I have this vest

https://www.fusionsportsusa.com/collections/cycling/products/s1-cycle-vest


It works well.

I also have this old Adidas long sleeve vented shirt. It is by far my favorite piece of clothing, I can't find another for the life of me.

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Grow with data: Dynamic Sports Data | eBay store

I'm a big fan of the vest. Jackets get too warm for me in the arms - and I haven't ridden or ran in a jacket in years since I discovered vests.

When layering is needed, a vest is always my outermost layer - either jersey/vest; jersey/arm-warmers/vest; long-sleeve jersey/vest; base-layer, long-sleeve, vest for coldest days. I have lightweight windbreaker vests (Sugoi, and Bontrager) and if it's colder (rides below 40F), I use a heavier weight vest that has some chest area insulation (Pearl Izumi).

Recommend you go for a vest that is vented, but most importantly also has rear pockets (surprisingly not always easy to find). That way you can reuse other gear that you have (e.g. long-sleeve base or running jerseys) for cycling, and still have the utility of pockets for cell phone, tubes, food, etc..

Truthfully, all gear is pretty decent now-days....I generally buy just what's on sale or clearance.
The key to all cold weather riding is just proper layering. Couple of items to have in your clothing arsenal:
- short sleeve and long sleeve base layer (I splurged and also bough a windtex front Craft base layer for cold days)
- long sleeve cool weather riding jersey
- thin wind vest and a thicker thermal vest (I have 3 thermal CAPO vest that are my favorite fall riding gear)
- arm, leg and knee warmers
- windtex style booties (and wool type socks). I love the Louis Garneau wind booties: https://garneau.com/...overs/color/black-60
- gloves (I just bough a few pairs of these for $18 and really like them. They will be good down to about 40 degrees): https://www.performancebike.com/...-lite-gloves-11-5619

For cold weather riding you will want to add:
- Thin Tights
- Jacket (I like Gore Jackets), I only really use a winter jacket when the temperature is around 35 or colder
- Winter bibs if under 30 degrees
- Barclava to cover your neck
- Thermal style hat
- winter gloves
- thicker booties (or often I'll often just double up on my windtex booties)

I live in Kentucky and I got the Perfetto jacket last fall. I used it until Christmas Eve. The January snow made road riding impractical. I used multiple base layers and bought lobster claws. I rode in it as low as 15F with snow blowing sideways. I probably won’t ride in such cold weather this winter. I think I’ll bottom out around 25F. The jacket isn’t really made for temps that cold but with layering you can ride in colder conditions. My extremities get cold before my core. I like the aero fit especially when the wind is whipping in fall, winter and spring.

Oh I also got the Perfetto vest this fall. It’s great for 50-65 degrees. Very versatile.

Hey, that was a pretty good list. Seems to match well with what I have found on the IL/WI border. I seem to prefer thermal knickers to tights, but to each their own.

We're going off topic slightly, but I'm going to add two things:

One thing to add is to swap out (or add to) the insoles in shoes. So much heat is lost on the bottom of shoes. The foil/metal bottomed insoles make a big difference. These things fit in cycling shoes pretty well and are only $8. They do take up a little bit of space, so they may be best used in larger cycling shoes. Buy the largest size and cut them down because they run just as narrow or more narrow than most cycling shoes.


I have those gloves you mentioned, but 40-45 would be about my cutoff for using them (like you said). They are fantastic in their temp. range though. I just haven't had luck with most cycling specific gloves for really chilly stuff and that's where I get cold first. I have an extremely expensive pair of Pearl Izumi gloves that just don't do the trick for me much below freezing. After several failed winter glove purchases, what I finally settled on came from the farm store. Carhartt Pipeline Insulated gloves. I didn't even buy them for cycling, but that's what they ended up doing a lot of. Enough dexterity that I can shift, brake, activate the dropper post, etc but very warm. There's a 'liner' glove inside. If you ever have had to take off your gloves to do something in the winter, you quickly realize how hard they are to get back on. Having a liner makes it way easier to get your outer glove back on and the liner will work with touch screens. It also helps a little with the warmth. It's kind of like a base layer for your shell.

I think the biggest thing is the wind. If you have a wind-blocker you can dress in layers underneath.

I currently have a Pearl Izumi Select Barrier Jacket that zips off to a vest. I think I got it off of amazon for less that $50.

Yup, hands and feet will always be the toughest to keep warm.
I used Burton Snow Boarding gloves for the longest time....same as the Carharts. Fleece liner with an outer shell. Those gloves were the best (until I lost them). I now just use some Gore Lobster gloves and they came with a Gore Liner glove.
The problem is the older I get the higher my bottom riding temperature becomes. In my younger days I would ride in any temperature although seriously cold (under 10 degrees) was MTB riding only. Now over 50, low 30's is generally my max for riding outside. I am going to have to try the shoe liners you mentioned, Thanks!

Isn't that the truth!

Last year I invested in some winter riding boots, today I just ordered some moosemitt pogies. At this point my clothes/shoes might be worth more than my fatbike.

The Perfetto is a great item. It's more aero than most windbreakers and/or rain jackets, but you get decent protection from both. They make a convertible one where it changes from a long sleeve to a short sleeve jersey. That might be worth the extra few dollars in cost.

Like others said, layering is where it is at. A nice base layer (like the Castelli Flanders LS) and a vest underneath something like a perfetto goes a long way.

It's super important to stay dry and keep your core warm. That's the easiest way to keep your extremities warm. If you don't have enough clothing protecting your core, your body will do whatever it takes to keep your core warm, meaning your hands and feet will be the big losers. You want something that breaths enough so that you aren't sweating, and has some zippers so that you can let some cold air in if you start to feel too warm.

I know that full leg warmers are back in style in the pro peloton, but i still prefer knee warmers. They are easier to remove on the fly if you need to. I use them if it is below 65 degrees (road) or about 60 (MTB). If it is really cold, insulated bib tights are the way to go. I bought some Rapha Pro bib tights last winter on sale, and they are amazing.

best vest I have ever owned.