The wrong clothes

[bucksgill]

Fingers is my main issue, get frozen to death, first few times I didn't wear anything but it was getting unworkable. Went out tonight with some little, thin Adidas gloves with a hole in. It helped a little but I think a purchase is in order.

Apart from that a t-shirt under a thin North Face seems to suffice. Got some cycling shorts on the way to replace my restrictive jeans I've been wearing, but at least they were warm! Thermal socks in my plimps also working pretty nicely, I can feel it a little but not enough to warrant forking out.

 

[brokenflipflop]

Specialist cycle gloves are a total waste of money, i picked up some nice warm Karrimor gloves from sportsdirect for £4, they do the job perfectly
most cycle gear is way over priced, i just wear normal clothes, tracksuit trousers, parka, hat,boots,dead cheap, no problems

That's funny dude. Reminds me of when me and my mate went walking (I do quite a bit of walking and wear Goretex gear and walking boots). My homeboy turned up in a yellow t-shirt, powder blue shorts and his work hob-nailed boots - he looked gay, or should I say we looked gay.

 

[HLaB]

Ah yes, the Wrong Clothes (wasn't that a Wallace and Gromitt film???).

Nah, it was a joke by the Big Yin.

 

[MarkF]

Fingers is my main issue, get frozen to death,

Same here, I warm up quick, I've never worn anything other than shorts down below but my fingers always suffer. I've tried loads of gloves but sub zero + speed always brings pain. A the mo, I am using some old m/cycle hand guards tie wrapped to my bars, problem solved.

 

[guitarpete247]

Thanks. But I still want to be able to use my fingers. I have some ski gloves and they are warm as toast but I can't feel the gear changers properly The Cyclones have some nice fluffy areas to de-snot the nose too.

 

[zizou]

Thanks. But I still want to be able to use my fingers. I have some ski gloves and they are warm as toast but I can't feel the gear changers properly The Cyclones have some nice fluffy areas to de-snot the nose too.

decathlon do a pair of silk glove liners for pretty cheap. I have the cyclones and with the liner i am fine to below freezing.

 

[yello]

Wearing the wrong kit is part of the learning process... and I'm still learning too!

I've got untold amounts of kit, for all manner of subtle differences in weather patterns. Even stuff that caters for a reasonably broad range of conditions... but I still get it wrong. I don't know what happens. I look at the weather, read the thermometer and fool myself I'm making an educated decision as to which gloves/whatever to wear. Might as well play lucky dip with the kit for all the difference my "educated decision" makes.

Fortunately the mistakes are becoming fewer so I am learning!

 

[totallyfixed]

Cycling in winter throws up more challenges than warm weather cycling and in general it is difficult to give advice to others as to what to wear. The trick is to ride at a pace where you stay warm but don't sweat. We are all physically different and therefore respond differently to temperature fluctuations; secondly we all don't all ride the same way. The harder you ride, the more of a problem it becomes in extreme cold and the more you need technical clothing which is precisely why you shouldn't do hard training rides in these conditions. Puncturing in very cold weather on a fast ride when you only have the bare minimum with you can be grim and it really pays to have your tube changing down to a fine art.
The topic of wearing shorts in winter comes up every year. I never wear shorts under 15C and pros never under 17-18C. There is a very good medical reason for this, it's called vasoconstriction, in low temperatures blood flow is restricted in limbs / extremities and joints, especially knees which will suffer damage if not kept warm for long periods. It ought to be common sense, a good analogy is the pistons in a car working without oil, yet I constantly see [mainly mountain bikers] riding in shorts in zero temps. I used to feel like I should stop them and explain that when they get older they will have knee problems but I know it probably won't go down well so now I just mentally shake my head.

 

[yello]

We are all physically different and therefore respond differently to temperature fluctuations; secondly we all don't all ride the same way. The harder you ride, the more of a problem it becomes in extreme cold and the more you need technical clothing which is precisely why you shouldn't do hard training rides in these conditions.

Yup, what he said!

 

[GrasB]

Skiing gloves are usually much better than cycling gloves when it's sub-zero. You can pick them up cheap in the sales now.

Depends on the rider & their effort level. I'd predict that my power output when under-dressed at -5 is considerably higher than most riders output on a nice warm sunny day. For me skiing gloves & other 'cold temp' gloves rated for those kinds of temps keep my hands warm at the start of the ride but after 45min I find my hands turn to blocks of ice & are drenched in sweat. Cycling gloves won't keep my hands warm in the first 5-10 min but once my body has warmed up they will keep me warm for hours on end.

 

[Herzog]

Skiing gloves are usually much better than cycling gloves when it's sub-zero. You can pick them up cheap in the sales now.

However, skiing gloves aren't particularly breathable.

 

[paulw1969]

decathlon do a pair of silk glove liners for pretty cheap. I have the cyclones and with the liner i am fine to below freezing.

i think i spotted these a week or so ago at about £5.00....was going to pick a pair up.......might next time i go

 

[GrasB]

I'm sure everyone's different, but my experience isn't like that. I find with cycling gloves my hands never get warm, but gradually get number and number. I don't get sweaty hads with the ski gloves I use - cheapo Decathlon ones, nothing special, but I appreciate everyine's different.

That's my experience from riding 30-40 min at sub-130w pace. It's not my experience once power is wound past 200w which is my normal riding power.

 

[Herzog]

When it's sub-zero I'm not bothered about breathability, it's frostibite I'm trying to avoid! My commute this morning was 50 minutes of -10 but my hands were fine.

Agreed it's not the most important property, but my hands get quite sweaty and going downhill in low temperatures with moisture next to the skin is not nice.

 

[yello]

I think people ought to factor in what type of riding they are doing, and the bike they are using.This is potentially the same as a differentiation by energy levels but not necessarily. You do get energetic commuters!

For instance, a 40 minute, sub zero commute on your hack bike is a different proposition to a training ride with STI and drops. Personally, I couldn't abide ski gloves (too bulky) for my rides but then I don't commute. I ride a little harder than I would on a commute so I get by with liners under simple gortex gloves. Or, if it's around 2c or lower then my Spec Radiant gloves. I've not yet needed more.