clothing for colder temps

surgtech1956 said:

I know there are probably many threads on cold weather clothing. I'm looking for some advice on a jacket and pants. Something that I don't break the bank. It would be great to be able to use these for cross country skiing too. I'm in Michigan and probably won't ride below temps of 50 degrees. Thanks

Check out nashbar.comnashbar.comOpen ↗ or performancebike.comperformancebike.comOpen ↗.

It is a little difficult for me to think about cold weather clothing since it is 98 degrees out there today.

surgtech1956 said:

I know there are probably many threads on cold weather clothing. I'm looking for some advice on a jacket and pants. Something that I don't break the bank. It would be great to be able to use these for cross country skiing too. I'm in Michigan and probably won't ride below temps of 50 degrees. Thanks

50ºF is really warm, still, IMO ... you probably just need arm & leg warmers at that temp and/or a light, BREATHABLE wind breaker and/or vest (get the a light vest at SEARS or TARGET or __?__ if you don't already have one)

For riding in temps between 20ºF & ~40ºF, XC gear (or, whatever you are currently using for same) is probably adequate OVER your cycling shorts/jersey -- you'll probably want THREE layers on your torso. Knit gloves (with gripping palm) OVER your cycling gloves. Neoprene booties/over-boots over your cycling shoes. Also, consider a WARM balaclava & goggles.

Between 40º & 50º (or, higher), you won't need the booties ... a lighter balaclava will do. Layer according to your temperature tolerance.

Below (!) 20ºF, you'll need warmer clothing ... more oriented toward Winter backpacking ... expect to ride slower at temps below 20ºF, regardless!

surgtech1956 said:

I know there are probably many threads on cold weather clothing. I'm looking for some advice on a jacket and pants. Something that I don't break the bank. It would be great to be able to use these for cross country skiing too. I'm in Michigan and probably won't ride below temps of 50 degrees. Thanks

I can't stand cold temps, anything below 70's and I am COLD! :eek:

In my case, I started with the performance line of cool\cold weather, and it sort of works for me on cool days (temps around 60F); however for winter type weather (20-30F), I would need A LOT of clothing. I again tried Performance clothing, and in all honesty, it didn't cut it for me.

I am biased to the Descente & Pearl Izumi cloth, becuase both of them worked from the get go 🙂

Here is a list of what I use on cool days:

Upper:
regular jersey (depending how cool it is)
Descente Men's D-Vente Long Sleeve Wind Layer (if its too cool and windy)
Descente Men's Long Sleeve Jersey

Lower:
Regular shorts (need to buy some leg\knee warmers)

Head:
Performance PolyPro Skull Cap (One size fits all, and its too tight)

Hands:
Regular gloves
Performance Stretch Fleece Glove (don't have grippin palm, I will replace them)

Here is a list of what I use on cold days:

Upper:
Descente Men's D-Vente Long Sleeve Wind Layer
regular jersey
Descente Men's Long Sleeve Jersey
Long Sleeve winter jacket
Long sleeve rain jacket (if its really cold & windy)

Lower:
Pearl Izumi Men's AmFib Tights <- Its AWESOME
Performance Neoprene Bootie

Head:
Outdoor Research Alpine Hat

Hands:
Performance Stretch Fleece Glove
Descente Wombat Glove

BTW - This is pretty much what alfeng mentioned, I thought you might wanted the specific brands\models, so that you don't end up wasting $$$ at testing it, just to find out that you are still cold 🙁

Louis Garneau Maxclime Jacket or Descente Shelter jacket

50F...? That's still quite warm. I am hot natured. For normal casual rides I wear base layer, long-sleeve jersey or a regular jersey with arm warmers, wind vest, cycling cap, leg warmers and maybe shoe covers. When I used to race in 50F, I wore base layer, jersey, armwarmers, thin shoe covers.

Sometimes I ride on a very good 20F weather (sunny and no wind). Temperature doesn't bother me that much. It's just damn wind and snow.