layering! please give me a how to!

[caligurl]

ok... so talk to me about layering!

i get cold.. i'm always colder than most people... i've been cold on the bike lately... but i also.. *gasp* sweat.. even though it's cold/cool! (i'm talking low 60's and yesterday even upper 50's)

i've been wearing a jersey and a jacket... (and gloves and tights or leg warmers)

when my clothes get wet (ick) i get colder

i have two rides coming up (tomorrow and next sunday) where i'll need to have cool and not so cool riding gear.. tomorrow should start out cool (for me... mid to upper 40's).. then include a hill which will make me sweaty and should also be cooler cuz of the elevation.. then the downhill.. which will be cold cuz i'll be sweaty (such an icky thing for a gurl)... then it should be half way decent at the bottom of the hill on the way back to redlands (maybe even 70! but you know how weather.com can be!)

next sunday should start out cold (hopefully upper 40's if i'm lucky but maybe even upper 30's!!!!!!!!) and we head straight up the hill.. so it will be cold but i'll be working.. and going higher! the downhill will still be cool (it looks like it only getting in the very low 60's if even! i'll know more as the the 7th gets closer!)...

soooooooooooooooo what do i wear? how are these layers supposed to work? i thought the wicking materials were supposed to get the sweat off of you.. but my wicking shirt or jersey still get's wet!

thanx!

[CorsairMac]

Is your jacket wicking also?.......if your jersey is doing its job and moving the sweat to the outside but the jacket isn't wicking material - you'll get wet. Also, the hardest thing for me to remember is - I Will acclimate. I always feel so cold when I start I was dressing to stay warm up front and then ended up being overdressed in the end. I have since found its easier to start out a little chilled. Today the wind chill was 33 and I was riding in a 14 mph headwind. I wore a tanktop, armwarmers, jersey, PI jacket, shorts, and windresistent pants. Also, wind-resistent gloves with liners and socks. I still had problems with my fingers and toes but the rest of me was quite cozy and I could - if I needed to - take the jacket off and slip it in my back pocket. Same with the warmers. You also might try unzipping some of the layers - vent some the heat out when you can - see if that helps.
PS: Tell me about being cold - I've been wearing turtlenecks to work since the highs dropped out of the 70s and I keep my AC vent closed in the summer coz its too cold for me. Sleeps with electric mattress pad And a goose down comforter in the winter and our avg lows are in the 40s!

[caligurl]

i don't think either one are wicking.. the light one is like a windbreaker... the heavier one is heavier material with a fuzzy lining.. both are PI...

i've gone out with less (i.e. a wicking t-shirt and the light jacket) and i got cold

yesterday i tried unzipping the heavier jacket a bit.. but i was getting chilled and was afraid of catching a cold

i was thinking of trying this tomorrow:

base layer/undershirt (polypropelene)
long sleeve jersey
jacket (not sure which one.. depends on the temp)

too much?

oh.. and sport bra.. which also gets soaked

[MightyMitre]

I think at this time of year when you're going to be chilly on the flat but too warm on the hills you've got to kinda stick it out.
How long are the climbs? Are we talking 2-3 mins, half an hour or longer . ( BTW we only have very short but steep little climbs where I live so I can get very hot very quickly, then back to being a bit chilly).

If you can unzip and ventilate as much as possible as you can on the climbs, you can then wrap up again for the decents/flat sections.

Do you wear any head-gear under you helmet? You could may be leave that behind at the moment or remove it for the steep climbs.

I find this time of year is a real balancing act between too cold and too hot. Might just have to experiment a bit till you find the right combination.

PS - I find things like arm warmers and wind proof gillets are really usefull, so you can add & take away from your outfit as and when. Hope this helps

[Veronica]

I wear wool jerseys - even when they're damp, they still keep me warm.

Veronica

[Dogmama]

Your jersey needs to wick. Arm warmers are the Goddess's gift to cycling. I live very close to a wash, so my house is always 10 degrees colder than the rest of the city. I have to be careful to not overdress because 10 miles into the ride, I'm miserable.

I ordered a face cream with an SPF from Kiehl's that is supposed to reduce wind chill. I will report when I get it.

[pedalfaster]

We probably need a FAQ on "layering".

Check out this thread.

For the temps/conditions you are describing, I would choose arm warmers, knee warmers, a wicking sleevless base-layer and a wind-front vest.

If it was in the 30's I'd also start off with an ear-band, magic-gloves (yep those 99 cent wonders) over my cycling gloves and toe covers (full-on insulated booties make my feet sweat if it's over 35F). If you don't own toe covers and your feet get cold, you can try to plastic baggie trick.

From your description it sound like your jacket may be the culprit. It's holding too much heat in and not allowing your sweat to evaporate.

[massbikebabe]

Cali:

I just got this from another group. Go to www.bike.com they have a great page on winter layering.

karen

[CorsairMac]

OK - this morning was 27 with 7 mph headwinds. I wore some ColdGear UnderArmor (LOVE IT!!!), leg warmers etc etc. I was very comfy all over except for my fingers. I had polypro liners and Avenir wind-resistent, padded gloves but I still lost allf the feeling in both index fingers. Anyone got any ideas what I can do about my fingers?

[MightyMitre]

Sorry CorsairMac - can't help you with this one.

While I suffer with cold feet my hands are always freakishly warm. My BF is sometimes staggered to see my wearing only summer mitts while everyone else has full finger wind-proof jobs on. I just don't get cold hands.

Now feet.... brrrrrrrrrr.!!

[pedalfaster]

for cold fingers: Lobster gloves.

gotta have 'em.

[CorsairMac]

now FEET I can help you with - I just got introduced to expedition-weight hiking socks by a company called Smartwoolies. They are guaranteed not to itch or shrink. I wore them this morning (27 degrees) without shoe covers and my feet were fine. They will fit in my cycling shoes also. I figure I can go another 5-10 degrees (farenheit Mitre ) before I need shoe covers.
Dear Pedal - I've looked at the Lobster Claws - will they really keep my hands warm?...do you wear liners under them?.....do you have problems braking and shifting in them? (it looks like I would)?
Anxiously Waiting for Answers in Albuquerque! (re: Kathie)

[slinkedog]

This thread makes me so thankful that I live where it rarely gets below 50 during the day.

[CorsairMac]

refusing to read Slinkes thread - its just too cruel!

[MightyMitre]

. I wore them this morning (27 degrees) without shoe covers and my feet were fine. They will fit in my cycling shoes also. I figure I can go another 5-10 degrees (farenheit Mitre ) before I need shoe covers.

LOL - Now that would be a seriously cold foot problem if you needed overshoes at 27 degrees C.

Thanks for the tip - might have to see if I can find Smartwoolies over here.

I rode on Sunday and experienced a bad case of Kerb Foot. This is where your foot nearest the pavement / sidewalk is nice and warm but your foot on the traffic side totally freezes. It's very strange.