Winter Clothes

hanshotfirst

Guessing most forum members will be enjoying a nice end of summer mini heatwave this week, but up here in Scotland, Winter is most definitely coming!

Main things I need to get are a decent pair of gloves and something to keep the legs warm, reckon I've got the rest of the body covered... excuse the pun.

Will a pair of leg warmers do the job, or should I be going for full on bib tights?

Gloves wise, I've been looking at neoprene as it tends to get a little wet up here. Is this going to be a mistake when its dry? Should I just be looking for a good pair of wind stoppers? What are you using?

All recommendations welcomed. Budgeting for around £30 each. (30ish, would go over if it's going to be worth my while).

mrb123

For proper winter riding, bib tights are a better bet than leg warmers. Your summer bib shorts are probably made for hot weather with no insulation so they can get a little breezy round the nether regions on the coldest days.

That said, £30 isn't going to go far for a decent pair of bib tights. If you can stretch the budget a bit, have a look at something like the Wiggle DHB range. You could also consider some unpadded bib tights that you can wear over your regular bib shorts.

Gloves - I use a pair of Gore Power Windstopper gloves for most dry winter rides. They proved inadequate on some bitter and wet winter days last time round though so I've now also got some Specialized Sub Zero lobster gloves which can handle the foulest days. They also come with a thin liner glove which is useful on its own for Spring and Autumn conditions.

prhymeate

As mentioned above, it might be worth looking for some unpadded bib tights. Personally I prefer them as I can wear more expensive shorts with a good pad underneath and it helps to keep warm. They seem a bit thin on the ground though, wiggle used to do a really good pair. I was looking for some earlier and found these which might be a good bargain if you are a size XS or M. https://www.cyclestore.co.uk/altura_rac ... 4-ID_56184

fenix

It does depend on a few things.

How far are you riding ? How fast ? What weathers ? Short and fast you may be ok with leg warmers.

You should be able to get unpadded longs for about that cash and wear them over your summer shorts.
Neoprene are good for wet but rubbish for cold.

Check out Aldi for kit - Their gloves are about a fiver and better than all the big name gloves i've tried.
Planet X are usually good for clothes too.

If its going to be bitter - check out lobster mitts. I've a pair of PX ones ready to rock but last winter was mild in England.

alex222

MrB123 wrote:

Gloves - I use a pair of Gore Power Windstopper gloves for most dry winter rides. They proved inadequate on some bitter and wet winter days last time round though so I've now also got some Specialized Sub Zero lobster gloves which can handle the foulest days. They also come with a thin liner glove which is useful on its own for Spring and Autumn conditions.

+1
I have had the exact same experience with the Gore Power Windstoppers, even with inners. I also ended up upgrading to some lobster gloves for the really cold days.

I would add that a good pair of overshoes are pretty essential in my experience.

With regards to DHB bib tights I would avoid their Roubaix range, which are at the lowest rung of their ladder. I have not been impressed with the fit or pad.

rs6mra1

You will struggle based on your budget. I bought the Btwin 700 from Decathlon last autumn as a stop gap as i was unable to get what i wanted in my size. I found myself wearing them all through winter. Never had any issues with them. @£50

kajjal

I find the Castelli bib tights the best fit for me and if you look round the sales they are only a little outside your budget. Tried cheaper ones but the fit was not as good. If you are bigger built the gore bike wear ones fit well. Best to buy decent ones in the first place rather than buying twice.

Fat-Boy-Roubaix

Invest for the future - My Castelli Sorpasso 3 years - Northwave boots 5 years - Gore Winter jacket 4 years Decent long sleeve jersey 4 years.

The only things I seem to bugger about with every year are gloves - hats - base layer

I spent as much on clothing as 6-8 weeks of driving by car to work, that's how I judge all my cycling purchases!

luv2ride

For gloves, look at the Endura Strikes. Warm and waterproof. And Evans are currently doing the mk1's for £14.99

sloppyschleckonds

If you budget is £30 for bibs try this:

chippyk

B'Twin 700. But buy everything in spring, it's cheaper.

bendertherobot

Gloves

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/BN129EWB/e ... ter-bundle

hanshotfirst

Thanks so far guys. Appreciate all the "buy cheap, buy twice" comments, but I'm only likely to be out a few weekends over the winter when its not icy or p1shin' it down. I'm not commuting or anything.

Think I'm leaning more towards thermal tights and wearing my summer shorts under them to get the benefit of a decent pad.

Cheers Luv2ride - the endura strikes could be a winner!

Fat-Boy-Roubaix

Not got a clue what they are like but saw these this morning
https://www.cycledivision.co.uk/product ... r-bundle-3

dannbodge

I use the DHB Aeron roubaix tights in winter and they are great.
Keep you really warm and the pad is great, they were around £50 i think.

bendertherobot

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

If you budget is £30 for bibs try this:

Good stuff. But remember, if you also own the matching chamois tin, to check carefully before application.

bobones

Neoprene gloves come into their own if you're out in the rain for a prolonged period. No "waterproof" glove will keep your hands dry if the rain/sleet is persistent and heavy, and your hands can end up very cold, especially if you need to take the gloves off to fix a puncture or have a comfort break. Neoprene gloves are sleek enough that you can keep them on to fix a puncture.

I tried neoprene gloves for the first time last winter and they really were a revelation: warm and comfortable even in the worst conditions. If it's dry, however, your hands will get sweaty and clammy which is not too pleasant so you probably need a non-neoprene pair for cold, dry days.

Decathlon do neoprene gloves for about £15 and they really are excellent. I also have a pair of Endura neoprenes, which look a little nicer, but I don't think they're quite as warm: the Decathlon gloves have a silver coated inner surface, which I think helps retain heat.

Decathlon also do a nice range of Goretex skiing gloves which are great on the coldest days, and some of the winter cycling gloves from the likes of Aldi and Lidl are great value for money.

I would also mention that the Aldi winter soft shells are really good value at less than £20, and Decathlon also have some nice winter gear at much cheaper prices than the major brands.

The biggest problem for me in winter is keeping my feet warm so I use a combination of winter boots, thick over shoes and chemical toe warmers, which does the trick.

niblue

Planet-X have some good winter kit on sale at the moment - well worth a look as they have things like bib longs for £17.50.