Crickey, you guys have got it bad, I was worrying whether to go short sleeves or arm warmers yesterday morning. Chose short sleeves and got sunburnt.garage sale GT said:
Winter riding
- Thread starter Jakub
- Start date
Essentially, XC ski wear (or, equivalent) is what you want to wear ... that is, whatever you would wear for XC skiing (knit gloves instead of mittens + your regular cylcing gloves underneath) ... BUT, windproof "stuff" designed for Winter cycling is definitely a plus ... you definitely need a wind shell made of 60/40, 65/35, Supplex, etc. ... or, GorTex if you have deep pockets.Jakub said:If you live on the Northern Hemisphere in the recent days you must have noticed temperatures dropping under 40oF, strong winds, perhaps even snow.
For me it means:
- feeling overdressed and sweating heavily on the climbs, then freezing going down the hill
- inhaling gallons of cold air at 170HR and getting a soar throat the next day
- wrapping my feet in neoprene booties and still freezing my toes off after the first 10 miles.
Do I have to stay on the rollers for the next 5 months or is there a remedy?
Jakub
Maybe, you need a DIFFERENT pair of Neoprene booties (a must, of course) ... a plastic bread bag on each foot (BEFORE the sock is actually recommended [a Winter camping technique], but over a wicking polypropelene under sock is probably "okay") ... you may need a dedicated pair of shoes for winter riding which is a half-size larger if you go with a second sock over the liner + plastic bag + outer sock. OR, a new footbed liner OR your current footbed liner + a Dr.Scholl's/OderEaters type liner to add an additional boundary layer.
mid-weight Balaclava (more to keep the wind off your neck)
Goggles (optional, but recommended)
In theory, you should be able to wear your regular stuff + arm warmers + economy fleece LINED vest which is not too thin and not too thick (from Target/wherever) + a PULLOVER windshell (i.e., unlined) for your upper body (you don't want more zipper in front on your windshell than necessary even if it has a windflap).
Long CYCLING pants with wind-barrier front panels are a plus may be the only exclusively bike-oriented new piece of cycling-specific apparel that you have to purchase.
In the world of outdoor backpacking:
warm head, warm feet ... cold head, cold feet.
This is good for down to the mid-20s Fahrenheit ...
The Double Zero said:
Same here...I started out at 7am with Arm Warmers and a thin Vest...after the first Climb I took them off and they spent the rest of the ride rolled up in my Jersey Pocket...
Our Winter is predicted to fall on a Wednesday this year...
Well I live in the North East of Italy, it has been hovering around 0C for the past two weeks or so, the days can even get as high as +5, I use a vest (nothing special), cycle jersey (long 0 or more or short sleeved 0 or less), Assos Windstopper (best thing my wife ever got me), long cycle trousers, thicker than normal socks and over shoe cover thingys. So far I have not been too cold to ride, my personal record is -15C (near Val Saisera).
Last week I did 208km at 5C, the key was just keep moving and stay away from really flat areas, keep it lumpy and you don't feel the cold so much.
The most important thing to me is, for the cost of a trainer, I could buy some really nice bits for my bike, so I will just keep getting cold.
P.S. when it gets silly cold + snow, I use my MTB with Conti Spike Claw tyres, that is so much fun!!!!
Last week I did 208km at 5C, the key was just keep moving and stay away from really flat areas, keep it lumpy and you don't feel the cold so much.
The most important thing to me is, for the cost of a trainer, I could buy some really nice bits for my bike, so I will just keep getting cold.
P.S. when it gets silly cold + snow, I use my MTB with Conti Spike Claw tyres, that is so much fun!!!!
You want the waterproof layer next to your skin? Is it because dry socks are more important than dry skin?alfeng said:
For the shoe issue, SIDI now makes a heated shoe insert. I live in southern Ontario and am definently looking into getting a pair of these. It was about 32F today... Apparently the new Shimano winter boots are really nice aswell, I'd love to get a pair of the SIDI boots, but they are quite expensive. Anybody have any good tips on gloves? I have a pair of Perl Izumi fall type gloves, but i dont think they will be very good when the snow starts flying.
Those knit PI gloves which you already have + your regular riding gloves beneath should be good down to about 20ºF -- essentially, whatever is suitable for XC skiing EXCEPT for the fact that wind-mitts won't let you brake & shift effectively -- so, the double-layer concept is at play here!G-Force101XTR said:
I used to wear a thin, knit, pseudo-insulated layer (intertwined with mylar-or-something which was supposed to reflect the heat back [uh-huh, sure, whatever!] -- I'm not sure they did ANYTHING other than add another layer) beneath my ski gloves ... that might work as an additional layer with your knit PI gloves + regular cycling gloves when the temps are between 20ºF & 32ºF.
Below that (BRRrrrr!), you probably want a pair of full (smooth) leather Alpine/downhill SKI gloves ... with-or-without the thin liner glove.
So-called LOBSTER gloves are something to consider, too ... but, shifting could become problematic, I would think ...
I strongly recommend treating the leather ski gloves with SnoSeal ... because, at below 20ºF, I think you want your gloves to be waterproof for the most part EVEN if the snow/etc. is frozen ... the slush/etc. isn't ... AND, if you every chance to put your warm glove down on snow, it will melt the snow and make your glove wet.
I just use an ordinary pair of ski mitts. My hands are toasty in any temperature or wind condition. Then again my singlespeed does not require a great deal of manual dexterity.
I read some reviews of the previous SIDI and Shimano boots and they got mediocre reviews. The Lake ones I bought got good reviews and seem to be ok so far (coldest ride so far was 25 F).G-Force101XTR said:
I use Perl Izumi lobster gloves for anything under 34 F. Above that I use my Perl Izumi Fall gloves. This seems to be the best transition point. The Perl Izumi lobster gloves are good down to about 5 F. Below that, the cold is just too much for me. If it is windy I might use my lobster gloves of to 38 F but not much more.
My advice is buy good warm winter clothes and riding in Winter is more enjoyable than Summer because you feel like you are bucking cabin fever (for those of us that don't have great skiiing nearby which I assume is you in Sourthern ON, I grew up near London ON and it is flat)
try this; http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0005743940908a&navCount=1&podId=0005743940908&parentId=cat470168&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat470076-cat470168&catalogCode=UG&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat470168&hasJS=trueJakub said:If you live on the Northern Hemisphere in the recent days you must have noticed temperatures dropping under 40oF, strong winds, perhaps even snow.
For me it means:
- feeling overdressed and sweating heavily on the climbs, then freezing going down the hill
- inhaling gallons of cold air at 170HR and getting a soar throat the next day
- wrapping my feet in neoprene booties and still freezing my toes off after the first 10 miles.
Do I have to stay on the rollers for the next 5 months or is there a remedy?
Jakub
here's how i dress (and it works so far);
-leather, velcro shoes that have no vents. (but i'm asking for spd's, shoes and the neoprene covers for xmas).
-moisture wicking socks
-wool socks
-long sleeve moisture wicking shirt
-hooded sweatshirt to soak up the sweat that my undershirt wicks away
-lined, wind-proof jacket
-wind-proof, breathable pants
-neoprene gloves (the kind that ice-fishermen wear)
i've worn this in sleet and snow and...generally, my fingers are the only part of me that gets cold.
CORRECTION!.....i just got back from a 17 mile ride. with the wind chill, the temp is 11 deg f. my toes FROZE!
Find a cycling camp to attend. That'll give you plenty of motivation to train indoors once when you get out there, you want to be in shape.Jakub said:If you live on the Northern Hemisphere in the recent days you must have noticed temperatures dropping under 40oF, strong winds, perhaps even snow.
For me it means:
- feeling overdressed and sweating heavily on the climbs, then freezing going down the hill
- inhaling gallons of cold air at 170HR and getting a soar throat the next day
- wrapping my feet in neoprene booties and still freezing my toes off after the first 10 miles.
Do I have to stay on the rollers for the next 5 months or is there a remedy?
Jakub
I assume your talking about riding on the road, since you mention the rollers. I enjoy a nice mountain bike ride on the colders days of winter. Your not moving as fast plus your in the trees which helps cut the wind chill down quite a bit.
Man I just realized that this is a very old thread! I still recommend a MTB for those who don't have one yet, any kind will do
Man I just realized that this is a very old thread! I still recommend a MTB for those who don't have one yet, any kind will do
well now that's just great dammit! no i have to go out and buy a mtb. any recommendations?KGnagey said:
