how to stop being c-c-cold? :(

dubcat

I'm new to road biking. I own only summer jerseys and bib shorts plus a wind stopper gilet (with a mesh back) and fingerless gloves. This mornings ride was sunny but chilly. At the end of the ride I needed a long hot shower to thaw out and if I am like this now I can't imagine what it will be like in a few more weeks.

My fingers were cold (fingerless gloves) and my feet were cold too in particular.

Should I invest in long sleeve tops or simply add leg and arm warmers to my bib shorts and summer jersey + gilet combination?

For the fingers it's easy - i will buy full finger gloves. What about the feet though?

Anything else I should be thinking about buying for the winter months? I have lights already.

Sorry for the newbie questions -
Dub

navrig

Overshoes - don't go for thick socks it is counter productive.

Thermal base layer.

Bib longs.

Windcheater jacket.

L/S jersey.

Skull cap under the helmet if you are bald.

Wobblehead

Being from Yorkshire and tight with a lot of running / outdoor gear I have nothing special....

Generally put a long sleave helly hansen thermal under cycling top, then add either 3/4 or full length running leggings over bib shorts as needed.

On top of that if it is really cold, a good soft shell jacket which breathes quite well and keeps wind / most rain out. Only wear a cag if it absolutely pissing it down, quite frequent here...

Feet, generally put a pair of sealskin socks over wool cycling socks, this stops most of the wet but also wind

Gloves, again, sealskin waterproofs and if really cold some thin silk liner gloves underneath.

Buff for neck / head

dubcat

What about arm and leg warmers instead of L/S jersey + bib longs? I only ask because it is the much much cheaper option and I have only just bought all my gear so have been spending a bomb of late. Are they effective or a waste of time vs the l/s jersey and bib longs?

hipshot

I find arm and leg warmers are more practical. I dont own a long sleeve jersey.

You can take them off mid ride if you warm up and stick them in your pockets . They are cheaper too, as you say.

t4tomo

arm and leg warmers are good for spring and autumn when you only want one layer or its chilly in the morning but warming in the pm for your commute home. but depth of winter you want more layers on, and not one that can develop gaps around the join. a long sleeved top doesn't have to be either or both cycle specific or expensive.

antfly

A windproof jacket and base layers are a neccessity. You can get away with kneewarmers or legwarmers and shorts until the proper cold, and then you can get warmer shorts if you need them. Overshoes and warmer socks for feet. Earwarmers for ears.

andyeb

+1 for base layers and overshoes.

Overshoes also help keep you dry in the wet. Trust me, having both cold AND wet feet is not a winning combination.

I typically wear a short sleeve jersey, plus shorts until the temperature dips below 10 degrees C. After that it's a long sleeve jersey + base layer, cycling leggings and thermal socks.

On balance I prefer to be slightly on the warm side, as a I get very tense when cold and I find that really affects my spinning efficiency.

Crawlinguphills

Navrig wrote:

Overshoes - don't go for thick socks it is counter productive.

Thermal base layer.

Bib longs.

Windcheater jacket.

L/S jersey.

Skull cap under the helmet if you are bald.

Sorry to be naive, but why are thick socks and overshoes counter productive? I am in a similar position having just spent 300 on wiggle and now finding i need yet more stuff!

Crawlinguphills

Crawlinguphills wrote:

Navrig wrote:

Overshoes - don't go for thick socks it is counter productive.

Thermal base layer.

Bib longs.

Windcheater jacket.

L/S jersey.

Skull cap under the helmet if you are bald.

Sorry to be naive, but why are thick socks and overshoes counter productive? I am in a similar position having just spent 300 on wiggle and now finding i need yet more stuff!

I should clarify, thats 300 on kit, not the bike

k-dog

I have a selection of stuff for the time of year.

Now it will be long sleeve jerseys, bib shorts and knee warmers - leg warmers by November or so.

They are very useful because as people have said it's often warmer in the afternoon and it can be quite uncomfortable being in full thermal longs when it warms up a bit.

You can also just use your regular shorts rotation rather than washing 1 or 2 things every few days.

Arms warmers would work too but you generally find that summer jerseys are lighter than their long sleeved equivalent so not enough at this time of year.

Can happen with shorts too - your legs are fine but your nether regions can get cold in summer shorts. They sell Roubaix ones which are thicker and fleecy on the inside.

simon_masterson

antfly wrote:

A windproof jacket and base layers are a neccessity.

Rubbish! I own neither and have no plans to invest. I also don't have any knee/leg warmers, or tights. Those are for girlymen. I did my first winter of cycling with my summer jersey and a few t-shirts underneath, my ancient school PE shorts, scrappy trainers with walking socks (no overshoes), and a pair of tubular bandages for makeshift arm warmers.

But in all seriousness, a good winter jersey may solve the problem. My Polaris Niterider jersey is warm as toast. It's very windproof, which helps a lot. I only wear my summer jersey underneath. I'd rather get a longsleeve merino jersey to use as a mid-layer, as I could also use it on its own.

As for other things, a cap is something that every cyclist should own; my preference is a Walz moisture wicking, which has been with me for many miles. I've been meaning to buy one of their wool caps too, and probably a helmet liner as well (until recently I did not wear a helmet). For winter gloves, I just wear a pair of cheap fleece gloves from the market over my mitts.

rozzer32

I've learnt you've got to try and keep 3 things warm, your hands, your feet and your ears.

But this is normally what I wear riding;

Chilly out - Arm & leg warmers, good base layer, maybe a gilet if it's quite cool. That's you sorted for between 10-20 deg

Cold - Winter jersey, base layer, leg warmers, over shoes, gloves, cycling cap

Really cold - same as above but add a thermal skull cap and add a gilet.

cougie

You don't want thick socks in your shoes as it cramps the feet too much - cutting off the circulation. You need enough space to wiggle the toes.

Armwarmers are fine for autumn but long sleeve jerseys are often fleecy backed for warmth. Short sleeve tops aren't.

And for full winter - you need a decent jacket.

antfly

Simon Masterson wrote:

antfly wrote:

A windproof jacket and base layers are a neccessity.

Rubbish! I own neither and have no plans to invest. I also don't have any knee/leg warmers, or tights. Those are for girlymen. I did my first winter of cycling with my summer jersey and a few t-shirts underneath, my ancient school PE shorts, scrappy trainers with walking socks (no overshoes), and a pair of tubular bandages for makeshift arm warmers.

But in all seriousness, a good winter jersey may solve the problem. My Polaris Niterider jersey is warm as toast. It's very windproof, which helps a lot. I only wear my summer jersey underneath. I'd rather get a longsleeve merino jersey to use as a mid-layer, as I could also use it on its own.

As for other things, a cap is something that every cyclist should own; my preference is a Walz moisture wicking, which has been with me for many miles. I've been meaning to buy one of their wool caps too, and probably a helmet liner as well (until recently I did not wear a helmet). For winter gloves, I just wear a pair of cheap fleece gloves from the market over my mitts.

Great, if you want to look like a tramp on the bike. Your windproof jersey is just a jacket by another name.

dubcat

rozzer32 wrote:

I've learnt you've got to try and keep 3 things warm, your hands, your feet and your ears.

But this is normally what I wear riding;

Chilly out - Arm & leg warmers, good base layer, maybe a gilet if it's quite cool. That's you sorted for between 10-20 deg

Cold - Winter jersey, base layer, leg warmers, over shoes, gloves, cycling cap

Really cold - same as above but add a thermal skull cap and add a gilet.

Does your base layer have arms? If so can you use these at the same time as arm warmers?

StillGoing

Arm warmers and leg warmers are fine all year round. Overshoes I definitely recommend. A head cover for under the helmet that you can drop over the ears too. If it looks really cold i'll stick a base layer under the jersey and probably stick the rain cape on until I warm up. I also have a windproof/showerproof long sleeved top that just hangs in the wardrobe as even on the coldest of days I find it too warm to wear once I've got going. Mind you, I don't live in the bleakest reaches of the UK.

rozzer32

Dubcat wrote:

rozzer32 wrote:

I've learnt you've got to try and keep 3 things warm, your hands, your feet and your ears.

But this is normally what I wear riding;

Chilly out - Arm & leg warmers, good base layer, maybe a gilet if it's quite cool. That's you sorted for between 10-20 deg

Cold - Winter jersey, base layer, leg warmers, over shoes, gloves, cycling cap

Really cold - same as above but add a thermal skull cap and add a gilet.

Does your base layer have arms? If so can you use these at the same time as arm warmers?

My summer base layer is short sleeve. I find arm warmers more useful as you can take them off if it warms up.

My winter base layer is long sleeve and a bit thicker. My winter jersey is long sleeve so I don't use arm warmers when wearing it.

I suppose you could use arm warmers with a long sleeve base layer, you can always try it and if it gets too warm you can just take the arm warmers off.

dubcat

Thanks guys - this thread has given me lots of ideas and very useful info. I will start with the leg and arm warmers and gilet combo and see how I get on. I will definitely get a pair of overshoes and full finger gloves too.

Thanks again.

navrig

Crawlinguphills wrote:

Navrig wrote:

Overshoes - don't go for thick socks it is counter productive.

Thermal base layer.

Bib longs.

Windcheater jacket.

L/S jersey.

Skull cap under the helmet if you are bald.

Sorry to be naive, but why are thick socks and overshoes counter productive? I am in a similar position having just spent 300 on wiggle and now finding i need yet more stuff!

This:

cougie wrote:

You don't want thick socks in your shoes as it cramps the feet too much - cutting off the circulation. You need enough space to wiggle the toes.

I tried the thicker socks option and my feet were colder and number simply because the socks compressed squeezing the air of of them and it is the trapped air which keeps you warm.

I then bought lightweight overshoes and they felt a lot better. Then when I bought road shoes (as opposed to MTB shoes) I bought a heavier duty neoprene overshoe. I rarely get cold feet now and that includes two winters riding at 0700 on a Saturday morning. I bought these:

http://www.enduraequipe.com/products/ov ... shoes.aspx

navrig

If you are looking at base layers PlanetX do great merino wool long sleeve and short sleeve tops. About £20 IIRC.

top_bhoy

I'd go for a pair of thermal bib tights (rather than arm/leg warmers), merino wool base layer, a wind and waterproof lined jacket and full finger goretex gloves. Any extra cash to go on a pair of overshoes. With the exception of extreme weather, you'll be set-up for most conditions with this gear.

stronginthesun

get rid of the clipin pedals . get some normal ones and thermal hiking boots and thermal socks . this is the only way to keep your feet from freezing in the winter

navrig

stronginthesun wrote:

get rid of the clipin pedals . get some normal ones and thermal hiking boots and thermal socks . this is the only way to keep your feet from freezing in the winter

Presumably you live in Norway?

dubcat

Bought Castelli Nanoflex arm and leg warmers. They are lovely - have a nice soft lining inside. Next on the hitlist is gloves and overshoes. I want thin gloves that are windproof. No idea about what makes a good overshoe unfortunately.

Chris87

A Gilet is a good way to keep your core temp up which will then help keep your extremities a bit warmer, the dhb ones on wiggle are very good for the price.

As for me when it really starts to get cold I rely on a polar buff, skull cap under the helmet, baselayer (great merino compression one from aldi) under a long sleeve jersey and some thinsulate long finger gloves under my usual riding ones.

This winter I'll be upgrading to some overshoes as well, my toes were the only thing last winter that still got cold (and I was riding round the peaks)

Mikey23

I was interested to see the sky riders wearing string vests under their jerseys. Seems like quite a good idea if not the best fashion statement. Are they available for sale?

smidsy

Mikey23 wrote:

I was interested to see the sky riders wearing string vests under their jerseys. Seems like quite a good idea if not the best fashion statement. Are they available for sale?

Surely they must be - how would the scots survive without them . Made by the well known mountain gear specialist RAB c nesbitt

I suspect however they were not normal string vests but 'performance' string vests made by Adidas.

Mikey23

Ah yes, found them. They are now called mesh, super light, sleeveless base layers... That's made my day!

mouth

Pedal faster. You'll find that's free.

RoadMeridaBen

Some of you lot need to man up lol.... all you need even on the coldest days in this country is bib shorts + Ss jersey a t shirt underneath, Leg + arm warmers. Overshoes , decent pair of gloves and maybe a cap under your helmet. Job done for -5 and over. Once we are back to 10 deg plus it's Ss jersey plus shorts and that's it