Cool weather gear question

The mornings here are starting to be cool and I'm already thinking about cool weather riding. I work out in a gym that is not climate controlled so in the winter it's definitely cold and I have a lot of cold weather gear due to that. Do I need to invest in some cold gear cycling tights or could I just buy some cycling liner shorts to wear under the cold gear running tights that I already have?

 

Generally I'm all for multi use clothing. And there's certainly nothing preventing you from starting like that and seeing what works.

Two pointers though:
1) clothes worn riding will chafe against the saddle in a way non-cycling gear might not tolerate well. I've trashed a pair of North Face skiing tights that way.
2) Pretty much all my favourite bad weather gear has very different materials front/back. Well ventilated on the rear-facing panels and a considerable degree of wind/waterproof on the forward side.
Some running gear do something similar, but rarely to the same degree as bike gear.
There's more Wind chill to be concerned with when riding.

 

Thanks for getting back to me! What you say makes perfect sense, I definitely don't want to ruin my cold gear that I use in the gym. Can you suggest a decent pair of cycling pants because I have no clue! I probably won't ride in temps below 40 degrees if that helps. I don't really want to spend a fortune on pants as I only ride a couple times/week (15-20 miles each ride) but I don't want a cheap pair that won't last a season or function as it should either if that makes sense.

 

Whether you need padded tights will depend a lot on how well padded your saddle is. There is such a thing as too much padding. I use inexpensive leggings from the active wear section on the bike on a regular basis and often hit 100km in a ride. I have several that I've had for several seasons. For cold, my greatest concern is my core temperature. To deal with that, I use a thin "puffy" (polyfill, fiberfill, down if you want to spend for it) vest without sleeves. This will handle any cold you run into, and I have a wind/waterproof outer shell for more inclement conditions. Remember: if your core is warm, any blood going to your extremities will be warm. If you bundle up too much, you will sweat, and that will make you colder (that is what sweat is *for*, after all).
keep your hands warm (to keep from cramping), and keep your core warm. The rest will take care of itself as long as the wind is at least deflected. If your riding conditions are going to vary a lot, you can carry arm and leg warmers, which can be pulled on while on the side of the road if needed. If your longest ride is on the order of 30km (20mi), then you should not need to spend a lot on special kit for cold on the bike. Just need to keep most of the wind off.

Disclaimer: this advice should work fine to low 40's(f) to high 30's(f) without a lot of wind chill off the bike. Down below the frost and ice point, heavier bundling on your extremities will be needed.

 

PERFECT! Thank you so much!

 

I am using therma cell heated insoles.