My winter gear & first winter ride.

saif

Hi

I went to my first winter ride ever, it was a short one though ,10 Miles, and I just loved it.

This is what had as my winter gear.

1. Base layer - Nike full sleeve
2. Winter Jacket - Etxeondo (see the link)
http://www.etxeondo.com/es/catalogo.php ... =1&color=7
3. Tights - Cannondale
4.Shoes - Northwave (see the link)
http://www.gbcycles.co.uk/eshop.asp?wci ... +RACE+SHOE
5. Sox - Aldi
6. Overshoes - Northwave
7.Skull cap - Seal skinz
8. Winter gloves - Specialised
9. Eyewear - Oakley

The outside temperature was 5 Degrees Celsius, and moderate wind.

I was comfortable in the gear which I have and I was sweating. Just experienced a bit of a chill on my neck and cheeks and around nose.

I'm keen to go out on a regular basis now , and not get deterred by harsher weather .

What else would I need ?

Tail end Charlie

Nothing more than the will power to go out when it is cold. I enjoy cycling on the cold (but not wet aswell) and have had some of my best days cycling in the winter. If you get your clothes right, you'll find you soon get to a stage where you get neither hotter nor colder and can keep going for long distances.

olr1

Good Grief.

Have we really reached the stage where we need to give each other lists of our winter clothing?

Honestly?

I went to the supermarket today, and I wore

Jeans,
Underpants,
Socks,
Shoes,
T-shirt and jumper.

I was a bit cold, but I put that down to it being winter.

This is just silly, it's riding a bike, not polar exploration, if you feel cold put more on, if you get too warm, take something off.

I absolutely despair sometimes. Cyclists? Jebus H. Christ.

olr1

I'm sorry, that comes across as a mad rant, but please..............

saif

I'm sorry if I offended you olr1, and neither this was meant to be any sort of show off. I'm new to cycling and very new to winter cycling and I find this place the right one to discuss and share the ideas, and after all don't we live in a Free society with freedom of expression.

olr1

No saif, you are well within your rights to tell me to ...er go away....

I'm just a bit surprised that with the Oakleys/Northwave/ExteOndo/ etc, that you need to ask for advice.

maybe I'm getting old, maybe not....

fossyant

Well done and keep it up....nothing worse than getting cold....

Clothing technology is way better now than it was when I started cycling properly 21 years ago...

ash68

saif, welcome to the club of winter cyclists.Great out there isn't it.Sounds like you've got your kit sorted for the winter. Hope you keep it going right through the bleakest winter months. I don't think it's ever too bad once your out there, Barring very icy roads I never miss commuting on the bike.Keeps me fit over the winter and an inner calm from all the exercise.Prefer it cold,dry and frosty rather than wet and cold myself ,but we just have to take whatever comes our way in the morning.Enjoy your cycling

robbarker

"Clothing technology is way better now than it was when I started cycling properly 21 years ago.."

There's more choice now but I don't think there's been that much advancement in useability.

A merino wool jersey and ventile cotton windproof are hard to beat in perfoamce and experience terms.

IME most "breathable" waterproofs aren't, although they're better than PU nylon. A lot of synthetic layers can feel clammy and get stinky very quickly.

It's true that Assos tights weren't around 20 yeards ago and I wouldn't want to ride in winter in anything else, and conspicuity has improved massively with reflective material technology.

The one thing that certainly has improved over the last 20 years is marketing.

cougie

Kit from 20 years back was rubbish. I can go back 25 years or more now, and choice was so limited. Go into a bike shop and you were lucky to have a choice of two jackets. Now go into any and its ridiculous how much choice there is.

Pretty pointless me telling you what I wear as everyone is different and feel the cold more. Also if I'm pootling round I'd need an extra couple of layers on versus a hard training ride.

Well done on the 10 miles but you should work on doing a bit more. Getting dressed and undressed was probably longer than the ride ?

campagsarge

Good work Saif, pleased to hear that you are enjoying your cycling. That's what its about after all. Enjoy!

peanut

olr1 wrote:

Good Grief.

Have we really reached the stage where we need to give each other lists of our winter clothing?

Honestly?

I went to the supermarket today, and I wore

Jeans,
Underpants,
Socks,
Shoes,
T-shirt and jumper.

I was a bit cold, but I put that down to it being winter.

This is just silly, it's riding a bike, not polar exploration, if you feel cold put more on, if you get too warm, take something off.

I absolutely despair sometimes. Cyclists? Jebus H. Christ.

This is just the sort of mad rant that we do not need on this or any other forum. Its non constructive ,inconsiderate and guaranteed to put off new members to the forum from posting about their their new cycling experience.
Any community needs fresh blood and we certainly don't want to put off newcomers to this fantastic sport.
you are the sort of Ignorant arrogant twat that rides off and leaves new club members off the back on their own ,on their first club run. Little wonder they don't come back a second time.

IanTrcp

peanut wrote:

olr1 wrote:

Good Grief.

Have we really reached the stage where we need to give each other lists of our winter clothing?

Honestly?

I went to the supermarket today, and I wore

Jeans,
Underpants,
Socks,
Shoes,
T-shirt and jumper.

I was a bit cold, but I put that down to it being winter.

This is just silly, it's riding a bike, not polar exploration, if you feel cold put more on, if you get too warm, take something off.

I absolutely despair sometimes. Cyclists? Jebus H. Christ.

This is just the sort of mad rant that we do not need on this or any other forum. Its non constructive ,inconsiderate and guaranteed to put off new members to the forum from posting about their their new cycling experience.
Any community needs fresh blood and we certainly don't want to put off newcomers to this fantastic sport.
you are the sort of Ignorant arrogant fool that rides off and leaves new club members off the back on their own ,on their first club run. Little wonder they don't come back a second time.

Pot. Kettle?

olr1

I have apologised if I came across the wrong way, but I maintain that anyone who is kitted out in Oakleys, Northwave shoes, ExrteOndo Jacket etc, who then takes the time to post up a list of what he was wearing, with links, should maybe think a little before asking for more advice.

As I said, it's riding a bike, nothing more difficult, and shouldn't really be seen as such a complex thing.

As far as club runs and leaving folk behind, your paranormal abilities put me to shame, but may well be wrong.

Unfortunately, cycling is rapidly moving towards being all about the gear, good if you run a bike shop, maybe not so good for the sport as a whole.

Mettan

I wear a lid, Aldi longs, wicking-tee with a light/thin hiking fleece over that and finally a short-sleeve cycling-jersey over that - the hiking fleece is perfectly sufficient at the moment thermal wise.

Edwinsprint

Alot of cyclists dont join clubs because they can be cliquey and a bit exclusive until you've turned up for your 100th ride. Not all though...
However the 'dont be daft' attitude from cyclists who are experienced to new cyclists seems to be a key part of this.

I cycled LEJOG in 7 days last year and still reckon joining a club will be hit or miss due to unwelcoming attitudes.

cougie

Slightly off point but whilst i was cycling today I saw a bloke out for a walk with his kid in a pushchair. He was wearing a sleeveless vest top, and his exposed arms were a wonderful purple kind of colour due to the gale force wind and cold no doubt. Where do these people come from - has he been in a coma since July ?

saif

many thanks for so many encouraging notes here . These forums are fantastic for newcomers , amateur and experienced . Me being a newcomer , I had no idea where to get these wealth of information from ? till I discovered bike radar. So thanks again to the management of this forum and all its member who are making it a lively place.

Again in response to OLR1 , I did not have a clue where and how to resource my winter kit from. I didn't have the slightest idea what the brand names 'ASSOS', 'EtxeOndo','Altura' and numerous other meant and what do these brands offer . I learned all about the kits from these forums, which to you may not mean anything , because you sound like you've done enough number of years of cycling and these issues are trivial and one should know about these from birth. But probably don't have any idea what good these forums are doing for budding and returning cyclists.

I must admit that I now rely a lot on these forums to clarify all my doubts.

By the way, encouraged by my yesterdays adventure , I repeated that today also , same route and once again I just loved it. Yes , I would love to venture out for 20 Miles and I'm confident that I can achieve that . However these days as I'm expecting to be a first time dad I cant leave my wife for long hours. So I have plan which I would work on after the baby's birth . I've already promised myself to sign up for a Norther Rock Cyclone 62 miles challenge ( which again I learned from one of the threads here ).

Oh ! another first time for me is the look pedal and cleats , although I have learned how to unclick when/before stopping , I'm struggling slightly to click back without looking down at the pedals. Any advice , what NOT to do ?

ash68

I've cycled for years Saif,but I still pick up loads of tips and good advice from sites like this. Think it's all about sharing info and experiences we've all had. IMO clicking back into pedals comes easier with practise and confidence. Might see you at the Northern Rock cyclone ride, entries open next weekend on the website www.northernrockcyclone.co.uk. Hope all goes well for you and yours with the baby.

laertes

Thanks for a great thread SAIF I was about to start the same topic myself, but with a question instead of the answer. I got a bike last Feb, so a base layer, jumper and Altura windproof did me. Having not done any cycling for a couple of months, I have a very busy 6 weeks of cycling ahead of me, so am looking to stock up.

So the tips I have seen here on overshoes (had not thought about those) tights socks etc are just the job - thanks very much.

Cyrenne

Is it inappropriate to mention that I'm sat in front of the PC in an ill-fitting thong and dressing gown? Gaping at the front.

northturton

Dunno if there's anyone else out there like me, but I do love riding my bikes in a Buff...

note, not "in the" buff