jhaddad8

Luckily, thanks to el nino this year's brevets (200k) have been fairly warm in Eastern Pa. The November ride saw temperatures of about 40-55, December 30-40, January 26-38. It has certainly made my introduction to cold weather rides easier, but I'm still wondering, what am I going to do if it gets much colder? What do you guys wear for rides where the highs are below freezing? What about for rides where there high is around ~20º? I'm especially curious what people wear to keep their legs and lower body warm. I'll post my own detailed riding outfits a bit later.

rhm

I have not done any brevets, sanctioned rides, RUSA &c events in cold weather. But I've ridden 100+ miles in brutally cold weather several times. @TimmyT and I rode a century on Jan 1 2014 and again on Jan 1 2015, both of which were unbelievably cold. This year was very mild.

I have never had my legs or torso get cold. The problem is always feet, fingers, and face. Part of the problem, with hands and feet, is that my steel bike frame is a heat sink. You need insulation between the bike and your contact points. If you're going to carry water, carry it in a hydration pack. Frame mounted water bottles freeze really quickly. Better: stop for coffee as often as you can!

Hands
Lobster mitts, where fingers are together, are better than gloves with separate fingers. Loosely knitted fleece gloves are better than you'd think, if you put them in plastic bags. I've used those chemical hand warmers that hunters use, and they are good, but you have to know how to use them. I'm not sure I do. They are activated by air, so if you put them somewhere where there is no air, such as inside the lobster mitt, they don't do anything.

Feet
Booties are the bare minimum, and my feet get cold no matter what I do. Wool socks*. Extra socks are not the solution; you need more circulation in your feet, and extra socks will cut it off. Plastic bags over the booties, held in place with only enough rubber bands to keep them in place, help a lot. No matter how you insulate the tops of your feet, SPD pedals, with the steel cleat clipped to the pedal, suck the heat out of your soles. I have not solved this problem. Next time I ride in really cold weather, I'm going to try Look style pedals with plastic cleats. Or I'll wear boots and use platform pedals.

*I've heard good things about silk, but haven't tried it.

Face
Balaclava and skull cap are the bare minimum. Last year I found an insulated ski goggle in the trash, thrown away because the elastic was shot. I took the clear plastic lens and left the rest in the trash. I mounted the mask to the front of my helmet, using one zip tie, as a visor. It kept the cold air off my upper face, and really helped. It didn't steam up. It was good in cold dry weather, but terrible in rain. Not good at night; it created weird reflections that distracted me.

unterhausen

I have ridden a couple of 200k's where the temps never got higher than 20F. My shoes are 45Nrth Fasterkatts, now replaced by the Japanthers(sp?). I found that they kept my feet toasty even though they are only rated down to 25F. I have some Wulfhammers that are rated down to 0F, but I think they are awfully heavy for 200k. My previous choice of cycling shoes with neoprene covers was highly unsuccessful. As far as gloves go, I actually wear full mittens. If it's really cold, I throw a hand warmer in each one. I have moved on to bar mitts, they work really well. You can put hand warmers in them if it's a problem, but I don't think that would be necessary for 20F. My full jacket is a bit much for anything over 20F. I have a jacket that converts to a vest which works well at that temperature or above. Layering is important. Wool short sleeve undershirt, a long sleeve polypro undershirt and a wool jersey is what I layer with under the jacket.

As far as legs go, I wear leg warmers and cycling shorts. I have some wind pants I might wear in the future, not sure they are necessary though.

steve-in-kville 

Haven't ridden more than a few miles commuting in bitter cold, but I do have some experience. Lately, my morning commute is in the high teens, low 20's. Last week my ride in was 8*. It can be done but things can dangerous in a hurry!!

Experience. I learned the hard way how to layer right and I still do not have it nailed.

jhaddad8

For the coldest long rides I've encountered, I do most the ride with "thermal bib", I'll have to check the brand, I'd say it's good to around freezing temperatures by itself. I also wear leg warmers underneath it. Last ride my legs were warm and comfortable the entire time, but, where the leg warmers ended was a little cold. I just bought a heavier bib-tights, I'd say this one is good to a little bit cooler temps. For upper body I've been wearing an under armour or other thermal shirt underneath my short sleeve wool jersey with a softshell jacket on top. I also ride with my reflective vest on all the time in the winter. If anything, my upper body has been too warm. I've also brought a second base layer shirt to change into. I also have short/pant convertible nylon hiking pants. I've worn those over my cycling pants at the beginning and end of rides when it's colder. The pants have very little insulation but are really good against the wind and make a big difference.

I've been just wearing sandals on my feet. I wear fairly light wool socks, but bring a change of warmer socks, I'm yet to really need them. I also wear neoprene covers over my sandals. I find sandals more comfortable then shoes. I also think the thick sandal bottom must be separating me from the cleat heat sync problem reported by others. My feet have been warm and comfortable on all my rides. I should also point out, that I wear sandals and go barefoot in much colder temperatures than most other people, so that my contribute to my feet being comfortable.

I have a set of good mittens that I've had in my bag for the last few rides but have yet to need them. I've found my fairly light gloves plenty warm enough for the rides I've done so far. I find mittens become more important below temperatures of about 30 F.

Most of my rides I just have a helmet liner on my head. I have a fairly significant but light weight liner. I have a light weight baclava that I carry with me. I put it on after dark on the December ride, but didn't feel like wearing it in January.

So, that's my experience so far. Definitely my biggest weakness has been keeping my legs warm. Otherwise, I think if anything I'm too warm.

unterhausen

if it's really cold, platform pedals are probably superior. Then you have a lot of choices of footwear.

seajaye

J, super jealous. As you know, the winter series last year was .rough. I made it through it, though!

However, being from upstate NY, I think it sounds like you have most of it figured out. I agree that I've managed to err on the side of being too-warm in 15 degree weather; it's surprising what a nice wool layer(s) and a rain shell can do.

As for legs, here's what works for me:

Over 35 deg all day: "Thermal" (aka. thicker, fleece-lined) tights.
~30 deg: Windproof-front tights.
Between 20-30 deg: Windproof tights with a thin base-layer pant *over* them.
Under 20 deg: Windproof tights with the 'thermal' tights over them.

I also wear some regular shorts over everything. "Rando baggies" as a friend calls them. Great for pocketing change and stuff at controles, and gives you that extra layer where you need it.

The crucial part is putting everything (except the regular shorts, of course) over the windproof. When I tried putting things underneath the windproof tights, my legs would immediately overheat and also feel 'compressed' and uncomfortable. It's also way harder to modulate by removing a layer that is underneath as opposed to a layer that is stacked on top.

I have an armory of SIDI Hydro winter shoes, thick wool socks + thin wool liner socks, and Gore Windstopper softshell booties. Depending on the temp range, I'll mix and match/bring a few things for adjusting mid-ride.

You didn't really mention having problems with your hands, but I want to throw my vote out there for Bar Mitts. They were indispensable for me last year. You don't realize how much wind your hands take just by virtue of them being exposed. When it's sunny, they warm up and get nice and toasty, and when it's rainy or when the sun goes down, they're at least shielded.

And to emphasize the last point, it gets MUCH colder after sundown. My general rule is to add 5 degrees to the actual temp for a completely sunny day; stick with actual temp for overcast, subtract 5 for wind, and subtract another 5 for sundown. So, for example, a sunny-but-windy day with a 30 degree high during the day and 15 degree nighttime finish temp, I would bring gear to cover a range of 35ish down to below 10.

You'll also want to take into account climbing and descending. There's not much of either during the winter (well, relative to the rest of the Eastern PA schedule), but after warming up during a big climb, even a small night time descent can chill you to the bone.

seajaye

I have switched out stock 'summer insoles' with 'insulating insoles' (e.g. just a touch thicker and no ventilation perforations) in my SIDI winter shoes. I've also put HVAC aluminum tape along the inside of my winter AND summer shoes, underneath the insoles, and it works wonders. I haven't had cold feet on any ride with either pair of shoes since. Give it a shot. The HVAC tape is a thin enough solution that it shouldn't mess with the fit of your shoes.

jhaddad8

What type of shorts do you wear as you"rando baggies". Also can you make any suggestions for the thin pants you wear. I've been wearing convertible hiking shorts/pants. They're ok, but can be a little cumbersome.

seajaye

I like your convertible pants idea, but I would probably have a hard time finding a pair that is 'slim' enough for my liking. My "rando baggies" are usually some cut-off Dickies shorts or some summer trouser shorts from H&M. The idea is that they're loose so it feels like I am not really wearing anything (back to the 'compression' and discomfort when you're over-layered).

The 'thin pants' I am referring to are pretty much any basic polyester 'base layer' pant you can find in the running section at Target, Marshall's, outdoor stores, etc. They're usually what I layer underneath regular pants for commuting in the beginning/end of winter, but like I said, I wear them over my windproof tights.

As an aside that's kind of related to both points, I'm always looking for clothing that has rando-utility. I could wear a running wind jacket that has reflectivity AND hand/rear pockets, vs. a cycling wind jacket that only has rear pockets. Or use a merino wool sweater as a base layer. Or trouser shorts as rando baggies. Why not?

jbithaca

Seajaye:

I understand putting the tape under the insole. Do you also put it around the inside of the toe box?

Thanks,

Jim

seajaye

The tape is rather firm and so it would be hard to get it perfectly shaped around the toes.

I have been experimenting with putting some tape inside toe covers, but again, the stiffness of the tape makes it crinkle and bunch.

I used to/still do use Tyvek and *popped* bubble wrap layers inside toe covers. Thin enough and pliable enough, has seemed to do the trick when full-on booties would be overkill.