Warmest possible for riding in the winter

I find these Pearl Izumi bib tights to be pretty warm performancebike.comprofile.cfmOpen ↗.

As to the feet, I find the Pearl Izumi fleece lined booties to be pretty warm performancebike.comprofile.cfmOpen ↗.

At least they're good to the mid 20s F. Below that, I'm probably on my trainer.

For the Rain: all4cycling.comindex.phpOpen ↗

Get winter specific shoes (Northwave, Lake, Sidi, etc.).

60 is cold? We start outside once it warms up to the freezing point.

Lake has a good winter shoe, expensive, but no more than a typical road shoe. They aren't light as they look more like work boots than cycling shoes, but i have a friend who used to get cold feet, these fixed that. They are also water proof which is a huge bonus. Tights, you get what you pay for, i have three pairs of winter tights for various temps. From about 50-30 i use Pearl Izumi thermaflece bib tights, no frills, no chammy, from 30-20 i have the Pear amphib bib tights, these have a chammy in them but usually wear a pair of regular shorts under them as well. And when it's really cold i have a pair of Performance bibtights that have a windproof/water resistant layer on the entire front surface, which is great. I have found that if i dress properly i can ride down into the teens, but below freezing my main problem isn't getting cold, it's keeping my water bottles from freezing solid.

I have ridden as cold as 22F degrees, but usually prefer above 32 because I am concerned about slipping on the ice. I don't intentionally ride in the rain, so I don't have specific gear for rain. I don't go if there is ice or snow on the road. I don't go over 30mph when it is under 35F, because my face can't take the cold.

I use my regular shoes, but go with a wool based sock and use toe covers. That keeps my toes warm. I have tights that I slip on over my summer bike shorts, to keep my legs warm. I wear a bike wind breaker (which is water resistant), long sleeve bike jersey, t-shirt, and sometimes will add a sweat shirt if its under 35F. I have a thin skull cap that I wear under my helmet to keep my ears warm. I use long fingered gloves, but not the thick ones.

Everyone has a different tolerance to cold. It takes me about 2 miles of hard riding to get the blood flowing, so within 10 minutes the fingers and my body core get warm. But the first ten minutes are cold, after that I am comfortable. Also, riding hard in the summer versus riding hard in the winter are different. Winter riding is slower. The key to being warm is to layer your clothing and ride hard.

lunar said:

For the Rain: all4cycling.comindex.phpOpen ↗

Water just runs down the legs into these boots. There is nothing made to handle horizontal rain & 40F.

blkhotrod said:

Water just runs down the legs into these boots. There is nothing made to handle horizontal rain & 40F.

Duct tape.

Man no kidding. Check with some of the folks who bike commute. They know more about cycling in all kinds of weather than your average joe.

Winter gloves and booties are the key since that is where you're going to feel the cold the worst. I usually can be OK with knee warmers down to about 30 degrees then the tights come out.

I read where one can become acclimated to cold in the hands and feet by soaking them in ice water; that doing this really allows exposure to much colder weather without discomfort. I haven't tried it 'though.

buckybux said:

I have ridden as cold as 22F degrees, but usually prefer above 32 because I am concerned about slipping on the ice. I don't intentionally ride in the rain, so I don't have specific gear for rain. I don't go if there is ice or snow on the road. I don't go over 30mph when it is under 35F, because my face can't take the cold.

I use my regular shoes, but go with a wool based sock and use toe covers. That keeps my toes warm. I have tights that I slip on over my summer bike shorts, to keep my legs warm. I wear a bike wind breaker (which is water resistant), long sleeve bike jersey, t-shirt, and sometimes will add a sweat shirt if its under 35F. I have a thin skull cap that I wear under my helmet to keep my ears warm. I use long fingered gloves, but not the thick ones.

Everyone has a different tolerance to cold. It takes me about 2 miles of hard riding to get the blood flowing, so within 10 minutes the fingers and my body core get warm. But the first ten minutes are cold, after that I am comfortable. Also, riding hard in the summer versus riding hard in the winter are different. Winter riding is slower. The key to being warm is to layer your clothing and ride hard.

The winter here isn't that bad. It can get very windy. I don't recommend
riding along the coast; I love this during the summer. However, now it is getting too windy. The chill just goes right through you.

Last year I rode almost every week in the winter. I was doing at least 50 miles. The fellow in the bicycle shop was very suprised. I had some problems with my ankle last year. I was wearing thick socks and I put those heat pads on. This was with regular shoes and covers. They don't keep my feet warm enough. I have goretexish tights with breathable rear too.

I would like input on shoes that are really warm. I know that there are several possibilities out there. I only know of the lake shoes. Are there any other shoes? Does anyone have experience with the shoes?

I think that I'm also going to get one of those helmut covers.. I dunna know.

n1ey

I have found one of the best pieces of gear for subfreezing weather is a heat exchanger face mask. I saw road crews wearing them and merrily working away on the coldest Chicago days so I got one. It actually gets too warm and you have to pull it half off even if it's in the teens. There's a mouthpiece with some kind of fins which hold the heat and humidity from your breath.

I only have a summer pair of SPD's but want to suggest you simply go back to platforms and wear your warmest winter boots, at least until you find a good clipless winter shoe. A lot of people do a lot of riding without clips, straps, or SPD.

I have found that my core can be overheating but my hands and feet are in danger of frostbite. The tactic in this case is to slow down because your body is sending all your blood to your heart, lungs, and major leg muscles.

Psyiologically, it is probably the other way around. If your brain senses that your core is in danger of not staying warm enough, it will divert more blood to do just that, which leaves your extremities vulnerable to the cold from lack of blood flow. The gospel on cool or cold weather activity is always to keep the core protected, and use breathable layers to keep the sweat from cooling you even further. Something like a wool base layer can be all that it takes to tip the gear that you have already been using to the point of being completely adequate.

You also want to keep your head warm, as that is the other large area of core heat loss. Fleece caps work a lot better than helmet covers at keeping your head warm. Helmet covers are good for blocking wind.

If it is really cold riding, adding a windblocking layer, or wearing something like pi amphip bibs that integrate a wind blocking fabric design can make a big difference. Same goes for gloves.

I like balaclavas for winter, in varying weights depending upon how cold it is. For feet I like DeFeet Inferno socks over a thin wool liner sock, again depending upon how cold it is. Wind blocking shoe covers can be added over that as required.

And anybody who thinks you can't stay dry in the rain hasn't used Showers Pass gear properly. It is as close to bulletproof as you can get, especially if you use the full hood and use it properly. In horizontal rain, adding a neck gator can be all that it takes to stay really dry inside.

Commuters rock. 😎