Either way, I have had to transition to the cold weather gear so I thought I would write a post on what I have been using/wearing recently.
Tights: I recently picked up a pair of M's Swift Polartec 100 tights. I ran across the recommendation through a website called Icebike.org. This is a group dedicated to riding in the winter, even up in Alaska. I figured there recommendations on cold weather cycling clothing should be pretty solid. After using these tights, I can say that they are on the money. My legs have been comfortably warm down to the low 30's with these things. All I wear under them is a regular pair of bib shorts. They are nice and stretchy and comfortable against the skin. Even though they are not meant to be windproof or wind resistant, they do a good job of blocking wind. I would highly recommended them for cycling, running and cross country skiing. I would imagine they would also make a great pair of long johns for things like ice fishing, hunting, and snowmobiling. Regarding price, the sell for $60. In the cycling world, this is pretty darn cheap. They aren't as fancified as other cycling tights, but they do their job really well.
Gloves: Nobody likes cold hands. After trying several combinations of gloves, I have come up with a good combo. I am using a decent pair of synthetic running gloves under a pair of wool gloves made by Ibex. Used on their own, the wool gloves don't block enough wind to keep your hands very warm. The combo of the running gloves under the wool gloves have kept my hands toasty-warm down to the low 30's. I can say, in all honesty, that I did a 1.5 hour ride this past Saturday with temps that were just below freezing and my hands were not cold at all. That has been a first for me. Up until now, my hands were always cold when I first started and would then warm up later. With these, later is now. As a side note, I haven't noticed any issues with there being too much pressure on my hands without my riding gloves so there must be just enough inherent padding to keep my hands comfortable.
Hat: Recently, I purchased a cycling hat from Walz Caps. I got a moisture wicking cap in grey with a burgundy racing strip down the middle. My noggin is ginormous and I usually take a hat that is at least 7 3/4, so I got the large/x-large. It fits so nicely. I'm used to hats that squeeze my head and this doesn't, despite the elastic. The cap is comfortable on its own for a cool fall day but when it gets colder, I need some ear protection. As with the gloves, I put on a thin running hat that comes down nicely over my ears and then put the cycling cap on top. This seems to fit well under my helmet and keeps everything warm without my head being too warm. In the future, I will likely get a wool cycling cap with ear flaps and see how that works.
Feet: Ah, those darn feet. To this point, I have not yet found a good combination to keep my toes warm on a cold day. What have I tried in the past, you ask?
- Wool socks with MTB shoes - the shoes are too ventilated and wind cuts right through them.
- Wool socks with liner socks and MTB shoes - better, but not a ton better. I feel like there is not enough room in the shoes for the socks and my toes, so I don't get good blood circulation. Wind still gets through, as well
- Wool socks with liner socks and MTB shoes with shoe covers made by Adidas - the shoe covers certainly help, especially with cutting the wind. As above, my toes still feel a little squeezed and will get cold.
- Wool socks with shoe covers and neoprene toe gators - These come from a company called Aerotech Solutions. They make cycling gear right here in the USA. There is nothing fancy about there stuff, but their prices are good. I have used these for one ride with temps just below freezing. At the beginning of my ride, my toes were quite toasty warm. After about 45-60 minutes, they started to get cold, as they normally do. Hmmm. My theory is that my toes might have actually started to sweat some and then got cold from the moisture build up (the trouble with neoprene is that it doesn't breath). The night before, I used the toe gators while I was outside but not particularly active. For this, they seemed to work well.
- What to try next? Probably good wool socks with just the shoe covers. Maybe my feet will have enough room to wiggle and keep good circulation while the shoe covers cut the wind some. We'll have to see. Update - this went reasonably well but I was only out for one hour and it really wasn't all that cold. I'm wondering if thinner smartwools (the PhD type) with the toe gators will work well.
What's on the horizon?: What would I like, what would I like? If I could snap my fingers and make several items appear, what would they be?
- Better shoe covers - I get the feeling that the ones I have now are just not all that good (adequate but not good). The only way to tell is to try new ones.
- Wool long sleeve jersey - I can see a combo of a wool base-layer with a wool jersey being nice and cozy. There is a company called Portland Cycle Wear that makes jerseys at a reasonable price.
- Waterproof/Windproof cycling jacket - thermal or not thermal, that is the question.
- Update - I just noticed that Aerotech Solutions has a fleece long sleeve jersey for $30. This seems like it should be worth trying.
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