Friday Frivolity: when the mercury drops, what first for you? Longer pants, long sleeve shirt...jacket?

So happy to hear I am not alone singing out loud while riding my bike. Yesterday morning and again today, something funny happened on the commute. I was colder than I like, but MTFU or whatnot and did my ride. I am a year round commuter but tend to fare better with acclimating to temp changes then this sudden drop. Whine whine. BUT here's the question: I am a shorts, t shirt commuter right now. So I am faced with the quandary of what layer first, which seems to beg the question which layer pyramid schematic do you follow. I am sticking with shorts and adding a vest. My legs usually generate plenty of BTUs perhaps from the cycling while my top half seems to shiver. Of course this assumes some sort of teleological nature of shorts then pants then long sleeve shirt then jacket...etc

TL/dr when the weather gets colder, which layer do you add on first? And do you follow any order of "building up" the layers.

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Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on September 17, 2014 at 5:55am

grayn8,

What did your wife end up wwearing and how did it work out for her?

Gene

Permalink Reply by grayn8 on September 17, 2014 at 3:11pm


I'll try and upload a picture of the lake. It was kind of a crazy day. The lake was 70F and the outside temp at the start was around 45F, so there was all of this steam coming off the lake. The bike ride was when things started warming up (still below 50 F and for 24.8 miles), but she said she was freezing for a lot of it. By the time the run happened the outside temp was 65 F. For the bike ride she wore tri-kit, arm sleeves, neck gaiter, fully fingered wind resistant gloves, ear cover...she says that her toes went numb and she did not feel them til about 3 miles into the run. Her speed on the bike definitely was slower than normal, but all in all she complete an olympic distance tri. I was surprised spectating how varied the participants dressed, but seeing some of them coming out of the water and get on to the bike looked like a painful affair to say the least.


Gene Tenner said:

grayn8,

What did your wife end up wwearing and how did it work out for her?

Gene

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on September 18, 2014 at 2:41am

I now carry neck gaiter and a pair of arm/sleeve warmers for just-in case, but I do have on my pair of gloves. This should suffice until it dips way below 50s.

By then I'll probably start wearing my wool sweaters and a wind-breaker or some sort.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on September 18, 2014 at 3:29am

Give her hearty congratulations for braving the elements, sticking through the numbness and cold and completing the race.

grayn8 (5.3 - 36) said:


I'll try and upload a picture of the lake. It was kind of a crazy day. The lake was 70F and the outside temp at the start was around 45F, so there was all of this steam coming off the lake. The bike ride was when things started warming up (still below 50 F and for 24.8 miles), but she said she was freezing for a lot of it. By the time the run happened the outside temp was 65 F. For the bike ride she wore tri-kit, arm sleeves, neck gaiter, fully fingered wind resistant gloves, ear cover...she says that her toes went numb and she did not feel them til about 3 miles into the run. Her speed on the bike definitely was slower than normal, but all in all she complete an olympic distance tri. I was surprised spectating how varied the participants dressed, but seeing some of them coming out of the water and get on to the bike looked like a painful affair to say the least.

Permalink Reply by David P. on September 18, 2014 at 5:01am

Gloves!

Permalink Reply by Chitown_Mike on September 18, 2014 at 5:20am

First thing that goes on is my mock turtle neck UA long sleeve, as it get's colder then my polypropelene tights, then socks, then gloves, then my windbreaker jacket, then my UA balaclava, then my hoodie, and finally either my tear away windbreaker pants or jeans or something like that.

Today I rode with the UA long sleeve and the tights and my legs were really sweaty when I got to work.

Permalink Reply by David Barish on September 18, 2014 at 7:32am

Riding this time of year is like a burlesque show. You start with plenty of clothes on especially with an early morning commute. yesterday I had a cap that covered my ears, fingered gloves, and a wind resistant sweater. I still had shorts. Once moving you have to decide what clothing to  jettison as the temperatures rise with the sun. The ride  home featured a t shirt over a long sleeve tee and regular cycling gloves. The most important thing is a bag or pannier because this is not the season for a single outfit. Ah, for the recently departed days of throwing on a tee shirt and getting on the bike... but wait, they return this weekend to tantalize us for a couple days.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on September 18, 2014 at 8:55am

Haven't really changed my outfit all that much. I went from summer knickers to midweight knickers (I'll wear those until Thanksgiving or later), and changed from my summer shirt, to a light weight woolen jersey. Oh, and  I changed my sandals to closed toe shoes. As the temps drop further, I'll keep on adding: woolen sleeves, long woolen socks,, light gloves, and so on. It will be a while before I start layering. 

Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on September 18, 2014 at 12:51pm

Longer pants.

Permalink Reply by grayn8 on September 18, 2014 at 1:08pm
It's funny to me, I was really curious which came first for people: longer pants or longer shirts. I don't think we have a clear victor.
Permalink Reply by Chris on September 18, 2014 at 3:13pm
In the past I've never been much of a cold weather rider but this year I'm going to try to commute even in the cold. Can anyone recommend some pants or other cold weather gear? Or a store / website? I'm not big on tights or spandex. Lately I've just been rolling up the pants leg on my wranglers but that's not going to work for long.
Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on September 18, 2014 at 3:35pm

I have 2 basic clothing rules to follow.

First: Whatever touches your skin (bottom layer) should be moisture management fabric that wicks moisture off your skin. If your perspiration gets cold, you get cold. If your skin stays dry, you stay warm.

Second: Your top (outer) layer should be a waterproof and breathable fabric. Gore-Tex is great, but just one of many other similar fabrics on the market. These fabrics retain heat, allow perspiration to escape and keep water out. Remarkable stuff. The rest of staying warm is adjusting the layers in between to match the weather outside.

The only clothing I have that I bought at a bicycle store ps my helmet. So, just look around and online at stores that are retail or online. Marshall's is a grreat and inexpensive resource.


Chris said:

In the past I've never been much of a cold weather rider but this year I'm going to try to commute even in the cold. Can anyone recommend some pants or other cold weather gear? Or a store / website? I'm not big on tights or spandex. Lately I've just been rolling up the pants leg on my wranglers but that's not going to work for long.

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