Keeping warm

[auraslip]

Hey ya'll. I'm new to ebiking in the winter. My leather jacket and gloves keep me warm, but the wind whips right through my jeans. Thermals work decent, but I'm thinking something more wind resistant. And no I don't want to wear leather pants or wind breakers!

What do you where under your normal clothes?

 

[Lessss]

Wind breakers help.

 

[auraslip]

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo :x

 

[Zoot Katz]

What Lessss sez.
You need an outer layer of clothing that's not going to let the wind through. That helps create a layer of warm air around your body.
One layer of denim doesn't do that.
Wool or synthetic long johns trap the air next to your body. Jeans can help hold it there until the wind speed factors in.
Most rain pants work well in winter for breaking the wind.
Overheating isn't going to be a major concern so try to minimise flapping that pumps heat away from your body.

I usually just get by with my regular Carhartt dungarees down to freezing. The front legs are doubled from mid thigh to mid shin.
Last week when it got well below freezing I put pair of Carhartt bib coveralls over those. Those four layers of denim kept me warm against the wind chill.
Wearing long johns or tights under denim causes friction and feels too restrictive for comfortable pedaling.

 

[maydaverave]

After years of commuting on motorcycles, scooters, ebikes, and bikes all year long all I can say is insulated coveralls. You can wear regular clothes underneath and when you get to your destination simply strip them off. No plumbers crack and circulation cutoff between three layers of pants and your coat. I have these http://www.dickies.com/product/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3A%3Afolder_id=2534374302024399&PRODUCT%3A%3Aprd_parent_id=1408474395181234&PRODUCT%3A%3Aprd_id=845524441761435&ADD_CART_ITEM%3A%3AATR_Sku_Size=_&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=dickies%2Binsulated%2Bcoveralls&utm_content=Coveralls%2BBing&utm_campaign=Brand%2BDickies%2BBing

Cheap, durable, and effective. 8)
For extreme use maybe a snowmobile suit or these

http://www.carhartt.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=10051&productId=32200&langId=-1&categoryId=10908

 

[dogman dan]

It doesn't have to be nylon, but you definitely want to find some overpants that have full zippers up the sides. Ski and snowboard stuff is my choice since I have a closetfull of it from my skibum days. But you will find dickeys and other manufacturers make the same stuff in canvas, for snowmobileing and working the farm. The full side zips is crucial, so you can put them on and take them off over big boots.

As for underwear, nothing beats the fleece normaly used for sweaters and jackets. Lucky me, my wife sews, so I have fleece long johns in several thicknesses. Totally blows away any regular long johns.

Another thing that does work, that I sometimes wear to work in on a really cold day, is a pair of warm jammy bottoms. Suprisingly comfy compared to most long johns, cost a buck at the thrift store. They sort of cling to the jeans, and don't give you that sticky, long johns under jeans rubbing all day feeling. They just feel like jeans with a nice lining. Easier to pedal wearing them than long johns.

The ultimate mobility of the legs though, is dressing like I did to ski a really cold day. Fleece long johns, then lycra tights, then snowboard pants. The lycra makes it slick, so no pants grabbing at your knees all day.

 

[johnrobholmes]

Windbreakers or leathers work best. Insulated overalls are super practical.

 

[Ypedal]

Jeans suck in the cold... ditch'em..

I wear cargo pants from Costco, 20$ , they are double layer with big cargo pockets to keep your stuff from falling out while you pedal ( yes, i pedal more when it's cold to keep the blood flowing ).. i can handle down to -10 celcius with those..

Rocky hunting gloves ( thin, but they have a plastic/rubber layer between 2 layers of thin material that blocks wind but they don't bulk your hands too much so you can still operate the throttle.

Toque and a neck tube inside my Giro full head helmet, the neck tube goes into my jacket and stuffs into the helmet to keep my neck warm, still cold on the face but i wear glasses to a face sheild don't work ( fog.. can't see shit..so no face shield )

and keep the speeds below 30 km/h !

 

[grindz145]

On the expensive side: these can go under your pants: OK I guess they're still wind breakers too...http://www.gerbing.com/Products/Liners/heatedPantsLiner.html

Though I recommend just getting the heated jacket, if you're core is warm your legs will be too with a little extra insulation provided by some good quality thermal underwear.

I gave up fashion for function on cold days a long time ago though

 

[Ykick]

35 years motorcycling I've always used leather chaps for my legs. Once you get past the usual snickering and "leather boi" comments they're quite practical IMO. Easy on/off, stops wind and excellent protection against road rash. Sno Seal for waterproofing and if you want to stay really warm look into electric under-clothing. I gotta electric vest that saved teeth from chattering on more than a few occasions.

Snowmobile stuff is always good bet. Carhart bibs, overalls too but they're somewhat bulky to stow and once they get soaked not much good. Waterproofed (Sno Seal) leather jacket, chaps & gloves slip right on/off over whatever I'm wearing underneath.

 

[Kingfish]

Reference: Winter Riding, keeping warm.

I wear four basic components, three of which directly affect my warmth, and augmented by the undergarments traditionally reserved for downhill skiing.

• IllumiNITE Seattle Waterproof Jacket (Yellow; no longer in stock)
• REI Rain Pants: Couldn’t find exact link, but they are lightly insulated and designed for pulling over trousers.
• Lake MtB Winter Boots

Undergarments – depending on temperature can be the polypropylene, wool over shirt, and even a sweater in extreme cold. The goal is to stay dry inside and out. In just about any weather I can be warm in 90 seconds on my bike. Layering is great because it allows peeling off when the weather turns warm. The only flaw in this plan is when there is a breakdown and yer left standing around in the swirling cold.

Maybe that’s when you plug in the hand warmers! :wink:

~KF
PS - I rarely wear denim when riding; wicks water, difficult to dry out, chafe-potential. Better to carry it as a change up in a waterproof day pack.

 

[llile]

Here is my system:

Each 10F drop in temperature needs another layer.

60F I will use long pants and a long windbreaker over a t-shirt

50F I am using a long sleeve polypropylene biking jersey under a good raincoat (rain or shine) to cut the wind, light gloves, jeans. No hat yet, just a helmet.

40F I add rain pants over the jeans

30F I add thicker gloves, and a sweater instead of the biking jersey, rain pants over jeans.

20F I add a balaclava hat, (Polypro) wear a wool sweater and another layer, thick gloves, and thick socks. I also add ski goggles, because at that temperature my eyes begin to tear up. Still rain pants over jeans.

10F I have three layers under the raincoat- a T-shirt, a polypropylene long sleeve jersey, and a wool sweater. I might wear thin long johns, thin polypro socks under the thick wool socks, and I have some army surplus mitten shells that go over my thick gloves. Ski goggles are a welcome addition. Balaclava hat. I might still leave the raincoat unzipped a little for cooling.

0F I add another layer of socks tot he above getup, might consider thicker long johns (Army Surplus Polypro!) the balaclava gets fitted more tightly around the face, exposed skin starts to hurt on fast downhill runs, everything gets zipped up tight. I have problems with cold feet with this setup, I am still in street shoes. I might look into some shoe covers for this temp, but hiking boots are no better. I have a pact that I must ride on the very coldest day every year, with records running near 0F every year. I haven't missed this goal in 3 years.

I have had gear shifters shatter from being brittle int he cold at 0F. I tend to prefer the old-school metal bar-end shifters, they never fail in the cold.

I have never ridden at -10F. If it ever gets that cold I will try it.

 

[jonescg]

As a biker myself, leather is amazing stuff for asphalt abrasion resistance. Hands down. As a wind-proof garment? Not as good as a synthetic garment. As a waterproof garment? :lol: I have never been so cold before in my life than riding through pissing Victorian rain around Ballarat in October (for the MotoGP).

 

[Ypedal]

Sandy's birthday suit is good down to -4f ( -20c ) :lol:

 

[MadRhino]

Hey, Sandy gave me an idea!

I might try this suit, riding my bike to work