Winter Cycling Clothing

version50

I've just discovered the joys of Gore Bike Wear jackets. Love these things - perfect balance of keeping me warm and dry in temps in the 30s.

I get them pretty sweaty, though, and I'm really lazy about laundry. My solution with my other clothing (pants, jerseys, shammy's) is to buy a week's worth of each, but that would be quite an investment for Gore branded jackets.

Just wondering how many winter cycling jackets you more experienced riders own?

TheBigYin

couple of "traditional" hardshell waterproofs (one roomier than the other to allow for extra layers if i'm on a slow ride)

One good Softshell/Warm/Windstopper Jacket (Castelli Mortirolo)

2 Gabba's - LS and SS versions (with a couple of sets of Nanoflex arm-warmers to go with the SS Gabba)

Couple of Gilets

but I don't ride outdoors every day in winter - when I did, I probably had more jackets...

NorthCascades

I have lots of jackets (also a hiker, climber, skier, and backpacker) but there's only one I use on the bike. An Arc'teryx Accelero. I have two, but really only use one on the bike. The dead bird stopped making them so I'm probably about to order a few more, although I've had one for 7 years and it basically looks and performs like the day I got it.

I layer as appropriate for the weather conditions and the type of ride I'll be doing. Obviously I need less to stay warm on hill repeats day than I do for an LSD ride.

If it's dry and in the 30s, sometimes I wear a down vest over my jacket. The jacket keeps the down dry, and also having it as an outer layer at bike speeds keeps the down from being too warm. It works surprisingly well. The vest fits into a bottle cage very securely, I use a stuff sack to keep the vest clean.

mkenny5

Gabba's are great, I've 2 LS (one of which is convertible). By far the best clothing purchase I've made since I started cycling 2.5 years ago.

Bikerchickmomma

I live in Wisconsin and bike all year (as long as the roads are clear of ice.) I found that if I wear an unlined wind-breaker over a fleece (polar-tek-wicking type) base, I can bike in cold temps under 20 degrees. If I feel the need, I'll add a t-shirt under the polar tek. Make the layers roomy. Give your body space for the body-heat layer. The polar-tek layer will wick your sweat off you, keeping your body dryer. Sweat is your enemy. If you get clammy-wet, you'll get chilled. Once chilled, you will have a hard time warming up. If you over-dress and get hot-sweaty early in your ride, you will be uncomfortable. Experiment. You can always add a layer, but once out there, you can't take it off.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

I have found it to be difficult to stay comfortable under 20degF and have pretty much given up. I am very impressed with people who seem to like it. I guess I'm a wimp:

You sweat up everything next to your skin while any exposed skin is freezing. It's the only time I ever felt like I was going to overheat and get frostbite at the same time! Also, it's very hard to keep your hands and feet warm. Finally, you are so bulked up that it's hard to control the bike.

If I tried again, I would do as Bikerchickmomma suggests plus wear heavy mittens, a ski helmet with liner, ski goggles, and a face shield. I might put hand warmers in my gloves and shoe covers. Seems like a lot of work!

(I prefer other winter sports, such as xc skiing, etc.)