winter/gloves & socks

1_reaper

Hi all. This is going to be my first winter on the road for some years (long story) Just wondered what gloves & socks people recommend as I really feel the cold in toes and fingers in winter. Thanks

gwillis

Prendas winter socks and overshoes.

sloppyschleckonds

1_reaper wrote:

Hi all. This is going to be my first winter on the road for some years (long story) Just wondered what gloves & socks people recommend as I really feel the cold in toes and fingers in winter. Thanks

You may want to consider a set for the wet and a set for the cold.

nferrar

Layers is the key IME.

For the gloves get thin merino liner gloves (outdoorsy type shops sell them) then a decent waterproof glove to go over them (I have Gore, Spesh, Endura and Sealskinz - all pretty good). I sometimes take some latex mechanics gloves out to - handy if you have a mechanical (keeps some warmth in your hands as you'll need to take your normal gloves off for a lot of things) but also a useful third layer (between merino and outer) if it's really cold out (ofc you sacrifice breathability though).

As for your feet - again layers is key. Get a good merino sock (woolie boolies etc.), your normal shoes (assuming you aren't splashing out on winter boots - tape the soles of your normal shoes if they're vented though ) and then a quality neoprene overshoe (Pro tarmac nbu+ is my favourite). Your feet will still get wet if it's wet outside but they should stay warm.

amaferanga

Woolie Boolie socks.

I'm yet to find a cycling glove that is either properly waterproof or properly warm when temps drop well below zero.

giant_man

Woolie Boolie are the only socks good enough imo in the extremities of cold weather

Chris James

Re gloves, i wear powerstretch when it is fairly cold and windstopper when it is very cold.

Neitehr are waterproof, but both are warm when wet. they are also quite thin and keep up manual dexterity.

Both sets of my winter gloves are for mountaineering, but they do a good job.

Anonymous

just bought 2 pairs of woolie boolie socks. Hope they do the trick!

Am shopping around for gloves too at the moment, but cant really make my mind up with what to wear.

For gloves, do people recommend

merino base layer + thin top layer with water/windproof qualities for the bad days, and without the base layer if its ok?

Think I might bite the bullet and get rapha hat. Seem to be raved about....

MichaelW

Berhaus windstopper gloves. Ive tried sealkinz gloves and they suck.
Sealskinz socks work really well.
Dont ride in summer clipless shoes, they are too tight and full of vents. Get some larger ones so you can double up on socks and vent free. I'm not sure you need winter boots for most of the UK winter.

hugo15

Another vote for Woolie Boolie socks.

For gloves I've ben pleased with my Altura Night Vision ones.

schlepcycling

gwillis wrote:

Prendas winter socks and overshoes.

.

+1 for the socks

Anonymous

For the altura - would you recommend the wind or waterproof ones? (might even get both for the seasons)

On sale at evans so v tempted!

nferrar

I'd go waterproof as otherwise windchill when wet can become an issue, factor in what padding you want on the gloves to, the more you want the less choice of gloves you'll have. If you don't want any padding then you can look at options like cheap ski gloves to for the outers.

Another thing to check is if the outer/main glove has a liner and if it's sewn in. IMO you want a liner (even if buying a thin merino liner glove) as it gives a bit more warmth (you can always take off the merino liner if your hands get too hot). However some built-in liners can be a nightmare and if they come out when you take your hand out they can be a real PITA to get back in properly so if trying gloves on in a shop check if the liner stays in when you remove your hand (I went into a cycle surgery last winter and someone had the same idea, 90% of the gloves had the liners pulled out lol, felt sorry for the staff guy that had to fix them).

1_reaper

Thanks for the advice. Will check suggestions out

bigpikle

http://road.cc/content/review/25196-spe ... ero-gloves

I've never managed to keep my hands warm until I got these - Spesh Subzero's...

Fairly waterproof but best of all totally windproof and really warm. They are certainly a little bulky but not so much you cant change gear and brake etc. Only reaching into pockets really gives any challenge!

I also bought Goretex winter road boots, which again are pretty waterporoof until water eventually gets int he top, but are much much more windproof and loads warmer. I eventually get slightly cold feet so this year will try a big set of windproof roubaix style overshoes to give an extra layer of insulation and reckon that will probably do.

Just make sure nothing is too tight so it doesnt affect circulation and make things worse...