Winter Riding Stay Warm Tips ...
- Thread starter 1speed
- Start date
Tim
aka sptimmy43
I rode this afternoon at temps of about 19F with little wind. My apparel from the top down was as follows. Ski Helmet and goggles, UA coldgear base layer shirt, a non-insulated jersey and my ski jacket, 6mil nitril gloves with medium thickness cycling gloves over them, 4UCycling Amazon pants over a normal chamois, thick wool socks with thin socks over them and a moisture barrier in between. I ride flats so I wore some Merrel insulated shoes.
My ski helmet and ski jacket both have closable vents. I started the ride all closed up but opened the vents after 15 minutes or so.
I would say I was overdressed a little. The ski jacket was probably a bit too much. A cycling specific breathable shell would probably have been better but I already have the ski gear. Otherwise I was nice and comfy. I think keeping the core and head warm are key in keeping the extremities warm.
My only gripe was my footwear as my insulated shoes have a deep tread pattern which didn't mesh well with my flats. I need to look into some of the 5.10 winter shoes.
A
My ski helmet and ski jacket both have closable vents. I started the ride all closed up but opened the vents after 15 minutes or so.
I would say I was overdressed a little. The ski jacket was probably a bit too much. A cycling specific breathable shell would probably have been better but I already have the ski gear. Otherwise I was nice and comfy. I think keeping the core and head warm are key in keeping the extremities warm.
My only gripe was my footwear as my insulated shoes have a deep tread pattern which didn't mesh well with my flats. I need to look into some of the 5.10 winter shoes.
A
Supermoto
Well-Known Member
If you like the 4Ucycling pants, the jacket is pretty good too for the price. I wore a medium weight Gore jersey under mine and it was a little too warm, started sweating too much
I use 5.10 impact mids, with cheap non wool socks and foot warmers, only the tips of my toes got cold today. The only issue I have with the Impacts is that they are very wide and the thread comes up the sides and will stick on to the crank arms
Water bottle started to freeze up on about 30 min. Had to take the cap off to drink from it.
rlb
Well-Known Member
Today's ride was 9-14 degrees according to the closest wu station. I felt fine the whole ride and broke a sweat on a few climbs (though this is far from unusual for me). I guess my biggest surprise is the ability to keep warm with the number of layers I had (2 bases + Gore jacket up top, 1 base plus fleece lines Gore bib pants).
Gore gloves do the trick for my hands which are a usual problem area. Chemical warmers in my boots helped a ton too. I started with them on top of my toes (which the packaging explicitly says not to do) and it felt like my toes were in an oven after 10 mins. I had to stop and move them under which helped a lot, and the ride finished with my toes just a little cold (only 1.5 hours).
I need to make the boot investment, gotta decide between the wolvhammers or lakes.
Gore gloves do the trick for my hands which are a usual problem area. Chemical warmers in my boots helped a ton too. I started with them on top of my toes (which the packaging explicitly says not to do) and it felt like my toes were in an oven after 10 mins. I had to stop and move them under which helped a lot, and the ride finished with my toes just a little cold (only 1.5 hours).
I need to make the boot investment, gotta decide between the wolvhammers or lakes.
goodvibe
Well-Known Member
Same here. Rode about 2 1/2 hours this morning and left my Camelbak in the car. No need for water on short rides.
Tim
aka sptimmy43
Eh, I like the price of the 4Ucycling pants. I have only been in this sport just under a year so there is only so much I can spend and keep things civil with the wife. They are surprisingly good for the money, though.
I may try the chemical footbed shoe warmers in my normal 5.10 freeriders with my double sock setup. My biggest issue was not having great grip on my pedals. That combined with slick trail conditions had me out of my comfort zone.
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+1 I did this over the weekend and rode for two hours without any issues. Started the ride at 9* and ended it at 11*; the water was cold, but nothing frozen.
knobbyhead
Next off the Island.
Imo, a wool cap helps keep the head warm, allowing the blood to go to other parts of the body. When I was downhill skiing, there was a saying if your hands and feet are cold, wear a hat.
I also wear lightweight hiking boots that have lots of room in the toes. I ordered some silk sock liners, I hope they help keep my toes warmer with wool socks. They start to get a little cold after 90 mins of riding last fri when the temps were in the sigle digits.
What wore:
Med weight wool cap.
Wicking base layer
Insulatrd med layer with snug hood.
Wind proof outer riding jacket
Old pair of nashbar winter gloves
Bike shorts under tights
Heavy bike tights
Loose mtb riding shorts over tights
Wool socks and goretex hiking boots
I was good except for some cold toes 90 mins into the ride.
My hands were cold at the beginning cause I wasn't wearing any gloves outside while waiting for all the parties to show up before the ride. Once I got riding my hands warmed up.
I also wear lightweight hiking boots that have lots of room in the toes. I ordered some silk sock liners, I hope they help keep my toes warmer with wool socks. They start to get a little cold after 90 mins of riding last fri when the temps were in the sigle digits.
What wore:
Med weight wool cap.
Wicking base layer
Insulatrd med layer with snug hood.
Wind proof outer riding jacket
Old pair of nashbar winter gloves
Bike shorts under tights
Heavy bike tights
Loose mtb riding shorts over tights
Wool socks and goretex hiking boots
I was good except for some cold toes 90 mins into the ride.
My hands were cold at the beginning cause I wasn't wearing any gloves outside while waiting for all the parties to show up before the ride. Once I got riding my hands warmed up.
I did that for cross, lol.
on yesterdays ride i was wearing
regular socks
Bontrager old man winter boots
underarmor cold gear leggings over standard shorts
underarmor cold gear mock neck shirt under long sleeve jersey with fleece (i think) jersey on top with a windbreaker on top of that
gore minstral windstopper gloves https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002PU9PKE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
only problem i had was my thumbs (yes thumbs only) took about 1/2 hour to warm up, was fine after that, may have actually been over dressed for the conditions TBH
now if i could figure out how to get my fingers to all warm up a bit faster without stopping to shake blood back out to them id be all set. suggestions? (i could buy another pair of gloves, and i have ordered a balclava to see if reducing heat loss out of my head helps any)
regular socks
Bontrager old man winter boots
underarmor cold gear leggings over standard shorts
underarmor cold gear mock neck shirt under long sleeve jersey with fleece (i think) jersey on top with a windbreaker on top of that
gore minstral windstopper gloves https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002PU9PKE/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
only problem i had was my thumbs (yes thumbs only) took about 1/2 hour to warm up, was fine after that, may have actually been over dressed for the conditions TBH
now if i could figure out how to get my fingers to all warm up a bit faster without stopping to shake blood back out to them id be all set. suggestions? (i could buy another pair of gloves, and i have ordered a balclava to see if reducing heat loss out of my head helps any)
Tim
aka sptimmy43
hmm fire could work, id prefer to have one pair of gloves last me a while tho, maybe a more reusable option would be best
knobbyhead
Next off the Island.
So no hat? I think thatt would help you.
iv never felt the need for a hat, but like i said i ordered a balclava which should perform the same function (and more options).
i ordered it on impulse when it was available super cheap on amazon as a lightening deal
i ordered it on impulse when it was available super cheap on amazon as a lightening deal
ahh, anther debate, plastic against your skin....That's what I meant by "vapor barrier" between my socks.
I ran thin cotton sock, small plastic bag over the toes, and a thicker wool sock over that. Good to go while on the single track. Started to get cold once we rode back on the Sussex Branch, but that was expected with the head wind.
Ian F
Well-Known Member
For my hands, I usually ride for a bit and then stop and pull my fingers into a fist inside my gloves for a minute or so. That usually works. On Sunday, I wore actual three-finger (index, middle, and combined ring & pinky) gloves and by the end of the ride my hands were sweating. Usually on winter rides I just wear my regular full finger Fox Sidewinder gloves with a pair of heavier gloves in my pack in reserve. Which have come in handy at times if someone falls and gets their gloves wet by accident. But with temps down in the teens, I went straight to the winter gloves.
Sliding around on ice and snow is more fun with flat pedals.
Sliding around on ice and snow is more fun with flat pedals.