New to winter riding - what clothes I must have?

[Crankin]

Oh, I get real allergies. I have a few...

[velo]

Oh, I get real allergies. I have a few...

Yeah, those that experience them share the grief. I had a new test last year... was tested for seventy-something allergens...all came back positive but three. I wonder how I even function sometimes between the sneezing and medication. Blissfully, I never have problems when riding. Somehow the allergies never get in the way.

[OakLeaf]

Blissfully, I never have problems when riding.

Same for me - and I'm allergic to freakin' everything, too. Exertion suppresses the immune system and gives me a great deal of relief.

Now, once I get home from having pollen forced into my eyes and respiratory system at however fast I'm riding, it's another story ...

Thank my lucky stars that wool is one of the few things that doesn't bother me. Because I am a total wool addict.

[lph]

(To the OP): Poly/cotton/wool etc - When choosing a good base layer to wear in winter, you have to consider how much you sweat. And how much you will need to stop. Wet=cold=dangerous if it's cold out, so you need to keep as dry as possible. You can generate a lot of heat moving, but it disappears fast once you stop. The difference between your own heat output and the ambient temperature becomes very noticeable in winter.

If you ride slowly, keep moving and don't sweat, you can wear anything, even cotton. If you go all out and ride hard, you will sweat, and then you'd better be wearing a base layer that wicks well, and not stop more than a minute here or there. Most of us will be somewhere in between, and our suggestions will be based on what keeps us reasonably dry and comfortable.

[Seajay]

(To the OP): And how much you will need to stop. Wet=cold=dangerous if it's cold out, so you need to keep as dry as possible. You can generate a lot of heat moving, but it disappears fast once you stop.

If you ride at high exertion it is often too hot to use a rain jacket. We used just get wet in moderate rain. We had to dress as if we were NOT going to stop riding. Then we carried a cheap, non breathable rain jacket and a warm hat in our back pockets.
Flat, Unplanned stop etc....Pull that jacket and hat on to seal in the heat.

Probably not a good plan for rides alone out in the middle of nowhere, but worked well for groups near civilization.

[OakLeaf]

I keep a reflective emergency blanket in my seat pack. It stays there all the time, right next to my spare tube, because even when temperatures are in the 50s or 60s, hypothermia is possible if I should have a crash or a mechanical.

I agree with Seajay, whether it's desirable or even possible to stay dry depends on the kind of ride. If you're heading somewhere you won't be able to change clothes, then dress to stay dry and scale down your exertion to avoid sweating. If you'll be riding hard and/or long, wool and stowed outerwear are the best way to be sure you stay warm if you should have to stop.

[lph]

If you ride at high exertion it is often too hot to use a rain jacket. We used just get wet in moderate rain.

Ok, I should have specified that I was talking about sub-freezing temperatures, and getting wet from the inside, from sweating. To me rain isn't winter :-D

Which was a pointless assumption on my part, because keeping warm in cold rain is actually a lot harder than in severe "winter" cold. I agree, it's often too hot to use a rain jacket, and the only ones I've found work well have massive vents everywhere. Best you can do may be to get wettish.

[Seajay]

Ok, I should have specified that I was talking about sub-freezing temperatures