drummergeek

50-59 degrees morning commute

• (56-50) sta-dri t-shirt

• long sleeved t-shirt

• black socks

• (56-50) wool socks

• (56-50) light sweat bottoms
• Handkerchief

• Tennis shoes
• reflective vest

• light gloves

• Clear glasses

• (54-50) hat

• ear wrap
• pack headband for trip home (warmer weather)

• pack a stay dri t-shirt for trip home (warmer weather)
• (56-50) pack black socks for trip home (warmer weather)

Tundra_Man 

43 degrees this morning, 90% humidity, light 6 mph headwind. Here's what I wore:

Short-sleeved shirt.
Light unlined wind-breaker.
Cycling shorts.
Regular athletic socks/bike shoes.
Headband to cover ears.
Full-fingered biking gloves.

Took the long way and rode about 21 miles before work. Once I warmed up my fingers and toes were still cold, but not bad enough that I found it distracting. The rest of me was about the perfect temp. Interesting that while my toes were cold, my bare legs weren't chilly at all. Probably a circulation thing.

snow_echo_NY

love reading what everyone wears, it's helpful to know what i can wear (or not wear!) and that it makes a difference.

today was a balmy 56 degrees (joking about the balmy ) and i choose to change it up - shirt, shorts, arm warmers, and added knee high socks instead of ankle socks. the knee high socks were nice! i'll have to try knee warmers and then vest to figure out what i prefer i think...

mostly my hands were blasted with cool air, and stiff, so i rode one handed for awhile, alternating hands, and just pumped my hands to get blood flowing and not before long they were warm. i might look for mesh thin gloves...

esmith2039

Here's what I've found so far that works the best for me.

65+ .. short sleeve/shorts/sandals (typical netted gloves, nothing else)
55-65 .. short sleeve/shorts (typical netted gloves, nothing else)
50-55 .. long sleeve shirt/shorts (typical netted gloves, nothing else)
45-50 .. long sleeve shirt/nylon pants/stocking hat/full fingered gloves.. typically take the last 2 off halfway through

Not sure on the other ranges yet. Probably added a jack under 45 and vary the thickness depending on the temp. The temps vary though through out the ride since I got up and down hills.

spivonious

55?

T-shirt and long pants, thin fingerless gloves.

I don't bring out long sleeves until it gets into the low 40s. The face mask comes out when it gets below 35, and I just keeping adding layers as it gets colder than that. Ski gloves and wool socks do wonders when it's in the teens.

ItsJustMe

Yeah at 56 degrees I wear exactly what I do at every temperature warmer than that. My start for putting on very thin extra layers starts just under that, around 50.

Moe Zhoost

I wear the same stuff I do in the summer months except:

T-Shirt may be cotton instead of the wicking ones.
I throw on my nylon cycling jacket. Usually remove it around 60 degrees.
If raining, I will wear rain pants (too hot in the summer for these)

no motor?

There's a thread in the winter section called "today I wore" that has pages and pages of lists of what people wear in different winter temperatures.

PatrickGSR94

But this ain't the winter season.

no motor?

True! I hope it stays this way for a while too. but if you liked this thread you're going to love the other when it gets colder.

snow_echo_NY

i've been riding with no gloves, arm warmers and my regular spring get up which is short sleeve shirt and shorts.

i swapped out knee high socks for ankle wool socks. both are fine, a little warm. i would choose knee high thin wool socks if i could i think. it's been about 54 to 57 these past several mornings.

i think i found my sweet spot with just adding the arm warmers. long sleeves are just too warm for me right now. on a side note, a cyclist rode up to me the other morning with his long sleeve shirt and shorts and asked how i like the arm warmers. i said i love them, they're cooler than a long sleeve shirt which i prefer. he nodded and we went our separate ways. i later passed him on the bridge climb.

locolobo13 

Each year around this season is similar for me. When the weather drops below 55 or 60 I start by adding a long sleeve shirt over my T-shirt. By the time I almost have it figured out the temps drop into the high 40s. Now I wear a lite thermal under my t-shirt and gloves.

Next comes our "winter". Usually temps in the high 30s, low 40s. Maybe 2 or 3 mornings with the low just below freezing. Keep experimenting with mix and start to get adjusted to winter and spring rolls around. However, even as the temps get back up to the low 50s I find I'm resistant to dropping the thermal. At the high 50s tho it's too much for me.

In short I don't have a set table of what to wear at what temps. Just keep adjusting it until it feels right. For most of the year (late March thru - mid Oct.) it's just a t-shirt here tho.

GovernorSilver

54 F to start this morning. Decided to just wear my summer attire (polyester t-shirt, shorts, Pearl Izumi socks, skateboarding shoes), and backpack, with the cycling jacket in the backpack - just in case.

Descending the hill to the main cross-street sucked a bit.

However I warmed up quickly because of the early street-riding portion of the commute, going anywhere from complete stop to 29 mph. I was sweating by the time I arrived at work, despite the temperature rise to 55 F.

WestMass

Commuting: Medium weight gloves, t-shirt, windbreaker jacket, jeans, regular socks

mtb: shorts, short sleeve jersey, light gloves

road: same as mtb + arm warmers + wool socks, medium gloves

snow_echo_NY

it's been cold these past few weeks. i had to get the bandana out (for under the helmet), gloves, long pants, two layers on top, wool socks. i had started getting the sniffles too! but luckily chased them away with warmer layering.

but today it's back to 57 and going up to 70 later this afternoon whoo hoo! best cycling weather is BACK.

this morning i wore: shorts, wool T, wool long-sleeve base layer on top, bandana under helmet.
this afternoon i'll lose the bandana under the helmet and wool l/s base layer and i'll add arm warmers to my wool T.

GeneO 

Shorts, long sleeve under-armor and windbreaker or showerspass with all vents open.

WonderMonkey

For 50-55 I may wear some light shoe covers but otherwise no different than any other day. That's on the cusp of wanting a longer shirt though.

noglider 

Yesterday, I wore cycling shorts, wool socks (as usual), my bike shoes which were made out of running shoes, a cycling jersey, and my new winter jacket designed for cycling etc. I was a little hot with the jacket but would have been too cold without it. I was fine. In the evening, my singing partners thought I looked silly dressed for summer, but hey. I changed like Clark Kent into office clothes in the middle of the day.

b_young

Generally I try to wear whatever will keep me a little above cold for the first mile. It ends up being perfect for the other nine.

Wilbur Bud

Sorta depends on how long you are going to be out riding, but for me commuting for a 1-hour average, I just pick from the 50-55 degree column

SlowJoeCrow

It depends on whether it is raining. Generally a short sleeve tech fabric shirt, mtb baggies and either a light jacket or a long sleeve jersey and mid-weight full finger gloves. For rainy days I wear a rain jacket instead of the jersey or microfiber shell and occasionally substitute my waterproof gloves. I avoid rain pants until temps hit the low 40s

Buffalo Buff

cycling shorts and a t shirt or jersey, plus half finger gloves and shades. Might start out with a headband or arm warmers, but they'd come off once I'm warmed up.

This is assuming its dry. If its wet, that's another story.

kevmk81

50 to 55 - shorts, tshirt, lightweight jacket if simply going to work

chandltp

I've found I have 2 heat points. After the first 5-10 minutes I feel warm if I start out cold. After 30-40 minutes I need a lot less clothing.

Depending on wind, I'll wear long sleeves and light gloves (cold hands) between 45-50. Above 50 and I shed the gloves. Above 55 is back to short sleeves. Pants don't come out until it's below 40. After that it's expirmentation for me. Depending on the time of the year I'm better acclimated to the cold. I also learned to take wind into account. I have to cover better when it's 0°F with 20 MPH headwinds.

Although anything above 40 I can wear shorts and a t-shirt and just be uncomfortable.

Drew Eckhardt 

That's a grey area.

Shorts and short sleeve jersey, plus a wind shell if there's not enough sun and/or it's closer to 50 than 55.

With cycling only 20-25% metabolically efficient, even a 100W 15 MPH recovery ride produces 300-400W of heat.