Long hilly rides in the cold and wind

nasahapley

I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice re the above. I'm trying to get as many long hilly rides in as possible as training for my first sportive, but I'm finding the recent crappy weather a real problem. The trouble is, if I wear stuff that keeps me warm when clipping along on the flat, I get really hot and sweaty on the climbs and then freeze on the descents. For rides up to about 40 miles I can just grin n' bear it but for longer stuff it really starts to wear me down. I know an obvious solution is to shed a layer at the base of a climb and add stick it on again when descending, but I'd rather not stop five or six times an hour if I can help it!

Has anyone else encountered this problem and found a way round it? I'm hoping there's some kind of apparel designed to counter the problem, but I really don't know what I'm looking for!

Cheers,
N

Blonde

Quality and type of kit can make a difference. Simply unzipping at the bottom of climbs then zipping up at the top works for me. In the past when I wore different kit I did have to wear more layers though and just make do with taking them on and off. I've noticed that a windproof top helps (much better than lots of non wind-proof jerseys one on top of the other) because you can actually wear fewer layers but are warmer, and can then just unzip for climbs.

stevewheel

Agree with the last poster....unzipping and zipping up is the key...proper windproof barriers (not cheap) over good quality base layers (or M&S thermals in the winter) and yo can ventilate & zip up to your hearts content...be careful about getting too cool though...worse than getting too hot I reckon!

nasahapley

Thanks for the replies, sounds like good advice. Up 'til now I've been using a lot of my running kit for cycling too; the base layers are fine but I guess the flimsy shell jacket ain't up to the job. Any recommendations for a decent windproof that won't break the bank?

hodsgod

exactly what the others said. Ventilation, all cycling jackets undo from the bottom. I have one that has ventilation under arms too.

John.T

Stick a newspaper up the front of your top. It keeps the wind chill off your chest and stomach while you can loose heat from your arms and back. Dirt cheap too. Arm warmers that can be rolled up and down as required help also. You should aim to feel a bit cold for the first few miles until you warm up. Get a scull cap to wear under your helmet. Keeping your head warm means you can wear less elsewhere as that is where a lot of heat is lost.

redddraggon

nasahapley wrote:

Any recommendations for a decent windproof that won't break the bank?

Buy cheap, buy (at least) twice.

I recently got an Assos Airblock Jacket for £120, amazing quality even for the high price. Assos stuff normally lasts for years and years, so I reckon it should be £120 well spent.

http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx? ... 1%20Jacket

Diogenes

Blonde wrote:

Quality and type of kit can make a difference. Simply unzipping at the bottom of climbs then zipping up at the top works for me. In the past when I wore different kit I did have to wear more layers though and just make do with taking them on and off. I've noticed that a windproof top helps (much better than lots of non wind-proof jerseys one on top of the other) because you can actually wear fewer layers but are warmer, and can then just unzip for climbs.

Damn Blonde, I did not realise you were unzipping at the bottom of each climb, I might of worked harder at keeping up if I'd known :twisted:

Seriously, I find wearing full length zip ups very useful. I have also found a very thin windproof gilet which is excellent, unzip going uphill and zip back up again on the way down keeps the chill air off the chest.

D

Not Another Hill

Agree with most replies. I wear fleecy bib tights, cyce t-shirt, Northwave Plate(?) windstopper jacket, warm gloves. skull cap and Endura MTB overshoes to keep warm. When I get up high and am going to descend in cold I wear a Montane Velo Featherlight jacket over top to keep the wind out. I'm Huddersfield based and have been training over winter on hills over here and have found that apart from extremities (toes, finger tips) occasionally, I stay pretty well temperature regulated. Unzipping jacket is an effective way of cooling off.

BigG67

Another vote for the Assos Airjack 851. Even this week when I've had on standard bibtights under windstopper (endura) tights over I've got away with the Assos jacket and a Helly base layer.

On the climbs I pull the zip down and keep cool, and on descents the wind doesn't get through.

Even in deepest winter I'll put on a micro-fleece as well and have NEVER been cold with that combo, and I live in Scotland....

A big investment but there will be bargains about as we come out of Winter.

graham_g

BigG67 wrote:

A big investment but there will be bargains about as we come out of Winter.

That's what I'm hoping/waiting for, I'll carry on with what I've got in the meantime but hope to pick up a quality winter jersey/jacket in the sales.

Brian B

Another vote for the Assos Airblock. Even in the depths of winter I have just worn a good base layer and bib tights and have been very cosy but with good breathability. I wish I had bought mines years ago.

nasahapley

Assos Airblock it is then!...

...well it would be, if I wasn't boracic at the moment. I'll probably get one eventually but will have to get something a bit cheaper as a stop-gap. Thanks for the recommendations!

SkyBlueKangaroo

I wear a Gore Phantom windproof jersey over a Helly Lifa long sleeve. Excellent. You should be able to get the Phantom for less than the Assos, but as its been said before, its worth saving a bit longer to get the best kit you can - it does what you want, and for longer.

Only a couple of times this winter have I also worn a micro-fleece as a mid layer, otherwise this duo does the job for me.

It's me toes that seem to get cold. Just started wearing Endura overshoes and this seems to help a lot.

Blonde

I too have an assos gilet as well as the windproof fronted assos Evo jersey but if you're on a tight budget you can still benefit from a windproof at a lower proce than assos. For instance, my Sportful Reflex gilet cost me £15 (I think they are about £20 now) and has served me well. Not as good a fit or as thick as the assos one but it did the job reasonably well at little cost. To the OP - I'm not surprised that you aren''t faring all that well with running stuff for cycling. It tends not to be windproof at all, because in running you have far less airflow than with cycling (running tights are thinner than cycling tights for this reason - you get hotter when running). I also can't recommend enough real wool base layers (merino wool is the warmest for weight) in winter for very low-bulk/fewer layers/high warmth. Wool is also much less smelly after wear than synthetic fabrics - which makes it good for repeated use without washing (ie. touring/commuting). Just to reiterate - don't feel you just have to put up with being uncomfortable - you don't need to suffer! Cycling kit evolves all the time with new designs, fabrics and combinations of fabrics appearing on the market each year. It is worth reading up on it and investing in a few peices of top quality, modern kit, if you can afford to. It really makes a difference to your comfort on the bike.

stevewheel

Agree with other posters and certainly with the last comments about Merino wool...it's fantastic. I have been using M&S Thermal Vests (Merino) under my gear and they are quite superb. Coming from M&S you are not paying the usual "cycling specific' premium that appears to be the norm with a lot of manufacturers.

johnbirkby46213

Blonde wrote:

I also can't recommend enough real wool base layers (merino wool is the warmest for weight) in winter for very low-bulk/fewer layers/high warmth. Wool is also much less smelly after wear than synthetic fabrics - which makes it good for repeated use without washing (ie. touring/commuting). quote]

Totally agree Blonde. I have a Merino wool sleeveless that I wear and its fantastic. On top I variously use an ALDI cycle shirt + ALDI windproof top (£15 but be careful when zipping) or an ALDI gillet (£6 and superb but be careful with the zip!!)

In generl I try to have just enough on at the start of a ride to be a bit on the chilly side. Also a nother vote for arm warmers in "warmer" weather as they are a great way of controlling temperature. (They were either LIDLor ALDI, can't remember)

JB

Mark Alexander

As someone said earlier, buy cheap, buy twice. There are those that will say that Lidl's range is great. I have to admit that i'm skeptical.I have never needed more than a merino base layer and a mid-weight wind/water proof jacket. I really feel the cold too.
There's a lot to be said for just un-zipping for air

nasahapley

I've ended up buying a pretty cheap Endura windproof that was on offer on Wiggle. I went out for the first time in it today for my usual 2 hour hilly blast and it seems pretty good - not too hot unzipped on the steep stuff and nice n' warm into the wind. Thankfully didn't get to test the waterproofing but I'm sure it won't be long before I do!

I'm sure there's a lot of truth in the 'buy cheap, buy twice' maxim, but I could get four of these for one of those Assos numbers! Anyway I'll see how it goes, I'll have a bit more brass come next winter so will get a posh jacket if this one falls to bits!

Cheers again for the know-how,
N