My god that sounds miserable
2 Likes
Itās honestly not that bad after a few years of doing it lol. All about conditioning. BULLSHIT!. Bruh itās fucking cold lol. But the right clothing helps a lot.
My worst one was about 3 years ago. Was riding 13 miles one way to work @ 10pm. Was maybe 10f, was flurrying, already had about 6" on the paved surfaces, which was mostly slush. No fenders.
Gear: military boots, Hanes socks, jeans, padded moto pants, work shirt, hoodie, LR armored hoodie, and @ the time, open face demon podium with goggles.
Had to stop 3 times to knock the ice off the belts and motor mounts. Took well over an hour. Got to work, looked down and from my shoes to my abdomen was a sheet of ice. Miserable is the exact word I would use lol.
I never once said that 60 f felt all that cold. Needing gloves and being cold are two completely different things for me. I canāt even touch ice cubes without it burning my skin 
I always use a feet warmer while at my desk even when it is 68 or so inside for the same reason. Otherwise I canāt feel my feet fully
That being said, I would not wear shorts in 60f weather but that is because I almost never wear shorts since they look bad when you have to wear knee high compression socks 24/7. Aesthetics > being slightly too warm
1 Like
I use leather moto gloves (non vented) 1 size up from my usual so that they are drafty during the fall and spring, then wear a slimmer thermal underglove to fill up the space during winter. The combo of a windbreaker and a cotton or neoprene liner is very effective.
since this thread is here, does anyone have google recommendations? I care way too much about looks so I was going to go with this setup since I want gold lenses with black frames/straps but Iām open to recs.
Here is my winter gear
Northface mountain jacket
thick Hoodie
Thick fleece-lined sweatpants
genuine leather shoes with wool socks
This keeps me warm to like 30* with 30mph wind.
1 Like
Has anyone found really good low profile base layer thermals?
Iām using these but just doubled them up for high 40ās degree rides.
They have some crazy integrated weave patterns that help insulate but could have better coverage as they are only in some spots.
I found thermals like this I use from clothing swaps and thrift shops. I often wear the thermal layer under regular clothes with crash pants+lazy rolling hoodie as a 3rd layer and a waterproof winter shell over top with rain pants to protect the legs. Comes out to 4 layers on both top and bottom, and with a waterproof sock liner thatās 3 layers on the feet too. Balaclava (not baklava) under the helmet protects the face.
1 Like
Iām wearing two layers of these, a pair of jeans, a jean vest and a alpinestars mesh protection jacket.
so all and all they work pretty well but I think I might try and find some good merino wool+synthenic blend ones
1 Like
Under armor makes really high quality thermal āleggingsā that I have found work really well under even dress pants in bellow freezing temps and in high winds. Just be careful with their naming since the names for their cold weather and hot weather versions can be a bit confusing.
Also long john thermals and legging thermals are literally the same thing at the end of the day so donāt let the name make you think it is womenās only clothing. I have no idea if they sell a top in the same material since I donāt wear thermal tops since they would end up causing me to over heat easily. A good wind proof jacket will go a long way and on extra cold days you can layer one on top of a sweater if needed.
You shouldnāt need to double up on the under armor version either. Iād be comfortable wearing just those and then snowboarding pants when skiing all day since they work so well. I donāt think I ever needed them when skating though, but a water proof layer is a good idea if you canāt be wet when you get to your destination or if it isnāt acceptable to just wear the under layer alone. not sure if I did it that often but I think I took my top pants of at least once or twice at my uni lab
Good merino wool socks are a good investment too. I would wear mine on top of my compression socks but they didnāt need the layer under them to work. Thick wool top coats also work very well in the winter in the wind but use them at your own financial risk (goodbye money if you fall in one)
3 Likes
under armour: 87% Polyester/13% Elastane
amazon thermals: 65%Polyamide, 28%Polyester, 7% Spandex
I guess polyester is a better isolator but polyamide has better abrasion resistance, stretch and softness
The under armour stuff has plenty of stretch. It is also designed to be pretty tight so a new pair is a bit harder to get on. The fabric they use is also a patented technology so no other options will offer the same exact qualities. New fabrics are one of the few things you can actually patent when it comes to clothing
Abrasion resistance doesnāt matter much since it is an inside layer, but I can say that I havenāt had any issues with the fabric tearing and I wore my two pairs daily for 4-5 months out of the year for two or three years I think? time is hard
I havenāt tried the no brand name stuff and Iām sure theyāre cheaper but I can at least say that the price is worth it for Under armor. Just double checked the price and theyāre actually way cheaper than I had thought they were. For some reason I thought it was $90 for leggings, and thought that price was worth it, but turns out it is only $55.
They also have a newer version with infrared stuffs in it but with a loser fit. Iād say youāre better off getting the normal version with a tight fit since that tight fit is a big part of how they keep you warm. Also skip their shirts as most of the ones available donāt have a tight fit and the one version that does is low in size options, and also still looks too loose on their model.
Finally my knowledge of clothing and fabrics is useful to this forum. Something Iām sure few other people on here have too making me more useful
4 Likes
An old oversize ski jacket that are windproof keeps me warm. I also put some windprooof covers over my shoes and a woollen knee bandage.
For hands I use mittens and shift to thumb remote to make it safe inside the mittens.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CYM4_v3lmKT/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=