Cold weather clothing recommendations?

BruceW..1 wrote in message ...
Last fall I rode about 50 miles on my road bike. The temperature was in
the 40's (Fahrenheit). I felt fine (temperature-wise) while riding, but
a few minutes after the ride ended I had hypothermia symptoms and
shivered for the next hour. Apparently I wasn't dressed warm enough.
Yet to me the actual mechanism remains a mystery. I was wearing shorts
and a long underwear top.

Maybe there wasn't enough food in my stomach, though I was not hungry.

The dilemna then is how to release body heat (from exercise) yet be
dressed warmly.

Should one insulate the extremities (head, arms, legs, hands, feet) and
not the abdomen, or vice versa? What's the right way to dress in cool
temperatures? Or, might food intake be the key?

Insulate everything lightly. If you get too warm remove gloves, then hat,
leggings, scarf, armwarmers. Use an undervest as well. If the wind picks up
use a racing cape, kraft paper under jersey.

Trevor

Threeducks wrote in message ...
David Reuteler wrote:
BruceW..1 wrote:

Last fall I rode about 50 miles on my road bike. The temperature was in
the 40's (Fahrenheit). I felt fine (temperature-wise) while riding, but
a few minutes after the ride ended I had hypothermia symptoms and
shivered for the next hour. Apparently I wasn't dressed warm enough.
Yet to me the actual mechanism remains a mystery. I was wearing shorts
and a long underwear top.


what was the long underwear top made of? if cotton, that's likely your
problem. 40F is also a bit low to be riding w/o leg warmers. i've done
lots of rides in that temp and distance range (in minnesota) w/o problems
and i usually wear a l/s wool underlayer and either a s/s or l/s wool jersey
with shorts and leg warmers and a neck gaitor. i find water requirements
to be less than riding in hot weather and food no different.

The big problem I used to have when I was in Minnesota was with my feet.
Even with thick neoprene shoe covers if it was much below 25 F I
couldn't stay on the road long.

The other problem was with water. Below 25 F it would freeze in my
water bottle, makeing it not terribly useful to carry.

I've had very good luck with wool ski socks. They have extra padding
in the front and on the bottom. It really helps insulate.

Eric

Try this site
http://users.rcn.com/icebike/Clothing/clothing.htm

Stan (from BALMY Winnipeg)

"BruceW..1" wrote in message
. com...
Last fall I rode about 50 miles on my road bike. The temperature was in
the 40's (Fahrenheit). I felt fine (temperature-wise) while riding, but
a few minutes after the ride ended I had hypothermia symptoms and
shivered for the next hour. Apparently I wasn't dressed warm enough.
Yet to me the actual mechanism remains a mystery. I was wearing shorts
and a long underwear top.

Maybe there wasn't enough food in my stomach, though I was not hungry.

The dilemna then is how to release body heat (from exercise) yet be
dressed warmly.

Should one insulate the extremities (head, arms, legs, hands, feet) and
not the abdomen, or vice versa? What's the right way to dress in cool
temperatures? Or, might food intake be the key?

Thanks for your help.

David Reuteler wrote:

what was the long underwear top made of? if cotton, that's likely your
problem. 40F is also a bit low to be riding w/o leg warmers. i've done
lots of rides in that temp and distance range (in minnesota) w/o problems
and i usually wear a l/s wool underlayer and either a s/s or l/s wool jersey
with shorts and leg warmers and a neck gaitor. i find water requirements
to be less than riding in hot weather and food no different.
===============================================

The long underwear top was Patagonia Capilene.

The thing is, I do dress to stay warm, or at least feel warm while
cranking the pedals. And if I get hot I take something off.

Something in this equation is missing. It's gotta be lack of insulation
on the extremeties. So insulate the legs, arms, and head and go lighter
on abdomen insulation. That's where you do most of your sweating
anyway. Must test this theory.

BruceW..1 wrote:
Last fall I rode about 50 miles on my road bike. The temperature was in
the 40's (Fahrenheit).

good lord man, why're you thinking about this now? august is one of the
three or four months above 40f. one of the reasons it took me 14 years to
leave minnesota was that during the summer i'd forget about how much winter
sucked and it would take me by surprise.
--
david reuteler

Trevor Jeffrey wrote:

Insulate everything lightly. If you get too warm remove gloves, then hat,
leggings, scarf, armwarmers. Use an undervest as well. If the wind picks up
use a racing cape, kraft paper under jersey.

Trevor
================================================== ========

That's the direction I'm leaning toward.

If I was taking my time while riding I'm sure the insulation
requirements would be different. I usually ride at the edge of my
abilities, lots of heat and sweat.

My forearms feel cold before anything else, so it's a natural reaction
to insulate the arms first. This insulation usually also comes with
abdomen insulation, which might be a bad thing in this case.

I usually take a vest along, Polartec or down. Maybe I'll skip this and
wear long underwear pants instead.

Your head loses a LOT of heat so that's probably very important.

Have never gotten cold toes so I think I'll hold off on foot insulation.

Eric wrote:

...
I've had very good luck with wool ski socks. They have extra padding
in the front and on the bottom. It really helps insulate....

For cold weather riding, I wear SPuD sandals, synthetic inner socks,
heavy wool middle socks, and Gore-Tex outer sock "shells".

If only we could convince Sorel to make their boots with cleat
attachments, as the feet are often the hardest part of the body to keep
warm.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 23:55:33 -0500, Tom Sherman
wrote:

Eric wrote:

...
I've had very good luck with wool ski socks. They have extra padding
in the front and on the bottom. It really helps insulate....

For cold weather riding, I wear SPuD sandals, synthetic inner socks,
heavy wool middle socks, and Gore-Tex outer sock "shells".

If only we could convince Sorel to make their boots with cleat
attachments, as the feet are often the hardest part of the body to keep
warm.

My feet get cold very easily and I am still tweaking. I have found on
real cold days, it helps if I put one of those disposalable heat pads
on top of the front of my shoe, inside my neoprene booties.

Life is Good!
Jeff

BruceW..1 wrote in message
...

If I was taking my time while riding I'm sure the insulation
requirements would be different. I usually ride at the edge of my
abilities, lots of heat and sweat.

My forearms feel cold before anything else, so it's a natural reaction
to insulate the arms first. This insulation usually also comes with
abdomen insulation, which might be a bad thing in this case.

I usually take a vest along, Polartec or down. Maybe I'll skip this and
wear long underwear pants instead.

Your head loses a LOT of heat so that's probably very important.

Have never gotten cold toes so I think I'll hold off on foot insulation.


It's always best to start with a low level warm up of 20 mins, its during
this time you will adjust your clothing depending on reaction. Use a bar
bag to dump clothes into. At -10 C I never put more than terry cotton
sports socks over racing shoes. As long as my legs were insulated my feet
would be warm.

Trevor

Bruce,

I agree with Trevor & your "leanings" - cover lightly &
breathably everywhere (polypro tights!).

The difficulty is strange, sustained, and uneven
exposures that our bodies are not evolved to
handle. Light coverage everywhere helps diffuse
the negative impact of poorly distributed heating,
venting, and exposure by buffering loss-rates thus
allowing the body's inadequate regulatory activity
a little more time to react.

Insulation is hard to redistribute (hats & sleeves
excepted) during a ride but ventilation is not.
Think about it as venting the hot spots rather
than insulating the cold spots. Chose clothing
that has an abundance of velcro & zippered vents.
Pit or pec vents are great. They tend to balloon
your jersey or shell but they dump core heat +
moisture faster than anything else. I like baggy
shorts over my tights so the thigh-openings
catch&pump air up into the crotch. Also, I cut the
crotch & part of the pelvic panel from one pair of
my heavier tights. Leg warmers, as others have
said, are great for foot warmth in sub-freezing temps.

The head is different: you cannot go by "feel" so
much. I'm a *great* believer in a hat ALWAYS in
cool & cold riding - even if it's merely a light
cap with the bill spun to the back. When the head
is bare during exposed, fast-foward activity it
results in over production + shipment of heat to
the head - regardless of whether the rest of the
body needs or wants that heat. It really is
possible to "feel" warm all over but be pumping
huge amounts of heat through the head that lowers
your core temp. A balaclava in colder weather is a
beautiful thing - though I have trouble finding
ones I like the design of. Also, pumping excessive
heat through the head dries the sinuses thus
increasing susceptibility to common colds.

Hope that helps. Stay with the synthetics as they
throw-off the moisture best. I've a pile vest with
shell material on the front which has proven great
for a wide range of temps & conditions. I most
commonly wear that over a polypro, zippered
half-turtleneck long sleeve shirt.

I've never found a decent solution for the knees. Mine get cold long
before the feet and it's hard to insulate the knees without hampering
mobility. Consequently I've prematurely ground my knees.