My son is getting more into riding and I want to get him reasonably priced booties and gloves for colder rides of two to three hours.
Pearl Izumi has treated me well over the years and you can usually find stuff on sale…but be careful with someone getting into riding. Quality will make the ride more enjoyable and sometimes you have to pay for quality…if he’s miserable because his gear is not keeping him warm, he may stop riding.
BBB stuff is servicable for this stuff. Had a few years out of their booties before I needed to replace (not noticably any shorter nor effective/comfortabe than some Castelli versions).
As for gloves then I used to commute 20km each way daily in sub zero conditions and swear by simple cheap $10 woollen gloves as liners to some semi-decent but stil not too expensive (Marmot) gortex windstopper outers(Connect Evolution Glove – Marmot). This was still fine to shift gears, grab gels/bars and poke garmin buttons. First pair lasted me over 30,000 MILES before the right index finger got warn from shifting.
Added, if you want really inexpensive but very effective then another approach I used in really cold conditions was a plastic sandwich/freezer bag. Thin sock, then put the bag on toes, then a thicker sock over top, and you are good for any weather. Never had any discomfort from the bag.
In the same vein as the bag on the toes, nitrile (surgical gloves) are great to have if it’s cold/wet. They don’t breathe so you’ll get sweaty, but they will keep your hands warm.
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The plastic wrappers that disposable cutlery came in used to be great for your little fingers too. #100%yorkshire
How cold are we talking?
Personally I prefer the neoprene toe covers down to about 40^F (some breathability so I’m not a soggy mess). You can get full neoprene booties for $20 on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=cycling+booties+neoprene
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how old is he? how serious is he?
Will “cool” help for is it pure function?
That should help with the suggestions above. DIY may work great, but not be what will keep a younger kid interested?
Riding a bike for 3 hours in the cold for a hobby for a kid seems short lived.
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I just bought a pair of Castelli Diluvio UL shoe covers from Steep and Cheap for $53. They sell gloves and other winter essentials too. I think they are a discount outlet for Backcountry.
Pure function. He’s 16yo turning 17 in January. We signed up for a gravel ride in June together, along with my brother and some of my college roommates. The event turned into a weekend, where he can pick different length rides rather then one long 70 mile ride. So just needs to get out some to keep up some fitness from NICA season.
In college, supermarket shopping bags under a pair of Bike Nashbar booties were my go to. Much harder to get those bags now.
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+1 for Pearl Izumi. I don’t love their kit but for gloves, shoe covers, etc. they are hard to beat and reasonably priced.