Weight Weenies

Venitex gloves are really warm. They are used by ski patrollers. You can get them in eBay for a few bucks/euro’s.

Gore bike wear oxygen bibtights + Arcteryx Trino Jersey is a solid combo around 0*c. Rode this a bunch last 2 winters and really happy with the combo.

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Thenuge wrote:What do y'all wear now that the weather is cooling down? Arm and leg warmers, long base layers, vests, jackets? There's so many options.

So y’all please note the OP said “y’all.” That means he/she is likely from the American southeast. While North Florida differs a great deal in temps from the mountains of Virginia, he/she should be pretty solid with your standard, cycling specific winter kit without branching into Alaskan oil worker gear haha...

Here’s my rundown, in Fahrenheit on a dry day:
60-65: baselayer with summer kit
55-65: add arm warmers
45-55: add knee warmers, merino baselayer; if temp at this level the whole ride will do long sleeve jersey not arm warmers; consider vest; thin cycling cap; wool socks with Defeet shoe cover
40-45: same except change summer bibs to thermal bibs, wind vest,
32-40: change knee warmers to leg warmers with thermal bibs;Thermal vest; thermal cap with ear flaps under helmet; thick winter shoe cover
25-32: baselayer is now a merino turtle neck plus a gaiter, double shoe covers, thick socks;
Below 25, rollers.

You gotta figure gloves out for yourself.... enjoy!

anyone tried sportful sottozero gloves?

I've been using thermal arm / leg warmers for the first time. I've found they work best if you don't put a base layer under them. The fuzzy doesn't work well with another fabric between it and your skin.

For shell wind/rain layers (coats and vests), there is a big difference between a vented PI Elite jackets and a proper Gore (or eVent or similar) shell fabric in terms of keeping you warm and dry and letting excess heat / humidity out. Better fabrics allow for a MUCH larger range of temp use. I wish I spent more on the PI Elite Convertible jacket, 1) it doesn't fit as well as it could 2) I get soaked using it as it doesn't vent humidity. I'll buy a proper fitting vest with a better fabric next year.

For gloves, I use Gore brand windstopper gloves. They fit super perfect. They're great down to 40f and up to 65f. I have the thermo gloves too, which suck as the thermo liner inside wets out and won't let you put your hand back in them after some use. The key to warm hands beyond blocking wind is keeping your core and arms warm.

Whatever you do, don't buy into the whole "merino baselayer" fad. It's hype. Yes, it wicks sweat from your skin well, but as a hydrophillic fiber, it will hold onto that sweat. This will make you cold/clammy/uncomfortable to varying degrees, depending on the fabrics you use over the top of it. The best test of a baselayer is to wash it as prescribed on the label, then check out how wet/damp it is when it comes out of the machine. Then hang it up on a line indoors and see how quickly it dries. The best layers will come out a tiny bit damp but surprisingly dry-ish, and then be totally dry in quick order on the line.

For Winter, look absolutely no further than the Assos SS.skinFoil_Spring/Fall_Evo7. I'm a textiles nut and I have absolutely no idea how they make this thing fit so well, warm so well, breathe so well and keep you dry. It's voodoo magic. I say get the short sleeve version, so you have the option of adding arm warmers *under* your jersey to give you more flexibility for changeable conditions.

Merino base layers are not really a "fad" just another useful product to have in the wardrobe. The ability for merino to retain warmth when wet is one of the characteristics that make it so great as base layer or to have 'next to skin'. There is a reason it's the preferred material for thermal underwear.

Other material may be better at not absorbing moisture but it still has to go somewhere. That may be the jersey itself or the inside of a jacket, which would still make you damp. So being able to retain warmth becomes an advantage. That it's naturally antibacterial and doesn't retain smells is another bonus.

It may not be for you but that doesn't mean it's a fad or not suited to its purpose.

Fixie82 wrote:Merino base layers are not really a "fad" just another useful product to have in the wardrobe. The ability for merino to retain warmth when wet is one of the characteristics that make it so great as base layer or to have 'next to skin'. There is a reason it's the preferred material for thermal underwear.

Other material may be better at not absorbing moisture but it still has to go somewhere. That may be the jersey itself or the inside of a jacket, which would still make you damp. So being able to retain warmth becomes an advantage. That it's naturally antibacterial and doesn't retain smells is another bonus.

It may not be for you but that doesn't mean it's a fad or not suited to its purpose.

I agree that the performance of a baselayer is limited by the mid/outer layers' ability to allow moisture to continue to move outwards.

BUT for a given jersey/jacket combination a merino baselayer will never perform as well as a synthetic one for any type of aerobic (or higher) activity. About the only thing merino does well (though still not as well as synthetics) is wick moisture, but once that moisture is absorbed into the garment it stays there. It doesn't insulate as well as modern synthetics (wet or dry), doesn't wear as well as modern synthetics, isn't as soft-touch as modern synthetics, and is usually more expensive to boot.

In regards to "warm when wet", kind of. But when you exceed 30% saturation (very easy to do on a hard ride) the already minimal exothermic (generates heat) properties drop off a cliff and just won't do as claimed anymore. Not to mention that this warmth is negated by a cold wind blowing at your body constantly from outside as you ride.

There is simply no substitute for dry when it comes to warmth retention.

There are also differences in whether the moisture hits the garment as steam (bodyheat) or liquid (sweat)... merino handles the former kind of OK... but won't be able to disburse liquid moisture anywhere near as quickly or uniformly as a synthetic textile.

The "does not retain odour" component is true but largely irrelevant - which in most cases is more misleading than false. Useful for multi-day hiking, camping, travelling but since when is odour as much of a concern for a cyclist (who isn't bike-packing)?

So hey, merino does do "stuff"... that's true, it's just that the stuff it does do isn't anywhere near as good or as useful as the "stuff" synthetics do.

robertbb wrote:

Fixie82 wrote:Merino base layers are not really a "fad" just another useful product to have in the wardrobe. The ability for merino to retain warmth when wet is one of the characteristics that make it so great as base layer or to have 'next to skin'. There is a reason it's the preferred material for thermal underwear.

Yeah, this is the answer here. One thing wool/merino weaves do well is that the weave puts a useful distance between your body/sweat and the shell material. Cotton weaves are denser and don't let go of the moisture well. Synthetics try do to this. You're common thin stretch polyester undershirt will stick to your skin, not give you any insulation, and not help you regulate temp. It's fine for basic wind protection. Better weaves give you that breathing area, but might not regulate temp and wick moisture as well as wool. The wool pile has a lot to do with this - you can get a light 150gr shirt and it will let you breathe or a sweatshirt 250gr which will insulate you. Synthetic will outlast wool by 10x+.