[Closed] Winter riding clothing tips

1st tip = layers, layers, layers
2nd tip = won't stay dry so don't try
3rd tip = keep the wind off, so get stuff that is windproof rather than waterproof
4th tip = spend money on extemities - feet and hands. Good gloves and good shoe covers (if you wear disco slippers) are a must.
5th tip = Remember this thread when it's cold, dark, wet and raining and refer back to it for a source of motivation 😯

arm warmers, leg/knee warmers for most of early winter/late winter rather than longsleeves and longs. Temps change during the day so can adjust a bit more. and a Gilet to keep the chill off your body.

Good socks are cheaper than good shoes.

APF

The same as the rest of the year, but a thicker jacket, Sealskinz socks, outer Paclite shell and long bibs.
Long finger gloves & thermal bibs if it's seriously, seriously cold.

Have tried 'big' gloves, but usually my hands just end up in a cold, clammy mess. Mitts are fine unless it's below freezing.

A buff under the lid really helps.

The Aldi (microfleece lined) winter jackets are an amazing bit of kit.

Overshoes are great on the road.

Obviously a hot topic this morning

[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/what-winter-riding-clothes-gets-your-vote-1 ]words of STW Wisdom here[/url]

As above ,layers and a combo of Gilet,arms and leg warmers for those in-between days .

Tesco bags (with elastic bands round the tops)under your overshoes can keep some of the worst rain out.
Don't put your tights in to your shoes.
Some people use cut down marigold gloves over their overshoes.
I am going to give this a try over the winter and see how it goes.

My go to winter clothes are:
Thermal bib tights, be they 3/4 or full length.
Aldi gloves, sometimes with silk liners underneath.
Wind proof gillet, I think that as long as your core is warm you're ok.
Headband under the helmet, I find if the top of my head is covered I overheat.
Overshoes on the road bike, winter boots on the mountain bike.
Underarmour tops.

It varies according to how warm/sweaty etc. you are and where you ride, but my tip is in relation to bib-tights: If you tend to be quite warm in your torso, avoid winter bibs that have huge upper body sections - it might be great if you suffer from the cold but I've found that it makes getting the top half layers right very difficult and can lead to over-heating even whilst legs and extremities are still cool.

3/4 roubaix bibs. Best thing I have. Good LS base layers mean I often just wear one under a waterproof.

Have 2 slightly less awesome waterproofs rather than 1 superb one. You'll rip / trash / need to clean your jacket, so swapping between two makes for an easier answer.

oh, and windproof sections on tights can be a bit sweaty and are less effective in adding warmth IMO than just a good old fashioned nice thick roubaix lycra

Best gloves you can get (for me as I suffer from cold hands).
Liner gloves from decathlon (see first point)
Spare gloves in the camelbak (see first point)
Neoprene socks are cheap and keep you warm (not dry)
Windproof tights
Decent jacket over a fleece (or winter jersey) and base layer
Mudguards
Buff under helmet

Depends on what you mean by winter riding too. Last year was fairly easy, just a bit chilly and damp. The year before it got to about -12°C up in Newcastle and there was a foot of snow on the ground for a month. Still carried on riding, just added more layers under the jacket.

Biggest challenge is motivation - get a group together and have a regular weekly ride - that way you'll head out regardless of weather. Look for routes that hold up well in bad conditions too.

Neoprene socks +1

Cheap off ebay. Worn over some decent wool socks.

Softshell shoes stuffed with newspaper dry very quickly. Have a look at Mavic Switchbacks.

see lucien above, can't really argue with layers BUT will put in a great word for the Buffalo pile pertex cycling jacket (spin dry by swinging around head does work). I vary between it and layering, black goretex socks form ebay (bout 10), now using waterproof shorts, make sure the glove inner finger tips are fixed to the glove tips (to stop finger inners coming out, mainly as I had to fix a puncture and was so cold I couldn't get glove fingers back in to the glove or gloves on properly - VERY displeased), I usually carry spare gloves and a thermal inner etc so I can change on way home (wrap in a placcy bag inside rucksack), from motorbike days we used to carry thick black bin liners - if you punch head/arm holes in them they are surprisingly effective under a non waterproof top, I'm also thinking about reusing my trail motorbike handguards - you can get mitts/covers so your hands stay dry, your extremeties fail - my feet were stuck to spds, which was fine, however there were quite a few days when I didn't really have fingers that worked - I was down to moving the entire hand,

My top tips:

merino base layer.
merino socks.

Good breathable/vented jacket

Good gloves, preferably with removable washable liners. Fed up with gloves with a waterproof membrane that gets pulled inside out in the wash, and also allows the insulation to get wet and eventually freeze. love my Specialized Sub Zero.

Good boots. I use MT90 boots, and ankle-gaiters when its really filthy.

Overshoes are rubbish if you're going to have to walk any distance off-road. But they are good if you're not.

If it snows, waterproof trousers are brilliant (especially combined with gaiters).

Velcro has no place on a winter boot - gets wet, freezes, doesn't stay closed, boot falls off when hike-a-biking.

If you're commuting, leave spare, dry socks and shorts at work in case you do get wet in the morning.
Putting wet cycling shorts back on to go home is just nasty.

Merino base layer, softshell jacket.
Warm gloves.
Roubaix 3/4 bibs.
Baggy waterproof shorts.
Defeat Woolybooly socks.
Winter cycling boots - currently Shimano ones.

+ 1 for a gilet. I've got a Gore Windstopper one and it is my favourite piece of kit that I own. Keeps the core warm and can easily fit over multiple base layers. Much prefer it to a jacket when its not raining too much.

I swear by these too, great value: http://www.dare2b.com/buy/fuseline-core-stretch-158213?freeText=fuseline&msg=MSG_SEARCH_ONE_MATCHING_PRODUCT

I do live in a fairly mild part of the country, but often go with a base layer, one of the above and my gilet and am lovely and snug.

Mega tips and advice cheers guys lot to chew on there

Hmm, what happened to my post...

TBH, winter riding wear's easier than summer riding wear, since you can wear warm clothes but there's no such thing as cold clothes, and the weather has less variation.

For me... Sealskinz have always worked, never sure why some people don't get good results from them. Maybe quality control, or something about how they're looked after? (don't get them hot!). Once it actually gets cold, there's not much water around anyway!

Waterproof shorts, standard cycling t-shirt top, and either a cheap fleece on top or a thermal base layer. Sometimes add my gillet for wind protection, or sometimes lose the warm layer and wear my heavy duty waterproof. Oh and knee pads = knee warmers.

Gloves are the only part I really go to town, I do get cold hands... so it's Fox Antifreezes for me- frankly they're the only winter cycling gloves I've worn that are worthy of the name. Only other gloves I've tried that keep me genuinely warm are motorbike winter gloves! Antifreezes are brilliant- warm, water resistant, but still work like normal gloves, not too bulky or restrictive.

Road is a little difference as windchill's more of a problem- I add a buff with a hole cut in it for the mouth, to keep the face comfortable, and I pretty much always wear a windproof top layer.

That lot keep me riding down as low as it's ever got here... Well, once there's a couple of feet of snow I give up 😉

Pickers - Member

If you're commuting, [s]leave spare, dry socks and shorts at work[/s] have access to server equipment that pumps out 50' C air round the back in case you do get wet in the morning.

Putting wet cycling shorts back on to go home is just nasty.

Works for me 😉

Protecting yourself from the cold (top to bottom)

Head
Kidneys
Hands
Knees
Feet

My favourites winter kit consist of

- Gore Alp x Gore Tex gloves (great multi purpose glove. I also use hill walking and skiing)
- Endura thermalite pro bib
- Gore Alp-x jacket
- thin fleece (only on really cold days for when I stop for any length of time)
- Couple of base layers (bottom layer is always wicking. with just a normal long sleeve bike top over it.
- Gore-Tex shoes (northwave celcius GTX here, but not the warmest) with good 4 season merino wool sock (I recommend Brasher 4 season)
- Sometime wear a skull cap under my lid or buff.

It better be flipping cold this winter, as I've got some (dirt cheap) Rapha "deep winter" longs that look like it'll need to be minus 10 before I stop sweating like a Geordie in a spelling test.

Last year I came home from a road ride covered in ice (bike, helmet, glasses, Aldi gloves and winter jersey, overshoes). Body was still toasty.

Merino, really nice merino, not cheap stuff...

http://robonza.blogspot.co.uk/2011/01/review-patagonia-merino-wool-4-base.html

http://shop.hellyhansen.com/gb/item/hh-warm-freeze-1-2-zip-48852/

The above are superb for damp, cold riding...

The most useful item you can purchase (aside from a decent jacket, tight,gloves, hat..etc 😉 ) is a neck warmer! I feel naked in winter without mine, places like TK Maxx sell them in three's for like a fiver.

http://45nrth.com/products/category/softgoods

this is me
thermal 3/4 bib tights dhb/endura
3/4 - longish baggies endura/ground effect
base layer altura
long sleeve top. temp determines choice,jersey/merino/fleece.
merino socks with trainer socks on underneath if its very cold.
buff
glove liners cheapo ebay
winter gloves the best you can afford
neoprene overshoes on the road or if properly sub zero.
windproof gilet when commuting
paclite/event waterproofs when peeing it down or until warmed up if very very cold.
important to layer as you can soon overheat especially when climbing
off road.
you dont need merino its just trendy.
overshoes buff and good gloves are a really good idea.