noimagination

I'm with Shelbyfv. If you're wet but have a wind barrier, the air can't get at the moisture to evaporate it and chill you. Zip up your wind barrier and don't obsess about being wet. It doesn't matter as long a you're warm.

I don't ride the long ascents that are prevalent out West, but I do ride through the winter around her (SE NY), and there are plenty of 5 - 10 min climbs (and the rare 20 - 30 min climb) to make you sweat, and then flats and descents to chill you. I wear a wind barrier and just sweat on the climbs, the wind barrier keeps me from getting chilled on descents and flats. I come home wet but warm. It doesn't matter how cold it is during my ride (I've ridden down into the single digits °F), I still sweat. But, with a wind barrier, it doesn't matter, I still stay warm enough.

Another tip that I go by: if it's cool/cold enough that you need a long sleeve jersey, then its cool/cold enough that you need something on your legs. If you get warmed up and then protect your upper body on the descent but don't protect your legs, you may get chilled. Your legs are your engine, you don't want your legs to get chilled or cramp up. On your descent, add knee warmers/leg warmers/other to protect your legs.

Broctoon

I put my wind jacket in a jersey pocket. If I’m taking arm warmers, I’ll usually put them there as well. I carried a long sleeve jersey tied to my frame with an Occam Apex strap.

Garmin Varia radar tail light and some cheap little headlight, not one of my good ones that I should have taken.

Right? Actually, I didn’t turn around, but took a direct course up one side of the mountain and down the other. At any rate, it was a poorly executed ride, mainly because I simply started too late.

CAT7RDR

Stash a balaclava in a ziplock bag to keep dry and ready for your descents.
By keeping your head and neck warm, your entire body will reap the benefit.
You could also roll and keep a thick USPS bubble envelope on the ready for a wind barrier.

Broctoon

That’s a really good idea. I’ve used lots of beanie caps (Smartwool is my favorite) but never considered something that will go down over my neck as well.

I feel those are best for shipping fragile items. In the future, on rides where there’s a chance I will get cold, I’ll probably just pack a light vest, LS top, and wind breaker. At least as important, I’ll try to stop before reaching the summit and peel off the wet layer.

waters60

I am trying to picture getting to the top of pretty much any pass or horrific hill and looking for a newspaper stand😳

Camilo

Why wear an outer layer and not zip it up if you're cold? That's probably a significant part of your problem. You think you're letting stuff dry and therefore it will be warmer. False. Evaporation is what cools. Zip up and be warmer. If that's not working, bring a heavier/more wind resistant outer layer in your jersey pocket.

GhostRider62

Hopefully OP reads and learns. One does lose muscle control when body temperatures drop but the key is avoidance is controlling evaporation and getting wet in the first place, it is really that simple

Broctoon

Because I didn’t want to remain wet for the remainder of the ride. I tried it zipped up all the way. Found I was still cold, and probably not getting dry. I opened it about halfway, got colder. So I settled on 3/4 zipped, hoping that would let my inner layers breathe just a little. It seemed to work, as I got mostly dry by the bottom of the canyon. I think my best strategy would have been to shed the layer I started with before putting on new, dry ones, and to do so before reaching the summit.

Broctoon

Yeah, so simple. Why didn’t I think of that?

Oh, I remember: because there is no staying dry on a steep ascent. Perspiration happens.

imakecircles

Interesting thread and lots of good information. One issue no one has mentioned though: are you adequately fueled / do you have lots of calories in the body to burn on the descent? Climbing can take it out of you (as I'm sure you know), and if you aren't replacing enough of it, the body will have a harder time keeping warm. I always eat something at the top and then continue eating on the way down.

79pmooney

Yup. Newspaper works. Pros still use it. No, not the big guns that get seen on TV. They get handed team jackets that look good on the podium. But their grunts who have done their work and still have to do the big climb, then descend long after the team car passed still do to finish the stage warm so they can wake up healthy and to it again. I still carry or start rides with newspaper.

Also arm warmers. Easy to push down for the climb, them pull back up. They can go under or over just about anything. Take up half a pocket. Wool hats. 2/3 of a pocket and a lot of heat saved.

And yes, forget about drying clothes on the descent. Keep the wind off those wet layer and dry them on the flat when you wouldn't mind shedding some heat to evaporate the sweat,

waters60

Somewhat counterintuitive but many of us will experience a chilling after eating, as the body reduces blood flow to extremities in order to process food in the stomach. This may not be true with gels but I used to get chilled on hot summer days after eating lunch. Perhaps, when anticipating the descent, change into dry base layer and windshell on way up and eat before the top?

Camilo

Shedding a wet layer is not a bad idea, but as I and others have said, it's evaporation that cools. Zip up your outer layer.

cyclezen

If it's really long climb (over 30 min) and large temp change, I'll carry a fresh base layer and possibly jersey in a handlebar barrel bag, along with a small face wash cloth to dry off (put a small plastic bag in bag to hold wet kit...). Always have a cycleing vest and arm warmers (black) or arm coolers (white).
Other conditions for any ride with lots of climbs or possible changeable conditions:
I always carry a Tyvek sheet (newspaper is just a bit too OLDE SKOOL, and ruins base layers...) Tyvek was used for many overnight letter pacs, FEDEX, UPS, USPS, I think you might still be able to find, but most have changed to plastic/vinyl sleeve. You can buy small sheets on ebay.
Tyvek is awesome!, indestructable, folds like paper and fits in jersey pocket, does not stain jersey and won't take a stain, superleicht, drys faster than plastic bag material. Works great as a sign if you breakdown and need to thumb a ride back to civilization... a myriad of uses
FYI - also makes a great backpack tent ground sheet, slightly oversized, it makes a clean entry-way when entering/exiting tent, so you bring less dirt into tent.
Tyvek ranks up there with Velcro for variety of uses.
Ride On
Yuri

Calsun

In my youth I wore cotton long sleeve shirts and would roll up the sleeves before heading up a long grade and then roll them back down my arms before heading downhill with the wind chill from the sweat on my arms. Now with lycra I still use a long sleeve jersey and if it is windy I wear a bicycling jacket that has great ventilation at the back and a layer to provide a wind screen for my chest. It also has sleeves that can be unzipped and removed and zippered vents at the sides so easy to adjust for the conditions.

The Pearl Izumi Elite Barrier Convertible Jacket is one such example and I have had mine for nearly 15 years so a good long term investment in your riding comfort.

Al Bundy

Has anyone tried a hotel shower cap to keep the wind off the head? I know it sounds (and looks), silly, but the throw away hotel shower caps are very light and are very small when packed. Can be put over the helmet without much effort and keeps the head dry in surprising rain. Just wondered if it might help in the scenario noted by the OP...

Camilo

It's common among those I ride with to use hotel shower caps for rain protection. I have a stock of a half dozen or so even though the easily can be used several times. I haven't used one for wind protection because if it's cold I wear a skull cap. But it seems like a reasonable idea to me.

Broctoon

I've been thinking about this still, and I appreciate the many productive comments.

My conclusion is that the best strategy is just to be wiser in how I plan my rides. For example, I probably shouldn't be leaving to climb a steep canyon at 6 or 7 PM, even in summer. Climbing in the morning and then descending once the sun is out will make it much less of an issue.

I've also taken to packing my windbreaker on the bike almost all the time. I don't bother with it when I know I'm staying on flat ground, riding less than 30 miles, and temperature is unlikely to drop below 70. Otherwise, I'll take it just in case.

I really think I need to remove my damp jersey before reaching a summit. This will probably be a big part of the solution.

Finally, for the rest of my strategy at the times when I know the temp will drop and there might be no way to keep from being damp... The windbreaker is what I've used in the past, along with sometimes arm warmers or sometimes a long sleeve jersey. I'm tempted to just start packing my insulated cycling jacket. Don't remember the model name, but I got it from Pearl Izumi a few years ago, and it's really nice. In the past, I only reached for it on days colder than 45 F. I think I could tie it to my frame along with a thin Merino wool base layer. Then, when I know I'm facing a chilly descent, I'll ditch the damp short sleeve, pull on these two warm layers, and I should be cozy.

Just have to figure out how to manage the rolling hills. Unzip my jersey 3/4 or even completely on the climbs, then zip it up for each descent? Still working on this one.

Camilo

First thing to try is to just keep your windbreaker zipped up instead of trying to dry out the wet jersey in the downhill wind. If that doesn't work, go to plan B. You might think of a very light insulated vest (one that will fit in a jersey pocket) instead of an entire insulated jacket. If you keep your torso warm, I think you might be OK with a windbreaker underneath.