bipsychol

Hello everyone,

I have always been a fair weather rider. I live in SE Michigan so I guess that means I don't ride that much.

I have become motivated to throw off the shackles of my oil dependency and have decided to commute year round (35 mile RT). I would like some advice from the cold weather veterans out there to make the commute as comfortable as possible without becoming obsessive about the most expensive clothing available.

icedmocha 

There is a winter forum. Each rider is different as well. What I do is wear rain pants over jeans with pajama bottoms under the jeans. If it is snowing I wear snow/ski pants with the same underneath. If it is above 30 degrees I usually wear tights with a baselayer (patagonia capilene) underneath and 3/4 pants on top.

Adamjc86

I wear the same clothes pretty much. 3/4 Baggy shorts with a long-sleeved jersey. I use a short sleeved one for the hotter weather.

For me the coldest parts of my body when I'm cycling are my hands and toes, so a pair of winter gloves and some thermal socks would be the purchases for me

icedmocha 

What temps adam? A wool jersey? Baselayer?

ItsJustMe

I'm just a few miles away from you, out west of Ann Arbor. Here's my regimen. > xx means "down to about xx degrees F"

This is as best I can remember. I don't really have rules, I just remember what I wore for the last week or two and whether I was cold or not, and what the current temp is, and look around at what I have in front of me and get dressed.

> 60; bike shorts and long sleeve shirt, maybe thin tights if it's foggy/damp or something. I wear long sleeve T up > 100*F as a sunscreen.

> 50; add compression top and tights

> 40; use vented rain jacket over compression top instead of T shirt, switch to light full gloves (instead of half-finger)

> 25; swap tights for lined nylon running pants, add T shirt back in (so we're at bike shorts+running pants bottom, compression top, long sleeve T and vented rain jacket up top) - also switch to hiking boots and platform pedals instead of low-cut MTB shoes and clipless. Wool socks instead of poly. I use a thing I got from Nashbar on my head; it's sort of a stretchy tube that is a gaiter or head cover or ear warmer or whatever. I ride with it pulled from my neck over the top of my head, leaving just my face exposed. Also I put a rain cover on my helmet at this point for insulation.

> 5; swap middle layer (long sleeve T) for a poly sweat shirt, go to heavier, windproof gloves. Switch to a poly balaclava.

> -10; add long underwear, put T shirt back on under the sweat shirt, swap hiking boots for high top insulated hunting boots, add a fleece scarf, once behind neck and then draped so that it covers my chest. poly sock under wool socks.

> -25; add the tights under the long underwear, 2nd pair of wool socks - ONLY if you have room in your shoes; DO NOT over compress your feet or you will be in trouble. I may also put in the heat exchanger into the balaclava (PSolarX breathing heat exchanger) but probably not; I don't like it much, and only use it if the cold is really hurting my lungs.

I've not ridden below -25 yet. The biggest problem is generally overdressing.

The vented rain jacket is from J&G Cyclewear, I wear it year round when it's either raining and < 70 or so, or raining really hard or sleeting/hailing, or when it's cold as a windbreaker. It's the best single piece of clothing I've bought.

tarwheel 

Now is a great time to stock up on cold weather cycling gear as a lot of stores are starting to put stuff on sale. That said, the secret to riding in the cold is layering. Start with a good long-sleeve base layer like Craft, Pearl or UnderArmor. In the past I've always layered a wind vest over heavy jerseys in cold weather, but this winter I bought a couple cycling jackets and really like them. The ones I've tried are Pearl Izumi Kodiak (had that several years), PI Escalation and PI Gavia as well as a Craft Thermal Windstopper. The Gavia is the warmest jacket, although you might not think so when you first try it on because it is so light and thin; it is also water resistant and available in yellow and neon. The Craft is probably the nicest jacket and breathes well, but is not available in yellow or neon, which is a must for commuting in my view. The Kodiak and Escalation are good down to the low 40s but I need a vest for temps lower than that.

Lots of options for tights. I get unpadded tights and wear them over my bib shorts. That provides another layer and I don't have to wash the tights every time I wear them. Pearl Thermafleece tights are warm for me down to the upper 20s, and I wear PI Amfib tights for colder temps. The Amfibs are very warm; my legs were a little sweaty this morning riding in 25F temps.

On your hands, the PI Amfib gloves are incredibly warm -- in fact too warm for temps above the mid-30s. Lots of options for gloves that will keep you warm down to about freezing.

ItsJustMe

I forgot to mention, hike over to Harbor Freight in Ypsi (or elsewhere if there's one closer to you) and pick up a reflective safety vest - $4.29, and wear it over the other stuff at night. I wear mine always in the winter because I'm wearing the jacket anyway and even in daylight it's hurtful yellow bright owie color so they will see you.

As a base layer I wear the compression tops they sell for generic sports, I think I got a couple at Target and a couple at a sporting goods store.

jimlamb

I just did my first commute below freezing this morning. I had done many in the mid to upper 30s previously and I agree with the advice already given. I would point out, however, that it also depends on how fast you want to go. With an > 30 mile RT, you'll probably want to maintain a pretty decent pace. In my humble opinion, the benefits of cycling-specific cold weather clothing will be more pronounced the faster you're going.

Today I wore PI themafleece bib tights and a Champion long sleeve T (poly) as a base layer, Sugoi Firewall tights and a Bellweather thermal jersey over that, a Novara Tempest lightweight, windproof jacket over that, Amfib full finger gloves and Amfib shoe covers. I wear Sidi Bullets year round. I use a ear band to keep my ears warm, and a Bell Metropolis helmet with the winter liner and rain cover. That combination of layers keeps me pretty cozy at an average speed of about 17 MPH on an 18 mile RT commute. The Novara Tempest jacket is a recent addition and I find that having a lightweight, windproof layer on top really helps cut down the windchill without the bulk of a windbreaker.

Twebs46

Others have been quite thorough here, so I'll just add a big endorsement for Patagonia Capilene 3 for your base layer, below freezing. You'll pay for it, but it's worth it. Also in the 'spend money but it's worth it' category, if you can find merino wool by Icebreaker, you won't regret the money invested. (I found mine on sale).

Tom

Mr. Underbridge

You can start out without too much gear. Right now, the only cycling-specific cold-weather gear I have is a balaclava. Everything else is fairly general, like a windproof jacket, gloves, base layer, etc. So you can probably use gear you have for general purpose, adding here and there as you see fit. One thing that's critical, you'll need a very warm pair of gloves if you don't already have them, but you might already since you live in Michigan.

Layering is the best idea, helps to keep you dry and also allows you to shed stuff as necessary.

Good advice from ItsJustMe on not trying to pack on extra layers of socks, you want them loose or they don't work.

Make sure not to grip the bars too tight, and lighten the pressure from your foot on the pedals at the top of your stroke. That will help keep circulation going and your extremities warm. Wiggle your fingers and toes pretty often too.

One thing I'm considering eventually is getting a really cheap pair of shoes about a size or so too large for me so I can fit on a couple extra pair of socks while keeping them loose.

foton

My best piece of winter clothing is a form-fitting long-sleeved merino wool shirt that zips all the way up the front. I also have a short-sleeved version. I like this because in central Ohio where I live I can leave for work when the temp is 20F and by the time I go home it's 40F or higher. The merino wool handles the wide temp range. Sometimes I put a nylon underlayer under it as it helps to wick away sweat which the wool absorbs nicely.

pieholden

Today was in the low 30's. My gear was as follows:
PI Balaclava
PI base layer
short sleeve jersey
PI fleece arm warmers
REI Novara Tempest jacket
Performance Windproof gloves
PI shorts
REI Novara Tempest tights (windproof)
DeFeet Blaze wool socks
shoes
PI windproof booties

I was relatively comfortable except for my toes. they were cold, almost freezing. I'm thinking about trying some neoprene socks but i don't know if they'll fit in my shoes so the cheap-o one size larger pair sounds like a good idea.
I could maybe use a good, thin thermal base layer as well. I definitely don't want to sweat even a little as my ride is 25 miles and it takes a while.

DogBoy

My advice:
Layer, experiment, avoid cotton.

Start out feeling a bit cool (not cold).

Go a bit easier until you figure it out...heavy sweat on a cold day can freeze on one of your layers and do bad things.

For gloves, mittens work well, don't keep a deathgrip on the bars (it restricts bloodflow and makes them cold).

For boots...go a size up. You need some space for air in there. Compressed layers lose a lot of their insulating properties.

Happy commuting!

jyossarian

Someone should re-post slvoid's clothing guide. It covered temps from -45 to 145. Too bad the search function isn't working.

ItsJustMe

Google still works (slvoid clothing guide site:bikeforums.net)
Is this the right thread?
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=83913

Mr. Underbridge

For 145, I'd imagine the only thing you're wearing is sunblock.

climbhoser

The take-home message here is that everyone has a different layering technique, but the key things tend to be the same: warm feet, hands, head and neck/face.

I love my clothing, but it wasn't cheap. I do the long cycling tights with Patagonia capilene over when cold enough, and even wind/rain cycling pants over that if cold enough...on top I do fleece layering. I have a patagonia capilene base layer, and I do one fleece, two fleece, etc...depending on the cold. I have a wind/rain breaker that is safety yellow with illuminite all over it. I have two hats: one for >32 and one for <32. My >32 is just a simple beanie. My <32 is a Mountain Hardwear Windstopper hat that I love. PI Lobster Claw gloves for <32 and some Kinco leather work gloves for >32.

I use clipless pedals and have found that the best investment I made was in shoe covers. I picked up some PI AMFIB shoe covers and they have made me comfortable down to 10 degF.

I find I have two conditions while riding in the cold: cold or hot. There is no happy medium, and I'd rather be hot than cold. When I leave I am usually just a little cold for about 5 minutes. It sucks, especially my ears, but I warm up and start enjoying it.

I used to commute in Marquette, MI, even in the dead of winter. That was hellacious. No shoe covers were enough, so I just wore my Baffin Pac-Boots on platform pedals. I wore my long underwear and my ski pants, and my fleece shirts and even my North Face Sherpa Down Jacket with 800 fill and dryloft. I wore my windstopper hat and my subzero mountaineering gloves. I had way less of a distance to go (anywhere from 3-7 miles one way), but the bundling made the -5degF temps bearable easily.

You can get by with lined Carhartts and fleece jackets.

I don't think it's any different than driving to work: dress appropriately.

climbhoser

Wanted to add: there is nothing like an investment in good socks. I have Smartwool Mountaineering socks and they are amazing. I use the lighter weight socks sometimes and my feet get cold.

I don't know if anyone mentioned this, but it gets dark way earlier this time of year, especially in Michigan. Being visible is key. There is nothing like an investment in good lighting. I love the Planet Bike Superflash for the rear. One works, two is better and three is just stupendous. Get a vest or a nice illuminite jacket.

Fenders: It snows lots in Michigan. Your bike will rot quickly without fenders. I did my UP commute on a fenderless MTB and the drivetrain just about fell apart.

I also really like having an insulated bottle full of hot, peppermint tea. It's refreshing and can really warm you from the inside out!

joelpalmer

That's the one I remember.

I don't wear cycling specific clothing for cold (Baltimore, around freezing, into high 20s so far). I commute in my work clothes (slacks, shirt, tie) and a pea coat. For "sorta cold" (30s and 40s) I use wool hobo gloves because I don't like having my fingers covered. When it's colder I have some convertible mittens that I use. I get away without needing a lot of protection because my ride is only 10 min in the morning, 15 in the afternoon and most of the afternoon is on a slight incline so I heat up internally.

jyossarian

That's it. Scroll down til you see slvoid's post. And thanks for reminding me you can use google to search the site.

nashcommguy

All of the previous posts have covered everything pretty well. The one about form-fitting merino wool is right on. I'd only add to go w/mittens over gloves and there's a product...how can I put this delicately? There's a type of brief designed to block wind from a certain part of the male anatomy...frostbite there is no joke. Here's a couple of links: https://www.campmor.com Gordini Summit II Mittens $29.99 Get them one size larger and add a mitten liner. They do take forever to dry which is why I've suggested adding the liner. https://www.performancebike.com Men's windblocker briefs. You wont regret it. https://www.psolar.com Click on discontinued items. Great product, great price.

Oh yeah, https://www.icebike.com Have fun. Winter commuting is like an extreme sport...only more dangerous

bipsychol

Thanks people! You have been real helpful.