djb

great, lets both keep it in mind. Yup, I am just starting to get to be more familiar with more aspects of google maps, shall take a look at the sites you mentioned.

and on the topic of the thread, I wore my gators tonight while shovelling , we got a fair amount today. At least it was dry and light.

bijan

Wore the same thing riding into work this morning (-6C/22F, but lots of snow), except my rubber hunting boots since I would have to walk and push my bike through inches deep snow. The bottom of my pants still got a little wet...


Funny enough this was again a problem for the last tiny bit of my ride to work. But it was much worse. I was in pain and my eyes were tearing up. I'll need to get goggles...

crhilton

Yesterday actually. 1.5 hour ride (with a short break in there):
Temp: about 25 Fahrenheit (dropped throughout the ride)
Body: Medium weight under armour, Gore jersey, sleeveless wind break
Hands: Light fleece runners gloves, bar mitts
Legs: Specialized winter tights
Feet: 1 silk knee high liner sock. 1 wool knee high ski sock. 1 toe warmer, under toes. shimano mw-80 winter shoe.
Head: Wool balaclava, helmet

Result: I felt chilly at the start, but the body cover was close to dead on. I like to err on the side of slightly warm, but I just hit it right on. As a result my hands were comfortable but chilly (with the bar mitts I often arrive with warm hands). My feet got cold. No pain, no numbness, but it was going that way.

thirdstation

Today I wore:

Head:

Helmet, fleece hat.

Torso

Lightweight polyester base layer.
Wool J.Crew sweater.
Columbia Titanium shell (for skiing).

Legs

Compression shorts, riding shorts, wind pants (running specific).

Feet.

Some old wool dress socks. Medium weight.
Specialized Comp road shoes.

Hands

Summer cycling gloves under wool fingerless gloves.


Conditions

32F, 25F with wind chill. West wind 15mph, gusts up to 25mph. Partly cloudy and dry.

Notes:
First really cold day of the season where I live. Wind was blowing every direction. Occasional snowflake.

Took a quick lunchtime ride to test out a new budget-minded winter training wardrobe.

I like to be warm and usually totally overwhelm whatever I'm wearing, moisture-wise. Today was no exception.

I found a wind and waterproof Columbia ski shell at Marshall's for about 70% off list price. It's cut long so it covers everything when I'm in the saddle. It fits more snug in the waist but, so does everything nowadays. The collar goes up around my chin and cinches close to keep the wind out. It has large zippered side vents and two large zippered front pockets. No wind got through at all. None. Nowhere. It's Kelly green which is why it was at Marshall's I guess. On the bike, bright green is good though :-)

Also picked up a lightweight Marmot base layer (for 5 bucks!!!). I don't know what product line it is b/c all the tags were removed except for one that said Power Dry. It looks like black cheesecloth.

For the in-between layer I rummaged through my closet for something wool. I've been wanting to try wool b/c all the good things said about it here and elsewhere. I found a too-small J. Crew sweater I got for Christmas about 5 years ago. It didn't fit back then and it fits even less now but, the tag said 100% wool. On it went.

For socks I used some wool dress socks that are getting fuzzy. They are cashmere so they felt great and my feet stayed dry. I didn't wear any shoe covers and very little wind got through my shoes.

J. Crew sweater ?!?!? Cashmere socks ?!?!? Is this some kind of catalog photo shoot? Not at all. I looked like a holy mess. A fuzzy, overstuffed sausage but, I was toasty.

Like I said, this was a test in frugality. I want to ride through the winter but, don't want to lay out a lot of cash for winter-specific gear. If I wasn't cycling I'd have tossed the sweater and the socks b/c they're no longer useful for their intended purpose. Why not experiment with them?

Results:
My upper body was windproof and warm the whole 12 mile ride. The wool did it's job and kept me warm even though I sweated through everything. I had the side vents of my shell open half way.

My legs were cold but not unbearable. Pants that are warmer on the front side will be perfect.

Hands were fine.

I think I'll try using a medium weight wool base layer with just the shell next time.

Ride Bonus: My bike is red and white so, with the green shell I was totally seasonally appropriate :-)

hairlessbill

For a 6 mile commute on a clear calm mid-30F morning. This is pretty much what I wear during fall, early winter and spring. I shower before riding into work so I prefer to be a little colder when I start. I literally never break a sweat so this set up is perfect for me.

Head: Buff head thingie.
Hands: Pearl Izumi Lobster gloves - the big fluffy ones
Feet: Coolmax socks with Adidas Acuna soccer shoes
Top: Cotton t-shirt, Mont-bell UL Thermawrap, Swrve Milwaukee Mid-weight jacket
Legs: Cotton knickers with cotton boxer briefs

larryfeltonj

For a four mile (each way) commute (the return at 1 AM)

23 F and windy. No snow or ice (that may be coming this weekend)

padded shorts under winter tights and my work clothing.
tight long sleeve T
2 sweaters
fleece jacket
winter cycling gloves with liners
wool socks
balaclava

bijan

For my 3.5 mile commute (each way).

-10C/14F, snow on the ground, the roads will probably be completely clear soon, but the sidewalks might take a while (and I don't think the bike paths get plowed).

Head: tuque, and taped up helmet
upper body: light sweater, generic polyester jacket
legs: jeans, rain pants
hands: heavy mittens
feet: sock liner, wool socks, rubber hunting boots

Still felt about as warm.

digibud

I still don't have my face to where it's good for an extended ride. I have to get back to my contacts and try some goggles. My current set of clothes works at -15F but at -20F I'm limited to 45min or so because I still need something more on my face that doesn't fog up my glasses. Having said that..
On my head I have a windproof medium weight balaclava and a snowboarding helmet with controllable vents. It's dark by 3PM locally so I have a light on my helmet and a light on my bike.
On my torso I have two thin poly-pro underwear layers and a Columbia winter jacket. Nothing special but it works well at this temp.
Two thin poly-pro long underwear on my legs go over standard biking shorts. Over the long underwear is a thin windbreak fabric in front and breathable fabric in back.
I wear medium weight windproof fleece gloves inside pogies. Sometimes I wear thin poly-pro gloves inside the other gloves for dexterity if needed.
I wear thick socks inside my Keen boots. Boots are somewhat oversized to accommodate thick socks.
I bring along a pair of heavy gloves and chem heaters whenever I go out riding. Another head layer and another inner torso layer. My legs will outlast any other part of me so I never get to the point of having really cold legs. That would signify real trouble .
When riding in the Winter I take along whatever I need to be able to comfortably hang out for an hour or two at the least. Breaking down at -20F isn't something to take lightly. On the roads it's no problem, but I'm hoping our new Pugsleys will allow us to venture well off the road so that's going to be something to consider.

djb

digi, all good points and makes me think of cross country skiing, especially the part of having to plan to be able to not freeze if problems arise for a few hours. As you say, N American winter is not to be taken lightly.
all the best with your pugs, they are the ones with the giant tires right?
cheers

digibud

yes...the pugsleys have 3.8" wide tires. Years ago in the early days of the Iditabike race my wife I and gave it a shot but she was ill even before starting and we had to scratch. A pugsley would have been so sweet for that. We are looking to get back on the winter trails after all these years. Her bike is being secretly custom painted at the moment so it will be a short bit before we actually get out and get on those trails...

cyclokitty 

I wore on my -2ºC (windchill -10ºC -- not bad) bike ride today:

ski helmet, goggles, neoprene facemask (good grief, I love this facemask)
winter boots
long sleeve powerdry long sleeve shirt
Sporthill long sleeve zone 3 shirt
Sporthill windjacket
bike shorts, tights, and Sporthill traverse pants (still need to taper them, but shoved them into the boots)
ski gloves

Toasty warm! Even when the wind started gusting I felt nothing but happy.

gecho

I went for a ride today, the first time since December 6th. Between university finals, uncooperative weather, Christmas and sheer laziness I couldn't get around to doing any riding.

It was bright and sunny today which made me appreciate my ski goggles. -20C with a 8km/h wind. I went for an 18km ride which took about an hour. The MUP was ploughed and hard packed and in great condition. Even the roads were pretty good. Other than my feet getting cold near the end, I was nice and warm. Half-way through I had to wrap a scarf around my stomach. It always gets ice cold when I ride in this weather and needs a little more insulation than the rest of my upper body.

helmet, respirator, ski goggles, stretch balaclava, neck gaitor
poly base, light poly fleece thermal top, heavy wool pullover
liner shorts, light poly fleece thermal bottom, wind pant
Wigwam weather shield wool/outlast sock, Lake winter cycling boots

The 3 layer upperbody setup worked great today. Persperation was able to pass through the layers without being trapped by an outer shell. The wool sweater did get a white frosty coating though.

My feet continue to be the one problem area, though they were pretty good for most of the ride. Once they do start getting cold, things go down hill pretty fast.

I'll probably run my full commute route for the next few days to get back into shape before I have to do it in the dark.

arctic hawk

Could have worn shorts in Montreal today! It was ridiculously warm out there!

Forza

23 degrees Fahrenheit at departure this morning. Was Comfy.

Wore:

Baselayer - Nike Pro Compression Thermal Mock
Bottoms - Assos F.I. S13 Bibs w/Assos Winter.LL Tights over them
Jersey - Assos 851 AirJack
Gloves - Assos 851 Early Winter Gloves with InnerGloves
Helmet - Giro Ionos
Hat - Assos roboCap
Glasses - Oakley Jawbone w/vr28 iridium vented lenses
Socks - SmartWool light cushion, layered w/Assos Classic Socks
Shoes - Sidi Genius 6.6
Shoe Covers - Castelli Pioggia Covers
Burt's Bees - Chapstick

mniccum

On 01-08-2011 I wore:

Head:
Stocking cap

Torso:
poly/cotton blend base (I know), polartec fleece jacket, marmot softshell jacket

Legs:
insulating pants, lined windbreaker pants

Feet:
two pair of tube socks, and tennis shoes

Hands:
40 gram thinsulate gloves

Conditions:

Place: Katy Trail, MRP trailhead, Missouri
Round trip: 15.1 miles
Time: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Temp: 21-22 degrees, sunny, windchill makes it feel like 9
Wind: 14mph from NNW

Notes:

Yesterday we got got some heavy flurries that barely accumulated but left the trail covered with a layer of light snow. Certain spots were slushy but more frozen so no slop on my cloths. Wind chill makes a huge difference! A few days earlier I rode 7 miles with 4 mph wind at same temp and I was fine. I will not do this ride at these temps/wind chill again with current gear. The ears and face were REALLY cold, the stocking cap rides up the longer you ride. I ordered an Endura Baa Baa Merino Wool Skull Cap that has more material around the ears. I need a base layer for legs as legs got chilly. I am ordering a merino wool Icebreaker Chute 320 Neck Gaitor for the neck and face. I also need wool socks for the cold toes. This is my first year riding in the winter and do not have all the appropriate gear but I am learning alot from these trial runs. 70-100 gram thinsulate gloves would be better for longer rides. Face, neck, hands and feet seem to be the most important.

gecho

Colder temperatures are back.

Last week I was able to ditch the respirators for most of my rides and not even have any facial coverage. For my upper body the poly base + wool sweater was all I needed. My thinsulate lined wool gloves were also good by themselves without adding the mitt shell.

Today was -15C with a light headwind, I wore an extra upperbody layer but probably could have done without it due to my exertion level. I thought it best to have the extra layer since I was on the mountain bike instead of the tourer, hence plowing much more wind.

helmet, respirator, ski goggles, stretch balaclava, neck gaitor
poly base, light poly fleece thermal top, heavy wool pullover
liner shorts, thin stretch poly pant, light poly fleece thermal bottom, wind pant
wigwam weather shield wool/outlast sock, Lake winter cycling boots
thinsulate lined wool gloves

Cold feet near end of ride continues to be a problem. Almost certainly circulation related. Sometimes getting off the bike and walking a bit as they start getting cold helps. Better done at early stage of chilling, once they get quite cold, walking seems less effective and getting circulation going again.

I really like a boot drying product called Dry Zone that I got last year. It is comprised of two large dessicant filled fabric tubes that you stuff in to a pair of boots. My locker is packed full with little air circulation, yet my boots are completely dry when I'm ready to head home. The local LBS was clearing them out for $14.

djb

DO NOT EAT

(makes me laugh as this is written on all silica gel bags that come with cameras etc for years and years)

gecho

Yesterday was my coldest ride yet, -27C with a 15km/h headwind which made for a -39C windchill before including my speed. I rode the touring bike, but swapped the clipless pedals for platforms.

helmet, respirator, ski goggles, stretch balaclava, neck gaitor
poly base, heavy weight jersey, heavy wool pullover, scarf around stomach
liner shorts, thin stretch poly pant, light poly fleece thermal bottom, wind pant
wigwam weather shield wool/outlast sock, winter boots
thinsulate lined wool gloves, nylon mitt shell

My feet were quite cold feet near end of ride, I should have gone with the heavier socks. I swapped my fleece layer for my heavy weight jersey with blocks wind better. I still could have used another upper body layer or wind shell. Toward the end a spot on my face started getting cold so I moved the scarf from my stomach to where my goggles and respirator meet. About 3/4 of the way in the inlet valves on my respirator started icing shut, so I had to stop and break the ice.

Over all it wasn't bad, but I think those temps will be my cutoff point for riding. I'm going to start packing a 2nd scarf for when my face gets cold. What would have been great is a wind breaker that is mesh on the entire backside (including arms). There are many times where I only really need an additional 1/2 upperbody layer.

So far I haven't felt the need to tape over any of the vent holes in my helmet, although they aren't as large as the ones on the helmet I use during the summer.

mniccum

Conditions:
Place: Katy Trail, MRP trailhead, Missouri
Round trip: 15.1 miles
Time: 2:00pm - 3:30pm CST
Temp: 27-28 degrees, cloudy, windchill makes it feel like 27-28
Wind: 4 mph from ENE

Head:
Stocking cap

Torso:
SS poly (base), polartec fleece jacket (mid), marmot softshell jacket (outer)

Legs:
Insulated pants (tucked pants legs between the tube socks), lined windbreaker pants

Feet:
Two pair of tube socks, one pair ankle socks (as base) and tennis shoes, velcro straps around pant leg bottoms (I think they came with my trout fishing boots/waders)

Hands:
Cheap 80 gram thinsulate gloves ($11)

Notes:
3-4 days ago it snowed accumulating 3-4 inches. Hard packed snow was hard to navigate but since it was 27-28 degrees it didn't get on my clothes. Made it hard to ride over 10mph. Passed many runners on the trail but no bikes. Face was a little cold but for the most part the clothes were perfect for this ride. I ordered a neck gaiter but it's not here yet. Maybe a backpack to shed a torso mid-layer would have been helpful. The cheap 80 gram thinsulate gloves ($11) were good maybe even down to 10 degrees or so. Hands got a bit warm though (no sweat) so I changed to the 40 gram gloves although it wasn't absolutely necessary. Having both 40 and 80 gram along with a liner is nice. I keep them in the zipped mid layer jacket so they are warm when I need them. Feet were perfect although not my idea of a perfect setup. I am considering wearing my wader boots i use for trout fishing as they are water proof and somewhat insulated. They have a lot of room for some heavy wool socks. They have felt bottoms (so you dont slip on rocks) which may be an issue but maybe some windproof covers for the boots would solve that. I dont want to tear up the felt on the pedals. To finish, I would like to swap out the insulated pants for some long tights for colder days.
when its colder than today.

bijan

Conditions:
Place: Montreal, Canada
Distance: 3.5 miles
Time: 8:07am - 8:30am EST
Temp: -22C/-8F
Wind: SW 11 km/h

I wore:
Head: Windstopper hat, neck warmer/gaiter and taped up helmet.
Torso: Wool sweater, down jacket
Legs: Wool tights, jeans, windproof pants (rain pants)
Feet: wool socks over knee high liner socks, rubber hunting boots
Hands: Heavy-duty mittens

Coldest day so far. The ride was short so I was aiming to be a little warm. I succeeded: the combination of clothes was very warm, verging on hot. Though my nose was cold, especially at the beginning (the neck warmer didn't go any higher than my jaw-line).

I wasn't drenched in sweat at the end, which was surprising as my upper body felt like a furnace while riding.

Bat22

Pit stop at the LBS during a state snow emergency.28F, Last week.
Bell Metro/winter liner and ear muffs.
wick thermal shirt,pile bicycle jersey and gore tex jacket.
Tri-flex tights with rain pants.
Ski socks, sneakers, Neos overshoes and winter gloves.
Add a clava for my 12 mile commute in the teens.

black_box 

bat22, which mirror is that? how do you like it?

Bat22

Mirrcycle STI mirror. It does a pretty good job and doesn't clutter the drop bar.

irwin7638

Today not only was I wearing my favorite base layer in 25 degree weather, I found they are marked down 40% for end of season clearance at Gander Mountain, so I thought I would pass that along. They are made of a Polartec material, I posted some details on my blog.

Marc

Mr Pink57

Today I wore:

Head:

Helmet, Lightweight Polartec Balaclava(covered head, face, and neck), Winter goggles

Torso

Long Sleeve base layer, arm warmers, cycling jersey, softshell, fleece

Legs

Cycling spandex shorts, Cycling spandex winter spandex pants, Carhart bibs (everyone buy a pair)

Feet.

Heavy pair of wool socks from Walmart.
For shoes I wore a pair of Five.Ten Bas15c's

Hands

Endura Winter gloves


Conditions

-20F with a light wind

Notes:
Goggles fogged constantly