there are other factors, like precipitation and wind, that often limit the feasability of those days. You may find that if you invest in pieces that you can layer, you will have enough to cover those really cold days, and you won't need to spend much extra money on pieces specifically for those conditions.

For instance, when I rode this past January in 15-degree weather, I wore my Shebeest knickers under my cheap Sugoi tights (the same ones I wear in cool weather); a wool baselayer, a long sleeve jersey, and Gore Windstopper jacket (the best piece of gear that I've ever spent money on); windproof gloves and glove liners, wool socks with charcoal toe warmers, a hat and balaclava. With the exception of the windproof gloves and the balaclava, these are the same items that I wear on cool days; I just wear fewer of them.

Now don't get me wrong, all of the above mentioned stuff cost money and added together wasn't cheap, but I always keep my eyes out for sales and rarely buy top-of-the-line unless it is on sale. There are deals out there; you just have to scour the web for them sometimes.

While this doesn't help you this season, the best time to look for winter clothing is on the sale rack in the spring and summer. Remember, too, that winter riding gear often does not have to be cycling or athletic specific. A cashmere sweater from the thrift shop will serve you as well as a Smartwool baselayer. In the very least, I'd encourage you to look on Craigslist or post a WTB thread on here and on CIBA's website.

Just my two cents; YMMV.

[Becky]

I can't imagine wearing knickers at 45 degrees! Or saving tights for below freezing.

If it's 45 degrees when I leave in the morning, and it's going to be 55+ by the time I get home, I'll just wear the insulated knickers. Less stuff to carry when I do warm up....

My windproof tights are ridiculously warm....temps above freezing, and I get chilled from the sweat

In the end, everyone's personal thermostat is just a little bit different and, IME, varies under different conditions. I'm the chick huddled under a blanket in the office, but wearing knickers on the bike at 45 degrees.