winter riding gear

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by haltonne
I took up riding a couple of years ago and take a hiatus in the winter, living in the north east, not to keen on the indoor stuff, but wanted some guidance on what weather gear to purchase, don't mind the cold, just want to know what to wear outside for a ride in temps below 40 degrees.:o

Ride in temps below 40 degrees outdoors?!? Excuse me but I have to question your sanity on that one. 😄 Here in Minnesota, I called it quits when the Mercury hit 0º. The bigest problem I had was with my fingers, feet and face/ears.

Start with a good pair of clam style gloves for the hands, cover your face completely with a mask, and wear a pair of ski goggles. More than likely, you will sacraficing (the use of) your helmet inorder to get enough insulation over your ears to keep them warm. And dress in layers...

Check out www.volerwear.com and www.worldcycling.com

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Cipher
Check out www.volerwear.com and www.worldcycling.com

i think you combined www.voler.com and their online store www.velowear.com 😉

40 degrees? Try riding when it's -10 degrees!

I agree with Cipher! I live in Minnesota too and the only cycling gear I look for in the winter is a good place to store my bikes until spring! 😄

I guess our Spring/Fall gear is probably similar to winter gear in other parts of the USA!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by haltonne
I took up riding a couple of years ago and take a hiatus in the winter, living in the north east, not to keen on the indoor stuff, but wanted some guidance on what weather gear to purchase, don't mind the cold, just want to know what to wear outside for a ride in temps below 40 degrees.:o

😕 Are you guys talking in Fahrenheit or Centigrade temps. Here in Canberra Aus. in winter cold 0 c and wind chill about -10c dry and lower temps but no snow only on the local ranges, riding is Ok by me. Ware gloves, skull cap under the helmet, Vaseline on the lips and checks to stop wind chill, thermal top, nicks with a good pair of long nicks with wind-stoper in the knee and upper legs and booties over the shoes. Also liniment on the knees and legs, you might not smell the best but the legs will be warm. By the way we are having a heat wave here at the moment temps. around 35c. All the best Tony.😄

Rode today here at -1C but sunny. Had my bib front tights, turtleneck, light fleece jersey and wind jacket, plus thin balacava under helmet. All that worked great. Problem was the feet.

I've seen booties advertised, but don't know whether to try the full zip up kind, or just the ones that slip over the shoes. Maybe both are needed, depending on temps? Any recommendations on style or brands to keep toes warm would be appreciated.

Had the same problem with cold feet, but didn't want to spend the cash on booties. I went to WalMart and bought some rubbers (no not Trojans, the old business man shoe kind). Cut a hole for the cleats and slipped them over my cycling shoes. Worked great and only cost 8 bucks.

I was talking Fahrenheit. Here in Minnesota it's not unusual for the temperature to drop to -10 degrees F and we occasionally see -20 degrees F. Windchills are often far colder than that! Combine those temperatures with snowy and icy roads and it doesn't make for great riding.

FYI:
-10 degrees F = about -23 degrees C
-20 degrees F = about -29 degrees C

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by haltonne
I took up riding a couple of years ago and take a hiatus in the winter, living in the north east, not to keen on the indoor stuff, but wanted some guidance on what weather gear to purchase, don't mind the cold, just want to know what to wear outside for a ride in temps below 40 degrees.:o

Depends on if you're commuting or going for a training ride (>45 min.).

If you are commuting a short distance (15-30 min. ride time) in temps above -3C (or so) you can probably use cool weather tights (rated to 5C), windblocker gloves, light base layer, and windblocker vest or jacket -- maybe booties if you get cold feet easily. And since you are from icy snow land, you might want to invest in some studded tires (check out Nokian).

Below -3C, or for extended riding, you will probably need thermal tights, lobster claw gloves (w/ thermal liners), thicker base layer + fleece vest, booties, and a windblocker jacket. Studded tires again.

There are several threads out there on studded tires, and Nokian (a Finnish mfg.) seems to be the best you can get.

I personally use the short distance clothing setup most of the winter, since my commute is 15-20 minutes. Plus, we have a shower at work, so I can warm up fast if my nads are frozen. In Salt Lake City, we have had morning commuting temps from -9 to -5C (that's about 16 to 23F). Of course, these temperatures are balmy compared to what those Minnesotans are riding in!

I don't run studded tires because they are hard to find for 700c wheels around here, and most of our precip. falls as dry snow anyway (we've received around 36" (91cm) of snow in the last 2 weeks). I run cyclocross knobbies (a WTB Allterrainasaurus and a Conti Twister) on my commuter, an old Biachi San Remo that I've built-up.

And I know this is obvious, but be really careful around traffic. The damn motorists around here pull some really stupid stunts when it snows, and a slip-up at the wrong moment could result in injury (or death):eek: . Make your intentions known way in advance and be really obvious. Take the lane if you have to -- it's your right.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
James

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by capwater
Had the same problem with cold feet, but didn't want to spend the cash on booties. I went to WalMart and bought some rubbers (no not Trojans, the old business man shoe kind). Cut a hole for the cleats and slipped them over my cycling shoes. Worked great and only cost 8 bucks.

Thanks, think I'll give it a try. Believe me, I can relate to the WalMart solution a lot quicker than the $59 Pearl Izumi booties!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by meehs
I was talking Fahrenheit. Here in Minnesota it's not unusual for the temperature to drop to -10 degrees F and we occasionally see -20 degrees F. Windchills are often far colder than that! Combine those temperatures with snowy and icy roads and it doesn't make for great riding.

FYI:
-10 degrees F = about -23 degrees C
-20 degrees F = about -29 degrees C

i was surprised to see that the morning temp in Squaw Valley up at Lake Tahoe last sunday was about -10 F (w/o windchill)!! i had trouble taking a deep breath of air. made for excellent dry snow, though (and no, i wasn't riding on it on studded bike tires).

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by meehs
I was talking Fahrenheit. Here in Minnesota it's not unusual for the temperature to drop to -10 degrees F and we occasionally see -20 degrees F. Windchills are often far colder than that! Combine those temperatures with snowy and icy roads and it doesn't make for great riding.

FYI:
-10 degrees F = about -23 degrees C
-20 degrees F = about -29 degrees C

Thanks, do people go riding in weather that cold?? Just going out side could be dangerous. I grow in Sydney AUS. were the coldest winter temp is 5c over night and about 18c in the day, sub-tropical. Moved to Canberra 8 years ago a little smaller than Sydney only 300,000 in Canberra a great place to ride. The coldest winter temp. overnight -8c and 15c in the day 'very mild' compared to Minnesota. Tony P

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by tony@canberra
Thanks, do people go riding in weather that cold?? Just going out side could be dangerous. I grow in Sydney AUS. were the coldest winter temp is 5c over night and about 18c in the day, sub-tropical. Moved to Canberra 8 years ago a little smaller than Sydney only 300,000 in Canberra a great place to ride. The coldest winter temp. overnight -8c and 15c in the day 'very mild' compared to Minnesota. Tony P

Personnally I don't do much winter riding at all. Not just because of the extremely cold temperatures here in Minnesota. But also because of the miserable road conditions with the snow and ice as well as all of the sand and salt that they dump on the roads! There are some hardcore riders here in Minnesota that do ride throughout the winter. I'll tell you; my hat's off to them! I really doubt that anyone does much riding when the temperatures drop into the double-digits below zero though. That could be down-right dangerous! Try changing a flat when you can't move your fingers!

Asso winter gear excellent Gator jacket and Airblock leggings should keep you right in most conditions if not then stay at home as it is too cold!

Here in Tokyo, Japan it is about 4 degrees C. But i usually do my riding in the mountains where it is -5 or lower, then adding the wind factor it is f^% cold! But this is a good base to overcome the mental pain barriers and get to a new level of riding every year.
Winter riding gear is expensive, but well worth it. I only buy windstopper gear. Everything else is too dangerous and takes the fun out of riding in the lonely mountains with snow.
WINDSTOPPER stuff rules!

Rode the other day and it was about 28F (-2C) and snowing. I was fine until I got splashed by a bus. My warm tights now were wet and I froze my arsch off until I got home. :eek:
What kind of WATERPROOF-WINDPROOF PANTS are recommended because this sucked and don't want to ride like this again? Thanks.