I’m looking for advice on purchasing winter cycling gear. I live in Virginia, so it’s not terribly cold (the worst I’ll ride in will be 30s and windy). I’ve way overspent my cycling budget already and wonder if anyone can point me towards bargains.
Jack, I’ve done winters with cheap used running tights and old wool jerseys from EBay. I still prefer an old tight running wind jacket and one or two $20 jerseys to a lot of the fancy stuff. (oh yeah, get some Sixtus Start Oil for yer legs)
Plastic bags or saran wrap on the feet work well (its all we had way back in '80). For me, its often feet, hands and ears which go first.
Don’t need $$ to be a hard ass - but I really like the trainer in the barn most winter days.
Used Computrainer…
www.bonktown.com
your welcome.
Cycling booties: Performance Brand. Thick neoprene, bullet-proof, $17-20 on some of their sales. If you have a Performance Bike store in or near you, go on Tuesday between 12 & 1 PM…weekly lunch time discount of 15%. Also, check the online prices vs. in store prices before purchases, then go into the shop, and if the online is cheaper, ask them to match it. They do. But you have to ask for it.
Neoprene booties
Leg warmers
running tights
fleece gloves
beanie
wind-proof cycling shell
technical/fleece jerseys
It’s pretty individual, so you will have to figure out via trial/error what works for you, but with the above items you can cover a very wide range of temps. Really, you want to go by the “real feel” temperature as 30 degrees can be pretty comfy or brutal depending on wind, humidity, etc.
Being over-dressed is pretty much just as bad as being under-dressed.
You can ride in pretty chilly temps with running tights under your bike shorts/leg warmers, 2-3 fleece/tech long sleeve jerseys under your shell.
The absolute most painful part of your body to get cold is your johnson. For really cold days, I have a pair of cut-off fleece longjohns I wear under everything to avoid a dicksickle.
I get worse dicksickles during long winter runs for some reason…
use a lot
wind breaker
booties for yer shoes
ninja mask for the face
warm hat
cycling in the cold for 5 minutes causes more dread in me than doing a half ironman
I’m looking for advice on purchasing winter cycling gear. I live in Virginia, so it’s not terribly cold (the worst I’ll ride in will be 30s and windy). I’ve way overspent my cycling budget already and wonder if anyone can point me towards bargains.
Being over-dressed is pretty much just as bad as being under-dressed.
that's why i really like the louis garneau ergo air gloves - i have fingerless (summer), full-finger (fall) and insulated (winter) ones, and i find my hands don't get cold, but don't get sweaty either. wear them both running and cycling, as they're very lightweight, comfortable and breathable.
polartec windpro fleece headband under my helmet keeps ears nice and toasty, but lets me vent any excess heat out the top of my head.
a wicking base layer is essential, and leave anything cotton at home.
cheers!
-mistress k
no!!
no!!!
over dressed you just get hot.
under dressed you get COLD!!
cold is hell.
hot is just hot
also you can remove clothing if you get too hot
if you get too cold, making new clothes materialize is harder. working on it though.
Being over-dressed is pretty much just as bad as being under-dressed.
Not a bargain, but you can probably find one less than MSRP, Assos Fugujack. It’s pricey, but it may actually make you enjoy riding in the winter, it’s that good. Very thin insulation but surprisingly warm with a built in ninja mask and extra liner for your chest. A base layer is really all you need to wear under it, resulting in a very streamlined, non-Michelin Man look. I added a wind shell and comfortably rode 20+ miles at a windy 18 F.
I have never come across a pair of gloves that kept my hands as warm as the manufacturer had advertised. Always had to double them up.
Don’t really want to think about it right now!!!
One of the best pieces of gear you can buy to keep warm for winter riding is not something you wear- fenders! They look a little lame, but if you ride in the rain (or sfterwards) often at all they will make a big difference, keeping you much drier and therefore warmer. Take it from a guy in Seattle!
+1 on fenders. Also, the warmest gloves that I’ve found are snowboarding gloves. None of the cycling gloves I’ve tried work well at all. Nothing will end a ride sooner (or make you more miserable) than cold fingers and/or toes.
Once the sweat starts hitting the cold (below32) then you have a bigger problem when you start taking off clothes. or keep on. Imagine being soaked in sweat and having 25 miles to ride home against the wind and below 32 degrees.
I ride year round as long as there is noto too much snow or ice, you just have to figure out what works for you.
http://www.rei.com/product/725708
You have to get your neck, ears and face covered first and foremost. Someone suggested the Performance neoprene booties, those are great, but for the real cold stuff, try little chemical handwarmers in your shoes. They stick to your sock and last about 2 hours.
Jacket-2xu is the bomb!
a few years ago i bought some nashbar tights that are excellent for cold conditions. i think they are called “windrider”. very inexpensive, and they also repel water in rainy conditions
for hands i use gortex mitten shells (manzella i think) and then use different thickness glove liners (wool or polypropelene) depending on conditions.
i put on a skull cap under my helmet
for feet, i just go with some Specialized mtb shoes that have no venting, and wool socks. i prefer this to booties over the road shoes
I like gore jacket that has detachable sleeves like this one: http://www.tribug.com/gore-phantom-cycling-jacket-for-men-p-94.html
And craft prozero with windstopper in front and face mask which also has windstopper
http://www.tribug.com/craft-prozero-windstopper-long-sleeve-crew-unisex-p-103.html
And of course booties and gloves like others mentioned.
And those handwarmers i use while skiing but they are really great anywhere, you can put them in your gloves and shoes.
http://www.rei.com/product/730875
The best money you can spend is on a wind vest. A vest will add 10 degrees of comfort to whatever else you are wearing. It gets used year round so its a good purchase.
If you don’t want to spring for tights just yet, leg warmers will work down into the 40’s and you get alot of use out of them. If you do get tights, I like bibs better because they cover that spot in the small of my back cold air gets if it goes up your jersey. Voler has a really nice pair for about $100.
Basically, if you have a nice long sleeve jersey, a vest and some leg warmers (and booties and gloves) you can add in some undergarments from your running collection and be good down into the low 30’s or high 40’s.
Of course, a few cold rides will convince you that winter cycling gear is worth a little financial sacrifice. Few gear purchases bring as much satisfaction as something that keeps you warm when it is cold out 
If your bottom end is 30 degrees, you’ll be surprised how little you need to stay warm. Windbreaker and light underlayer may be enough for the upper body. Never cotton - usually a wicking base layer and microfleece. I’m a big proponent of bike jackets with arm pit zippers and or vented sides and backs. The sweat builds up fast if it has nowhere to go. For legs, I go with DeSoto fleece tights down to 20 or so. They are incredibly warm yet breathable. A light balaclava for the head. No need for a face mask until somewhere in the twenties. The cold can make my eyes water, so I put on a pair of clear ski goggles somewhere in the mid 30s (I commute and go home in the dark) - clear lens sunglasses above that. Fleece gloves are good to about 30 although I pack extra large unlined leather gloves to put over them if my hands get cold. That way, even if my hands sweat on the way to work, I can take off the leather gloves and dry the fleece gloves for the ride home. Everyone’s feet sensitivity is different so experiment. A couple of wool socks in slightly large biking shoes is all I need down to 30, although I may add neoprene booties over the shoes if it will be wet.
The best thing I discovered is wearing wool socks, then toe covers over my shoes, then booties on top of that. Keeps my feet warm, and then I stay warm.