getting cold . . .

[ALF]

what do yall wear to combat this weather? 

[VickyP]

leg and arm warmers, full finger gloves, head band or beanie looking thing, toe cover dealys . i suggest shopping at sugarcycles

[ALF]

i would love to but mocity is a drive. . . haha
since the sem is alomst over, how can i get yall my money for the member thingy?

[VickyP]

i'll be on campus wed around 5 till late in the library studying.

[Vanessa]

under armor coldgear makes a great base layer.  you can get 'em at academy.  if money is tight, try plastic bags on your feet if it's really cold.  just be sure to wear them inside your shoes 

[ThePrez]

Toe warmers work really well, and are cheaper than full booties.  I second the underarmor cold gear for base layers.  Cycling caps go a long way right now, and those are usually always cheap.   

[EricW]

Listen to Vanessa, she's from Pennsylvania. 

Listen to me, I'm from Wisconsin.  It's important to protect your body core from the wind.  Windstopping fabrics are important, particularly on your chest.  Craft makes a wonderful long-sleeve baselayer with windstopper material over the chest.  It's great, but honestly, too warm to wear above 40 degrees.  A hat is important.  Just like your mother told you when you are young, cover your head or you might catch a cold.  Your mom is smart, you lose lots of heat through your head.  I wear a cycling cap down to about 45 degrees, and then wear a beanie down to about 30 degrees, and a balaclava below that.  I laugh at the people in Houston wearing balaclavas at about 50 degrees.  Windstopper gloves rock my world.  Wool rocks my world.  Wool on the feet, wool jerseys, but no wool underpanties.  Booties are great.  Neoprene booties for long rides below about 40 degrees.  Cloth shoe-covers from 40-55 or so degrees (but only for longer rides).  Short rides, you don't need 'em.  Oh, and unless it's below 40 degrees, I usually don't even wear tights or leg warmers.  Knee warmers (or knickers) are all I need.  If you want to be totally euro, you can wear your knee warmers when it is relatively nice outside.  As the saying goes, "don't show your knees below 75 degrees."  I think that's a bit warm for knee warmers, but mine are certainly always covered below 65 degrees.   

Critically, you want to stay dry.  Staying dry means that you shouldn't over-dress.  Overdressing = sweat = cold.

Any questions?  Cool weather riding is great. 

P.S.  40-50 degree rides aren't cold, they are cool.  Cold is when you have to carry your waterbottle in your jersey pocket so that you have water later in your ride, and not a big chunk of ice.

P.P.S.  Riding below 10 degrees is cold.   

[ThePrez]

That you Eric, that is some good code to go by.  It was funny seeing the difference in what people were wearing at collegiate mtb nationals, where it was below 30 and snowing at 8,500ft.  I was bundled up in anything I could find (minus the fact that I only had highly breatheable socks and large vents on my shoes).  The dudes from Colorado were mostly in short sleeves and shorts, maybe a jacket or two.  I guess I was just not riding fast enough 

[cyclingmo]

Wow, awesome artilcle Eric. 

Blake, maybe your mind was subconsciously forcing you to ride slower to save you the windchill.