Short of wearing Carhart construction clothes to stay warm or comfortable when riding, what do you all wear for winter biking??
Winter bicycling
- Thread starter CourierDriver
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Layers. Good down to -15C. Work clothes are way too bulky. Wool socks, wind proof shoe covers, thermal tights under regular tights and baggy shorts over those. Wool long sleave shirt under long sleeve cycling jersey with a sweatshirt over that and then a x-country ski jacket over all those. Neck warmer and thermal beanie hat under helmet. Lobster claw gloves or pogies. Let's me commute year round in Calgary. Fat bike for the snow helps too.
As tcp71 said layers! Breathable bottom layer and add thin layers till your comfortable. For example 30 degrees today and I wore a this:
Key Long sleeve waffle knit t-shirt
long sleeve mostly cotton t-shirt
Key High vis hooded sweatshirt
Padded bike shorts
Bike tights .. I got a size bigger to for this purpose
Nylon shell jogging pants
Balacalava to cover the face
Wool socks and pair of regular socks
Rugged Wear Men's Deer grain leather winter gloves
Takes a while to get your layering right but once you do you won't notice the cold after you get warmed up. The other tip is to start out cold, if you start out warm you'll sweat and be miserable.
Key Long sleeve waffle knit t-shirt
long sleeve mostly cotton t-shirt
Key High vis hooded sweatshirt
Padded bike shorts
Bike tights .. I got a size bigger to for this purpose
Nylon shell jogging pants
Balacalava to cover the face
Wool socks and pair of regular socks
Rugged Wear Men's Deer grain leather winter gloves
Takes a while to get your layering right but once you do you won't notice the cold after you get warmed up. The other tip is to start out cold, if you start out warm you'll sweat and be miserable.
Wool under garments, Performance windproof jacket and tights, winter gloves, Specialized boots, a thin and thicker balaclava, shower cap on my helmet.
For Christmas, my wife just bought me a BikeMate indoor bike trainer for my winter biking and I love it. I can listen to music or watch TV right in the family room/basement. Saves on the Bronchitis/Bronchial Pneumonia that I'd get & have gotten when trying to fight the wind & cold.
YMCA spinning class... I know that's not exactly the answer to your question, but it's my answer to the cold.
Originally Posted by tcp71
Layers. Good down to -15C. Work clothes are way too bulky. Wool socks, wind proof shoe covers, thermal tights under regular tights and baggy shorts over those. Wool long sleave shirt under long sleeve cycling jersey with a sweatshirt over that and then a x-country ski jacket over all those. Neck warmer and thermal beanie hat under helmet. Lobster claw gloves or pogies. Let's me commute year round in Calgary. Fat bike for the snow helps too.
Well that would do it here in Tennessee at 40 degrees F,,,,,thanks...
Layers. Good down to -15C. Work clothes are way too bulky. Wool socks, wind proof shoe covers, thermal tights under regular tights and baggy shorts over those. Wool long sleave shirt under long sleeve cycling jersey with a sweatshirt over that and then a x-country ski jacket over all those. Neck warmer and thermal beanie hat under helmet. Lobster claw gloves or pogies. Let's me commute year round in Calgary. Fat bike for the snow helps too.
Well that would do it here in Tennessee at 40 degrees F,,,,,thanks...
Originally Posted by dadto2
YMCA spinning class... I know that's not exactly the answer to your question, but it's my answer to the cold.
YMCA spinning class... I know that's not exactly the answer to your question, but it's my answer to the cold.
Originally Posted by Char Baby
For Christmas, my wife just bought me a BikeMate indoor bike trainer for my winter biking and I love it. I can listen to music or watch TV right in the family room/basement. Saves on the Bronchitis/Bronchial Pneumonia that I'd get & have gotten when trying to fight the wind & cold.
I will look that up, thanks
For Christmas, my wife just bought me a BikeMate indoor bike trainer for my winter biking and I love it. I can listen to music or watch TV right in the family room/basement. Saves on the Bronchitis/Bronchial Pneumonia that I'd get & have gotten when trying to fight the wind & cold.
I will look that up, thanks
I prefer rollers, you need balance and you can't fall asleep! Lol
When I was a kid I delivered papers on my bicycle year round. I wrapped binder twine around the tires for grip in the winter, which worked fine - sort of.
One day, while delivering the papers, I woke up in the middle of the street with a terrible headache. I had fallen on ice and knocked myself out. I didn't remember the fall or the few minutes before it either. Loss of memory for the event and the time before it indicates a somewhat serious head injury. If a car had been behind me or coming toward me I'd probably be dead.
So I don't ride a bicycle in the winter at all.
One day, while delivering the papers, I woke up in the middle of the street with a terrible headache. I had fallen on ice and knocked myself out. I didn't remember the fall or the few minutes before it either. Loss of memory for the event and the time before it indicates a somewhat serious head injury. If a car had been behind me or coming toward me I'd probably be dead.
So I don't ride a bicycle in the winter at all.
Originally Posted by tcp71
Layers. Good down to -15C. Work clothes are way too bulky. Wool socks, wind proof shoe covers, thermal tights under regular tights and baggy shorts over those. Wool long sleave shirt under long sleeve cycling jersey with a sweatshirt over that and then a x-country ski jacket over all those. Neck warmer and thermal beanie hat under helmet. Lobster claw gloves or pogies. Let's me commute year round in Calgary. Fat bike for the snow helps too.
How do you keep your water bottle from freezing?
Layers. Good down to -15C. Work clothes are way too bulky. Wool socks, wind proof shoe covers, thermal tights under regular tights and baggy shorts over those. Wool long sleave shirt under long sleeve cycling jersey with a sweatshirt over that and then a x-country ski jacket over all those. Neck warmer and thermal beanie hat under helmet. Lobster claw gloves or pogies. Let's me commute year round in Calgary. Fat bike for the snow helps too.
How do you keep your water bottle from freezing?
Originally Posted by CourierDriver
Originally Posted by Char Baby
For Christmas, my wife just bought me a BikeMate indoor bike trainer for my winter biking and I love it. I can listen to music or watch TV right in the family room/basement. Saves on the Bronchitis/Bronchial Pneumonia that I'd get & have gotten when trying to fight the wind & cold.
I will look that up, thanks
My wife said she bought it at ALDI grocery store(yes, ALDI) for $50. But, there a lots of indoor bike trainers on the market.
Originally Posted by Char Baby
For Christmas, my wife just bought me a BikeMate indoor bike trainer for my winter biking and I love it. I can listen to music or watch TV right in the family room/basement. Saves on the Bronchitis/Bronchial Pneumonia that I'd get & have gotten when trying to fight the wind & cold.
I will look that up, thanks
My wife said she bought it at ALDI grocery store(yes, ALDI) for $50. But, there a lots of indoor bike trainers on the market.
Camelback with warm water in it for longer rides. My commute is 6 miles each way so I don't worry about fluids during that...just a hot coffee when I get to work. I rode the fat bike this morning to work at -11C (12f) and felt fine. Hands, feet and face are the things to cover well.
Originally Posted by zzyzzx
Originally Posted by tcp71
Layers. Good down to -15C. Work clothes are way too bulky. Wool socks, wind proof shoe covers, thermal tights under regular tights and baggy shorts over those. Wool long sleave shirt under long sleeve cycling jersey with a sweatshirt over that and then a x-country ski jacket over all those. Neck warmer and thermal beanie hat under helmet. Lobster claw gloves or pogies. Let's me commute year round in Calgary. Fat bike for the snow helps too.
How do you keep your water bottle from freezing?
Originally Posted by zzyzzx
Originally Posted by tcp71
Layers. Good down to -15C. Work clothes are way too bulky. Wool socks, wind proof shoe covers, thermal tights under regular tights and baggy shorts over those. Wool long sleave shirt under long sleeve cycling jersey with a sweatshirt over that and then a x-country ski jacket over all those. Neck warmer and thermal beanie hat under helmet. Lobster claw gloves or pogies. Let's me commute year round in Calgary. Fat bike for the snow helps too.
How do you keep your water bottle from freezing?
Here's a tip for the ice. Back in the 90s I took two old mountain bike tires, punched holes near the edges of the tread about 1 inch apart around the entire circumference of the tire, then put 1/4 inch pan head screws through them. (make sure they are wade enough apart that the heads don't pinch together) Then I lined the inside of the tire with duct tape to cover the heads, and cut open a bad old tube as an additional liner. Those tires stuck to the ice on any turn, no matter how hard I rode them! I think they are still in the garage, I'll post a photo if I can find them...
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Nothing I ever tried kept my feet warm winter riding in Pa. Moving to Az fixed it.
Earlier today we rode down to our friends' place for breakfast. It was around -18 C with a cold N wind. Perhaps 8 or 9 km one-way. Slow going because the trails and side streets had not been cleared from the last snowfall.
I wore layers - briefs, long underwear, t-shirt, a cycling bib, long-sleeved pullover shirt, hoodie, nylon cycling jacket, and a warm vest. Winter boots on the feet, gauntlets over thin gloves on the hands, and a balaclava and the hoodie's hood and cycling helmet on my head. Fingers are always a problem for me in the winter - my wife has just ordered heated gloves for me.
When it gets really cold (in excess of -30 C) I add a neoprene facemask and ski goggles (which means the glasses get carried in a case in my pannier). I can see well enough to ride without them.
Good for you, considering taking up this hardy winter sport!
I wore layers - briefs, long underwear, t-shirt, a cycling bib, long-sleeved pullover shirt, hoodie, nylon cycling jacket, and a warm vest. Winter boots on the feet, gauntlets over thin gloves on the hands, and a balaclava and the hoodie's hood and cycling helmet on my head. Fingers are always a problem for me in the winter - my wife has just ordered heated gloves for me.
When it gets really cold (in excess of -30 C) I add a neoprene facemask and ski goggles (which means the glasses get carried in a case in my pannier). I can see well enough to ride without them.
Good for you, considering taking up this hardy winter sport!
I commute year round down here in warm, sunny, Fargo ND. I wear wool sox and Kamik Greenbay boots, and my feet are always warm. The boots have a felt liner which is about half an inch thick. Work great and they were on sale at Fleet Farm for $50.
As for the rest of me, the answer is layers and wool. Sometimes lots of wool.
I wear a fire fighter's Nomex balaclava when the temperature is below freezing. With a helmet and goggles it is good down to -30F, and we don't often get below that here.
For the hands I have the 45NRTH CobraFist. Below freezing I wear a pair of skier's glove liners. Around 0F I add on a pair of skier;s mittens. Below -20F I switch to a pair of ancient Eddie Bauer down insulated work mittens intended for people working on the north slope.
Cotton twill cargo pants down to 10F. Below that I have some Finnish Army wool pants. Too warm above 20F.
Upper body I start with a wool t-shirt any time the temperature is below freezing. Then add my around the office button down cotton oxford shirt. Then varying thicknesses of poly fleece or wool. Poly down to 15F, wool down to -10F. Below that I add my old fire fighter's response coat as an outermost layer.
I have a fisherman's sweater which was knit with tiny needles out of very fine yarn. It is unpleasant above freezing. It is great down to -10F by itself. For warmer days, like around 20F I am in a poly fleece jacket liner designed for mountaineering. In between, I have a sweater I picked up in the Hebrides. It is good for 15F down to 0F.
As for the rest of me, the answer is layers and wool. Sometimes lots of wool.
I wear a fire fighter's Nomex balaclava when the temperature is below freezing. With a helmet and goggles it is good down to -30F, and we don't often get below that here.
For the hands I have the 45NRTH CobraFist. Below freezing I wear a pair of skier's glove liners. Around 0F I add on a pair of skier;s mittens. Below -20F I switch to a pair of ancient Eddie Bauer down insulated work mittens intended for people working on the north slope.
Cotton twill cargo pants down to 10F. Below that I have some Finnish Army wool pants. Too warm above 20F.
Upper body I start with a wool t-shirt any time the temperature is below freezing. Then add my around the office button down cotton oxford shirt. Then varying thicknesses of poly fleece or wool. Poly down to 15F, wool down to -10F. Below that I add my old fire fighter's response coat as an outermost layer.
I have a fisherman's sweater which was knit with tiny needles out of very fine yarn. It is unpleasant above freezing. It is great down to -10F by itself. For warmer days, like around 20F I am in a poly fleece jacket liner designed for mountaineering. In between, I have a sweater I picked up in the Hebrides. It is good for 15F down to 0F.
I'm tall so finding winter riding clothing is a challenge. Here's what I do...
I start with an Under Armour base layer and Smartwool socks. I have a few different thicknesses of socks for varying degrees of cold. Then I wear fleece lined bib tights from Aerotech Designs. Excellent product. I then add a wicking long sleeve shirt over the long sleeve Under Armour and bib tights. I have a few pairs of MTB baggy knickers that I wear over the tights for a few reasons. One, they cover my knees for extra warmth, two I gain pockets and three, I don't look like an elf. Depending on how cold it is I then may add another layer like this quarter zip fleece lined shirt I got from REI or my Relevate Designs hoodie that I really love. They're on closeout so save yourself fifty bucks and grab one.
I top it all off with this Trek jacket I bought about ten years ago. All I know is it's pretty wind proof and warm but seems to breathe pretty well also. Probably like most bicycle jackets.
For my feet I use Lake 303 boots. Never had cold feet. Gloves, I found some Outdoor Research gloves that come up over my wrists and cinch over my jacket sleeves. Cabela's had em. Again, depending on how cold it is, I have a few different beanies, neck gaitors and Balaclavas that I mix up. It's a balancing act not to fog my glasses too badly.
I also pick different places to ride. On a super cold windy day, I pick a trail with lots of trees as I've found once inside, the trees knock the wind down and if the sun is out, it will actually warm up a little.
My fat bike is a little more work to ride so I generate more heat and stay warmer.
If it's extremely cold I put my Camelbak inside my jacket to prevent freezing. I also have the insulated sleeve over the water tube and I remember to blow the water back to empty the tube after each drink so it doesn't freeze up the tube or bite valve.
My favorite is to bring chicken broth in a Yeti thermos. Tastes fantastic in the middle of snowy woods.
I start with an Under Armour base layer and Smartwool socks. I have a few different thicknesses of socks for varying degrees of cold. Then I wear fleece lined bib tights from Aerotech Designs. Excellent product. I then add a wicking long sleeve shirt over the long sleeve Under Armour and bib tights. I have a few pairs of MTB baggy knickers that I wear over the tights for a few reasons. One, they cover my knees for extra warmth, two I gain pockets and three, I don't look like an elf. Depending on how cold it is I then may add another layer like this quarter zip fleece lined shirt I got from REI or my Relevate Designs hoodie that I really love. They're on closeout so save yourself fifty bucks and grab one.
I top it all off with this Trek jacket I bought about ten years ago. All I know is it's pretty wind proof and warm but seems to breathe pretty well also. Probably like most bicycle jackets.
For my feet I use Lake 303 boots. Never had cold feet. Gloves, I found some Outdoor Research gloves that come up over my wrists and cinch over my jacket sleeves. Cabela's had em. Again, depending on how cold it is, I have a few different beanies, neck gaitors and Balaclavas that I mix up. It's a balancing act not to fog my glasses too badly.
I also pick different places to ride. On a super cold windy day, I pick a trail with lots of trees as I've found once inside, the trees knock the wind down and if the sun is out, it will actually warm up a little.
My fat bike is a little more work to ride so I generate more heat and stay warmer.
If it's extremely cold I put my Camelbak inside my jacket to prevent freezing. I also have the insulated sleeve over the water tube and I remember to blow the water back to empty the tube after each drink so it doesn't freeze up the tube or bite valve.
My favorite is to bring chicken broth in a Yeti thermos. Tastes fantastic in the middle of snowy woods.
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