# Winter Tight Recommendation



## Rogus (Nov 10, 2010)

While this post would get more activity in the Apparel forum, what I'm looking for is a recommendation for women's tights for daily riding 15-30 miles in 30-40 degree weather and occasionally down to mid-20s. To give you a better idea of what I need, I have some thermal PI Select and LG Ridge thermals and they are not warm enough for me. I prefer not to layer and I want them with a chamois. I had a great pair that wore out when they became see thru. I tossed them in spring and now can't remember what brand they were. Your help is appreciated.


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## Alfonsina (Aug 26, 2012)

I know you say you don't want to layer, but have you tried? I get winter weight leggings from costco or Old navy (so no more than $20 and often much less on sale) and use my shorts underneath. If you look at leggings with the fleecy inside then there is no slip if they are tight enough. I also don't have many shiny lycra type leggings or shorts, they are more the soft grabby fabric than slick lycra. The costs savings are obvious. If you find any leggings you love, you can sew an aerotech top shelf chamois in them really easily too. The layering for me is all good though, if it is cold. I have sewn in the chamois to knicker length leggings (AKA cparis LOL) because they get more use than full length. Using running leggings gives you much more choice. I was surprised that the costco stuff I got last year are really great wind blocks too. One pair has a really fleecy inside but the others are just hefty. My costco has winter weight leggings in stock now. Old navy stuff has to be seen in person and tried on as there is too much variety even within the same item. I ride a fair bit but 20s is pushing it. I would only ride above freezing. Even then I might have shorts and base layer and leggings.


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## Rogus (Nov 10, 2010)

Alfonsina said:


> I know you say you don't want to layer, but have you tried?


Yes. I appreciate your attempt to help, but I'm looking for recommendations for cycling tights.


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

In my search of the warmest bib tight I came up very disappointed. I spent many thousands of dollars and several years buying and trying and ended up with nothing that will fulfill your request.

We're all different, we all handle the cold different, but there's no bib tight on the market that will take me into freezing temps, doesn't happen. The warmest bib tights I've found are the S7 Bonka tights from Assos, followed closely by the S7 Habu and S5 Fugu tights. The women's version of the S7 Habu is the S7 Tiburu tights.

Under 40 degrees I put on a second pair of bibs over the good ones, the second pair has no chamois obviously. So for freezing it's two pairs of bibs, no way around it for me. Even though the S7 Bonka are like $500+ they still can't cut it, nothing can. And they're not just expensive, they're also the heaviest of all bibs I tried and they are the warmest but still... no.


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## Alfonsina (Aug 26, 2012)

Try heading over to team oestrogen's apparel forum. Unfortunately if blokes can't find good kit, women are really out of luck. Women are lucky because leggings have an enormous range. Cycling tights aren't magic, sew in a chamois to leggings and voila. Marketing clothing to women is particularly irritating when it comes to the pink tax. Really, at 20 degrees you wouldn't ski in a pair of tights, you would layer.


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

Look at Pearl Izumi thermafleece. My wife and I both use them and they are good for colder weather than we care to ride in.

You want tights without a chamois/pad. They go over your shorts. I prefer bib versions so they don't ride down my butt.


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## Rogus (Nov 10, 2010)

MMsRepBike said:


> The warmest bib tights I've found are the S7 Bonka tights from Assos, followed closely by the S7 Habu and S5 Fugu tights. The women's version of the S7 Habu is the S7 Tiburu tights.


I appreciate you sharing your experience about the warmest bib you've found. That's what I was looking to find out with my original post. 

Still hoping to get other suggestions that aren't layering or about tights I already own.

To clarify, I'm not interested in or willing to do any sewing.


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## Rogus (Nov 10, 2010)

Alfonsina said:


> Unfortunately if blokes can't find good kit, women are really out of luck.


Unfortunately, men have a lot more options with cycling specific clothing. I guess there's not enough demand or else they'd offer similar choices for women.


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## pmf (Feb 23, 2004)

I have a pair of Pearl Izumi tights I never wear because they're too warm. The have wind proof panels on the front. If you can find something like that, it'll definitely fit the bill.


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## Marc (Jan 23, 2005)

Rogus said:


> I appreciate you sharing your experience about the warmest bib you've found. That's what I was looking to find out with my original post.
> 
> Still hoping to get other suggestions that aren't layering or about tights I already own.
> 
> To clarify, I'm not interested in or willing to do any sewing.


30-40F and 20-30F are very different needs.


I don't think _any _cycling tights, even in men's cut, are marketed for use by themselves down to 20F (-6C) in dry static air. Even Assos dodge's the issue saying "good for January base miles", not saying what January that is. Cycling kit is made with milder European winters in mind (and all but the craziest of nutters like us are fair-weather-fiends at that)....not the Siberian range temps some of the US midwest gets. When the temps get that low, thermal cycling tights/rip-stop-nylon workout trousers come out for me. Yes, the dreaded layers. Layers also are more adaptable to a wider range of temps.....and you don't spend $500USD for one piece of clothing only to find out it can never be warm enough (Like MMsRepBike alludes to). A $100 pair of bib tights + $20USD rip-stop pants (Body Wrappers makes them and sells them as a dance warm-up) will be as warm if not warmer than any tights at any price you can buy, tuck the ankle in your booties to keep it out of the chain.


Even the warmest of say Pearl Izumi's tights are only like 0.5mm thick. Small wonder they are only marketed for use by themselves down to freezing. Nothing 0.5mm thick is going to be warm enough and yet pliable enough to be made into tights for use in -6C weather. There are some great jackets that are close in warmth and windproofness, but those fabrics are not stretchable as a tight needs to be in order to be called tights.


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## Rogus (Nov 10, 2010)

I recently purchased a pair of PI Amfib tights and have worn them twice in 34-35 degree weather with light winds. Plenty warm enough for me. Tomorrow morning will be interesting as there's a freeze warning. I doubt it gets much below freezing, but I'll have a better idea of how they might do in the mid-twenties.

I know everybody is different and what works for some won't for others. My husband will ride in the high teens with just thermal leg warmers on his legs and his legs are fine. Before anyone turns that into a joke, he does wear upper body layers.


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## twinkles (Apr 23, 2007)

Have you tried PI Amfib tights? I've got a buddy who says that they are too warm for all conditions for him, and he rides in the 20 degree range on his commute quite often. I just checked and they make them in women's with a chamois. Pearl Izumi says that they're their warmest tights. Good luck


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## Rogus (Nov 10, 2010)

Rogus said:


> I recently purchased a pair of PI Amfib tights and have worn them twice in 34-35 degree weather with light winds.





twinkles said:


> Have you tried PI Amfib tights?


Let me check...that would be a yes.


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## kbwh (May 28, 2010)

The warmest womens thights I can think of is the Assos Pompadour. Will probably be too cold at -6C though. At those temperatures I have to layer on top of it's male counterpart the Bonka, for example with their Sturmnuss knickers.


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