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After this mornings cold wet and windy commute I am already reassessing my previous bold thoughts about riding exclusively in shorts all winter. My knees are still cold! The ride in is pretty much all down hill, starting from about 550 feet, down to sea level. So generally cold starting off but my shins were pretty numb with minutes this morning.
Any recommendations for good waterproof leg wear? Baggies or dare I suggest tights..? What does everyone else commute in during the winter months?
some waterproof baggies over 3/4 bibs?
Army surplus goretex trousers over any old thing to avoid skin contact with cold inner surface. I wear some old thermals under mine and works a treat for very little money. Had to sew on some velcro at the hems to avoid excess flappage...
What he said, except with gaitors rather than the diy Velcro.
Where do you pick up your army surplus gear - you got a local shop or is there somewhere online?
I think I'm going to get a pair windproof bib tights this year. They might look funny but it would be nice to be warm.
I have two pairs of padless tights that I wear over my normal bib shorts. The ones I wore today are made by craft and have windproof panels, fleece lining and reflective stuff on the legs. Toasty.
what are tights and windproof gear like in the wet?
altura leg warmers ...toastie warm and waterproof
iwluap I find them to be good, you get wet but stay warm. Windchill is what gets me most of the time so everything I wear is windstopper of some sort for the winter commute.
Endura stealth tights or bib. Does the lot.
you will regret cold knees when you get old.
Decent full length tights like endura, once you are used to having warm legs you won't go back.
I'm thinking warm legs might well be the future!
Oh and mudguards make all the difference too. There is one 'part' that gets cold and I've not found a solution for that yet.
have a look at the dhb roubaix tights on Wiggle - I have just bought some after they got good report in the press and I'm very impressed so far.
Helly hansen thermal long johns under 3/4 shorts. i may look a bit odd but feel warm!
There is one 'part' that gets cold and I've not found a solution for that yet.
Well put it away when your riding then.
i wear bib shorts with endura 260 knee warmers underneath which overlap knee length seal skinz socks. Wear just my normal road shoes with endura neoprene overshoes and i stay warm and toastie without feeling too heavy caused by wearing too many clothes
Tights/leggings/whatever you want to call them are the best to ride in by a huge margin. To wear anything else is a compromise to fashion.
As with Lycra shorts... bibbed ones are the best as there is no slipping down or tightness at the waist - for the ankles foot loops are good and zips there are prone to breaking (= very annoying).
Only in the very worst of wet conditions do my waterproof 3/4 length trousers come out - I dislike the tugging/pulling sensations around the knee/leg/butt when peddaling, but they have a place in the wardrobe for those days I really should know better than to go out in.
Summer shorts (with no pad) over the top for the fashion consious.
i wear bib shorts with endura 260 knee warmers underneath which overlap knee length seal skinz socks
That's an interesting idea!
DHB leg warmers under/over my usual baggy short/liner combo, sealskins socks on the inside so water runs down and off them not into them.
Add in a pair of ronhills under those if it gets really cold.
Add in a pair of knee wamrmers as well if I'm feeling achey or its bitterly cold.
n.b. I don't ride in rain in the Winter. If its summer and warm thats fine, but when the temperatures hovering above zero it doesn't take long to go from "man-up its just a bit of rain" to hypothermia.
have a look at the dhb roubaix tights on Wiggle
Was just about to push the button on these after a wet and cold ride on saturday but heard good things about the [url= http://www.shuttvr.com/shop/search.php?id=32 ]shuttvr bibs[/url]
I go for windproof unpadded bib longs over padded bib shorts or if really cold, padded 3/4 roubaix bib knicks. Sealskinz Mid Thermals sleeve underneath the foot loops on the bib longs, and Endura neoprene overshoes over the top. An extra pair of socks inside the Sealskinz if required. Oh, and Juice Lubes Fork Juice sprayed onto the overshoes did a wonderful job of keeping them waterproof.
Mudguards on the road bike make a lot of difference - the spray from the front wheel used to fire straight onto my shins. Worst was icy slush from melting snow.
An all DH commute one way sounds icy painful. I used to start with a mile downhill and was almost in tears from the cold before I could get warmed up.
Duck tape both your legs from your ankles to your sack, use Dulux paintmixer to get a suitable skin colour and then paint over the duck tape. Then throw on your usual chammy and shorts combo. Voila!!! All the benefits for a fraction of the cost and without looking like a big fairy with tights (at least from a distance at speed).
I manage quite well with roubaix lyrca 3/4's or full lengths under baggie 3/4's. Got a pair of gore Windstopper fronted bib tights for when it is really cold - toasty.
Brigdale Over Knee Winter walking socks
Wear knee pads!
Then we can hold a sweepstake as to how long it takes until there's a condescending post on here from somebody who has spotted you.
Militant_biker - pretty much all down hill on the way, which makes for pretty much all up hill on the way back - no cold problems on the way home!
chakaping - maybe knee pads and no helmet. Cover off a couple of reoccuring themes...
Anyhoo, bib tights seem to be getting the thumbs up. I don't think I'd be able to look at myself in the mirror (I don't think my wife would be able to stop laughing as well!) with just tights so a pair of baggies over the top methinks.
My local trails are 4 miles away. Four miles up... getting to the trails is always hard work, but warm work. Once in the trees and out of the wind it's very easy to build up a lot of heat and sweat so by the time I head for home I'm usually soaking wet.
Perfect for getting cold or even hypothermic on the run back to the house.
Solution = more kit. In my pack on cold nights/days I now carry... fresh dry warm (ski) gloves, a new warm hat (balaclava), synthetic down gillet, and a windproof or waterproof jacket. All pretty light and small packing stuff which goes in my camelback mule. Quick change at the top of the hill before the 20 min scoot back to the house. No more pedalling to keep warm - with my new toasty clothing on I can enjoy the views instead of thrashing wildly at the pedals trying to keep warm while cursing my stupidity for heading out.
I like the daddy long legs from ground effect, lovely and warm. No padding in them so you need to wear something underneath.