Roadies – what do you wear at this time of year?

I’d normally go with a very similar combination of baselayer, warmers and gilet with bibs and jersey like most folk on this thread. However tomorrow may see a lightweight waterproof jacket making an appearance. 6 to 8am looks horrible out there.

Cap under my helmet.
Base layer
Long Sleeve Club jersey.
3/4s
Over socks over shoes.
DeFeet Gloves

Roughly speaking one more layer or length more than on the Mtb. Gilet is useful. And no baggies.

First bare knee ride of the year today. I don’t like arm warmers because they fall down my thin weedy arms.

So a long sleeved compression top and short sleeve jersey, or vice versa. Ubiquitous gilet to stave off the cold. Bibshorts and Gore kneewarmers, which have been excellent. I’m also wearing very thin Endura gloves at the moment.

I’ve found the Castelli Toe Things to be absolutely superb and have used them through most of our (mild) winter. Still wearing them today.

Gilet. Get one, make sure it matches your kit. It will keep you warm, dry(ish) and packs to nothing.

For real driving rain I take a mavic H2O rain coat with taped seams. Four hours on Saturday proved it’s worth. I also wear velotoze when wet but they are not the easiest overshoe to put on, and your feet will be wet from the inside – so merino socks are a must.

TiRed, my arms are a bit weedy and I’m fine using the Compressport arm sleeve things, compression fit so very tight and come in a few fits. Not really meant to be for warmth but they do a good job when it’s not quite warm enough for short sleeves.

Those Toe Things stay on ok?

Those Toe Things stay on ok?

Ye, they go round your cleat so they can’t really fall off. I swear by them, they live in my shoes for 9 months of the year.

Last night was:

arm warmers
knee warmers
standard bibs
short sleeved top
windstopper gillet
thin gloves
thin(ish) socks

in the spirit of “you can never get it right at this time of year” I should also have had:

overshoes
warmer gloves

I don’t like arm warmers because they fall down my thin weedy arms.

I doubt you’ll be any skinnier than me, and I’ve had no issues with Castelli Nanoflexs

Notice they only do one size, is it really stretchy then? Will they fit my 47’s?

They do four sizes: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/castelli-nanoflex-armwarmer-ss16/rp-prod88531

Sorry legend, I was on about the toe thingys, not the arm warmers.

Depends if it’s after 6pm. The temperature still drops quickly.
All year round- tee mesh baselayer, cycling cap.
Gloves; the DeFeet duragloves are excellent, and Prendas do them quickly delivered.
Our club kit is made by BioRacer, who also make the Stolen Goat kit and a lot of it looks very similar in construction/pad to Morvelo.
The Tempest jersey, bibs and warmers are just bloody brilliant. Depending on how the weather is looking I may swap the bibs and leg warmers for a pair of Morvelo stormshield 3/4 knickers.
I stick the jerkin in my back pocket just in case. It’s a mesh back but wind proof/water-resistant front and shoulders and fits snugly.
Glasses; all year round. There’s always wind, dust, flies, rain etc…
I’ve a pair of Pearl Izumi softshell overshoes that are still being used occasionally if the temperature is low, even if it’s dry. Otherwise a pair of the Belgian Bootie oversocks will make a difference.
Again, the DeFeet via Prendas kit is favoured.
The latest round of Rapha ones with the pre-cut cleat holes are nowhere near as good as their older ones.

Useful websites- https://www.athleteshop.co.uk/search/?q=bioracer
http://stolengoat.com/
http://www.prendas.co.uk/

Notice they only do one size, is it really stretchy then? Will they fit my 47’s?

Yep, they fit my size 47 Specialized shoes just fine.

I think I might be the only one not wearing a Gillet! Mine is bulkier than my waterproof, so if I think I might end up removing it, I tend not to bother. As others have said, cap under helmet, SS base layer, SS club jersey, Nanoflex arm warmers, knee warmers and bib shorts, maybe overshoes.

I don’t like arm warmers because they fall down my thin weedy arms.
I doubt you’ll be any skinnier than me, and I’ve had no issues with Castelli Nanoflexs

Nanoflex arm warmers do not move, and are plenty long enough. Even on my long-limbed self.

Nanoflex shorts are also pretty long and are slightly insulated as well as water proof so do me for most of the year. In fact, this year, I haven’t needed proper winter tights, the Nanoflex shorts and either knee or leg warmers have been enough, and I feel the cold.

3/4 length or short bib and long sleeve top. Been plenty warm enough here in Cornwall….

all bought in Planet X sales….. kit seems good for the price.

Cheers, Steve

The Tempest jersey, bibs and warmers are just bloody brilliant

Understatement of the year 😀
Bioracer Tempest and DeFeet Duragloves comprise most of my road wear for about seven months of the year.

mrblobby – Member

Sorry legend, I was on about the toe thingys, not the arm warmers.

Well now you know something about arm warmers that you might not’ve earlier anyway 🙂

Base layer
Gabba
Arm warmers
3/4 bib shorts
Full finger gloves
NW boots
Gilet and Cape in pockets for ‘just in case’moments.

It has been freakin cold up here though,and at times it’s felt too early for the 3/4s

Leg warmers are useful for cool mornings/warm evenings. And a base layer under a short sleeved jersey. Make sure you wear mitts though, as I always feel like a bit of a gimp when I end up with short sleeves and warm gloves on.

Currently I’m still in my winter gear here though (Glasgow), although this is unusual.

3/4 thin roubaix bibs

Endura Jetsream jersey

TBH I never got on with arm/leg warmers unless it was a really early start in summer when 10C+ temp changes were expected. And even then, as long as you didn’t atop before 9 it was usually warm enough.

Bioracer Tempest

Got a few Bioracer bits from when our club used them for kit. Disappointingly changed suppliers now. Any UK shops selling Bioracer kit or do you buy from the EU?

We’ve not had much *really* cold weather this year, so 90% of my riding has been in ss base/jersey and gilet with shorts worn with Castelli Nanoflex full-leg and arm warmers.

My team supplier is Champion Systems so I use their Intermediate Wind Vest for most of the time – it’s a brilliant bit of kit – but I’m moving on to their single-thickness Windguard Vest now temps are in double figures.

I wear Lake winter boots and use Defeet Belgian Booties or Neoprene overshoes if it’s really cold/wet.

As long as my hands are warm, I don’t tend to worry about the rest – I can usually generate enough heat to warm up, and I’m rarely out for more than 3 hours, so it’s not like it’s gonna kill me!!

The only time cold bothers me is when doing Zone 2 or reco rides as I just don’t generate enough heat to keep warm.

Any UK shops selling Bioracer kit or do you buy from the EU?

My team kit is made by them so we get Tempest fully printed up, and we also get access to the ‘plain’ unbranded stuff too. Not sure there’s many stockists here to be honest so the Euro shops may be the way forwards.

My team kit is made by them so we get Tempest fully printed up, and we also get access to the ‘plain’ unbranded stuff too.

Mm yes, quite annoying that mine has decided to drop them as I really liked their kit.

I tend to pick a few bits and pieces up whenever I’m in Belgium watching CX – there’s always a stall selling Bioracer cheaply. Not much help really but it adds to the reasons for going 😀 The waterproof racing caps are worth their weight in gold.

Doh, wrong thread!

Toethings stay on fine and have been the winter soft southern mild wet long autumn clothing revelation. They hook over the cleat and, for my Look cleats, are unnoticeable on engagement. They have worn through slightly underneath where I walk on them, but not to any significant extent. I would replace them in an instant.

I do have club kit arm warmers (Champion Systems), they aren’t that bad, but I wear long sleeves almost all year for warmth then sun protection, so find a compression top (ZXU) in white or black is fine. I do like my Castelli wifebeater string vest under long jerseys and particularly roubaix at this time of year.

Castelli wifebeater string vest

The best base layer. Have a few of these.

The best base layer.

I did some 35mph breakdancing on a wet road last year and my Castelli base layer welded itself into the skin of my ‘love handle’.

I now have a distinctive mesh pattern scarred into me!

Last couple of months commuting i’ve been surgically attached to my Endura MT500 light-softshell-jacket-y thing with a varying amount of base layers under it & a lightweight windstopper gillet if the wind becomes an issue, it’s discreet enough that it doesn’t look like a mtb top and has a light shell on the arms & shoulders with a much lighter fabric under the arms for ventilation – probably the most versatile bit of kit I own, it’s great. Wish the same could be said for the FS260 3/4 bibs i’ve started wearing again in the last week or so, if much more of the stitching on these spontaneously unravels, they’ll explode off me one day in a shower of fabric leaving me in the scud from the waist down 😕

Gilet, leg and arm warmers can be stuffed in jersey pockets if things warm up. Flexibility is the key, at this time of year temperatures and conditions can vary widely.

For leg and armwarmers my favourites are the DeFeet armskins and kneekers. I’ve had Roubaix stuff before but find the Defeets stay up better and work well. The Merino are warmer than the non-merino (I’ve got both).

Gilets – it’s just a wind barrier so you don’t need anything fancy. I’ve got 3 or 4 I’ve accumulated over the years. Endura Laser I used to wear communting. Tough and has lasted well with a lot of use. I’ve got an ancient Pace with a lovely fleecy collar but it’s bulky.

On the road bike the Endura Pak-a-Gilet wins on packing the smallest. Fabric feels delicate (I’d not trust it through the woods off road) but that doesn’t matter on a road bike.