Cool Weather Clothes

[CaliRider]

This is my first year of riding, so I'm still trying to figure out what I need in terms of cycling apparel. I am looking for specific suggestions / recommendations for what you wear to ride in 30-40 degree weather. I have one wool jersey that I love, and I'm very interested in solutions that involve natural fibers. So....head to toe, what do you find works best? And if you have layers that you shed, where do you put them while you ride? Thanks!

[goldfinch]

Today I went out and it was in the very low 40s. I wore wool knickers from Ibex which I really like. Long merino wool socks. Merino wool undershirt. Thin fleece shirt. Light windbreaker jacket well vented to the rear. Under my helmet I wore a merino wool beanie to cover my ears and I also wore a wool Buff around my neck. My gloves are pretty thick. My hands were cold to start but they warmed up. When it is colder I do like the Ibex wool glove liners. The only thing I had to remove was the buff. I can stick stuff in pockets but on this ride I had a rack and a bag to toss stuff.

[Catrin]

You will find that different people have different cold-weather riding tolerances. For ME, I am in my PI Amfib tights in the low 40's while others might not for another 10 degrees or so - and it makes a big difference to my body if it is windy/no sunshine/humid, whatever.

For me, if I ride at 40 degrees I will have on a long-sleeve wool base layer, short or LS wool jersey, thermal jacket, warm gloves. On my head is at least a skull cap under my helmet. Lower body has on my PI Amfib tights over whatever shorts I've selected - no chamois in my tights, wool socks, and shoe covers on my shoes. I don't need to take anything off - but I do have a rack and trunk bag on my bike so IF I was crazy enough to take anything off that is where it would go. I get cold very easily which is why I worded it that way I do see people riding in 40's dressed in ways that would have me freezing in sub 60 degrees...so it does differ. I like the tall Smartwool socks for cold weather riding/hiking.

[OakLeaf]

I'm all about wool, too.

My outer layers tend to be very lightweight windblockers. A jacket with vents and zippers, that can get tied around my waist if it needs to come all the way off. Arm and knee warmers get pushed down around the wrists and ankles when they're too warm (but below 50°F I don't have any bare skin, so I'd be wearing long sleeves and tights). Shoe covers and heavy gloves just stay on, that's okay with me because my fingers and toes are almost never warm enough, even in summer, let alone too warm. A helmet cover, or a light cap that requires only a quick helmet adjustment - either can get shoved in a jersey/jacket pocket if it gets too warm.

[ny biker]

It is true that everyone reacts differently to the cold. For me, 30-40 degrees is cold, not cool. I'm still trying to figure out how to dress right for temps in the high 40s/low 50s. I tend to have problems with my feet being cold.

I have a friend who's a total polar bear. He rarely will say that it's too cold to ride. He's also a big fan of wool. One thing he recommended to me recently was that I should get a wool cap. I just bought the Ibex Coppi cap, which is so cozy I think I just might sleep in it this winter. It fits well under my helmet. http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodIB_852.html

For jerseys, he recommends Wabi Woolens. They're a bit pricey for me.

Last winter several friends recommended that I get booties. I bought a pair (on sale) in the spring. I haven't worn them yet, but I think this Wednesday I will be trying them out on my post-work ride.

Last weekend I did a ride in the rain. Temps were in the 60s but knowing how cold my feet get, I decided to try putting Saran wrap around the front of my feet inside my shoes, and then put toe covers on the outside. This worked well to keep my feet warm and dry. (It was light rain; I imagine my feet would have been wet if we'd had a real downpour.)

I have a small handlebar bag that I use to store extra layers if I'm not wearing them.

Also, I created a file in Notepad on my pc where I takes notes on cool weather rides, including the date, time of day, weather conditions, what I wore, whether I was comfortable. This helps me make decisions on what to wear in various conditions, which makes it more likely that I will be able to convince myself that I can be comfortable even if it's cold outside.

[Crankin]

Everyone is different. I see people riding in shorts when it's 48 degrees .
That said, there's a big difference to me between 45 degrees and 35. I have 3 kinds of base layers (sleeveless, short sleeved, long sleeved) that are not wool. The long sleeved ones keep me very warm. I also have some smart wool very thin base layers. At anything below 50, I have tights on over my shorts. I have Sugoi mid zeros and sub zeros. The sub zeros go on in the 30s. Varying levels of wool socks. Many, many head covers, fleece and wool, or buffs. I have 3 different thicknesses of full fingered gloves, too. I find the combination of jerseys and base layers the most difficult to get. I have heavy thermal ones, light weight thermal ones, and a couple of regular long sleeved jerseys. I have a regular light wind jacket and a bullet proof Assos winter jacket that I could wear in the tundra. I bought it for less than 50% of the regular price. Toe covers (2), 2 types of booties, but in the last 2 years, I have bought winter cycling shoes for both my road and Frog pedals. It makes it a lot easier.
I find it hard to dress for temperatures between 48 and 65, but I prefer layers, as in leg or knee warmers, base layers, arm warmers and a vest or light jacket.

[Karenanywild]

This is also my first year of riding and was wondering the same thing. Thanks for all the info here. I live in Florida so it doesn't get THAT cold. But even though I am originally from Canada my blood has thinned and 50 is cold to me now. I'd like to understand a couple of things better. 1. Tights - do you have cycling tights? It seems like I'm reading cycling shorts underneath and regular tights on top. Doesn't that get bulky? 2. How do you handle rides that start out cold and then warm up? What do you do with those layers? 3. Tell me more about knickers, leg warmers, long socks etc. I see comments relating to all of these but what combos do you use? Dumb it down please, all the lingo is new to me.

[ny biker]

I find it hard to dress for temperatures between 48 and 65, but I prefer layers, as in leg or knee warmers, base layers, arm warmers and a vest or light jacket.

I also find it hard to dress for temps between 48 and 65. If all goes well tomorrow I'll be doing a 55-mile ride that starts at 9:30 am. I think it will be in the 40s to start, but will go up to 60. I can't decide what to wear. On a sunny day, there can be a big difference between 50 and 60.

[ny biker]

This is also my first year of riding and was wondering the same thing. Thanks for all the info here. I live in Florida so it doesn't get THAT cold. But even though I am originally from Canada my blood has thinned and 50 is cold to me now. I'd like to understand a couple of things better. 1. Tights - do you have cycling tights? It seems like I'm reading cycling shorts underneath and regular tights on top. Doesn't that get bulky? 2. How do you handle rides that start out cold and then warm up? What do you do with those layers? 3. Tell me more about knickers, leg warmers, long socks etc. I see comments relating to all of these but what combos do you use? Dumb it down please, all the lingo is new to me.

Tights are long and they cover you down to your ankles. Knickers/capris/pedal pushers cover your knees but leave your shins/calves exposed. Some tights and knickers come with a chamois sewn into them, but many have no chamois and are designed to be worn over a pair of cycling shorts. Leg and knee warmers (and arm warmers) are basically extensions. They overlap with your shorts (or short sleeve jersey) a bit and provide added coverage.

I find the combination of tights/knickers over shorts to be a bit uncomfortable when I first put them on, but I get used to it quickly and am fine while I'm riding. If it's really cold, the shorts add an extra layer to help keep you warm.

One issue I sometimes have with leg warmers is that they keep my legs nice and warm, but the tops of my legs that are only covered by my shorts get cold. Other days, I'm perfectly comfortable with shorts and leg warmers. It varies a lot with the weather. And of course it varies by person.

To carry layers that you remove mid-ride (or bring with you at the start to add mid-ride if temps are dropping), you can use your jersey pockets for smaller items or items that scrunch down well. For larger items, you need some kind of bag. It could be something that you wear, like a Camelback/backpack/fanny pack, or it could be a bag on your bike. I have a small handlebar bag that I can use for extra layers. For arm and leg/knee wamers, some people just leave them on, scrunching them down around their ankles/wrists after them warm up.

As for combinations, it depends on what you need to be comfortable in the current conditions. Tomorrow I think I might try a combination that is probably a bit unusual, since I think it will start out cold, in the 40s, but warm up to near or above 60 by the end of the ride. I don't think it will ever be warm enough (for me) to wear shorts by themselves. At the start I think I will need to completely cover my legs with no exposed skin, but by later in the day I think full tights will be too much.

So I'm thinking about wearing a pair of wool knickers that I bought recently. It came with a chamois, but I didn't like the chamois so I removed it. I'm going to wear them over a pair of bike shorts. That will cover my legs to about 3 inches below my knee. I think I will also wear some wool leg warmers over the knickers, covering from just above my knees to my ankles. As I warm up, I will have a couple of options -- take off the leg warmers and finish the ride with just the knickers over the shorts, or remove the knickers and and keep the leg warmers on with my shorts.

If I had wool socks that were tall enough to cover all the way up to the bottoms of the knickers, I would just go with the knickers over the shorts and the tall socks. Then I could just push the socks down if I get too warm. But I don't have socks that come up high enough for that.

Now, everyone is different, and what matters is what works for you. Other people's outfits can be a guideline or starting point, but they may really have no idea what they need to wear to be comfortable. I have learned the hard way that if my legs are cold, my feet will be cold, regardless of what I'm wearing on my feet. That's why I'm trying to figure out how to completely cover my legs at the start of my ride tomorrow. However I have a friend whose legs apparently never get cold. On days when I was comfortable in full tights, she wore shorts with tall socks and was perfectly content. Another friend has learned that he really needs to overdress at ride start, or else he will never warm up as he rides. So he puts on lots of layers and stops periodically to remove them, and he stores them all in a big handlebar bag. He also has a variety of layers that he has accumulated over the years -- thin tights for cool weather, thick tights for colder days, etc. I've done rides with him where I was comfortable with shorts and leg warmers the whole day, while he started with thin tights over his shorts and then took the tights off during the ride.