cool weather gear report

Here in western South Carolina fall just hit. I went out to ride this
morning around 7:30 am and turned back twice to add more warmth. It was
46 degrees and foggy.

I ended up done up so:
wool cycling socks
regular (mesh top) road shoes
toe booties
(http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=1344)
Pearl Izumi thermafleece tights with chamois (on sale at REI outlet)
sports bra
long sleeved wicking undershirt
long sleeved wicking jersey
cycling vest (Pearl Izumi whisper vest--windresistant front and mesh back)
old socks cut to make wrist warmers
knit gloves
full fingered cycling gloves
Hind thermal drylete headband
helmet

I was miserable at first because of the fog but after about 15 minutes I
realized the sun was out, it just still seemed foggy because of the
water drops on my glasses (I haven't gotten to the optical shop to ask
them if I can use RainX on them). Once I finally got going I rode three
hours and it was 57 degrees when I got home.

I don't recommend that headband for cold conditions--it isn't very
warm--though it was warm enough for me most of the time. It definitely
doesn't fit too tightly over glasses, if anything a bit loose (and I
wear a men's large hat size). I was very happy with the two shirts and a
vest approach--once I got my wrists covered my arms were fine and it
much diminishes the steambath effect of a full jacket. My only
complaint is that the vest doesn't have pockets and it is too hard to
reach my jersey pockets while riding. The two layers of glove added to
that problem--my hands were warm enough but I had to take them off and
put them on when I stopped, unlike half fingered gloves with which I can
do anything. I want some real glove liners instead of my daughter's
knit gloves (my cycling gloves aren't insulated), and perhaps I might
use a rubber glove for windproofing in between if it gets colder. I
wasn't entirely happy with the tights--my leg movement felt so much less
free (they run quite small so perhaps I should have bought a larger
size) and my rear was pretty cold by the end. That makes me think the
tights over shorts approach may really be better.

My feet felt mildly cold the whole time. Has anyone tried gluing a
layer of fleece inside shoe covers or booties? Actually I felt cold
coming through the bottom of the shoe, but I can't put in warmer insoles
because my custom orthotic insoles already take up too much space. The
next thing I should try is liner socks, but I probably will need to buy
a larger size shoe to use much more sock. Anyone know a store in
Atlanta that has a really wide range of road shoes? I have wide feet,
particularly at the toe, and if I am going to buy another pair I want
some that will fit my feet and my custom orthotics better than my
Shimanos (mens). I don't think any of the stores in the Greenville SC
area carry very many brands, particularly for road (I have Look pedals).

I'm hoping to ride for exercise all winter, so I want to find solutions.
Right now it seems like a nuisance to put on so much gear and hard
to go fast all bundled up (this is my first winter since getting back
into riding), but I figure I will get used to it. Part of what made it
less fun today was that my eyes were watering from the cold wind a lot
and I couldn't enjoy the scenery as much as I usually do. I'm wondering
about ski goggles, but I will have to figure out where I might try some
on around here.

Pam

pam_in_sc wrote:
|| Here in western South Carolina fall just hit. I went out to ride
|| this
|| morning around 7:30 am and turned back twice to add more warmth. It
|| was 46 degrees and foggy.

I got up to ride this morning and saw that 43 degrees outside. I went back
to bed.

I did get out about 2pm, though.

Good luck on figuring the gear. I'm struggling with it too.

||
|| I ended up done up so:
|| wool cycling socks
|| regular (mesh top) road shoes
|| toe booties
||
(http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...category_ID=13
44)
|| Pearl Izumi thermafleece tights with chamois (on sale at REI outlet)
|| sports bra
|| long sleeved wicking undershirt
|| long sleeved wicking jersey
|| cycling vest (Pearl Izumi whisper vest--windresistant front and mesh
|| back)
|| old socks cut to make wrist warmers
|| knit gloves
|| full fingered cycling gloves
|| Hind thermal drylete headband
|| helmet
||
|| I was miserable at first because of the fog but after about 15
|| minutes I realized the sun was out, it just still seemed foggy
|| because of the
|| water drops on my glasses (I haven't gotten to the optical shop to
|| ask
|| them if I can use RainX on them). Once I finally got going I rode
|| three
|| hours and it was 57 degrees when I got home.
||
|| I don't recommend that headband for cold conditions--it isn't very
|| warm--though it was warm enough for me most of the time. It
|| definitely doesn't fit too tightly over glasses, if anything a bit
|| loose (and I
|| wear a men's large hat size). I was very happy with the two shirts
|| and a
|| vest approach--once I got my wrists covered my arms were fine and it
|| much diminishes the steambath effect of a full jacket. My only
|| complaint is that the vest doesn't have pockets and it is too hard to
|| reach my jersey pockets while riding. The two layers of glove added
|| to
|| that problem--my hands were warm enough but I had to take them off
|| and
|| put them on when I stopped, unlike half fingered gloves with which I
|| can
|| do anything. I want some real glove liners instead of my daughter's
|| knit gloves (my cycling gloves aren't insulated), and perhaps I might
|| use a rubber glove for windproofing in between if it gets colder. I
|| wasn't entirely happy with the tights--my leg movement felt so much
|| less
|| free (they run quite small so perhaps I should have bought a larger
|| size) and my rear was pretty cold by the end. That makes me think
|| the
|| tights over shorts approach may really be better.
||
|| My feet felt mildly cold the whole time. Has anyone tried gluing a
|| layer of fleece inside shoe covers or booties? Actually I felt cold
|| coming through the bottom of the shoe, but I can't put in warmer
|| insoles because my custom orthotic insoles already take up too much
|| space. The
|| next thing I should try is liner socks, but I probably will need to
|| buy
|| a larger size shoe to use much more sock. Anyone know a store in
|| Atlanta that has a really wide range of road shoes? I have wide
|| feet, particularly at the toe, and if I am going to buy another pair
|| I want
|| some that will fit my feet and my custom orthotics better than my
|| Shimanos (mens). I don't think any of the stores in the Greenville
|| SC
|| area carry very many brands, particularly for road (I have Look
|| pedals).
||
|| I'm hoping to ride for exercise all winter, so I want to find
|| solutions. Right now it seems like a nuisance to put on so much
|| gear and hard
|| to go fast all bundled up (this is my first winter since getting back
|| into riding), but I figure I will get used to it. Part of what made
|| it
|| less fun today was that my eyes were watering from the cold wind a
|| lot
|| and I couldn't enjoy the scenery as much as I usually do. I'm
|| wondering
|| about ski goggles, but I will have to figure out where I might try
|| some
|| on around here.
||
|| Pam

"pam_in_sc" wrote in message
...
Here in western South Carolina fall just hit. I went out to ride this
morning around 7:30 am and turned back twice to add more warmth. It was
46 degrees and foggy.

Our very typical winter riding he day after day, the high will be in the
mid 40s, low in the low 40s, and rain. Sometimes it doesn't even vary by
more than 2 degrees all day/night.

It really feels like winter now -- not just the changing over to Standard
Time, but the weather did a turn, too, just over the last week. At the
beginning of the week we had our first minor flood warnings, as it rained
steadily all day Monday and much of Tuesday. As it cleared up later in the
week, we had morning fog/afternoon clearing -- but the mornings were *cold*,
with the first frost for our home. So, when I rode in on Thursday and
Friday, it was probably in the upper 30s and foggy -- the afternoons were
nice and crisp.

I was miserable at first because of the fog but after about 15 minutes I
realized the sun was out, it just still seemed foggy because of the
water drops on my glasses (I haven't gotten to the optical shop to ask
them if I can use RainX on them).

Saliva works almost as well, and is much handier.

I was very happy with the two shirts and a
vest approach--once I got my wrists covered my arms were fine and it
much diminishes the steambath effect of a full jacket.

Thursday I rode with a wicking thin t-neck as the base layer, light wool
sweater, light fleece vest, and hi-vis jacket. It was just a little warmer
on Friday so I skipped the vest.

The two layers of glove added to
that problem--my hands were warm enough but I had to take them off and
put them on when I stopped, unlike half fingered gloves with which I can
do anything. I want some real glove liners instead of my daughter's
knit gloves (my cycling gloves aren't insulated), and perhaps I might
use a rubber glove for windproofing in between if it gets colder.

I have some standard winter gloves -- I think they're made by Cannondale.
Not only are they warm, but they're made of a reflective material, which is
really handy for winter-time commuting.

That makes me think the
tights over shorts approach may really be better.

That's what I do.

My feet felt mildly cold the whole time. Has anyone tried gluing a
layer of fleece inside shoe covers or booties?

You wearing wool socks and booties, and your feet were still cold? At only
46 degrees? I'm very prone to cold fingers and toes, but a good pair of wool
socks is fine at 46 -- the booties only come into play in the rain or when
it's below freezing.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

It's always tough here in SC 'cuz you can get a 20 degree swing in 2 hours
on mornings like these. Gotta go with the layers. I've discovered a very
versatile formula for here in the Upstate. Performance used to sell
something they called a Zip-T which was a lightweight, long sleeve polypro
shirt. I don't know if they still sell them, but they probably have
something similar. One of those under a jersey is ideal for the 50 degree
range. Add a very thin cycling shell (mine is a Trek, but everybody makes
them ... usually in chartreuse) and you're good into the 30s. Performance
also makes a turtleneck version of the Zip-T. That's great in the 30s and
below in lieu of the regular Zip-T.

If you haven't discovered Smartwool socks, they're absolutely the best!

I'm bald. I just tie a bandana Harley-Rider style under my helmet and
that's good for me down to around 40. Then, my wife spotted something
called "Helmuffs" in a catalog several years back. They're awesome.
They're little patches of fleece with velcro that fit over your helmet
straps and cover your ears. You don't have your head crammed into a bunch
of hot material, but you have your ears covered. They really work great.
Don't know if Performance or any of the major catalogs have them. I think
my wife found them in the Terry women's cycling catalog. I wear these if
it's in the low 40s or 30s. I've been out in the 20s plenty of times and I
find a plain old cheapo stocking cap from WalMart is as good as anything
under your helmet when it's that cold. Throwing a little vaseline on your
face helps take the bite of the wind away when it's that cold.

I've got half a dozen pairs of cycling gloves and don't care much for any of
them. I have a very old pair of Isotoner gloves (supposed to be "dress"
gloves) that work better than any of the expensive cycling gloves I've ever
bought.

On another subject ... Pam, I hope you're being VERY careful riding in the
fog. I've been riding in the Upstate for over a decade and, to be honest
with you, I wouldn't do it. I've been hit and very seriously injured by a
car. It wasn't in fog. It was in broad daylight and, even so, the story
was the typical, "I never saw him." (That's 'cuz she never looked and was
too busy yaking on her cell phone.) Nonetheless, we're very hard to see as
it is. And as winter comes on, sun angles are lower, shadows are longer ...
everything works against our visibility. I waited for it to clear this
morning. I didn't figure I wanted to enhance the risk of being hit and
spending another six months in excruciating pain and have mine and my
families' lives turned upside down. Sorry to preach.

Happy riding and stay warm!

Bob C.

I got a new pair of toe covers from Performance a month ago. They're the
ones that have the extended top to cover the strap area. Even though
they're only toe covers, they're as good as my full-on winter shoe covers.
They're fantastic.

Claire Petersky wrote:
You wearing wool socks and booties, and your feet were still cold? At only
46 degrees? I'm very prone to cold fingers and toes, but a good pair of wool
socks is fine at 46 -- the booties only come into play in the rain or when
it's below freezing.

I wasn't using thick wool rag socks, but wool blend cycling socks. Your
shoes have ventilated tops and you are warm enough with wool socks down
to freezing? My toes sometimes fall asleep a little if I ride hard
without stopping--maybe I need to work on pedaling more in circles for
more circulation.

Pam

On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 19:03:05 -0500, "psycholist"
wrote:

It's always tough here in SC 'cuz you can get a 20 degree swing in 2 hours
on mornings like these. Gotta go with the layers. I've discovered a very
versatile formula for here in the Upstate. Performance used to sell
something they called a Zip-T which was a lightweight, long sleeve polypro
shirt. I don't know if they still sell them, but they probably have
something similar. One of those under a jersey is ideal for the 50 degree
range. Add a very thin cycling shell (mine is a Trek, but everybody makes
them ... usually in chartreuse) and you're good into the 30s. Performance
also makes a turtleneck version of the Zip-T. That's great in the 30s and
below in lieu of the regular Zip-T.

If you haven't discovered Smartwool socks, they're absolutely the best!

I'm bald. I just tie a bandana Harley-Rider style under my helmet and
that's good for me down to around 40. Then, my wife spotted something
called "Helmuffs" in a catalog several years back. They're awesome.
They're little patches of fleece with velcro that fit over your helmet
straps and cover your ears. You don't have your head crammed into a bunch
of hot material, but you have your ears covered. They really work great.
Don't know if Performance or any of the major catalogs have them. I think
my wife found them in the Terry women's cycling catalog. I wear these if
it's in the low 40s or 30s. I've been out in the 20s plenty of times and I
find a plain old cheapo stocking cap from WalMart is as good as anything
under your helmet when it's that cold. Throwing a little vaseline on your
face helps take the bite of the wind away when it's that cold.

I've got half a dozen pairs of cycling gloves and don't care much for any of
them. I have a very old pair of Isotoner gloves (supposed to be "dress"
gloves) that work better than any of the expensive cycling gloves I've ever
bought.

On another subject ... Pam, I hope you're being VERY careful riding in the
fog. I've been riding in the Upstate for over a decade and, to be honest
with you, I wouldn't do it. I've been hit and very seriously injured by a
car. It wasn't in fog. It was in broad daylight and, even so, the story
was the typical, "I never saw him." (That's 'cuz she never looked and was
too busy yaking on her cell phone.) Nonetheless, we're very hard to see as
it is. And as winter comes on, sun angles are lower, shadows are longer ...
everything works against our visibility. I waited for it to clear this
morning. I didn't figure I wanted to enhance the risk of being hit and
spending another six months in excruciating pain and have mine and my
families' lives turned upside down. Sorry to preach.

Happy riding and stay warm!

Bob C.

I got a new pair of toe covers from Performance a month ago. They're the
ones that have the extended top to cover the strap area. Even though
they're only toe covers, they're as good as my full-on winter shoe covers.
They're fantastic.


A bunch of good info in this one. I think the vasoline might be a good
move when it gets colder here in NYC. Isn't that a bit messy though?
Yech.

Big temperature swings are trouble. It's often a twenty degree
difference between commuting to and from work, and I pretty much have
to take the stuff back.

I'm ok on gloves so far, it hasn't dropped below 40F yet. It was just
bad during the rain when they got wet.

I've had no trouble with feet yet. I don't have clips or anything,
just sneakers so no heat loss through the metal. But I might be
heading in that direction so I'll have to think about toes a bit.

"pam_in_sc" wrote in message
...
Here in western South Carolina fall just hit. I went out to ride this
morning around 7:30 am and turned back twice to add more warmth. It was
46 degrees and foggy.

I ended up done up so:
wool cycling socks
regular (mesh top) road shoes
toe booties

(http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...category_ID=13
44)
Pearl Izumi thermafleece tights with chamois (on sale at REI outlet)
sports bra
long sleeved wicking undershirt
long sleeved wicking jersey
cycling vest (Pearl Izumi whisper vest--windresistant front and mesh back)
old socks cut to make wrist warmers
knit gloves
full fingered cycling gloves
Hind thermal drylete headband
helmet

I was miserable at first because of the fog but after about 15 minutes I
realized the sun was out, it just still seemed foggy because of the
water drops on my glasses (I haven't gotten to the optical shop to ask
them if I can use RainX on them). Once I finally got going I rode three
hours and it was 57 degrees when I got home.

I don't recommend that headband for cold conditions--it isn't very
warm--though it was warm enough for me most of the time. It definitely
doesn't fit too tightly over glasses, if anything a bit loose (and I
wear a men's large hat size). I was very happy with the two shirts and a
vest approach--once I got my wrists covered my arms were fine and it
much diminishes the steambath effect of a full jacket. My only
complaint is that the vest doesn't have pockets and it is too hard to
reach my jersey pockets while riding. The two layers of glove added to
that problem--my hands were warm enough but I had to take them off and
put them on when I stopped, unlike half fingered gloves with which I can
do anything. I want some real glove liners instead of my daughter's
knit gloves (my cycling gloves aren't insulated), and perhaps I might
use a rubber glove for windproofing in between if it gets colder. I
wasn't entirely happy with the tights--my leg movement felt so much less
free (they run quite small so perhaps I should have bought a larger
size) and my rear was pretty cold by the end. That makes me think the
tights over shorts approach may really be better.

My feet felt mildly cold the whole time. Has anyone tried gluing a
layer of fleece inside shoe covers or booties? Actually I felt cold
coming through the bottom of the shoe, but I can't put in warmer insoles
because my custom orthotic insoles already take up too much space. The
next thing I should try is liner socks, but I probably will need to buy
a larger size shoe to use much more sock. Anyone know a store in
Atlanta that has a really wide range of road shoes? I have wide feet,
particularly at the toe, and if I am going to buy another pair I want
some that will fit my feet and my custom orthotics better than my
Shimanos (mens). I don't think any of the stores in the Greenville SC
area carry very many brands, particularly for road (I have Look pedals).

I'm hoping to ride for exercise all winter, so I want to find solutions.
Right now it seems like a nuisance to put on so much gear and hard
to go fast all bundled up (this is my first winter since getting back
into riding), but I figure I will get used to it. Part of what made it
less fun today was that my eyes were watering from the cold wind a lot
and I couldn't enjoy the scenery as much as I usually do. I'm wondering
about ski goggles, but I will have to figure out where I might try some
on around here.

Pam


no matter what i wear in the winter, it's always the problem of being too
hot or too cold; so layers are good. and i just discovered the joys of knee
warmers. keep the knee fluid warm= less pain.
-alan

"alan" .@. wrote in message ...
"pam_in_sc" wrote in message
...
Here in western South Carolina fall just hit. I went out to ride this
morning around 7:30 am and turned back twice to add more warmth. It was
46 degrees and foggy.

I ended up done up so:
wool cycling socks
regular (mesh top) road shoes
toe booties

(http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...category_ID=13
44)
Pearl Izumi thermafleece tights with chamois (on sale at REI outlet)
sports bra
long sleeved wicking undershirt
long sleeved wicking jersey
cycling vest (Pearl Izumi whisper vest--windresistant front and mesh
back)
old socks cut to make wrist warmers
knit gloves
full fingered cycling gloves
Hind thermal drylete headband
helmet

I was miserable at first because of the fog but after about 15 minutes I
realized the sun was out, it just still seemed foggy because of the
water drops on my glasses (I haven't gotten to the optical shop to ask
them if I can use RainX on them). Once I finally got going I rode three
hours and it was 57 degrees when I got home.

I don't recommend that headband for cold conditions--it isn't very
warm--though it was warm enough for me most of the time. It definitely
doesn't fit too tightly over glasses, if anything a bit loose (and I
wear a men's large hat size). I was very happy with the two shirts and a
vest approach--once I got my wrists covered my arms were fine and it
much diminishes the steambath effect of a full jacket. My only
complaint is that the vest doesn't have pockets and it is too hard to
reach my jersey pockets while riding. The two layers of glove added to
that problem--my hands were warm enough but I had to take them off and
put them on when I stopped, unlike half fingered gloves with which I can
do anything. I want some real glove liners instead of my daughter's
knit gloves (my cycling gloves aren't insulated), and perhaps I might
use a rubber glove for windproofing in between if it gets colder. I
wasn't entirely happy with the tights--my leg movement felt so much less
free (they run quite small so perhaps I should have bought a larger
size) and my rear was pretty cold by the end. That makes me think the
tights over shorts approach may really be better.

My feet felt mildly cold the whole time. Has anyone tried gluing a
layer of fleece inside shoe covers or booties? Actually I felt cold
coming through the bottom of the shoe, but I can't put in warmer insoles
because my custom orthotic insoles already take up too much space. The
next thing I should try is liner socks, but I probably will need to buy
a larger size shoe to use much more sock. Anyone know a store in
Atlanta that has a really wide range of road shoes? I have wide feet,
particularly at the toe, and if I am going to buy another pair I want
some that will fit my feet and my custom orthotics better than my
Shimanos (mens). I don't think any of the stores in the Greenville SC
area carry very many brands, particularly for road (I have Look pedals).

I'm hoping to ride for exercise all winter, so I want to find solutions.
Right now it seems like a nuisance to put on so much gear and hard
to go fast all bundled up (this is my first winter since getting back
into riding), but I figure I will get used to it. Part of what made it
less fun today was that my eyes were watering from the cold wind a lot
and I couldn't enjoy the scenery as much as I usually do. I'm wondering
about ski goggles, but I will have to figure out where I might try some
on around here.

Pam


no matter what i wear in the winter, it's always the problem of being too
hot or too cold; so layers are good. and i just discovered the joys of
knee
warmers. keep the knee fluid warm= less pain.
-alan



I'm a huge fan of knickers. They're very versatile. They can easily go
from a sunny, high 40s day up to the low 70s and the'll be comfortable. But
I hate bibs and it's hard to find knickers that aren't bib knickers. PI
used to make some. I bought 3 pair that I've worn for years and years now.

Bob C.

pam_in_sc wrote:
Here in western South Carolina fall just hit. I went out to ride this
morning around 7:30 am and turned back twice to add more warmth. It was
46 degrees and foggy.

--snip--
Part of what made it less
fun today was that my eyes were watering from the cold wind a lot and I
couldn't enjoy the scenery as much as I usually do. I'm wondering about
ski goggles, but I will have to figure out where I might try some on
around here.

Pam


You might try Oshman's. I think I recall seeing some snowboarder type
stuff in there. Of course, if you come up the mountain to WNC (maybe on
your next Kanuga or Christ School visit), you'll have a better chance at
a better selection. Several stores around here carry ski/snowboard
equipment.

mike

--
-----------------------------------------------
The Thornhill Mobile HomePage
http://www.geocities.com/thornhillmobilehome
-----------------------------------------------

"pam_in_sc" wrote in message
...
Claire Petersky wrote:
You wearing wool socks and booties, and your feet were still cold? At
only
46 degrees? I'm very prone to cold fingers and toes, but a good pair of
wool
socks is fine at 46 -- the booties only come into play in the rain or
when
it's below freezing.

I wasn't using thick wool rag socks, but wool blend cycling socks. Your
shoes have ventilated tops and you are warm enough with wool socks down
to freezing? My toes sometimes fall asleep a little if I ride hard
without stopping--maybe I need to work on pedaling more in circles for
more circulation.

My commuter shoes do not have very much ventilation. This might be the
difference. My wool socks are not ragg wool, but are either trail running or
hiking socks. I wear the x-c skiing socks on the coldest winter days,
because they extend so far up the calf, and help keep the lower leg warm,
too.


--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky