iab

My fleece-lined tights are good to 30. Below 35 I need shoe booties. Got a pair at the Madison swap years ago.. Below 30, or if I am feeling cold, I'll add a layer of cheap lined wind pants. Something from Kohls. I use them once or twice a year, I didn't need to invest in durability.

Upper is a merino base, merino ls jersey, and then a lightweight or heavyweight jacket, depending on temperature. Merino cap. And again, lightweight, heavyweight mitts depending on temperature.

non-fixie 

I love silk underwear! Never tried it on myself, though.

Back on topic: so far, slim fit jeans have worked well enough for me when it's below freezing point. And if I want to look serious, I have a pair of $5 polyester ALDI bike pants. Like @rhm says, it's the extremities that get cold.

SurferRosa

^ If you wear those poofy military surplus pants, please use suspenders and wear a green german fedora with the little feather in it. And please post a pic!

Pemetic2006

Any pictures of someone (on here) in those East German pants?

rhm

Not yet, but I just ordered some mediums. I'll post photos in a week or so. I may be unloading one or two of these...

Pemetic2006

Thanks!

thinktubes 

Thanks all for the replies! Good to hear many solutions to keep warm.

Aside from keeping my legs warm, I'll need to upgrade my headgear and get some heavier socks. I have booties, but the tootsies still get cold.

Interested in trying some googles...

Silk underwear...who'd athunk it!

smontanaro 

Maybe sure your heavier socks don't make your shoes too tight. That might wind up worse than socks which are too thin. Definitely go for wool or (so I've heard) alpaca socks if you're not already using them.

nlerner

From today’s ride with temp right around freezing, and a strong north wind (but very sunny skies). I’m wearing silk long johns, MUSA pants, a wool zip neck turtle first layer, then a long-sleeved wool jersey, then some sort of insulated cycling jacket marked Cannondale that I bought on the sale rack at LL Bean a bunch of years ago, then reflective vest. On my feet are wool socks and Shimano winter shoes. On my head is a wool beanie and “dogs ears” attached to my helmet straps (which really keep my ears warm). And gloves are Pearl Izumi winter cycling gloves, which I like a lot.

clubman 

Those 'dog ears' are the cat's arse imo. Head bands and the like make me sweat too much while these keep the cold wind off.

dualresponse

Earlier today, I mentioned I ordered those East Germany Teddy Roosevelt pants. It's true, I did order them, and now realize, I ordered 4 PAIR of them.
I am secretly hoping they will be great, not only for the style factor, but for the layering effect (and since I now have FOUR of them).

And now for a real answer-
For me, it's all about layers. For pants, I wear bib shorts (summer 60 degrees and above) Bib shorts + leg warmers (for mid 40's- 50's temps). On top of those, into 20's - 30's temps, I put on a pair of performance cycling type over pants like "nlerner" is wearing above. I also have thicker insulated full length shorts+ leg warmers combined for even colder temps.

These all give an almost endless amount of combinations which can be added to/subtracted from as needed.

For me, it's also about keeping the feet warm. Shoe booties are great. In really cold weather, I will put two layers of shoe booties over my shoes.

The whole idea with all of this, is that one can add/remove layers as needed. In the mountains, you are either climbing and sweating, or descending and freezing. I want to be climbing with less than optimal clothing (to keep cool- almost cold) to have spare layers to add on the way down.

The other night, I got to the top of a climb, and pulled off my soaked shirt, standing in 20-30 degree temps with no shirt/jacket on, to grab dry clothes- new shirt- polar fleece-light wind break cycling jacket to get back down without the steaming drenched shirt I was wearing.

The drenched jersey I climbed in was "steaming" in the cold air from perspiration. It needed to go!

In another climb, I pulled my jacket off at the bottom, rolled it around my waist and climbed the climb at about 30-40 degrees. At the top, I kept the jacket off, until I cooled off and was about to freeze, letting my jersey evaporate as much moisture off as possible. When I put the jacket on (only a light windbreak) it felt like a thick overcoat. perfect!

63rickert

In Chicago? Streets are already salted. Salt will rule until April. You need a heavy sacrificial bike. Tune it up. Put nice tires on it. Make it ride well. But still a heavy bike you could let go of. And you had better have full fenders and a mudflap or you and your clothes are buried in salt too. And then a truck will pass you fast where the brine is thick and heavy.

Pushing the heavy bike will make you work harder. Less clothes needed. Wear normal clothes, not bike clothes. No point using riding time prepping and getting kitted and then washing all the salted kit. Just wear clothes. Bring a saddlebag with extra pieces just in case. Line bottom of saddlebag with newsprint for an emergency. An extra scarf. Heavier gloves. A heavier cap for under the helmet.

Put a 60" fixed gear on and spin like mad. Moving your limbs fast makes you warm. Fixed wheel makes you warm because you work all the time, no coasting. When your feet freeze get off and run 100 yards. Wearing boots. Boot boots, not Italian cyclocross bootees. Your feet will be warm again. And then you get back on the bike and chase down your group. You will be warm.

noglider 

I should have taken a picture of myself a là @nlerner. I wore a tux, dress shoes, a toque hat under my helmet, and lobster claw mittens. I had the same strong north wind, and man was it strong along the river. Oh, I had a merino t shirt under my dress shirt. And it ended up being the perfect getup for singing in a concert and riding in the north wind.

RobbieTunes

I'm good with my bike shorts down to about 40, then I wear some thicker-fleece-lined bike shorts, down to about 30, then I wear a set of Cap fleece-lined bib knickers. Hands, Toes, Ears, Nose, in that order, of protection.

Like Rudi, legs are not an issue. Once in a while, I get wind-burned or chapped on my exposed legs, but they just don't seem to get cold.

On the very rare days I've worn tights, maybe twice in my life, I've worn Performance biking undewear under. Robbie's butt needs a pad.

Just picked up some long-sleeve base layers from Aldi for 6.99. They work fine.


For hands, Bar Mitts. Bar none.

J.Higgins 

Wife and I have been experimenting with Smith ski helmets this year. They are comfortable, and warm, but I cant hear a bloody thing with mine on. *sigh*

philbob57

For me, the only solution would be to lose 35-40 years. When I was 35-40, all I needed for 32 degree rides was jean for the legs, and winter gloves and my normal winter parka for my trunk. (Sorry - I'm having trouble with the fact that as time goes on, I need warmer and warmer temperatures to feel comfortable.)

dualresponse

THE EAST GERMAN MC HAMMER "CANT TOUCH THIS" PANTS ARRIVED TODAY!!!!!!

And... They are sublime. They work well on the bike, as well as a pair of my performance pants (at least in dry weather). If I recall, the performance pants were between $50- $100 dollars years ago. The $5 dollar MC Hammer pants are warm, but breathable. NOT AERODYNAMIC - if you are a roadie, you already have an expensive pair of tight fitting full length bib tights, so there! I have a 32 waist/ 30 length. Mediums fit okay. They are a little heavier than the performance pants, but not by much. There is plenty of room in the thigh area (no s#$%!) but they taper in nicely as not to catch the chain. I was also concerned the baggy area would interfere with peddling/get caught up around the seat area. They did not catch on the seat, or slap against the frame/cables. I wore them into a local brewery after a 40 mile ride today. I had on my sidi shoes and a yellow cycling jacket. No one looked twice. It doesn't really stand out as much as in the below pic- I "puffed" them out for effect.

My only concern would be wet weather performance compared to true cycling pants like nlerner posted above. I'll have to try them out in wet weather. However, the polyester/wool blend might do better than expected.

Another small gripe- the pants have buttons on the bottom section. My performance pants have zippers- a little more efficient.

One thing is for sure, they are a heck of a lot better than blue jeans!


For approximately $5 a pair, you really cannot beat this. They work better than a lot of "non- breathable" waterproof pants, which are the equivalent of mounting a terrarium on your legs. For mountainbikers, randonneurs, hip people, this rocks. Roadies already have the thin lycra. I've got a bunch of pairs of those too. I love them. I don't want to take them off. My wife refuses to go out in public with me! (see below)

They also embarrass my wife, which is an added bonus.

And now for the great reveal- me chillin at the house post ride trying to warm up with a polar fleece top.

palincss

Have you considered leg warmers under the tights, or warmer tights?

thinktubes 

yes and yes.

I have some "warmer" Pearl Izumi tight, however, they bind at the knees and feel funky on my junk.

looking for something (non-East German - sorty) to go over the current setup of shorts/leg warmers.

ollo_ollo

Appears the Germans altered their patterns a bit since 1933

randyjawa 

Try riding to and from work, all winter long, in Thunder Bay. Many a time, the bike and I have ridden through minus 20 Celcius conditions. Cold would not stop me from doing the eight mile ride to and from work. Deep snow, on the other hand...

Salamandrine 

I'm kind of the same way as well. Shorts are fine as long as I have booties (for sure!), gloves and a warm jacket. At least AFA comfort I can do that into the 30s. Not sure if it's really a great idea for the knees or not, but I've never had trouble.

The old ROT was wear tights if below 60F or something, which I used to do. I had the old Kucharik wool tights that are still available. That was kind of the standard that everyone wore in the late 70s to early 80s. . I remember being happy to replace them with more modern thick synthetic tights. They always felt kind of restrictive.

For the OP, what about the Rene Herse knickers? These look pretty similar to the old Kucharik knickers. I'm thinking of picking some up myself. Seems like they'd do the trick at least into the low 30s, especially if combined with long wool socks. That's what the old timers did.

https://www.bikeforums.net/19268642-post17.html

jdawginsc 

In my youth, I wore thicker tights (they were hard to find cheaply then as a poor kid...trust me), then leg warmers (Merino wool) over the top until my knees loosened or it warmed up.

thinktubes 

So my wife picked up a pair of "Head" running pants from TJ Maxx for $12. They are fleece lined and worked pretty well on a 30 mile ride (40 degrees with windchill in the low 30s).

I used bike shorts and leg warmers as my underlayer. They are a liitle tight in the calves, but should be fine. They taper nicely at the ankles to keep out of the mechs.



Apreciate all the suggestions" in this thread. I picked up some snowboarding goggles at a thrift and my wife also got me a beanie for under the helmet.

Soon the roads will be coved with snow and salt, which will put and end to the season. Looking forward to spring and getting started earlier

rhm

Nice!

I just got mine as well.

The material is odd. Looks stretchy, but isn't. Kinda scratchy. I suspect the skin on my shins isn't going to like it, but time (and cycling) will tell.

The thigh area is ridiculously roomy, stepping down to snug at the knee. It's not a tapered fit; really a sudden step down.

The bottoms are really quite tight, four buttons that are not particularly easy to fasten. I may replace these with Velcro. The fly is also buttons. I suspect they will be hard to manage with numb fingers. Again, Velcro would be an improvement.

There's an elastic strap that goes under the foot to keep the cuff in place when you put on your riding boots. The elastic is totally shot, and probably quite unnecessary.

I normally buy 32" x 32" trousers. So i too got the "medium" size. The waist is wide for me; I'd estimate it's 34". The length is probably also around 34." Does that mean they should fit a person who normally buys 34" x 34" trousers? I don't think so. Owing to the strange cut I suspect these would be tight in places and of course still pretty roomy elsewhere.

If you've looked at the store site, you'll already know this, but to confirm: these are intended for suspenders. There are no belt loops.

I have not yet tried them on a bike.

At this point I am undecided whether to call these a success or not. I do not regret the purchase, but I'm not about to order more. If anyone is eager to take one or two off my hands, please feel free to get in touch.

I will probably try to get my wife to modify one or two of these: Velcro to replace a lot of the buttons, maybe some reflective tape on the cuffs, maybe even a military-style reflective stripe up the side. I wonder if Velcro would be strong enough for the waist. Since I intend these for riding, I suspect Velcro would be fine.