recumbent clothing

[bikeventoux]

Hi Guys,

I'm riding in the winter now and I would like to know what you guys wear on the bike? So far I have been getting by with fleece lined tights and a winter jersey with a "waterproof" jacket. I'm not too happy with my setup. My feet get cold quickly. I'm doing long rides in rain and there has even been snow when the temperature drops below zero degrees C.

Let me know what you wear.

 

[GetBent]

For my winter riding:

Long fingered cycling gloves, insulated skull cap under my helmet, normal cycling jersey with a poly pro turtle neck over it, with a Gortex cycling jacket over that. On my legs, rain/wind pants. They are water resistant on the front of the legs, but more breathable on the back of the legs. Not as water resistant as Gortex, but have the advantage of fitting like cycling shorts, and I do not sweat as much as with Gortex. For my feet, normal cycling shoes with either wool blend socks or poly pro socks. Yes, my feet do get wet and cold, but not badly enough to keep me from riding. Slung under the frame of the "V" below the Moose bag, is my "winter bag", which has Gortex pants and an additional poly pro turtle neck, both in dry bags. My cell phone goes in a zip lock bag, then into my Moose bag.

I do not ride if there is snow or frost on the road.

 

[benphyr]

For my winter riding: ... I do not ride if there is snow or frost on the road.

Like what @GetBent said.

So far I have found my Conversion Kit and my QX100 to not be especially stable on VERY slippery surfaces or unpredictably slippery surfaces. Not dared try it much.

As for cold feet:
1. the lower your feet are relative to your heart the warmer they will be.
2. Wind and wet make them colder https://www.mec.ca/en/search?org_text=shoe covers&text=shoe covers I have used the MEC ones and can vouch for them though I prefer the ones they had 10 years ago that were a bit simpler. Showers pass makes wonderful stuff so I'm sure theirs is more than adequate.
3. Insulation: If your feet are still getting too cold then take an old pair of wool socks - the heavier, thicker, stretched out to oblivion the better. Slit it down the rear through the calves, through the heal, along the sole of the foot to the ball of the foot - leave enough to hook the toe on the toe of your shoe. Then hook the toe on and place it down over top of your foot. It should cover the top and sides of your foot and ankle and go up your leg as far as you let it. Then place the shoe cover over top of that and it will hold itself in place. This is good to -15 or -20C. After that Sorels.

But I also don't ride the Cruzbike in this weather - my winter/salt bike is a mountain bike with studded tires.

Happy trails

 

[paco1961]

Winter wear on my S40

Head - no skull cap. Head never feels the cold. I just use a fleece head band to cover my ears if the temps are below 40F

Upper - 50F and up I wear a very light polypropylene compression shirt under a long sleeved jersey. When temps drop into mid or upper 40s the LS Jersey turns to a warmer, brushed interior jersey. Low 40sF I add a shell vest or jacket w wind stop front and mesh sides and/or back. For 30s riding in wind I add a fleece neck wrap.

Lower - 50F and above I wear shorts - Aerotech Pro are my fav. Below 50F I switch to their winter tights.

Feet - that’s the tough one. I wear mtb shoes most of the winter (Shimano XC50N) for the minimal venting and warmer overall construction. Smart wool socks are fine down to about 45F for me. Below that I add either foot warmer pack or neoprene booties. I like the Garneau Bimax but usually get 1-1.5 seasons out of a pair before they shred . Just bought a pair of Grip Grab hi vis, neoprene booties I’m anxious to try out. Cool no zipper design. For cold rain I have a pair of Mavic rubbers that work well.

Gloves - pic included. The upper Specialized are fantastic for almost all winter. They are light but warm and comfy. Don’t overheat. Wish I could remember model name. For the coldest days And a casual ride I love the Seal Skinz on the pic bottom.

Of course all this depends on how hard I’m planning to ride. The above is for a vigorous but moderate ride. For a slower, more social ride I bulk up a bit.

 

[billyk]

Fairing, of course. Perfectly dry feet and hands. Considerably warmer out of the wind, let's say worth one clothing layer, plus the effect of being dry.

That's me over on the right.



I posted detailed instructions for an earlier version (link below) and still intend to do it for the latest. What's been holding me back is that I want to be able to weigh it for you guys, and I don't have a good (accurate to better than 1lb; my guess is that the whole thing is 3-4lb) way to do that.

https://forum.cruzbike.com/threads/new-homemade-fairing-for-quest.6959/

 

[burando]

The trick is to wear windproof shells and thin loose underlayers that capture warm air between them. Dress to be cold the first few kilometers and warm up by riding hard. My commuting outfit runs like so:

>20C (68F): bike shorts, open-toe sandals, short-sleeve shirt
>10C (50F): bike shorts, closed-toe sandals, long-sleeve shirt, optionally an unlined wind/rain shell
>0C (32F): thin lycra tights, 2 thin long-sleeve shirts, unlined wind/rain shell, thin socks, bike shoes, bar-end mitts, thin balaclava
>-10C (14F): winter cycling tights, polypro base shirt, 1 thin long-sleeve shirt, wind/rain shell, wool socks, cycling boots, bar-end mitts, mitten shells, thick balaclava
>-20C (-4F): both tights, polypro base shirt, 2 thin shirts or 1 wool jersey, wind/rain shell, wool socks, cycling boots, bar-end mitts, lobster gloves, thick balaclava, neck turtle
>-30C (-22F): add rain pants, neoprene face mask, neoprene chest pad, and boot covers
<-30C: work at home (doesn't happen much anymore; thanks global warming)

In heavy snows or freezing rains I'll dress a little warmer because it isn't safe to ride fast. I keep a change of cycling clothing at work in case I've soaked through, and in a pinch will put thin plastic bags over my socks for extra water/cold protection.

Also, when it gets really cold you need to pay attention to leaky spots like the wrist and neck. I wound up caulking the soles of my cycling boots to keep cold from getting in at the cleat window.

 

[benphyr]

@burando Very clearly written and matches my experience exactly.

 

[super slim]

The trick is to wear windproof shells and thin loose underlayers that capture warm air between them. Dress to be cold the first few kilometers and warm up by riding hard. My commuting outfit runs like so:

>20C (68F): bike shorts, open-toe sandals, short-sleeve shirt
>10C (50F): bike shorts, closed-toe sandals, long-sleeve shirt, optionally an unlined wind/rain shell
>0C (32F): thin lycra tights, 2 thin long-sleeve shirts, unlined wind/rain shell, thin socks, bike shoes, bar-end mitts, thin balaclava
>-10C (14F): winter cycling tights, polypro base shirt, 1 thin long-sleeve shirt, wind/rain shell, wool socks, cycling boots, bar-end mitts, mitten shells, thick balaclava
>-20C (-4F): both tights, polypro base shirt, 2 thin shirts or 1 wool jersey, wind/rain shell, wool socks, cycling boots, bar-end mitts, lobster gloves, thick balaclava, neck turtle
>-30C (-22F): add rain pants, neoprene face mask, neoprene chest pad, and boot covers
<-30C: work at home (doesn't happen much anymore; thanks global warming)

In heavy snows or freezing rains I'll dress a little warmer because it isn't safe to ride fast. I keep a change of cycling clothing at work in case I've soaked through, and in a pinch will put thin plastic bags over my socks for extra water/cold protection.

Also, when it gets really cold you need to pay attention to leaky spots like the wrist and neck. I wound up caulking the soles of my cycling boots to keep cold from getting in at the cleat window.

Very good description down to VERY cold temps, but SUNNY South Australia very rarely gets below 0C!!!!
Single or double layer WOOLEN gloves are great WATERPROOF gloves, that keep your hands warm and dry in torrential windy weather, for people who have drop bars!

To keep the body warm, zip up the waterproof jacket when it is only drizzling, as if the lycra shirt gets wet, you get cold quickly even with the waterproof jacket closed!
I learnt this the hard way!

 

[benphyr]

...Single or double layer WOOLEN gloves are great WATERPROOF gloves...

Ditto on the wet lycra!
@superslim can you please give an example (brand/model of what you are talking about for gloves? I don't know of anything that meets your description here - maybe my Aussie to Canadian translator is just broken or maybe you have something that has not reached here yet.

 

[super slim]

Ditto on the wet lycra!
@superslim can you please give an example (brand/model of what you are talking about for gloves? I don't know of anything that meets your description here - maybe my Aussie to Canadian translator is just broken or maybe you have something that has not reached here yet.

Maybe Jond could help with the translations, as he was born in Britain (UK), but come out to the Colonies (Australia) with his (Convict or 5 pound Boat people immigrants) Parents after WW2!
He has a lot of time to learn our lingo!!!!

I bought the two layered woolen gloves in Oct 2013 at Nordstrom Rack 901 Market St, San Francisco!!
There are no labels on the gloves, but from the photos, the inside layer is very fine, and the outside layer normal woolen weave.

 

[burando]

Since OP's main complaint was cold wet feet, neoprene boot covers are an inexpensive solution. Also consider bigger shoes or thinner (wool) socks -- the goal is to maximize the volume of warm air in the toebox.

Similarly, nothing beats neoprene bar-end mitts (a.k.a. pogies) for keeping your hands warm and dry. You can bike without gloves down to freezing temperatures, and they protect your hands if you get doored.

 

[super slim]

Since OP's main complaint was cold wet feet, neoprene boot covers are an inexpensive solution. Also consider bigger shoes or thinner (wool) socks -- the goal is to maximize the volume of warm air in the toebox.

Similarly, nothing beats neoprene bar-end mitts (a.k.a. pogies) for keeping your hands warm and dry. You can bike without gloves down to freezing temperatures, and they protect your hands if you get doored.

I agree about the feet, as I use oversized shoes (47Ero) as my feet swell a lot during the summer, and in the winter I use thick fine woolen socks with heat shield from New Zealand https://www.groundeffect.co.nz/collections/socks , as much warmer than cotton work socks I used before! AND neoprene shoe covers for wet days!

 

[paco1961]

My darling wife bought me a Christmas present - a pair of GripGrab brand high vis neoprene booties. Have only tried them a few times so far but love them. No zipper so you pull them on and flip them up, then put on shoes and then stretch the covers down over shoes. Seem quite substantial. I’ve worn them down to about 33-34F and they work great w mtb shoes w little ventilation. GripGrab is a relatively young, mostly cyclocross equipper. Very nice quality stuff. Scandinavian based.