Winter clothing

markiegrim

New to road riding. With bike and gear already blown 900. Have bought shorts and short sleeve jersey, but what can I get away with for rides in the winter ? Just weekends. Ca 20-30 miles. Say down to 5 C. Can I just stick an underlay on? Or need long sleeve, fleece-lined jersey? Perhaps combo of underliner, short sleeve and waterproof? Tights (eek) really needed?

doug5_10

Knees and crotch suffer when it is cold, this is where winter tights (especially with these areas windproofed) come into their own. For those short distances I would say you could extend your current wardrobe with a base layer, arm warmers, leg warmers and a jacket or gilet. This will provide greater flexibility rather than just tights. Toes and fingers can suffer as well, windproof gloves and some neoprene overshoes (if riding clipless) will sort that.

Buckie2k5

cold toes and especially fingers can be a real pain in winter. Get some good waterproof gloves and overshoes.

ianbar

+1 gloves and overshoes, winter tights, get layered up id say

simon_masterson

This really does depend on where in the country you live, but it is the wind you need to keep out. A windproof L/S jersey, padded tights, and some gloves (even cheap fleece gloves over your mitts can do a decent job), are essential. What shoes you have will affect your need for overshoes (some shoes are much lighter and more vented than others), but plastic bags over socks and taping up vents are easy and cheap tricks that can work quite well. I would always advise you avoid waterproofs unless absolutely necessary or money is really no object, owing to the boil-in-the-bag effect, but if you intend to spend hours at a time out in the pouring rain you might want a jacket of some sort.

pinarellokid

if money is tight wait for Aldi to sell their winter cycling gear i still have one from last year and they are ace for the money..

use it on my commute all the time.

velvetytoast

Been using these for the last couple of years

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CLP ... bib_tights

Make a massive difference for £15...just stick them on over your shorts

Radial

On really cold mornings you'll be needing a winter cycling cap to wear under your helmet. Keeps your ears warm and helps retain heat within your body.

simon_masterson

Radial wrote:

On really cold mornings you'll be needing a winter cycling cap to wear under your helmet. Keeps your ears warm and helps retain heat within your body.

Yes, forgot that. My earflap Walz in wool is toasty.

MichaelW

You can get windproof fleece style jerseys but it is probably cheaper and more versatile to separate your windproof and insulation layers.
Dont use a waterproof as your windproof, use a tight-weave ultralight material with no membrane. Carry a separate waterproof for rain.
Arm and legwarmers are good for changeable conditions, esp big mountains. If you end up wearing them all day, you would probably be more comfortable in tights over your shorts or long sleeved jerseys.
Doubling up on jerseys can provide some wind baffle short of a windproof.
Sleeveless gillet style windproofs and insulation is another versatile option.
Extremities need to be kept warm. Use looser shoes with thicker socks or overshoes. Headband or scull cap under yopur helmet. Use a cheaper helmet with less ventilation and more insulation. Neck tubes are essential in the cold. They seal the top of your jacket and can be worn up to the ears and chin.

Start the ride cold so you warm up to operating temp without sweating. Carry spare insulation (eg rain jacket) for repair stops.

mpatts

The cheap list:

Layer up - wind chill is the enemy. Cheap essential items include:

A buff to keep the ears and head warm
Some tights/leggings (I have been known to wear wor lasses leggings under my bib tights, they are cheap and do the job)
Some oversocks for your shoes (I literally cut holes out of 2 pairs of H&M socks last year, took the sting out of the cold for about 50p)
Long sleeves, and a base layer (I splashed out on a Planet Ex Merino Jersey, and this was brilliant)
An old softshell jecket, if it got really cold.

You can spend a fortune - but if you are sensible and buy wisely, you can get out there for not too much.

For a one stop shop, I'd recommend PX

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/c/q/clothing

A pair of arm warmers is a must....and they are 7.99

shortcuts

velvetytoast wrote:

Been using these for the last couple of years

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CLP ... bib_tights

Make a massive difference for £15...just stick them on over your shorts

Do you wear them over or under padded shorts? Genuine question btw.

Bozman

There's one thing worse than being cold on a ride and that's being too hot, you sweat then the sweat cools and you bloody freeze. Through experience I'd say that you tend to get what you pay for. As soon as you pile on a few cheap layers you'll end up sweating, pay a few quid more(if you can)on quality lightweight layers and you'll reap the benefit.
Depending on the temperature I'll use a good base layer, a long sleeve Roubaix soft shell with windtex panels and maybe a gilet, add some non bulky winter gloves, Roubaix bib tights, winter socks and a merino hat or cap, one of those stretchy cotton neck things and I'm sorted for 90% of the winter. On really cold days I'll use a softshell jacket, glove liners and over shoes.
It took me years to sort out a good combination of winter clothing that I can chop and change as the/your temperature changes.

racingcondor

5C in the dry you could get away with a warm base layer (long sleeve), arm and leg warmers, toe warmers (or overshoes) and some long fingered gloves. In the wet though you'd get cold very quickly in that so I'd add a cycling cap and a waterproof that packs well enough to fit in your jersey pocket.

Wrath Rob

shortcuts wrote:

velvetytoast wrote:

Been using these for the last couple of years

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CLP ... bib_tights

Make a massive difference for £15...just stick them on over your shorts

Do you wear them over or under padded shorts? Genuine question btw.

Over the shorts. Personally I favour tights over knee warmers as my legs are less affected by changeable conditions (they're generating their own heat after a few minutes riding) so I bought some dhb (from Wiggle) mid-weight tights for down to around 5 degrees. Colder than that I've got some heavyweight ones.

Up top for your temperature range I normally ride with either a merino long sleeve base layer and a close knit long sleeve jersey or when its a little warmer, a regular SS jersey and then the long sleeve jersey. If it going to change, e.g. 6-8 degrees when I leave the house and then 10+ later in the ride then I wear a t-shirt base layer, regular SS jersey, arm warmers and a gillet.

As said above, keeping the wind out is vital. You can get wet but still be warm if you keep the wind out. If you get wet and then chilled by the wind you can get into real trouble.

iPete

3/4 roubaix dhb shorts, windproof jacket (waterproof = boil in a bag), base layer, overshoes + wooly socks, winter gloves, a buff and clear Bolle glasses gets me down to sub zero. Shins get a bit chilly but they deal with it ok.

Schoie81

How do you, personally, feel the cold? I'm sure this must depend on each individual? I'm new to road bikes but for the past two years i've commuted in the winter on my MTB - 15mile rides, so about 45-50mins on the bike. I've never worn anything more than a t-shirt and that's in sub-zero temperatures. In warm weather I don't wear gloves and always wear shorts so when it drops cold, that's where I make changes, trousers on my legs and gloves on my hands. The only parts of my body i've found to get cold are my fingers and toes, the gloves help and I try to wiggle my toes - keep 'em moving as I haven't found another solution yet...?

Obviously if its wet things change, as others have said, getting wet and cold isn't a good idea, so you'll need something to keep yourself as dry as possible if its cold and wet too.

Off the bike, I'm quite a naturally warm person, I wear t-shirts right through the winter, only own two jumpers and I only wear a coat if I absolutely have to. And I don't live in the moderate climate of the south either - the High Peak is a pretty cold place to live and cycle in the winter.

Tjgoodhew

Reading some of the advice above and i think if it was me i would actually boil under that amount of layers.

I went our through most of last winter in shorts and football socks pulled up to my knees. Only when it was really really cold did i resort to tights. Im not sure why but i just prefer my legs to be exposed and dont feel conformable in tights

It really does depend on the type of person but the one thing that i would say is essential is a good quality base layer. The rest is more personal choice and depends on what you are comfortable wearing and how warm a person you are

goonz

Depends how many layers of fat you have I imagine.

suzyb

goonz wrote:

Depends how many layers of fat you have I imagine.

Excess fat doesn't always keep you warm. I run colder than most people I know even though I have more fat than them

rubertoe

suzyb wrote:

goonz wrote:

Depends how many layers of fat you have I imagine.

Excess fat doesn't always keep you warm. I run colder than most people I know even though I have more fat than them

You always say that, and I always imagine you as a this 5'10, wonderfully slim, godess fo a woman.... :oops:

suzyb

rubertoe wrote:

suzyb wrote:

goonz wrote:

Depends how many layers of fat you have I imagine.

Excess fat doesn't always keep you warm. I run colder than most people I know even though I have more fat than them

You always say that, and I always imagine you as a this 5'10, wonderfully slim, godess fo a woman.... :oops:

Funnily enough that's how I see myself in my dreams.

rubertoe

suzyb wrote:

rubertoe wrote:

suzyb wrote:

goonz wrote:

Depends how many layers of fat you have I imagine.

Excess fat doesn't always keep you warm. I run colder than most people I know even though I have more fat than them

You always say that, and I always imagine you as a this 5'10, wonderfully slim, godess fo a woman.... :oops:

Funnily enough that's how I see myself in my dreams.

We both cant be wrong....

OP, Dress to keep warm and dont worry about the wet. Keeping the wind out is key, also keeping your core and extremities wrm.

I will layer, bib tights (roubaix), base layer (merino), L/S jersey, thin or thick jacket as appropriate. Woolie Boolies (always) and oversehoes if its really cold, Thick or thin Full gloves depending on coldness. and a buff and head band.

Mix and match as appropriate - maybe a gillet insted of a jacket and maybe some thermal shorts and leg warmers if its going to be sunny.

edhornby

ok on a strict budget

PX bibs (they have no pad so they go over your bibs)
2 pairs of socks
aldi gloves
aldi winter jacket for when it's really cold
baselayer from sports direct or similar (under a summer jersey) for when it's chilly
a buff or a cheap headband from decathlon/sportshop to keep the ears warm when really cold
a cap for when it's chilly (prendas do three for a tenner) and these keep rain out of the eyes as well

very cheap packable rain jacket, to go in the jersey pocket and only to be put on when it's raining hard or if you have to stop for a mechanical

keep eating and drinking during a ride, use routes you know so that you're not stopping to check directions

pilot_pete

I think what all the replies demonstrate is we are all different and feel the cold less or more than each other.

I personally am on the 'less' side when it comes to feeling the cold. I will put a base layer (I use Under Armour Coldgear) on when it gets below about 13*C with my Autumn/ Fall shorts. These are slightly warmer than full on wafer thin summer shorts. I just wear a summer jersey over the base layer. To this. Will then add various bits as the temp drops as we get closer to winter.

Below 10*C I will put on leg warmers (absolutely must be made of Roubaix material or its equivalent or they will be useless) and neoprene overshoes (wet suit material). Winter gloves as I feel the need. This combination is good enough down to about 5*C for me and I carry a very thin, lightweight/ tight weave (wind proof) jacket in a jersey pocket.

Below 5*C I'll usually go to Roubaix bib tights; no pad means you can wear them over your Summer/ Fall shorts. At this point I wear a pair of my old army socks which have a thick padded wooly sole and reach up over the shins, worn underneath the tights.

Only when it gets close to freezing do I tend to replace the summer jersey with a long sleeved thermal jersey. The thing is, if you wear one you really need to wear it the whole ride as it is too bulky to remove and carry in a pocket. For me, this means it has to be really cold.

At no point, even below freezing do I wear a buff or ear warmer headband. I have a skull cap and wore it twice but I overheat and my head starts getting really, really itchy! All my mates wear them but I just can't stand them. I set off and my ears freeze for ten minutes then I am fine. I sweat, even when it is 0*C, with the correct number of layers! I'd sweat even if I was naked and riding!

On this note, as mentioned by others, windchill is your greatest enemy. If it is wet, you are going to get wet, you have to accept that. A waterproof jacket will keep the rain out, but will not allow your perspiration to evaporate through the material at a suitable rate, hence you will still get wet. The key is not getting too cold when you are wet. This is where a wind proof jacket is particularly useful. I will wear one on long downhills, on the flat if riding with slower mates and the pace has dropped to the point I am not generating enough heat, or when we stop, say for a mechanical.

So my take on it is get as flexible a wardrobe as you can on your budget. A thermal base layer, long or short sleeve, Roubaix arm and leg warmers, a lightweight packable windproof jacket and thermal overshoes and winter gloves to start with. If your summer shorts really aren't very warm then a heavier short will allow more flexibility before going all the way to full Roubaix bib tights, but if you can't afford all that, perhaps go straight for a winter bib tight which will be a bit too warm when the temperature isn't really low, but will allow you to keep riding when it does really drop. Buffs and skull caps as you see fit.

Hope this helps.

PP

Snowy 70

For me personally, I would wear a good quality sweat wicking baselayer, a breathable wind/waterproof jacket, overshoes and gloves, If my feet & hands are warm then I'm happy.