gloves....

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I think that if you continue to do shorter rides as it gets colder now, you will quickly discover what works and what doesn't for cold weather biking.

In the spring, summer and fall, you usually wear gloves to protect your palms and wrists when you fall on asphalt....when you fly off your bike at 20mph you can literally go skidding on your hands and you need leather gloves to avoid nerve damage and skin loss. Helmet and gloves are the highest priority safety wear.

In the winter, cold numb hands may prevent you from biking altogether.
As long as you are not doing 30+ mile rides, your plan of those 3 layered gloves/mittens sounds worth trying. One suggestion- rather than buying those cheap $5 think stretchy polyester gloves you mention though- add a few more dollars to get real wool gloves to wear under your mittens and/or under your fingerless bike gloves. The real wool will keep your fingers way warmer and will make a much better liner under your thin mittens. Real 100% wool ladies gloves can be found for $10 or 15 dollars in many stores.

Tip: start hunting in thrift stores for great bargains on real wool and other fabulous finds.

[bikegurl]

[QUOTE=BleeckerSt Girl Tip: start hunting in thrift stores for great bargains on real wool and other fabulous finds. [/QUOTE]

That thought had briefly crossed my mind, but now I will remember to look for wool at thrift stores. Thank you for your help!!

[malkin]

I have some wind blocking mittens--a shell really--that I wear happily over other gloves. They work great for me. The brand is Outdoor Research. Make sure they fit easily over whatever else you want to wear.