Man. The weather was perfect. But pretty soon, it’s gonna get cold. What kit do you all use for 35-45 degree days? What about 0-25 degree days?
by fbomb76
Man. The weather was perfect. But pretty soon, it’s gonna get cold. What kit do you all use for 35-45 degree days? What about 0-25 degree days?
by fbomb76
12 Comments
**Thanks for posting to /r/gravelcycling! It looks like you’ve submitted an image.**
This community encourages additional context about image submissions. You can include details about your post in a comment below. Some suggestions for good comments:
* Bike details (make, model, accessories, and gear)
* Location (specific or general is fine)
You can also use **post flair** to give additional context about your post.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/gravelcycling) if you have any questions or concerns.*
In that kind of weather I’d rather ride my mountain bike. Less wind chill. I don’t go below 30F regardless, too many potentially frozen bits to worry about and I don’t like to dress like an Eskimo when I’m just trying to have fun.
Some chinese no name “long sleeves thermal fleece” outfit for a dollar and a half with very good gloves and socks that cost probably more than the rest of the outfit. When it’s really cold I add a thin scarf but that’s about it
The cold plunge bros told me to just ride naked when it’s below 25
Layers are your friend. And there’s some balance of staying warm on the downhills/flats without overheating/sweating too much on the climbs.
Above freezing temps: Leg warmers, arm warmers, and a neck warmer/buff come with me on any ride below 60 F. Easy to take off and keep in a pocket/bag if you’re warm, and add lots of warmth/capabilities for the weight/size. The buff gets worn as a headband most of the time to keep my ears warm. I also have a windbreaker jacket that adds lots of warmth when zipped up, but lets me dump heat by unzipping on climbs. All of that packs up to a reasonable size. From fall to spring I keep a small frame bag on my bike, and shove all of my layers in there in case I need them.
Keeping your hands happy is tougher. I recently got some softshell gloves that have a wide useful range, but I’ve also done fleece gloves + mtb gloves and mix and match on days where the temps can’t make up their mind. Mtb gloves + fleece gloves over will keep you very warm, and you can easily peel off the fleece gloves before climbs if you’re heating up. I also keep a few sets of nitrile gloves in my tool bag as an emergency option. I’ve only needed them once on a cold day where some unexpected rain showed up and my hands were miserable. But they are a lifesaver when you need them, and take up almost no space.
As for feet, I’ve been very happy with half shoe covers that just stay on my shoes for the next 5 or so months, and I wear thicker or thinner socks based on need.
Shimano mw7 winter boots, merino LS baselayer, LS jersey, winter cycling jacket, lobster claw gloves, balaclava, winter liner in the helmet, winter leg warmers, Rapha fleece lined bibs, merino winter socks.
Thermal tights, wool socks, booties, long-sleeved base layer, thermal jersey, wind stopping jacket, good gloves, a gaiter, and either a hat or something to cover your ears.
This will let you ride below freezing.
Just from Ornot:
* Winter tights
* Long sleeve synthetic base layer
* Thermal grid jersey
* Magic shell jacket
* Wool winter socks
Add some booties, good gloves, a gaiter, and a hat to this kit and you are good to go.
0 to 25f I wear just bib shorts. No jersey, no base layer. It gets really hot inside on the trainer even with fans. Below freezing in my area means black ice. Black ice means ER visits.
Below 40 but above 32 – Thermal tights, summer base layer, thermal long sleeve jersey, gilet, thermal shoe covers.
Between 40 and 50 – Thermal tights or summer tights and leg warmers, summer jersey no base layer, arm warmers, gilet, windproof but not thermal shoe covers
My favorite cool weather piece of gear is Castelli Perfetto RoS 2 jacket. I wear various base layers under it. 40-45 degree weather, I wear a Patagonia capilene mid-weight base layer. Under 40, I have a Gore softshell with fleeze and various heavier base layers.
My favorite bibs are 3/4 Pearl Izumi thermals or full length when it gets really cold or cold and wet. I’ve tried Rapha, Assos, and others and prefer the PI ones.
The only issue I ever have is keeping my feet warm when it’s below freezing EVEN with goretex cyclocross boots so real heavy socks and hopefully the suns out
Down to 40F I just use a thin baselayer and a thermal long sleeve jersey with light gloves. My legs warm up enough so I just use normal bibs.
Down to 30F I use long leg bibs, shoe covers, neoprene jacket, gloves, sometimes mess with vaporbarrier stuff like nitrile gloves under the normal gloves.
Below that, stay on the trainer. Freezing your nuts off gets old.
I’m usually in shorts no shirt….on my Zwift trainer.