Who rides in the winter?

[Timpo]

I know it's a bit early for this topic but thought I'd be prepared. Do you guys ride in the winter?

I just wanted to know if there's any good list of winter gear.
Also I noticed that some people are saying some "waterproof" stuff aren't actually that waterproof.

I'm not talking about riding in the chilly weather, I'm talking about freezing cold.

I've watched some YouTube videos, I found them helpful but if I wanted to get everything and well geared, it would cost me close to $1,000.
Any good recommendation for cheap but well made gear? Some bicycle winter jacket would cost well over $300, and it's not even heavy duty or armored like motorcycle jacket so it made me wonder why...

 

[ymarty]

Great topic! I have the same question. If anyone is from the pacific northwest and bikes regularly during winter, I would love to hear how you dress for biking and anything you do to keep your bike protected from rain and snow.

 

[john peck]

Great topic! I have the same question. If anyone is from the pacific northwest and bikes regularly during winter, I would love to hear how you dress for biking and anything you do to keep your bike protected from rain and snow.

I try to ride 365, but occasionally I don't feel like dealing with the slop. It starts raining here 'bout the end of September & don't stop
'til the end of April....or May...sometimes mid-June. People here are so used to it they don't even notice. We used to have winter,
hard frosts, maybe an icy week with snow, even got below zero for a day or two. Hardly ever snows anymore, but we got rain aplenty.
I bought a waterproof nylon hoody. It kept me dry, but evaporation from riding turned it into a refridgerator. You'd get frrrostbit if
you rode faster than 10 mph. Plastic's the only thing that sheds rain, but I just put on layers under a sweater inside a windbreaker,
a wool hat, a balaclava for my face & good gloves.

 

[ElectricBikeRevolution]

The must-have for me when it comes to winter riding is a good pair of goggles! And not just ones that cover your eyes. Make sure you get the big ones that you see skiers wearing. Trust me, you will thank me later. It will keep the wind chill out of your eyes and make your ride much more enjoyable.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

It is often much, much easier to stay "warm" in subfreezing temperatures than it is in temperatures above freezing when it is raining hard. It is interesting that most hypothermia deaths occur at temperatures above 40F.

For subfreezing temperatures, I find it most important to keep my head, hands, and feet warm. I will ride (and cross-country ski) in temperatures down to 10F with just a pair of wind pants or polypro bottoms on, and a very light long-sleeved wicking shirt and a wind shell for my upper body. As long as I have a toasty hat I am good.

I agree that goggles are a good idea. I have this pair of large, venty goggles designed for nordic ski racing (they are no longer made, I think) that are awesome for cold-weather cycling.

As for riding in snow, I am not really enthusiastic about it. That is largely because I do not own a snow-configured bike, and for road access reasons (and because I cross-country ski all winter) I wouldn't use it very often. My own limited experience with riding in snow is that it is a challenge to keep fenders, brakes, and the derailleur from getting hopelessly clogged with snow

 

[rich c]

My low limit is 20deg F, but only single trail riding. The trees break the wind and the effort is so high I have no trouble with getting cold. Agree with Mr. Coffee, good gloves are the most important. Also bought a snowboard helmet last year, openings can be closed and it holds more heat in.

 

[jhoblo]

I know it's a bit early for this topic but thought I'd be prepared. Do you guys ride in the winter?

I just wanted to know if there's any good list of winter gear.
Also I noticed that some people are saying some "waterproof" stuff aren't actually that waterproof.

I'm not talking about riding in the chilly weather, I'm talking about freezing cold.

I've watched some YouTube videos, I found them helpful but if I wanted to get everything and well geared, it would cost me close to $1,000.
Any good recommendation for cheap but well made gear? Some bicycle winter jacket would cost well over $300, and it's not even heavy duty or armored like motorcycle jacket so it made me wonder why...

I used to ride my regular mountain bike every day in the winter, but it was to the right of the fog line on snowplowed roads (CalTrans snowplow drivers used to radio each other to look out for me when they saw bicycle tracks on the road ) I never used fenders and didn't have a problem with chunks of snow/ice buildup on the bike because of where I rode. I used snowshoes for the offroad stuff- even fatties would have a hard time when snow is more than a foot deep.

I was a very low-income ski resort worker, so what I wore came from the second hand store in town. Nothing special, although I agree with what everyone else has said about layers, goggles, and snow being easier to deal with than rain. Well, other than being prepared to avoid cars that spin out on the ice in front of you...

I wonder how to protect and treat battery packs under those conditions. I think that I'd rather go regular bike than e-bike in snow.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

You're right about batteries, I found that below-freezing temperatures will easily cut your effective range in half.

 

[john peck]

The must-have for me when it comes to winter riding is a good pair of goggles! And not just ones that cover your eyes. Make sure you get the big ones that you see skiers wearing. Trust me, you will thank me later. It will keep the wind chill out of your eyes and make your ride much more enjoyable.

Goes without saying, gotta have eye wear anytime of year. Just picked up nice ski googles at a garage sale for $2. I used to get my hats, gloves,& googles walking down the ski area road apres ski. They leave the bar, put the gloves on the roof when they open the car.
You find one glove & the other will be a few yards farther down the road.

 

[Bruce Arnold]

Lots of good advice, so I'll add just one thing. My wife and I lean towards backpacking gear rather than "bicycle clothing," which as the OP said, can be expensive. Well, backpacking clothes can be, too - I'm looking at you, Marmot, Arcteryx, etc. - but you can get good inexpensive stuff at places like Campmor. The requirements are the same: vigorous activity in demanding outdoors conditions.

 

[Alaskan]

• Get a thin wool watch cap as a liner that covers your ears, that you can wear under your helmet.
• Any breathable rain gear will ultimately leak and get you wet...that includes goretex.
• For serious rain not light sprinkles, you will need Grundens, Helly Hanson or another brand of plastic coated fabric rain gear.
• Go on ebay and find a nice "Pre-owned" 1/4 zip cashmere sweater for under $50. Nothing beats cashmere for light weight and warmth.
• waterproof ski gloves with liners
• Long johns under sythetic, windproof pants for dry cold weather
• Salomon Goretex waterproof trailrunner shoes big enough to accommodate warm marino wool socks. I use Catalyst flat peddles which do not require stiff shoes.
• windproof fleece balaclava to protect your face in sub-freezing temps.

 

[6zfshdb]

I occasionally ride my conventional MTB in Winter. 15 F is my limit though. I have yet to try my ebike. I wear skiers gloves, face mask & goggles or an old snowmobile helmet I picked up at a yard sale. Long underwear under cargo pants, a thermal lined sweatshirt covered by a heavy nylon windbreaker complete the outfit. Cold feet are my biggest problem. I've had the best results using heated hunting socks under my riding boots.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

A couple of gear suggestions:

For raingear, you can go to Wal-Mart and get a set of Frogg Toggs. They are lightweight, inexpensive, and perform (in terms of keeping rain out and letting perspiration out) as well as gear that is three or four times as expensive. The downside is that they aren't particularly durable (no single track riding on brushy trails) and tend to pill and retain dirt. In the "waterproof-breathable" spectrum they tend to lean a little more to the breathable end of the spectrum when compared to Gore-Tex (aka "Sweat-Tex" or "Leak-Tex").

For socks and gloves, both Showers Pass and Seal Skinz make toasty waterproof socks and gloves. Campmor used to sell these very, very basic neoprene booties for about $5 that were suitable cold-weather socks. If anyone can find a link to them it would be much appreciated.

Sporthill makes a lot of decent athletic gear at quite reasonable prices (though still not cheap). A lot of their stuff is geared towards runners or cross-country skiers but is still eminently suitable for cyclists. In particular they have an array of cold-weather stretchy pants that are awesome for cycling on a cold day, and also make some very nice wind shells (most of which also thoughtfully have reflective striping to keep us from becoming axle dressing). In addition, they also sell awesome hats and gloves.

A Buff is kind of hard to describe, but they make a great multi-functional lightweight hat, neck gaiter, or face mask. I don't leave home without one.

While much more expensive, Patagonia makes a lot of lightweight, high-quality clothing geared towards trail runners and cross-country skiers that is hard to beat. In particular, their silk weight (apparently now called "Capilene Air") base layers are awesome (and awesomely expensive). They make some nice wind shells, in particular they have a couple of wind shells that are windproof on the front and vent well on the back, which is awesome for fast skate skiing or cycling on a cold day -- again, you will fork over some major ducats for the privilege of wearing Patagucci.

 

[john peck]

Lots of good advice, so I'll add just one thing. My wife and I lean towards backpacking gear rather than "bicycle clothing," which as the OP said, can be expensive. Well, backpacking clothes can be, too - I'm looking at you, Marmot, Arcteryx, etc. - but you can get good inexpensive stuff at places like Campmor. The requirements are the same: vigorous activity in demanding outdoors conditions.

You'd be surprised at how much high-end gear winds up at Goodwill, in thrift stores, or on craigslist. I never buy retail.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Okay, for the curious I'll enumerate roughly what I'd wear on a cold morning ride:

Smartwool Merino 150 Beanie

Lightweight Merino Wool Buff

Brooks Dash Hoodie

Sporthill Bandon Jacket

Showers Pass Crosspoint Gloves

Starter Men's Compression Shorts

Sporthill Men's 3SP Callaghan Pants

Sealskinz Mid Mid Socks with Hydrostop

This all adds up to less than $400. You could go much cheaper on a lot of things on this list and probably have an adequate outfit for much less. In practice I participate in lots of cool-weather outdoor activities so from a practical standpoint, for me, the cost is spread out over quite a bit of time and activities so I am unlikely to ever purchase all of this stuff at once.

 

[LS3Miata]

I find my hands and feet need the most protection for Minnesota winter riding. For hand protection I use 45NRTH Cobra Fist and for feet I use Steger Mukluks. They are expensive but well worth the cost.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

You'd be surprised at how much high-end gear winds up at Goodwill, in thrift stores, or on craigslist. I never buy retail.

The problem is that most of that "high-end gear" is made for ascents of the Kangshung Face, or ski descents in the Ruth Gorge, or climbing South Howser Tower.

Normal people don't do those things. And clothing suitable for those activities is insane, massive overkill for someone going backpacking, skate skiing, or riding their bike to the bakery on a cold morning. That is why so much of that stuff ends up at thrift stores. People buy it because they want to identify with the tribe and then realize that $450 soft-shell jacket is wildly impractical for any outdoor activity they actually participate in.

 

[Cowlitz]

I give thumbs up for Capilene, unless it has changed. I have a heavily used, worn at least two days a week for work, 15 year old top that I love but it is getting pretty raggedy. I don't know about what is best for bike riding, but I worked in the woods for many years on the "Wet Sides" of WA, OR, and CA and can say that I was always a bit damp no matter what I wore. I'd carry extra fleece pullovers to change into at noon or at the end of the day if I couldn't get back to the truck by noon. When I wear rain gear, I get damp from perspiration whether gear is "breathable" or not. Damp is preferable to soaked. Soaked is what happens when not wearing rain gear.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

 

[Mr. Coffee]

...but what if rains?

If it rains you will get wet.