Cold Weather Gear
 

What do folks use for 32-35F and rain? Hands and feet in particular.

From last weekend's experience, I just ordered some bar-mitts and thermal waterproof shoe covers. I think the hands will be fine, but I'm concerned about the feet. I've always suffered from cold feet, even when dressed far warmer that my fellow riders.

Feet are a *****. I've tried Lake 303 winter boots, they are less warm then I expected. I've used medium wool socks in my summer cycling shoes with neoprene booties, which are good to about 30. I just ordered some AeroTech over boots in 3XL to use on top of the neoprene booties, theory is to keep the wind off the neoprene.

Lakes theory on why their boots are so high is you need to keep the ankles warm, blood flow is very near the surface here. Makes sense. I also use a Coop thermal tight, has a light fleece layer, to keep legs warm. Also a warm hat and no joke, a cold head means cold hands and feet.

Castelli neoprene "toe thingees". These are easy to get on so I'm more likely to put them on earlier. Thermal leg warmers. Pearl Izumi elite gloves.
Knee length rain pants from Ground effect.
https://www.groundeffect.co.nz/produ...oof-rain-pants

Some may scoff, but I am looking at heated insoles. It's a confusing landscape of products. I am leaning towards the non-integrated heaters with external batteries. Some of them seem to be rated for as much as 10-12 hours. External batteries allow for change out halfway through a long day. They also have minimal affect on shoe fit and permit any insole to be used. That type of product is pretty expensive though.

There are some cheaper insoles with integrated batteries but power and life seems poor. Probably not suitable for LD service.

Heated socks all look bulky as heck. Might make things worse by making shoes fit too tightly.

The shoe covers in the photo were made by Gore, do not remember the exact model. That day was in the 40s (F), rode most of the day in light rain on a gravel road.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2bb1ebf81e.jpg

Rainpants were a REI model that is no longer sold, had long side zips so I could put the rain pants on over the shoes. They have to be sized large enough so that bending the knees while pedaling does not pull the bottoms up above the shoe cover. I prefer suspenders for rain pants, they are not constantly sliding down. But the disadvantage of suspenders is they have to go under your rain jacket and probably under any other jackets you are wearing.

I had long cycling pants under the rainpants.

The shoes I was wearing are a summer type shoe that is well vented, so not really a good shoe for that temp. But I got lucky at an REI scratch and dent sale, they are rougly one size bigger than my regular size and they fit perfectly with a thick pair of insulated socks. I use these shoes down to freezing. But below freezing I wear hiking boots or Merrill waterproof hiking shoes.

If you might have to step in a puddle with cycle shoes that have cleat holes in the bottom that leak in any water from the puddle, some people use water proof socks. Sealskinz (spell?) is a common brand, I got some Dexshell waterproof socks. So far I have not had to step in a puddle, but having waterproof socks on makes me less fearful of doing so. I wear some liner socks under the waterproof socks when I wear them.

Obviously a rain cover on the helmet. I would also be wearing an insulated ear band over my ears.

At that temperature, for me that is borderline between ski goggles and Bolle Tracker sunglasses that are like a cross between goggles and sunglasses. The Bolle glasses in the photo below. The elastic band around the back is over a knob on my helmet, that is not apparent in the photo. If I stop for a minute, they will fog up a bit, but quickly clear out when rolling again. I usually only use these in the range of about 35 to 45 degrees, maybe up to 50 if it started out cool.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e218433824.jpg

In the photo above, I am wearing a neck gaitor, keeps the wind off my neck and makes my head a bit warmer.

I am intentionally silent on gloves and rain jackets, as there are tons of good ones out there and mine are good but nothing special.

Photo below was regular yellow safety glasses with a bifocal insert so I can read my GPS, but that was in the upper 40s for temp.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f741f81217.jpg

32-35F in steady rain is a huge challenge.

Back in the day when I lived in NE, I used bread bags over wool socks and basic shoe covers.

Nowadays, I use SealSkinz socks (merino with an alleged waterproof membrane) with neoprene covers over the shoes. They keep the feet wet and warm. If it is a longer ride, I bring spare wool socks.

Fishermans gloves is what I used to use for the hands with merino wool liner underneath. They are rubber. I lost them. I recently bought some Japanese fishing gloves based upon Andrew Skurka's review (he is an ultratype backpacker). I have used them in rain but not enough experience to recommend heartily.

I make no attempt at keeping dry in such dangerous conditions. Warm and wet sweat is fine.

I use the bar mitt things when it is really cold but I never tried them when it is 32-35F and raining. I wear a Kora Yak wool hat (super thin) under my helmet and a ShowersPass helmet rain cover. Of course, a buff on the neck. Gore top and bottom.

size up on shoes/boots. you need space things shouldn't be tight. Keep your core warm. 30-40 and rain is just hard your gonna be wet if you stop moving probably gonna be cold pretty fast. dry clothes are a big plus if you take any breaks.

I gave up on shoe covers and got some winter shoes. I had neoprene shoe covers, and they were a pain to get on and the hole for the cleat let in air anyway. I have the predecessor to the 45nrth Ragnarock and they are pretty good down to about 20F. I have thought about getting the Ragnarok reflective shoes to replace them

+1. People try to find the warmest gloves or shoes, but often don't realize how much heat they are losing along the way to those extremities.

I have Galibier booties to pull over the shoes. They're a bit of a PITA to get on and off and more for rain protection than warmth, but they are warm. Long wool socks from Pearl Izumi. Heavily insulated gloves from Specialized are overkill above freezing temperatures but very nice. A very thin beanie to wear under the helmet. An old fleece neck buff that is very handy.

The older I get the less interest I have in riding brevets in the freezing rain, but here are a few things I have tried in the past with varying degrees of success:

Neoprene sailing gloves
Neoprene socks
Wool socks
Waterproof insulated hiking boots
Waterproof insulated cycling boots
Gore-tex overshoes
Gaiters
Gore-tex rainsuit
Thermal bib tights
Thermal jerseys and base layers

Some combination of those thigs is the best you can do, but I don't think there's any way to stay warm all day when it's in the 30's and raining. There's going to be some suffering.

As I went for a half hour walk today,I thought that perhaps I should elaborate more on hands and gloves.

I assume you already know this stuff, but I am amazed at times to find out how many people don't. So, I thought some basics may be warranted. Your hands and feet are your body radiators. Your body sends excess heat to arms, legs, hands and feet. And when your body does not have excess heat, it shuts off the heat to those extremities. Thus, the old phrase, when your hands are cold put on a hat. Your body tries to maintain heat to your head and body core.

If it is in the teens or colder (F), I do not bike. If I am biking in the 20s or 30s (F), I often bring three pair of gloves along. A thin uninsulated pair, a really warm insulated pair (often use ski gloves) and a pair that is in between. Or, one of the pair might be a warm pair of mittens, it is harder to shift with mittens but I can use the brakes safely.

When I get warmed up, one of the first things that happens is my hands start to sweat. When that happens, I stop, switch to a pair of gloves that have less insulation. I do not want to get really wet sweaty gloves, especially if I might later have trouble keeping my hands warm, as a wet pair of gloves is not very warm. Thus I try to minimize the amount of sweating I do with gloves on. There have been times when I was cycling along, near freezing conditions, with no gloves on at all because I was fully warmed up and wanted to avoid getting sweat in my gloves.

There also have been times when I have my warmest gloves on and perhaps one or two fingers are almost numb from the cold, but other fingers on the same hand may be almost sweating. I do not think I have particularly bad circulation, but it happens.

I think my only advice on this is bring several pair of gloves, try to keep them dry.

If in doubt that might be a good day to avoid riding the bike. Things can go wrong and you can get injured. Above freezing (the temp you cited as 32 to 35), your skin should not freeze. But colder than that and you could freeze skin (frostbite) and have a really bad time of that.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...03d54a5423.jpg

I grew up in Minneapolis and half a century ago it got much colder than now (global warming), so I have a pretty good idea what really cold weather is like. The coldest weather that I have ever been in was minus 36 (F) on a winter camping trip in the boundary waters canoe area. Busted one of my snowshoes on that trip, major bummer. But we knew our limits on that trip and that trip was a lot shorter than originally planned. You might think weather forecasts now are bad, but back then they were REALLY bad without the computer modeling they can do now.

It used to be possible to buy overmitts that were simply wind shells with no insulation, may or may not be water proof. Many good camping stores sold them decades ago, but they now are very hard to find. A couple years ago I bought a pair of these to put over a thick pair of wool mittens for cold weather cross country skiing.
https://www.motardinn.com/motorcycle...oves/1317252/p
For that they work great. I take an XL glove or mitten and those work well over my mitts. I wore those with wool mittens for my exercise walk today in the gusts up to 40 mph and temps in the teens. I have never cycled with these over-mitts, but if for some reason I was going to go out on a really cold day, I would have those over a thick pair of wool mittens. Plus I would also bring some lighter duty ones too.

That is a foreign seller, not sure if there is a place to buy them in USA or not.

Good luck getting this figured out.

Mount Laurel Designs, Montbell, REI, and Enlightened Equipment make thin, light water resistant mitt shells. I used to use them in winter. Showa 282 insulated in 2xl with merino wool inserts that can be used alone are what I am testing now.

OP here.

Thanks for all the advice, I'll continue to review the information.

I purchased some drop-bar bar-mitts and insulated waterproof shoe covers that extend up over the ankle. Also some lightweight wool glove liners. This weekend will be a bit warmer, though probably rainier, than last. My toes still feel a bit swollen. Overall between higher temps and better gear, it should be a better day.

Cheers

Socal native
 

So cannot really say I've experienced the cold. Anything colder than 55° im setting up the rollers haha

In all honesty gloves are a must as well as double up on the socks

This time of year I occasionally have a fleeting thought that we should kidnap all the socal people that post on threads like this, take them somewhere cold, and force them to ride 100 miles using their own advice.

I remember doing a winter brevet in a warmer climate with temperatures at the start in the low 40's and low 60's expected during the day.

A couple locals were in ski parkas and everyone, except me, was dressed like it was 15F. I had wool leg warmersand synthetic armwarmers. SS baselayer, jersey, and reflective gilet. I wore thin wool gloves. I really regretted the base layer once it got hot out.

The bottomline, it is very individual and cold adaptation plays a role. I remember doing a 200K in December or January in PA and one of the riders was in sandals with no socks. He explained he only put socks on when the temps were below freezing. It was 35F and I got sleet coming down Jugtown Mountain. To each his own, I suppose. I usually carry a light down jacket in my bag. Someone stole it one day when I took too long of a break at a cafe on a cold March ride. I need a new one that fits, they take so little space and can be a lifesaver when fixing a flat.

hahaha my apologies but

I'll take the challenge . Where dO you recomment that century.

He's a ride this saturday. Modest climbing. Good roads. Nice randos


https://parando.org/info/event/365

Outstanding suggestion.


Someplace like this:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...38e08333bb.jpg

Just joking, when it gets that cold I use skis or showshoes instead of bikes.

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I think I would prefer beyond hope to new hope :)

The first brevet I ever did was essentially BH2NH, but started in Easton. The second one was essentially the one they are running this weekend, but I'm not sure what the changes they made between 2008 and 2011 when it was first run. Maybe the one in 2008 went over Fox Gap.

I recommend you dont try a century. 20-50 miles will feel like you rode a century plus some. even more so if its a first time adventure.

I'll have my chance to do that and more this coming weekend. 24-hour time trial with an overnight low of 25°F forecast. Oh wait, updated forecast says 20°F.

barmitts for the hands. be kind to your gloves

20F I can handle, barely. Hate downhills at that temperature, hopefully your time trial is somewhere relatively flat.

Anything less than that and I think it's bad idea. Weirdly, riding on very cold sunny mornings seems disorienting to me. Of course, the worst is right at freezing when on the East Coast you probably can expect precipitation.