How to dress for the cold.
Cold weather layering. "there’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing”"
The classic Alfred Wainwright quote you’ve probably heard time and again, pertaining to any given outdoor activity. Well, it’s kinda exactly true for winter cycling. Only it’s not as easy as “buy these clothes and wear them always.” Furthermore, there are a ton of variables and everyone is different, so nor does a formula or spreadsheet exist that everyone can just follow verbatim. A prominent cold-weather cycling gear manufacturer has published graphics in the past offering layering suggestions for different temperature ranges, but they use their products exclusively (which are excellent!), but if you’re anything like me maybe you can’t justify dropping a quick $2-3k to get outfitted. So I’ll share a few things I’ve learned through personal trial and error. It’s not meant to be a definitive guide, merely a few points I think aren’t talked about enough.
Dress lighter than you think. This is pretty widely preached, but for good reason. Despite feeling like I have my wardrobe pretty dialed, there are times when I’m on the fence about adding one more intermediate layer, and 95% of the time that I do err on the more-layer side I end up regretting it.
“Cotton, the fabric of our lives.” Unless you’re doing physical activity outdoors in the winter. Then it’s the enemy. Seriously, avoid at all costs. It absorbs sweat, then holds it there, effectively acting as a heat sink, leaving you cold. And it can be heavy, even more so when soaked with sweat. It’s no coincidence that all the technical fabrics used for active clothing aren’t cotton. If nowhere else, avoid cotton against your core.. more on that in a bit.
Gloves. My hands are the weak link of my cold hardiness. Cold fingers are, well, cold fingers, but sweaty fingers are also cold fingers. Through lots of trial and error, I’ve finally got my glove system dialed to the point I can make a selection based on the temperature with a margin of error of 2-3 degrees. This one has taken some time, between experimenting and waiting to find great deals. For consistency, I’ve personally gone all Specialized here, and I’ll list the models for the sake of finding an equivalent.
From light to heavy:
Lodown summer full finger glove (down to 54’ish degrees)
Mesta wool-blend liner glove (upper 50’s down to upper 40’s depending on the sun and wind)
Deflect H2O glove (50’s if it’s raining, down to upper 30’s if dry)
Deflect H2O Therminal glove (40’s if its raining, down to 29 if dry)
Element 3.0 lobster claw mitten (30 degrees and below)
Those get me down to 10-15 degrees, at which point the Bar Mitts go on the bike, paired with any of the above selections depending on the temperature and ride time & intensity. Your mileage may vary. Pro tip: pre-heat your gloves on the dashboard of your vehicle on your drive to the trail. This’ll hold those fingers over at the start of your ride until you get that blood pumping. It’s hard to get fingers back once they get cold.
At your core. I received a wind vest as part of a team cycling kit a few years back, and I admittedly laughed at the idea of having such a seemingly silly bit of kit. But I entertained it. And grew to love it in the spring and fall, as it opened my eyes to how simply changing your core setup can greatly affect the rest of your body. Between vests and tight-fitting short-sleeve compression base layers I’ve been able to greatly decrease what & how many intermediate and outer layers I need to stay comfortable. Another huge plus here: a warm core means your body is more willing to send blood to your extremities, which gives you a better shot at keeping those fingers and toes comfortable. Try wearing a puffer vest as an outer layer; you’ll keep that core warm, but still allow your arms to breathe off excess heat and moisture.
There’s lots to talk about regarding keeping feet warm, but I’ll keep this one short; wear one pair of socks. In my experience wearing one pair of thick socks works better than two pairs of thin, and better than even a pair of thin with a pair of thick. It’s all about that airspace. Think about a down jacket or fiberglass insulation; both are lightweight and not dense… airspace. Also, merino wool is your friend, anywhere on the body really, but especially the feet.
Again, this isn’t an all-inclusive recipe for cold weather success, there’s plenty more to it. Nor is it gospel; take a 2017 Barry Roubaix for example, and it’s all out the window. But hopefully one of these ideas can be the key to getting you off the trainer (or couch?) and back outside on your bike where you belong.