Winter Commute: What do you wear?

Arequipa

Hi!
I hope you are all well!
I will be commuting through the Autumn and Winter this year.About 20km each way to work.
Generally I wear thicker socks, standard bike shoes, full length bibshorts, a thermal long sleeve, a winter jacket, gloves, skullcap and fleece neck scrarf to just below my nose...

This keeps me quite warm... but on really cold days the initial 5-10 mins at 7am can be a shock to the system!

What do you guys wear on your Winter Commute?
Any special gear or tricks to stay warm?

I appreciate the feedback!

A

Raam

Arequipa wrote: »

Hi!
I hope you are all well!
I will be commuting through the Autumn and Winter this year.About 20km each way to work.
Generally I wear thicker socks, standard bike shoes, full length bibshorts, a thermal long sleeve, a winter jacket, gloves, skullcap and fleece neck scrarf to just below my nose...

This keeps me quite warm... but on really cold days the initial 5-10 mins at 7am can be a shock to the system!

What do you guys wear on your Winter Commute?
Any special gear or tricks to stay warm?

I appreciate the feedback!

A

Bibtights ;-)

jive

Neck warmer which can go up around your ears. Once I’ve that bad boy on I could cycle in the nip

engiweirdo

Two pairs of underpants, two pairs of socks, woolen pants, vest, shirt, Aran jumper, Tweed blazer, oh and a good winter coat.

smacl

A pair of neoprene overshoes are a must for me in very cold weather.

mloc123

Arequipa wrote: »

Hi!

This keeps me quite warm... but on really cold days the initial 5-10 mins at 7am can be a shock to the system!

The problem is... if you are warm for that initial 5-10 mins you will be overheated for the rest of the trip

Alanstrainor

On properly cold days I'll be wearing my Gabba2 with normal jersey underneath. I just wear normal padded bike shorts, I never find my legs get cold tbh. They're doing all the work. I have mid thickness gloves, neck warmer and cap too. Overshoes are a must imo, the air blows right through my shoes, which to be far is a good thing for a lot of the year, but covers are very much needed at 5 degrees and under.

Plastik

One of the best bits of kit I ever bought for year-round winter commuting was a pair of Northwave Fahrenheit shoes. And good mudguards. Would not be without either.

Arequipa

Mloc, I find even in cold winter weather... the first 10 mins is tough going and very cold...but then I warm up a bit...
But I rarely overheat..It can be a hard balance to keep though..

Any of you try a balaclava?!.....For winter cycling?!

coward

Arequipa wrote: »

Any of you try a balaclava?!.....For winter cycling?!

I use a Nike hood.. almost like a balaclava! I don't like my nose or mouth covered as it just gets wet from moisture in your breath. With the Nike yolk you can pull the front bit down past your mouth or even to under your chin if it's too warm. My favourite bit of gear in winter!

magicbastarder

whether you wear a backpack or not can make a sizable difference to your core temp.
i would regularly commute (with a backpack) in a lighter top than i'd use out on a leisure spin - armwarmers would be the difference here too.

mr spuckler

smacl wrote: »

A pair of neoprene overshoes are a must for me in very cold weather.

I got these last year and find them to be the dogs b0llocks!

I've poor circulation to my feet and it was only on really cold days that my feet were cold, this despite me wearing my normal SPD shoes year round.

ford2600

magicbastarder wrote: »

whether you wear a backpack or not can make a sizable difference to your core temp.
i would regularly commute (with a backpack) in a lighter top than i'd use out on a leisure spin - armwarmers would be the difference here too.

We have pretty sophisticated biology to maintain core temperature, I doubt very much a backpack or not will effect it.

Feeling cold is a part of a negative feedback loop to motivate us to do something about it, well before our core temperature drops. If you are not shivering uncontrollably, your core temp hasn't dropped(from memory Lewis Pugh's core temperature barely dropped when swimming a mile in subzero seawater and dropped afterwards when he got out and was in a hot shower- I don't know where probe was:eek:)

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(05)67833-6/fulltext

A tiny piece of cloth on your face/neck isn't doing anything for your temperature but it can do a lot to how cold you feel if it keeps a cold wind off a skin "thermometer".


Like any training, you can make yourself better at dealing with the cold, but like intervals it probably won't be pleasant at first :pac:

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2013/08/more-thoughts-on-cold-training-biology.html

Its about studies on weight loss and brown fat activation but it gives a referenced description of the basic mechanism

We are much better at losing heat(primarily as there is a huge "free" to losing heat due to cooling effect of evaporation) than keeping warm/generating heating. In winter try not to fire up the cooling system is a good idea; either underdress a little or soft pedal

magicbastarder

Yeah, that was badly phrased. What I meant was you'll feel warmer with a backpack due to the extra insulation obviously. And if you're like me, you'll need one dedicated to the task as the sweat will rule out using it for much else.

07Lapierre

This year, If its really, really cold, i intend wearing nothing but bib shorts and cycling shoes and one of these:

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/tacx-neo-direct-drive-smart-trainer/rp-prod138157

Arequipa

HA haaa!

homer911

Last winter was my first commuting on the bike and I got chillblains from cold feet and hot showers

This year I've bought some neoprene shoe-toe covers that I'm hoping will make a difference
https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Women-Men-Anti-dust-Cycling-Shoes-Cover-Protector-Warmer-Half-Foot-Case-Black/192319029579

coward

coward wrote: »

Arequipa wrote: »

Any of you try a balaclava?!.....For winter cycling?!

I use a Nike hood.. almost like a balaclava! I don't like my nose or mouth covered as it just gets wet from moisture in your breath. With the Nike yolk you can pull the front bit down past your mouth or even to under your chin if it's too warm. My favourite bit of gear in winter!

Have an older version of the dhb balaclava, sits just under my lower lip so no problems breathing. Don't think I could commute between Nov and Feb without it.

davidsatelle100

Bibtights, shimano winterboots, warm baselayer, neck buff (maybe an aldi skullcap) and a commuter friendly Altura jacket.

silverharp

a neck warmer is the best 6 euros i spent, nothing else fancy beyond a base layer , its dublin not helsinki.

brownian

A skullcap can be very nice. Decathlon, Galibier, many other sources.

magicbastarder

i'm lucky in that i don't seem to feel the cold as much as most. i've never had an issue with a cold head, and usually shave it to a blade 1 or thereabouts. i don't own a coat, haven't worn more than two layers in many years.
the problem is that i can't deal with heat.

John_Rambo

Skinny jeans, a pair of vans, a Canterbury cold weather underaurmer top and one or two North Face flight series jackets. If it's very cold gloves and a neck gaiter.. if it rains I swap the jeans for a pair of cycling longs.

stecleary

hands, feet and head are the important areas.
I use DeFeet gloves
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/defeet-e-touch-dura-gloves-1/

Overshoes, not as thick or as heavy as the neoprene ones but defo do the job
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/northwave-h2o-winter-overshoes-1/

think i got my skull cap in halfords and a chea neck buff from pennys

Wishbone Ash

Jesus lads, you're over-thinking it. We live in a country with a mild climate and we're talking about a commute to work - not doing the Boards Evil Ride in January. Despite the general perception, it seldom rains here. Even if you do feel cold, you going to be at work/home probably within an hour at most - not as if you're going to spend the next 10 hours shivering on the bike!

A pair of winter cycling boots, a winter jacket, bib tights and gloves should do the trick. No need for those skull caps, neck buffs, ski masks, shoe covers etc.

Agree with magicbastarder on the backpack - I always feel warmer with it.

at1withmyself

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

. No need for those skull caps, neck buffs, ski masks, shoe covers etc.

I'd not be doing my winter commute without the skull cap and overshoes. It rains a bit more on the west coast!!

Gerry

I always wonder if a lot of people prefer boiling in a bag to being just about right temperature wise. Witness the amount of folks cycling in the "heatwave" with multiple layers on.. But I know that some people do find it difficult to keep warm in winter..
Currently depending on temp I'll either have my normal summer setup of jersey and bibshorts plus a base layer, if it's near freezing I'll go with jersey plus endura winter jacket, and aldis finest thermal pants. Need to get new shoe covers as my feet are suffering with the cold.

Arequipa

Thanks for the replies... I popped into Pennies today and got a few hats, gloves and thermal socks... cheap as chips!!

the world wonders

Throwing in a recommendation for http://www.wiggle.com/dhb-extreme-weather-neoprene-overshoe/ , they'll keep your feet warm for hours. If it's light rain they'll keep your feet dry too, but heavy rain will start leaking in after about 15 minutes.

Order a few sizes larger as they seem to run small.

Wishbone Ash

at1withmyself wrote: »

I'd not be doing my winter commute without the skull cap and overshoes. It rains a bit more on the west coast!!

Sorry I should have clarified that, if you're commuting daily, it's worth getting a pair of winter cycling boots so no need to use overshoes. Boots are much warmer and more waterproof than shoes+overshoes. Also, if stopping regularly at lights/junctions, overshoes tend to wear away quickly.

silverharp

for me feet arent a problem, im still wearing sandals and normal socks, stops me feeling like im going to overheat. im guessig feet dont get the wind chill in the way hands do