Winter jacket....

chuckcork

I'm looking to get a winter jacket for cycle commuting, can one be recommended? The worst case ride home I have had in the past year was 3C, continuous rain mixed in with sleet, a strong gusty wind, and of course at night, and over a 14 mile distance so it took close to an hour to get home. If I had to stop to change a flat I would have had to do it there and then or walk, so avoidance serious hypothermia/avoidance of hospitals is a consideration in my ride.

I was looking at another pearl Izumi as I already have one, but they are quite expensive and of limited availablity, and had thought instead of going for Gore Bikewear, but the number and type of fabrics available has left me somewhat bewildered, is there a ranking system for how good each type of jacket is?

Everything seems to describe itself as "maximum this or that" which isn't terribly much help.

andrewc3142

I have the Gore Xenon. Tried and tested and it works fine. Not cheap, but with this kind of thing you get what you pay for.

phil_ss1

Hi,

I use layers, starting with a long sleeve base layer, then a fleece layer and if cold then another fleece on top.

No outer skins, they make me sweat even if "breathable", and fleeces shed all but the heaviest rain.

Thought I was mad when I first did this but it's the cold you'll need to defend against as there's not much rain over winter, rain is a summer sport. After a couple minutes of cycling I'm usually up to temperature.

When very cold I use my overshoes, surprising how much they help.

When it's raining I stick to shorts and cycling T-shirt, find my legs and arms dry quicker that way.

Phil

chuckcork

Thats one of the Gore-Tex jackets isn't? How sweaty does it get?

I've had other, non-cycling goretex jackets and they didn't come even close to the amount of comfort the sales-pitch predicts, windproof all right but not anywhere near enough breathability for an energetic activity like cycling, so cycling on a wet day with naturally high humidity you might not get wet from the outside but I got soaked from sweat instead.

Is this any better?

chuckcork

phil_ss1 wrote:

Hi,

it's the cold you'll need to defend against as there's not much rain over winter, rain is a summer sport. After a couple minutes of cycling I'm usually up to temperature.

When it's raining I stick to shorts and cycling T-shirt, find my legs and arms dry quicker that way.

Phil

In ireland in winter rain is not a sport, its life threatening, particularly if you go out unprepared into heavy rain and a gale for an hour. I managed OK last year, but occasionally was on the brink of being in trouble, if I'd had to stop for 15 minutes or more to change a flat in the dark I would have tipped over. Passing out by the side of the highway from hypothermia is not my idea of fun.

MichaelW

For cold, wet conditions Ive found nothing better than Paramo. It is as breathable as a windproof and rain-resistant enough for a Cork winter. You need to keep a supply of Nikwax TX10 to maintain it.
There is no comparison with gortex it is better in every way except :
bulkier pack size(so wear it!)
Higher insulation so too warm for athletic riding in temperate mid-teens C
My cutoff temp is about 16C but better insulated riders may find it too warm at lower temps.

chuckcork

MichaelW wrote:

For cold, wet conditions Ive found nothing better than Paramo. It is as breathable as a windproof and rain-resistant enough for a Cork winter. You need to keep a supply of Nikwax TX10 to maintain it.
There is no comparison with gortex it is better in every way except :
bulkier pack size(so wear it!)
Higher insulation so too warm for athletic riding in temperate mid-teens C
My cutoff temp is about 16C but better insulated riders may find it too warm at lower temps.

My preferred speed is flat out, which on a blustery day could mean barely moving. Might be too warm from the looks of it, did 2 hours in the rain on Sunday with the club when it was only about 15C and didn't have a jacket on and was warm enough, this would probably be too much.

andrewc3142

The Gore winter jacket is quite warm. I also have a Gore Xenon Race jacket which seems fine so far as regards waterproofness and breathability. I only got it recently so waiting to see how it fares in mild winter conditions over a winter jersey and merino base layer.

il_principe

I can highly recommend the Castelli Solo Windproof Jacket combined with a base layer and jersey. I've had one since last winter and it's fab - expensive but well worth it. With winter jackets the key (IMHO) is windproof and breatheable.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Castelli_Solo_Windproof_Jacket/5360033828/