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Winter clothing guide??

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Winter clothing guide??

Old 03-23-05, 12:50 PM
  #26  
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body size matters a lot if you are a big guy you will stay warmer than a small person I am from Canada and at 20 degrees (you are talking farinhite ya) would still be in shorts spd sandles with a couple pairs of warm socks and gortex over sock light gloves longsleave jersy wool blend with a polypro underneath depending on wind a vest or long sleeve windbreaker jersy light touque or bandana under the helmet in realy cold weather for long distance touring around -30 celcius I wear many layers of wool and no wind layer military surplus stuff is great a thick wool blanket that has been washed and dried to make it like felt is great wear it like a poncho and tie around yourself in realy deep cold modern gear is useless when you sweat it up think like a tibetian yak herder. It is not that cold really, people who live sedentary lives and rush from and overheated house to an overheated car to an overheated place of work will never develop resistance to the cold ride your bike to work in winter and you will save money on your heating bill as you will want to turn the heat down whenever you get home kill your tv your car and dont trust the government
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Old 04-24-05, 11:29 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by bonehead
A nice white thong and some flip-flops for anything over 5 degrees.
So that's 2 pairs of thongs!
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Old 04-24-05, 11:50 AM
  #28  
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Everyone is different. So some get cold while others sweat. I tend to be a warmer person than most I ride with. I live in Wisconsin so it gets cold here. But I live in Milwaukee, so not as cold as the rest of the state. In winter I usually wear 1 or 2 tshirts and a sweatshirt on my torso. If its' snowing/ or a freezing rain, I'll wear my Race Face gortex shell over a long sleeve tshirt or 2.

On my head I simply wear a balaclava (or is it baclava? I always get those 2 words confused. NOT the dessert.) on my head because my neck breaks out in hives if it's cold, and it fits nicely under my helmet. If it doesn't fit under your helmet, get a larger "winter helmet" and/or take out your pads. If it gets really cold I have an neoprene face mask, as my balaclava doesn't actually go over my mouth, nose or cheeks.


On my hands I wear the thin Pearl Izumi pittard gloves down to +15 F. Below that I put on the thicker Pearl Izumi winter gloves or my Lake alaskas but they don't have as much flexibility in the fingers and I think they don't work as well either, maybe because there's so much insulation that circulation is slowed. I've also had good luck with the Specialized winter gloves except the ones I have don't have a removeale liner and when I pull my sweaty hand out the liner inverts and is a pain to put back in. I think the newer ones might have a removeable liner which are usually easier to put back in.

For my legs I wear unpadded cycling tights, by Pace with cargo shorts so my butt isn't out there for the world to see (I'm shy). One or 2 pairs, they're thin enough that 2 pairs at once is not cumbersome or bulky at all. I haven't had to go to 3 pairs. If it gets rainy or really really cold I'll put on gortex rain pants.

for my feet I have a pair of Lake boots for when it gets really cold or snowy. but I usually just wear my regular cycling shoes, without any booties or extra socks. The socks though may make a difference, I wear WigWam socks, which are generally very warm. I can't wear wool (it makes me itch) so I'm stuck with synthetics or cotton. The only problem with the wigwams is that the ones I wear (ironman triathalon series) are mostly synthetic, so they start to smell. I never had that problem with cotton socks, but I wore those out very very fast. I've had some of my wigwams for 7 years. I like to stick with a brand I find works, and these are great for me. AND I live in wisconsin where they are made I can go to the factory when they have their factory seconds sales and get em cheap.

That's my winter wardrobe, It's worked for about 7 years, I've tweaked it, but not much. I'll try new products but not much has changed. I've ridden through all sorts of WI weather, One time the U.S. Postal service even shut down due to the snow, and I rode through it ( I wish I had the cycling boots and goretex then.)
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Old 05-11-05, 05:55 AM
  #29  
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you people are all mad. In sunny north queensland, the worst we get is to about 10 degrees (guessing about 50 in farenheit) and that is getting too much for me. we have to watch out for snakes though.
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Old 05-22-05, 08:19 AM
  #30  
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I am new to both this list and riding in general. I am however a light weight hiker and it seems that many of the gear items carry over quite nicely.

I have been riding to work in the high 30's to low 40's and have worn both Smartwool Spring Gloves or better yet, especially when it is colder, Vapor Barrier Mittens from Backpackinglight.com The trouble with hand wear and foot wear is that we perspire and that is what winds up wetting things out. Vapor barriers for the hands and for the feet go great distances in keeping you comfortable. I believe that campmor.com, integraldesigns.com and rbhdesigns.com have vapor barrier socks.

My base layer clothing is a line from Mountain Hardwear called Featherweight Transition. I use these tops and bottoms (tights). I can also add Marmot Driclime pants and an anorak either over these or instead of them. The Marmot tho is baggy
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Old 06-26-05, 10:11 PM
  #31  
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Disclaimer: I live in texas.

I have tried winter cycling but I found my face going numb pretty quick. I normally don't have problems with my lower body (I just wear jeans as I am just goign to school)) with a moderatly warm jacket. My problem is I am very reluctant to get some kind of face covering hat thingy as I don't want my vision to be lessened (Growing up in califorina left me with no cold weather clothing experince). Any advice? Just suck it out, as it is only 2 miles each way?

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Old 08-16-05, 04:46 PM
  #32  
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The coldest I've ever been riding in is about -34C [~-45 with the windchill]. At that point I had:
- a thick wool toque with heavy fleece neck tube covering everything on my head except a 1/2" slit for my eyes [no helmut]
- t-shirt
- Polartec 300 expedition weight fleece jacket topped by nylon-based Gore-tex jacket
- nylon pants covering 200 weight Polartec pants, with expedition weight long underwear
- Gore-tex shell mits covering 300-weight polartec fleece mitts covering polypro liner gloves
- all-leather day hikers with heavy wool hiking socks and liner socks

I tried wearing glasses, but they fogged instantly. I had to squint and hope my eyes didn't freeze shut. My ride to school was about 10 km each way, but there wasn't much traffic. You really have to go by how cold you get. I get cold hands and feet really easily, so that's where I have to bundle up the most. Other people get cold heads and such. I guess it's better to be a little too warm than a little too cold, so dress for a little colder than what you think the weather might be.
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Old 09-25-05, 07:32 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Elvish Legion
I have tried winter cycling but I found my face going numb pretty quick. My problem is I am very reluctant to get some kind of face covering hat thingy as I don't want my vision to be lessened...
Put a light layer of vaseline on your face. Remove (with soap or baby wipe) when you get to your destination. This will seem gross the first time you try it but really helps!
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Old 09-27-05, 07:50 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Lieren
Put a light layer of vaseline on your face. Remove (with soap or baby wipe) when you get to your destination. This will seem gross the first time you try it but really helps!
really? Please elaborate? My dad did it and I thought it was one of his "Tricks" that are 95% of the time pretty much bogus
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Old 10-14-05, 08:28 PM
  #35  
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Any weather that is cold: Thermal top with a T over it, Thermal pants with shorts over them... regular socks... some $5 cheapo gloves... sunglasses (of course)... skull cap.... oh, when I say thermal's, I mean $10 thermal long john underwear from kmart. The only issue I have is trying to keep the snot from sticking to the side of my face... haha... this goes for 10+ mile rides... I find once I warm up I don't want all that heavy crap on my anyway... light and simple.
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Old 10-24-05, 08:00 AM
  #36  
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Some rules of thumb for winter activity clothing:

1) Many thin layers are better than fewer thick layers

2) Stay away from cotton insulation. Cotton absorbs moisture (it doesn't breathe). Wool, fleece and many other fabrics are much better. This is specially important for your underwear.

3) The outer layer should be a shell (for wind and water) only, preferably not an insulation also.

4) Keep your fingers together. Use mittens rather than gloves. The fingers keep each other warm if kept in the same "compartment".
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Old 11-09-05, 11:34 AM
  #37  
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At -7 C, 20 F

T-shirt, Wool Sweater, Wind Jacket, Bell Helmet( with side and rear protection, Light Gloves, Jeans and Lake suede shoes. Good for and easy 5.5 km.

Lose the sweater and go hard for 40 km.

Dont feel wet.
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Old 11-25-05, 05:51 AM
  #38  
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Been having some trouble with gloves recently. I normally wear some old school style cycling cloves with the crochet backs and padded chamois palms. These don't work too well in sub zero temperatures so I bought some heavy waterproof winter gloves. These proved to be too hot for the ride and I needed to find some middle ground.

I found some nice thin thermal gloves in a running shop round the corner from work which fit inside the cycling gloves nicely and don't restrict movement of the fingers. If it gets frighteningly cold when I'm in Canada they should prove to be a good base layer inside the proper winter gloves.

As for the face thing. I tried growing beard this year but it just isn't working. I doesn't insulate that well in high winds and I look like a drug addled bear. I'm going to revert to last years measure of using a pollution mask. They nicely cover the mouth, nose and much of the exposed area of the cheeks. However, they don't press up against the mouth leaving is feeling manky and wet when you're breathing.
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Old 12-02-05, 05:12 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by The Seldom Kill
Been having some trouble with gloves recently. I normally wear some old school style cycling cloves with the crochet backs and padded chamois palms. These don't work too well in sub zero temperatures so I bought some heavy waterproof winter gloves. These proved to be too hot for the ride and I needed to find some middle ground.

I found some nice thin thermal gloves in a running shop round the corner from work which fit inside the cycling gloves nicely and don't restrict movement of the fingers. If it gets frighteningly cold when I'm in Canada they should prove to be a good base layer inside the proper winter gloves.

As for the face thing. I tried growing beard this year but it just isn't working. I doesn't insulate that well in high winds and I look like a drug addled bear. I'm going to revert to last years measure of using a pollution mask. They nicely cover the mouth, nose and much of the exposed area of the cheeks. However, they don't press up against the mouth leaving is feeling manky and wet when you're breathing.

Yes but the combination of facial hair with a balaclava forms a nice insulating barrier. This is why you use multiple thin layers than big thick layers. Those pockets of air between the layers IS the insulation.
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Old 12-04-05, 10:11 AM
  #40  
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I was out yesterday, and the wind chill temp started out at about 16 degrees F (Aslo in Ea. PA - Bucks County-PA). I rode 42 miles, and was toasty warm. I wore 5 layers of clothing including my jersey. First layer-short sleeve shirt and bike sleeves, 2nd & 3rd layers - long sleeve shirts, 4th layer-sweat shirt, 5th layer-bike jersey. I had long gloves with hand warmers (very effective-highly recommended.) I wore tights. I put on toe warmers on my socks, and covered my shoes with booties. Everything worked out real well. I would have biked further, but had familly commitments.
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Old 12-07-05, 02:31 PM
  #41  
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I just wanted post this.


How Gore-Tex® Works

The human body is a heat engine, and the heat your body produces drives the breathing of Gore-Tex. Without a temperature differential of warm on the inside and cooler on the outside, most waterproof/breathable rainwear barrier systems will not function properly. Your body gives off heat and sweat all the time, more of both when you are working harder. The water in sweat has to become a vapor in order to get through the Gore-Tex layer because water droplets are too large to fit through the PTFE film pores. This will happen on it's own, but without the heat differential, vapor passes both ways in equal amounts.

The body heat generated evaporates the sweat off the skin, which condenses again when it cools enough (it hits a cool surface). It also condenses when it reaches a concentration at which it cannot stay a vapor. Normally, the heat buildup under the Gore-Tex layer is enough to keep most water in vapor form and in continuous migration away from the heat source (your skin). But, when vapor transmission through the barrier film is inhibited for some reason (see the next paragraph), condensate builds up inside and slowly wets the clothing layers next to the skin.
Gore-Tex Will Sometimes Seem to Quit Working

Gore-Tex is good stuff, but not fool-proof or fail-safe, and nothing lasts forever. One big factor in Gore-Tex's waterproofing is what Gore calls "Durable Water Repellency" (DWR). This is a water repelling (hydrophobic) chemical coating applied to the outer fabric of the Gore-Tex laminate that causes water landing on it to bead up on the surface of that outer layer, and roll down off the garment. If rain water or wind blown wet snow from pedaling is not shed relatively quickly, it will soak the outer fabric, which impedes vapor transmission through it, greatly inhibiting the breathability of the Gore-Tex barrier film just underneath.

There are no permanent water repellent compounds yet available, so what is being used must be reactivated or renewed periodically. When it does fail, the effect appears to be a leak -- as if water is passing from the outside through the waterproof layer to the inside, and soaking the clothing underneath. That is not the case. The human body produces more water than most people believe. The water inside the Gore-Tex is almost always vapor unable to get through the saturated fabric layer outside the barrier film which has condensed on the inside surface and feels like leakage. You can tell early-on when this might be happening by water on the outside starting to wet areas on the outer fabric layer of a Gore-Tex garment. This condition does not defeat the waterproofness of the fabric, but does inhibit its breathability significantly. It often, but not always, starts in areas of high abrasion, and where water can collect, like the front of your arms,lower legs, and backside. When the DWR fails and vapor transmission is inhibited by the wet fabric outside the Gore-Tex layer, condensate builds up inside and slowly soaks the clothing layers next to the skin.

Gor-Tex is not perfect, and even a very new and clean garment with a working DWR can still be overwhelmed by heavy activity. Extra ventilation (like armpit zippers, uncovered openings, etc.) will help, but still may not keep some areas of clothing inside the Gore-Tex shell from getting damp. In extreme cases even downright wet. During rest stops, your body heat will continue to dry your clothing through the Gore-Tex.

If anybody has anything to add please do.

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Old 12-07-05, 04:41 PM
  #42  
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Vaseline on the face? Save it for the love life! HOw can it get cold enough in Texas for your face to go numb? Are you not covering it? See the word--------> BALACLAVA. Search here and elsewhere.
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Old 12-11-05, 06:57 PM
  #43  
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These threads get quite long, and I haven't read everything, so forgive me if someone else has already mentioned this. But I made a nice, accidental discovery that I'd like to share:

I found a pair of last year's PI AmFib gloves that were a size too large but at a GREAT price, so I bought 'em anyway. In order to give the fingers enough dexterity to work STI shifters, I stuffed a bit of cotton into the index finger tips. The end result is that now my index fingers stay warm, much better than my other fingers. A friend has suggested using lamb's wool instead of cotton, so I'll be tying that in the other fingers.

So give this idea a try if you have a pair of gloves with fingers a bit too long.
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Old 12-15-05, 02:09 PM
  #44  
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You will find that there is great variation in what people wear in winter because there are a lot af variables. Some who ride really hard for a shorter distance and are used to cold weather don't wear all that much. Others need more.

IF you are riding at higher speeds the windchill is significant at colder tempertures and you have to find a way to deal with it.

I can only tell you this. When you are working out you don't need all that much insulation but when it gets below freezing you need to stop all of that wind.

There is also a difference between what you can stand and what feels comfortable. If you have a short necessary ride to work of less than 30 minutes duration you can probaly stand to be a little cold since you will be at the office soon. If you are riding for fun and plan on being out for three hours and don't want to worry about changes in the weather you need more.

I for one like to ride for fun and I like the experience to be enjoyable. I don't like heavy clothing on when I ride and yet I don't like to be cold either. It's hard for me to find that just right spot.
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Old 12-20-05, 07:38 PM
  #45  
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Let me just plug insulated wool convertible mittens. I found a pair similar to the ones attached at a thrift store. They are wool outer, with a thinsulate insulation and a leather palm patch. The mittens fold over into fingerless gloves which are handy for zipping up your jacket, locking up, etc.

They aren't windproof, but the combination of the wool outer, the insulation, and the mitten design has kept my fingers cozy down to the single digits F.

Link to ones at campmor, $10

https://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...berId=12500226
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Old 12-30-05, 09:17 PM
  #46  
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On the subject of winter underpants . . . . I find Zakk Microfiber Briefs with Clasps are great.

You can remove these babies by means of the clasps without having to take off any of your other layers. This is great in the winter when I'm mosty dry after a medium-exertion-ride (I wear breathable merino wool) except for my underpants.

I ride off-and-on all all day long, so changing out the undies as often as you need to is never a hassle. More hygenic too.

Great in the summer too because they're super thin and breathable.

Can be found at www.wyzman.com and www.erogenos.com.
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Old 01-11-06, 11:21 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by BostonFixed
Let me just plug insulated wool convertible mittens. I found a pair similar to the ones attached at a thrift store. They are wool outer, with a thinsulate insulation and a leather palm patch. The mittens fold over into fingerless gloves which are handy for zipping up your jacket, locking up, etc.

They aren't windproof, but the combination of the wool outer, the insulation, and the mitten design has kept my fingers cozy down to the single digits F.

Link to ones at campmor, $10

https://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...berId=12500226
If you go to a good motocycle shop (like a say BMW dealer) they have windproof glove liners. Not to mention windproof winter gloves. I ride my moto down to 32 deg and the stuff works.

A windproof liner combined with those mitts would work great. You'd be surprised at how much stuff can be used between cycling and motorcycling. I have a pair of Biker Comfort in Action wind/waterproof goretex socks that work great. Combined with a very thin boot liner i wear them with my Carnac Ellipses without shoe covers down to 32 deg without discomfort. On the flip side i wear my Craft S3 windblocking base layers under my motoclothes in addition to on the bicycle.
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Old 01-11-06, 05:54 PM
  #48  
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Anyone use Pogies for your hands?? My bike guy gave me a pair for Christmas, they are GREAT!! Here is a link:
https://www.icebike.org/Clothing/handprotection.htm
The ones I have are simular to the Moose Mitts, my bike guy calls them Bullwinkles.
A great option. I have spend a lot of $ on fancy gloves, but my fingertips still tended to get cold. This solves the problem.
I really like Sporthill's line of clothing. www.sporthill.com
Another alternative to vasiline on the face is called Warm Face. I don't know if this stuff really works to keep the skin warm, but it does give it a barrier of protection from wind burn/chapping.
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Old 02-17-06, 10:36 PM
  #49  
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I just got back from snowmobiling today. The high temp for today was -7 and it was -22 when we started. I understand you won't be riding in these conditions however the ideas should be the same.

I went out wearing 4 laters. you may not need 4 layers but layering is the key to staying warm.

I would suggest wearing a wind breaker or waterproof outer most layer. Something to help deflect the wind which will be your biggest enemy.

In cold weather exposed skin is a real problem. I don't think what brand you wear is as important as how it all fits together. I was warm all over this morning except that my face shield did not fit right under my shirt. My kneck was frozen the entire time. In other words make sure your layers overlap enough to constantly cover your skin in those transition areas (pants/shirt, gloves/sleeves, shirt/faceshield, head cover/faceshield).

If you ride long distances you need to make sure you don't sweat completely through your clothes. A waterproof outer layer will help ensure body sweet does not transfer the cold from the wind directly to your skin. If you wear everything right you may feel like you're swimming but you should be plenty warm.

I think of a wet suit when I dress for extreme cold temperatures. How can you cover the most area and keep body warmth in and air/wetness out. If you wear glasses you'll have another problem of foggy glasses. I would suggest wearing contacts. I actually joined this forum to start a discussion on the best way to stop foggy glasses. With any luck you'll read a post soon about what works and what doesn't.

best of luck and good riding
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Old 03-08-06, 08:09 PM
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frugalfinnagan
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For gloves at tempatures colder than -10 c I like Reusch ski gloves. I have sewn a pair of lobster shells to slip over them if the temp gets colder than -30 c. I find that any ski glove that fits my hands comfortably is fine for riding. I have fat short stubby fingers. Hot Paws are a cheap glove that can be purchased at sprawl mart and they are amazingly warm for what you will pay. My pair have 2 holes in them, and they are still great gloves. I wear a gore tex 3 ply and a fleece coat and a t-shirt for up to about -15 c. Then I put a vest on if it gets colder. Nylon pants work great if paired with regular pants like jeans. That combo works great for anything up to -35 c I have made a pair of cold weather booties for my feet that are too warm for anything but -20 or warmer. If you want directions on how to make a pair for your self send me a note. They are good to probably -45 c, but I won't ride if it is colder than -35 c, so i don't know for sure. I have lake phat catz for shoes. They are not the greatest but all I have money for. I
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