# cold weather gear for a REAL canadian winter



## clipz (Aug 28, 2008)

im getting really annoyed with americans *****ing that their winters are cold meaning our spring weather. id give anything to have their weather. anyways whats good to wear for a real winter? i would like to ride as much as possible this winter given their is no snow or ice on the ground.

also my fiance wears those black tights you see alot of girls wearing. would they be warm in the winter? they are pretty much the same as black cycling tights minus the padding. i thought of getting her to buy me a pair maybe and wearing them under my bib shorts. she works at a clothing store and there alot cheaper than cycling spandex pants. not sure if it would work but it was an idea.


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## blakcloud (Apr 13, 2006)

I guess it all depends on where you live. There is no way you can say the winter in Vancouver is as cold or snowy as Chicago. Even Toronto where I live isn't that bad compared to other American cities. Buffalo, that is south of us gets triple the snow we get. So as I said it all depends. 

As for using the tights that you described, they might work but I think having something that is windproof might be better for winter riding. I ride everyday here in Toronto even in the winter, and the best cycling product I have ever used are the MEC Whirlwind tights. They have a windproof front that works better than I could have ever imagined. I wear these with a pair of cut off knickers for my daily commute. They are too warm at 0 Celsius, so it needs to be colder than that. 

What I found with winter or cold weather cycling is to experiment with what you have and build on that to keep costs down. 

Happy cycling


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## clipz (Aug 28, 2008)

whats the coldest you would ride in though? is it kinda personal preference on what your body can physically handle. if its not snowing and there is no ice, can the cold weather be unsafe?


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## Jay T (Oct 25, 2006)

It all depends on the gear. With the stuff I have I can ride comfortably until a few ° below zero. At that point I would need to invest in a heavier Jacket, full face protection, heavier gloves etc. Its all about balancing: The heat you're generating vs. the air/wind temp. vs. your sweat making you damp.

Good winter technical gear is expensive but lasts for years and is worth the investment. 

Some recommendations that work for me:

-Full winter shoe covers or winter specific shoes. cold toes suck

-One or two pairs of good gloves of two different weights. Hands too cold sucks, but hands too hot and damp also is annoying. I'll swap gloves mid ride etc.

-Two sets of tights. One light-medium weight, unpadded, that I'll wear under shorts. This is good to about 5-10° Then a set of full winter tights; Padded full bib style, with a heavy thermal layer in the front (wind resistance) and lighter material in the rear for breathability.

-Good technical tuque. Thin enough not to bother you under helmet, but thick enough to keep your skull warm.

-Tires something with a bit of tread and puncture resistance. Changing a flat in freezing weather is the worst.

-Wet Chain Lube Use something rated for all kinds of weather.

Good Luck!


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## Jay T (Oct 25, 2006)

Sorry..... This keeps me riding all year in the Niagara area with the exception of ice and snow covered roads. and extremely cold and windy weather.


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## clipz (Aug 28, 2008)

thanks everyone for the help!


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## clipz (Aug 28, 2008)

anyone use under armour during the winter? ive been researching the cold gear line up. im trying to figure out the coldest its possible to ride in before your your body wants to shut down providing no snow or ice.

what about booties. i have sidi shoes and seen sidi booties. they were insulated and windproof. would that help at all? sorry for the dumb questions im new to cycling and trying to figure everything out


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## Jay T (Oct 25, 2006)

Yes the booties are a good price conscious option compared to full winter shoes. My feet are always warm.

you extremities are where you'll feel the cold most. Hands, feet, face, head etc.

Your legs and torso will feel ok even into colder weather with windproof clothing. You're working hard, so you are developing a lot of warmth. 

A good technical base layer is a must. Wicks moisture away from the body to keep you dry. (read this like: you won't get wet and sick this winter) 

You don't need to buy under armor though, its just a name. any good sporting store will sell tons of options priced a lot cheaper.


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## mspeak (Aug 20, 2008)

*Under Armour*

I use under armour like base layer. Under Armour is too expensive. I find Nike Fit works just as well and can be found at Winners or Sport mart for 1/3 the price. MEC also has a silk under garment that is real inexpensive and works as well.

Overall I found a tight fitting technical garment work great and does wonders for keeping you warm bu pulling the moisture away from your skin. I ride to about minus 5 but run all year round.


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## mtbbmet (Apr 2, 2005)

I ride till it's -30'C. So pretty much all year.
I find that in order to ride all year you need to have several options available. Bibs and full length legwarmers are good down to about 0'C. Or a pair of fleece bib tights are a good option too. For up top I use a light wicking base layer, wind proof jacket, and a vest. Neoprene booties always below this temp. Gloves are pretty light.
From there until it's -12'C I have a pair of windproof Biemme thermal bib tights. The top stays the same but I use a thermal base layer instead of the wicking. Gloves are heavier.
-13 to -25 I use the one of the above bibtights and a pair of Craft XC ski pants overtop. I have a heavier jacket that I start using at -15'C and I start using more layers up top. I start using ski gloves at these temps.
Below -25 I pretty much abandon cycling gear in favour of anything that will keep me warm. At this point I use a 3/4 length GoreTex jacket, and full on ski pants.


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## limba (Mar 10, 2004)

clipz said:


> anyone use under armour during the winter? ive been researching the cold gear line up. im trying to figure out the coldest its possible to ride in before your your body wants to shut down providing no snow or ice.


I love the UA Coldgear longsleeve mock turtleneck jerseys. They blow away any cycling products I've tried. I wear them below 0oc with a thin jacket on top of them.


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## blakcloud (Apr 13, 2006)

I think it is just isn't about how cold can I ride in, but how cold can you ride in and for how long? There has never been a day where it has been too cold to ride in Toronto. But on the coldest days I can ride for twenty minutes, get to work and not be miserable. On those coldest days I make sure that all visible skin except around my eyes is covered. 

A question to all the people who use Under Armor, where do you buy this stuff in Canada, preferably Toronto, if someone knows? I would like to try it.


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## limba (Mar 10, 2004)

Under Armour is like Nike or Adidas. It's a huge company. They make products for almost every sport except cycling. Hockey players wear UA under their uniforms. Maybe ask a hockey playing friend where he buys his stuff. Sport Chek sells it. I'm sure you can find it in any decent sports store.
Coldgear is for the cold and Heatgear is for summer. DUH. 
It's good stuff. I wear it all the time. No complaints. I even wrote to them and said they should make some cycling specific clothing. Maybe it's too small a market to bother with.


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## Chainstay (Mar 13, 2004)

I use a light weight long sleave wool shirt as a base layer. I don't find the tight fit of the under armour type clothing that comfortable and it won't stay low over the top of your hips and ass. It rides up.

Some other suggestions

Chemical foot warmers for -10C and below
Anti perspirant to keep your feet dry
Loose fitting gloves and booties to layer under. Yes you can double bootie
Thin liner socks and gloves always go on first
Wind stopper type tights, as already mentioned
Fenders
Was the OP really talking about wearing yoga pants? I've checked these out pretty closely on a lot of girl's butts. They don't look windproof and they ride too low.


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## nspilka (Jul 31, 2009)

The nike thermal shirts can be found right now at winners for about $19, and right now InVita Sport in Mississauga has castelli wind vests on for $35. That's a great deal! I just picked one up today.


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## OneGear (Aug 19, 2005)

blakcloud said:


> I think it is just isn't about how cold can I ride in, but how cold can you ride in and for how long? There has never been a day where it has been too cold to ride in Toronto. But on the coldest days I can ride for twenty minutes, get to work and not be miserable. On those coldest days I make sure that all visible skin except around my eyes is covered.
> 
> A question to all the people who use Under Armor, where do you buy this stuff in Canada, preferably Toronto, if someone knows? I would like to try it.



National Sports, Sports Chek.. and other main sports apparel shops.

I wear UA for winter cycling in Toronto and also for snowboarding (tshirt and jacket, thats it.) it's really warm and keeps you dry. However, the pricing is a bit too much, you should be able to find cheaper alternatives out there if you are willing to experiment.


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## arctic hawk (May 17, 2003)

Montrealer checking in.
I use a NorthFace technical jacket along with a pair of running tights from RunningRoom, the one with the nylon front for wind protection. I double up with sweatpants underneath on the really cold days (-20c & lower). A good balaclava, or sometimes 2, is necessary as well as ski goggles.. never really got the fogging issues under control & it's been 7yrs & still!
I wear Merrell hiking shoes & find they do a great job of keeping the feet really warm. As well, great traction for the hike a bike when the snow banks get in the way.
Pretty much look like this in winter... was a warm day so no ski goggles


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## limba (Mar 10, 2004)

You can ride your cross bike in that much snow? What tires are you using?


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## arctic hawk (May 17, 2003)

You would be surprised at how much snow you can ride over... as long as the tire tracks are going in the same direction. Otherwise, do the cyclocross dismount/remount thing (intersections & snow banks) & get in a good 'cross workout. 
Continental Twisters in the front & Ritchey Speedmax in the back & you are good to go. Looked into Nokian studded tires at one point but they are quite pricey... & Montreal snow clearing along my route is pretty good anyways.


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## Chainstay (Mar 13, 2004)

*Mark's Work Warehouse*

I just bought a dri-wear base layer at MWW for $22.00. It's a microfibre, wicking fabric with 15% spandex. I like the fit because there is a lot less compression than say under armour. After two rides I would say that it's really good as long as you don't dress too warm on top of it. Compared to wool which I wear a lot of, this dry's faster but will feel more clammy if you are sweating a lot. 

Today at about 8 celsius I used this base layer, a fairly light tight weaved synthetic MEC shirt and a mid weight long sleave jersey. I was perfectly comfortable for a hard 3 hour ride. 

BTW MWW is also good for things like liner socks and gloves and those hot foot toe warmers


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## 1885 (Jul 30, 2008)

arctic hawk said:


> You would be surprised at how much snow you can ride over... as long as the tire tracks are going in the same direction. Otherwise, do the cyclocross dismount/remount thing (intersections & snow banks) & get in a good 'cross workout.
> Continental Twisters in the front & Ritchey Speedmax in the back & you are good to go. Looked into Nokian studded tires at one point but they are quite pricey... & Montreal snow clearing along my route is pretty good anyways.


This is epic! Could you please expand on the types of gloves you use. 
I ride a Redline xc in bad weather. Thanks for the tips on tires.


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## arctic hawk (May 17, 2003)

Typically, I use ski gloves (non-goretex), the ones where the inner glove can be removed (to dry faster). 


Today, it was -19c/-29windchill. The setup of the day was MEC "waterproof" gloves on the outside & Louis Garneau cold weather gloves on the inside.
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...older_id=2534374302698971&bmUID=1261053814650
http://www.louisgarneau.com/ca-en/product/305563/1482104/_/31_FUSION_GLOVES


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## 1885 (Jul 30, 2008)

arctic hawk said:


> Typically, I use ski gloves (non-goretex), the ones where the inner glove can be removed (to dry faster).
> 
> 
> Today, it was -19c/-29windchill. The setup of the day was MEC "waterproof" gloves on the outside & Louis Garneau cold weather gloves on the inside.
> ...


I thought I was hard core! Thanks for the tips and the inspiration!
ride on!


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## mtbbmet (Apr 2, 2005)

1885 said:


> I thought I was hard core! Thanks for the tips and the inspiration!
> ride on!


Pfft....
It was -30'C here on Monday and -27'C Tuesday. I was begging for -19'C. Last Sunday morning Edmonton was the second coldest place on the planet, next to some hole in Siberia. I think it was like -46'C. Needless to say, I did not ride that day. -30'C is my cut off.


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## arctic hawk (May 17, 2003)

mtbbmet said:


> Pfft....
> It was -30'C here on Monday and -27'C Tuesday. I was begging for -19'C. Last Sunday morning Edmonton was the second coldest place on the planet, next to some hole in Siberia. I think it was like -46'C. Needless to say, I did not ride that day. -30'C is my cut off.


The Alberta guys are tough cookies!


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## saunaking (May 8, 2009)

Impressive! Do you wipe out much? I just got some Nokian studded tires and they are incredible. Complete confidence on back roads with a thin layer of snow/ice after it has been plowed. The other day some subaru went past me, then we started a long downhill with a good amount of snow/packed ice on the road and I was right with the car, could have went past it but was too chicken. Though the rolling resistance is pretty poor when you hit clean asphalt.


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