What do you wear in winter (bike)?

It is getting cold now. What do you wear on the bike in Winter and do you have the URL where it can be found online? It is time to don some warm clothes on that nke each day.

Simon

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/features/clothing.shtml

Good tips.

for winter biking (between -10 to -15C) i wear: poly pro shirt X 2, long sleeve cyling jersey, short sleeve jersy, thin fleece, then windproof cycling jacket. On legs, i wear tights, cycling shorts, then windproof pants over top (this is all for mt biking, btw).

And most importantly, thick neoprene booties - i find the feet are the hardest to keep warm. the most i can do, even with lots of getting off the bike and running, is probably 2.5 hours before the feet are too cold to continue.

LAYERS

Most important thing is layers

Booties - I totally agree with - aswell as a nice waterproof/windproof pair of gloves.

That’s what we use in Cleveland so you KNOW it works

Have you tried searching through the forums? There have been some good discussions from what I remember… My main weakness with the cold is the wind. I find neoprene booties too much probably to about 0C. I’m too warm and get sweaty -making me MORE cold. A good windproof top and booty makes me a lot more comfortable over the long run. Oddly I can be comfortable with breathable gloves; as long as they have some insulation. Anyway, like the others said, layers are important

  1. base layer - wicks the sweat

  2. insulation - for warmth

  3. shell - blocks the wind, & rain but has to be breathable. The lighter the better.

when it gets really cold, and i’m bike commuting, i wear a pair of wierd glove/mitten hibrids. i call them “lobster gloves.” basically, instead of having all 4 fingers separate (like gloves) or together (like mittens), your first 2 fingers are together & your ring & pinkie are together. by trek, IIRC. my hands have never been cold wearing these… it’s gotta be pretty cold before i put these on, though.
i also wear an insulated & windproof headband under my helmet.

since i don’t wear my bike shoes in these situations, i don’t have nearly as much trouble keeping my feet warm as i have with my hands and ears. and you gotta give some thought to the family jewels as well.

-charles

and i live in Saskatchewan, so i DOUBLE KNOW it works… :wink:

Sugoi also makes a really nice balaclava - you can get full face coverage, or just pull it down and have the neck covered.

Also try those mini-hand warmers for your feet and hands. They are thin and the ones I have last for hours (the package said 7).

Giordana makes a kick-ass winter bib tight. I bought mine a few years back, and it had material called Nevada. Fleecey on the inside, almost like wetsuit on the outside. It’s heavy, heavy stuff. By the way- if you don’t wear bibs, this is the time to start. You will prevent your core from being exposed when in the drops, and you will have another layer for your core.

Don’t skimp on the booties, and get good gloves. I use silk liners (made for skiers) under my Pearl Izumi Lobster claw gloves. Don’t forget your balaclava, and wear a helmet cover. A good quality windbreaker is key, and maker certain that it is a nice, bright colour (as it is dark half of the time in winter).

bib shorts and a ss jersey, in my basement, on my trainer. i’m getting to be a wuss in my old age.

I wear my house.

The same thing I do the rest of the year! And for those REALLY cold Arizona days I’ll throw on some arm warmers, leg warmers and a vest…so I can take them off as it warms up. : )

Funny, before all the new poly shirts and wind tight this and that, I used to go out in 3 sweat shirts and two layers of sweat pants. I would get soaked just from sweat. The only real reward was after spending as much time as I could on the roads on the wet Washington winter was going to New Zealand and riding NAKED. It was so refreshing to just go out in shorts and jersey. I felt so free. Now I use the CT and sweat like a broken water pipe.

Booties - just picked up some Louis Garneau booties and they are by far the best I have ever used. www.trisports.com/logawitexshc.html

I rode almost all of last winter, much of it at night no less. I found that it is really much more important to protect yourself from the wind than to have gobs of insulation. You’ll generate plenty of heat yourself. I swear by Gore Windstopper. Nothing less for my boys. I could wear my windstopper booties, bibs gloves and a light Windstopper fleece pullover over a long sleeve jersey and be just fine down to about 20 degrees F. I even found myself zipping down the pullover going up hills to let the heat out. Windstopper baby … it is awesome.

http://www.gorebikewear.com/