finally conquered winter, I think

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[thegunner]

if this is indeed as good as you say...

and here i am with a 30 min commute where i got in with feet and hands so cold they were actually in pain when showering :)

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[nooneline]

My morning commute for the past several days has been below -10F actual, wind chills down below -30F here in Minneapolis.

In this weather, the best thing to wear is an apartment or other building.

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[christian]

Good, albeit pruny, advice. Have to admit, I've found VB clothing to be best at very very cold temperatures. We're just coming into a couple of days where it would be useful. For Z2/Z3 riding around here, I find that standard bike clothes (with proper mittens) is usually ok, but I run warm.

BTW, for handwear this season, I think I really have it licked (finally):

To 35d: Fleece liner gloves/short cycle gloves
To 25d: Fleece liner gloves/OR shell mitts or Kinco 901 Ski gloves
To ~10d: Woolpower/Ullfrotte mittens/OR shell mitts
Below 15d: Ortovox/Dachstein mittens/OR shell mitts

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[fiamme red]

My commute this morning was all right, except that my thumbs froze within 10 minutes. I was wearing Ibex mittens with wool glove liners.

If I were doing long rides in this weather, I'd get Bar Mitts: http://barmitts.com/.

I don't wear cleated cycling shoes in the winter, rather thick shoes or hiking boots, so my feet don't get cold on the bike.

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[Ralph]

I enjoyed reading your informative post about dealing with extreme cold. I suffer from same problem.

So when I retired, I moved to Florida. I did have to wear leg warmers on first half of ride this AM. It was in the 50's when I went out. And in Jul, August, and early Sept, I have to deal with uncomfortable heat and humidity. It's uncomfortable everywhere some time of year I guess. It's good to read about the technical gear you guys use.

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[eippo1]

Thanks. Tried to avoid shilling product but figured the big name brands it's out there anyways.

you are dead on though. the vapor gear i have is not really good for temperatures above freezing. in fact I think it's not even worth using then. other stuff works as good or better and you dont feel like you are in a sauna.

You wouldn't be shilling it, you like it and are making a recommendation. People talk about how much they like products on this forum all day. Is the company name Vapor Gear? I'd like to know because I suffer from Raynauds and need the warmest avail. that doesn't make me sweat. Sweating leads to big trouble for me.

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[eippo1]

Sounds pretty much what I'd be looking for. The best system that I use currently are OR mitts with fleece gloves. RBH's liners might be exactly what I need for hands. As for biking I'm a lost cause with literally a dozen pairs of gloves that I've used. The socks look amazing too. Awesome and thanks for sharing.

RBH Designs in west hartford, ct.

Great CS. Everything was custom made for me.

Their stuff is perfect for your syndrome. However, you will sweat especially if you do not vent properly. But, the biggest difference is even if your hands are damp you'll still stay warm....at least I did no problem. And that was for about 12 hours on the presi traverse in NH. Very wind, very wet, very cold off and on...everything the weather could muster came at us. ice pellets, snow, total white out conditions for a few hours in the AM, rain, fog, drenching fog... before this hike I was terrified I would get cold. but it never happened. Even when I had to swap pants and remove crampons sitting on wet ice on one of the summits with gusting winds and only slight protection from a boulder with my bare hands. my hands went numb but after a few minutes back in the soaking wet mittens my hands were nice and warm again.

After the hike, the outer mitt was soaked but the removable liner was completely dry on the outside where the insulation is. the inside of the glove was very damp from rain and fog finding its way in. Sweat I'm sure too.

For the presidential traverse, I wore their socks with ultra light waterpoof trail hiking shoes. Every other person was in winter boots. My feet stayed toasty warm all day even though they were covered in snow for the entire duration. Socks were wet from not protecting my pants and soaking through and draining down.

[VA-Scooter]

I'd like to try those bar mitts but not sure I'll need to now. They are certainly a lot cheaper than the mittens I bought. I was concerned they'd get stolen in NYC and didnt want to deal with removing them all the time.

Bar Mitts take very little time to put on or take off. A minute or 2 at most. They work very well in my opinion. I hate big thick bulky gloves.