School me on winter cycling gear.

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mr4fox
Posts: 276
Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 2:01 pm

by mr4fox

Yeah I just wrap about 3 layers around the front of the shoe (after I put the shoe on) from ankle to toes, but so the cling film is longer than the shoe. Then fold the excess that's hanging off the front of the toes up and double back it over the top of the shoe. Then shoe cover over the top to hold it all in place.


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mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

mr4fox wrote:Fwiw I'd say I'm more used to the cold than most.

Nah. The wife and i ride down to about 15 below zero. Got no other choice for ~4 months of the year. :wink:
Decent winter boots and merino socks if it's cold and dry (below -10) winter boots, seal skin socks plus merkalon or silk liners if it's cold and wet. Still get wet feet, but can keep them warm for two or three hours.
My wife sometimes use thin neoprene over shoes if it's very windy to give a bit more protection.

Have separate bikes for bad weather riding, so mucking around with saddle height is a none issue. And pretty sure the thicker winter tights offset the marginal change in sole thickness.......

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TonyM
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Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2015 4:11 pm

by TonyM

mattr wrote:Nah. The wife and i ride down to about 15 below zero. Got no other choice for ~4 months of the year. :wink:


Where do you live??

srshaw
Posts: 175
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2015 6:06 pm

by srshaw

Broady wrote:As a Yorkshireman, I would kill for 13 over Winter.


Agreed. Even if it's a balmy 13c as I set off, It usually ends up a rather chilly 5c and windy once you get up some hills. And even if it's warmer, a quick shower will normally cool things down.

mr4fox
Posts: 276
Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 2:01 pm

by mr4fox

mattr wrote:
mr4fox wrote:Fwiw I'd say I'm more used to the cold than most.

Nah. The wife and i ride down to about 15 below zero. Got no other choice for ~4 months of the year. :wink:
Decent winter boots and merino socks if it's cold and dry (below -10) winter boots, seal skin socks plus merkalon or silk liners if it's cold and wet. Still get wet feet, but can keep them warm for two or three hours.
My wife sometimes use thin neoprene over shoes if it's very windy to give a bit more protection.

Have separate bikes for bad weather riding, so mucking around with saddle height is a none issue. And pretty sure the thicker winter tights offset the marginal change in sole thickness.......


My point was that I'm often in shorts and a jersey with just arm warmers when others have full longs on skull caps, neck buffs and long gloves. As was the case in mallorca this year.

I bought a pair of north wave winter shoes but they just trapped the water inside and were worse than my normal shoes with cling film and over shoes. At -15C it's not wet and ime wet days feel colder than sub zero dry days


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rothwem
Posts: 211
Joined: Wed Jul 09, 2014 4:45 pm
Location: Asheville, NC

by rothwem

mattr wrote:
Have separate bikes for bad weather riding, so mucking around with saddle height is a none issue. And pretty sure the thicker winter tights offset the marginal change in sole thickness.......


Ah ha! An n+1 solution. Who isn't looking for a justification to buy another bike?

I need to pitch this one to my significant other...

mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

TonyM wrote:Where do you live??

We're in sweden. Problem is not so much that it's always -15, it's just that we only get limited times we can train with kids, work and looking after "stuff". So whatever the conditions, we go out when we can. Even though it might be warmer/drier/daylight another time......... but we'll be busy.

mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

rothwem wrote:Ah ha! An n+1 solution. Who isn't looking for a justification to buy another bike?

I need to pitch this one to my significant other...
well. Guards, studs sometimes, loads of grease/oil to stop salty water getting in everywhere. And so on.

Doesn't sit well with anything racy!

We actually have 5 winter/bad weather bikes between us.

mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

mr4fox wrote:I bought a pair of north wave winter shoes but they just trapped the water inside and were worse than my normal shoes with cling film and over shoes.
yeah. I've found that when riding without guards in the rain. Or when there is spray coming off the road. Hence the seal skins/liners. As long as i am warm before the water gets in. It's fine.

Or use a bike with guards. (N+1)

mr4fox wrote:At -15C it's not wet and ime wet days feel colder than sub zero dry days
yeah. Found the same when we moved here. Going out in -15 is far less unpleasant than the winter rides we used to do in the UK at -2. Think the cut over is somewhere about where road salt stops working! So about -6/8, then you lose the road spray. So not wet at all. Need to get down below -15 to feel that cold again.

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Valy
Posts: 250
Joined: Tue May 29, 2012 11:16 pm

by Valy

mr4fox wrote:
mattr wrote:
mr4fox wrote:Fwiw I'd say I'm more used to the cold than most.

Nah. The wife and i ride down to about 15 below zero. Got no other choice for ~4 months of the year. :wink:
Decent winter boots and merino socks if it's cold and dry (below -10) winter boots, seal skin socks plus merkalon or silk liners if it's cold and wet. Still get wet feet, but can keep them warm for two or three hours.
My wife sometimes use thin neoprene over shoes if it's very windy to give a bit more protection.

Have separate bikes for bad weather riding, so mucking around with saddle height is a none issue. And pretty sure the thicker winter tights offset the marginal change in sole thickness.......


My point was that I'm often in shorts and a jersey with just arm warmers when others have full longs on skull caps, neck buffs and long gloves. As was the case in mallorca this year.

I bought a pair of north wave winter shoes but they just trapped the water inside and were worse than my normal shoes with cling film and over shoes. At -15C it's not wet and ime wet days feel colder than sub zero dry days


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That also depends at what intensity you ride. It's beyond me how people end up wearing shorts in <15c in the UK. You have to keep your joints warm if you wanna be walking later on in life.

mr4fox
Posts: 276
Joined: Sat May 15, 2010 2:01 pm

by mr4fox

True. But even for an easy ride im fine in shorts at 15. In mallorca it was down to about 4-8C up the top in the mountains and I just put on my 50g "wind" jacket (sportful hotpack 5 i think). And 15C at home is a nice day!! Most of the year.

Ima actually Aussie and remember riding in norway my first few years I was cold at 10C with long tights and a jacket on. But you adapt slowly.

I was just stating it so the op could know that he might need to dress a little warmer than me since he says he feels the cold.


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thomasheinz
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2017 12:53 pm
Location: USA

by thomasheinz

I generally don't get cold on my bike.But it all depends on temperature.Here is my usual cycling gear I use in cold weather (10C/50F)Head: Helmet, Headband.Torso -Sleeveless jersey, long-sleeved jersey, lined winter jacket.Legs -MEC shorts, Illumilite tights.Feet -Thermal socks, Lake mtn bike shoes.Hands-LIghtweight lined, waterproof gloves.As I understood you do not have any experience in cold weather cycling so I recommend you reading some articles about it.Here is one I used http://bestadviser.net/how-to/how-to-ke ... conditions but there is a lot of information all over the internet.
Last edited by thomasheinz on Tue Mar 21, 2017 11:31 am, edited 1 time in total.

kode54
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Joined: Tue May 23, 2006 9:39 pm

by kode54

50F is balmy. i then to not go out when its below freezing due to black ice and anything that freezes overnight. but i do use cling wrap on the front of my feet with heavy wool socks. the socks regulates the temps pretty well and even when it gets too hot and with moisture build up, i have no problems with toes freezing up. also, i put a layer of aluminum foil under my insoles...keeps the thin bottoms from getting too cold as well.
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