What t wear for cold weather riding.

I'm a former Floridian transplanted here in West Virginia. I never needed to dress for cold weather riding down there. What should I be shopping for( on a budget) so I can get out and ride the trails here in WV and be comfortable. Thanks-------Dave



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DaveWV wrote:
What should I be shopping for( on a budget) so I can get out and ride the trails here in WV and be comfortable. Thanks-------Dave

Good gloves are a must. I personally like some variety of very thin
liner and then a moderate weight glove over it. That way if you need to
use your hands you can take the glove off and still get a little
protection from the liner. That combo gets me down to about 20deg,
below that and I switch to a heavier glove.

Other than that just use lots of layers, the last thing you want to do
is wear a big heavy coat that you can't shed when you start to sweat.
Sweat is a major enemy when it's cold.

Of course there are lots of variations depending on conditions and type
of ride, herer is what I find myself mostly in around 20 30 deg:
An ultra light coolmax t-shirt bottom layer
A thin but tightly woven long sleeve synthetic second layer
A wool (wool is my favorite) sweater on top. If it's windy or wet I
swap the wool for a snowboarding jacket.

For the bottoms I'll usually go with the appropriate weight tights for
the temp, and a pair of regular cargo pants (I really like pockets).

Smartwool socks.

kantspel wrote:
DaveWV wrote:
What should I be shopping for( on a budget) so I can get out and
ride the trails here in WV and be comfortable.
Thanks-------Dave

Good gloves are a must. I personally like some variety of very thin
liner and then a moderate weight glove over it. That way if you need
to use your hands you can take the glove off and still get a little
protection from the liner. That combo gets me down to about 20deg,
below that and I switch to a heavier glove.

Other than that just use lots of layers, the last thing you want to do
is wear a big heavy coat that you can't shed when you start to sweat.
Sweat is a major enemy when it's cold.

Of course there are lots of variations depending on conditions and
type of ride, herer is what I find myself mostly in around 20 30 deg:
An ultra light coolmax t-shirt bottom layer
A thin but tightly woven long sleeve synthetic second layer
A wool (wool is my favorite) sweater on top. If it's windy or wet I
swap the wool for a snowboarding jacket.

For the bottoms I'll usually go with the appropriate weight tights for
the temp, and a pair of regular cargo pants (I really like pockets).

Smartwool socks.

Remember he's from Florida. What you've just proposed to him is what he'll
need in the summer
Jokes aside. Layers instead of heavy garments is the trick.
Also dress just a little less than you think you should because soon enough
your body heat will warm you up and if you start out with too much on you'll
either have to stop and shed a couple of layers or start sweating profusely.
As far as sweating goes I'd say that the more money you spend on technical
clohting the more you can allow yourself to sweat and it will be transported
out without cooling you down too much. All expensive clothing isn't
technical. Some is just stylish

There are some interesting equipment and clothing reviews here
http://users.rcn.com/icebike/Default.htm

I use the sealskinz socks they review there and I can only vouch for them. I
can stick my feet in a mudhole up to my knee and my feet will still be dry.
--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

"DaveWV" wrote in message
...
I'm a former Floridian transplanted here in West Virginia. I never needed
to dress for cold weather riding down there. What should I be shopping
for( on a budget) so I can get out and ride the trails here in WV and be
comfortable. Thanks-------Dave

I'm a Floridian riding in Florida. I usually ride hard enough to go out in
my boxers at 45 degrees. Am I weird?

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training

Phil, Squid-in-Training wrote:
"DaveWV" wrote in message
...
I'm a former Floridian transplanted here in West Virginia. I never
needed
to dress for cold weather riding down there. What should I be shopping
for( on a budget) so I can get out and ride the trails here in WV
and be comfortable. Thanks-------Dave

I'm a Floridian riding in Florida. I usually ride hard enough to go
out in my boxers at 45 degrees. Am I weird?

Yes.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

Merry X MAS. Smart move getting out of that
geriatric state. I wear a Buff on my head and layer everything else.
Make sure you get a warm pair of gloves that are flexible. I ride even
with temps in the single digits. With wind chill way below
0. Country home WV.

Fire up MTB 03