Gaiter or Balaclava for cold riding (sub 30)

[bikerboy337]

So this is my first year of riding in sub zero temps (never had a good winter bike in the past and was just a wuss).

So i've been good up to this point with what i have... but today was snowing and 22 degrees out, mild wind... overall was a great ride, but my chin and cheeks froze for a bit and got pretty cold...

Question.....Do you prefer to use a neck gaiter with a nice winter hat or a balaclava?

I'm leaning towards a gaiter as its a little more adjustable (ie. when i warm up I can pull it down), plus the Rapha hat will be a little warmer and I love it... afraid that with a balaclava there is less temperature regulation and the hat portion will be a bit less warm that my toasty Rapha hat...

Whats your experience... this is just for nice 15-20 mile rides, some trails, but mostly bike paths and side roads...

[malcolm]

I don't have those kind of temps but when I ride anything in the 30s I use a balaclava with a wool skull cap over it. Mine is thin and when it warms up you can just pull it down under your chin. I don't recall it ever getting hot enough or uncomfortable enough that I stopped and took it off.

[sandyrs]

I like a neck gaiter with a normal cycling cap. You can pull the gaiter up over your ears and nose before putting on your helmet and still have no issues with visibility. I find that winter caps often overinsulate and I end up with a sweat-soaked cap that's just as cold as I would have been without it. A regular cap vents well in the cold, but the neck warmer piece should cover most of your face and your ears.

[moose8]

I use a fleece headband for the ears and forehead and a wool bandana that I can cover as much or as little as my face as needed. I used that today when it was 15 on my morning ride. Colder than that and I switch to a ski helmet and goggles and either a balaclava or a neck warmer or bandanna.

[shovelhd]

I prefer a balaclava below 30 degrees.

[Likes2ridefar]

i've a ton of options but my most commonly used combo is a powerstretch balaclava that can either cover the mouth to help keep the face warm or be stretched down under the chin when warmer/breathing hard coupled with a craft windproof hat over it. the craft is windproof on only the front and is otherwise a very thin layer. even when warmer i dont get hot since it doesnt really insulate much but when active it does the trick. both layers dont hold water so no worries about sweat building.

i have a neck gaiter as well both wool and fleece. i like them but dont use them as often since it's not so great when really cold and over the mouth and doesnt cover my face as nicely as a balaclava.

for extreme cold, ~ below 20F i wear a thick fleece hat that is windproof (mountain hardwear dom perignon) and a vapor thrm mask by RBH Design with ski goggles to keep the eyes from watering. with this setup i think you can ride to the arctic circle in the winter and not really worry about being cold.

[moobikes]

Hi

I used a balaclava but prefer a gaitor. The bala covers ears, cheeks and back of head/ neck well but I find it can restrict neck movement and is less comfortable. In particular when I am breathing hard the fabric over my mouth interferes. If I pull it under my chin it gets tight.

With a neck gaitor and a hat it's easy to move fabric about to cover cold areas of the head or neck as needed. And should you decide to up the pace a little bit it's easy to increase cooling.

[eBAUMANN]

rapha winter hat + rapha winter collar

that my go-to combo for anything sub-freezing, worth every penny.
perfect for this weeks weather.

the collar has an excellent design that is a little hard to explain, but it has a split in the front that allows you to slide the lower portion off your chin for increased air flow. also nice for drinking from a bottle n such.

[berserk87]

I dislike the feel of a balaclava around my face and neck, so I don't use one anymore.

Below freezing I'll wear this Gore head thingie under my helmet. It works for me. It has a windproof front and covers my ears, too. Had a minor case of frostbite on the earlobes a couple of years back due to riding without it. The lobes went numb on the ride and I didn't feel it until I thawed out at home - and then "ouch".

Having anything on beneath my helmet is annoys me, so if it's above freezing I don't wear anything under the lid.

I don't ride at a social pace when I do go out in the cold - I ride briskly enough to generate heat. So far, so good.

[JAGI410]

I prefer a balaclava below 30 degrees.

Me too. I use the Outdoor Research Ninjaclava, and it's protected me to well below zero. I find that breathing through the material really warms up the incoming air, which makes my lungs less irritated.

[seanile]

a buff! for the neck/face
and a fleece skullcap with ear flaps for the coconut

[buldogge]

Once it drops into the 20's and teens, this is what I wear:

Powerstretch balaclava, jacket zipped on...Thermal Pro fleece neck gaiter (the furry kind) over the neck opening...Curve winter hat on top.

In the 30's I just use a merino wool buff that is looser and can be pulled up around the nape and ears as necessary.

Hands and feet are the hard part...Wearing PI Lobsters with Merino liners today and my Shimano AW-80s with wooly hiking socks.

Single digits tomorrow...Have to say, I will probably drive.

-Mark in St. Louis

[EDS]

I prefer the hat plus neck gaiter.

[rwsaunders]

Snoods and neck gaiters coupled with a helmet liner. If I could muster the courage to do so, I'd cut the balaclava/hood from my Fugujack, but I'm worried that the Assos girl would unfriend me on Facebook.

[unterhausen]

at low enough temps to actually worry about, say 20F, I like a neck gaiter independent of what I am wearing on my head.

A neck gaiter and a really good ear band works for me at very low temps -- down to the teens Fahrenheit . Somewhere below zero F. you need to cover your face or bad things happen.

[Peter P.]

In the 30's and below, I wear a balaclava. Gotta protect the ears. Some are stretchy enough to pull the opening over your head and wear as a neck gaiter. There are some deliberately designed to perform double duty.

Also, in the cold, dry weather, some Vaseline on the nose and other exposed skin helps.

[markie]

I like the neck gaiter. I have tried loads of balaclavas and they are either too tight or bunch up and let air in. Also when you get hot or cold they are hard to adjust on the fly.

Nowadays I use the gaiter with a hat. On a climb you can pull the gaiter down and breath through your mouth. On the descent pull it it to just below your eyes.

If it is super cold <0F I'll use two gaiters and two hats. FWIW I just rode the 10 miles home from work and it was 10F. The icebreaker gaiter is my favorite.

Here is a pic from last year: https://flic.kr/p/b7zjVB

[Schmed]

Sub zero is very different than 20s.

At 10 degrees (last week), I was perfect with a stretchy, fairly thin balaclava. When climbing, I'd pull it under my chin so I could breath better. When descending, I pulled it up over my nose.

How about this?

o 25-35 - thin hat under bike helmet is plenty
o 10-25 - thin balaclava works best
o <10 - thicker balaclava

Moisture management is always the key in cold weather. I also stuff extra warm clothes in my jersey in case I'm far away and too cold.

[xjoex]

I wear a neck gaiter and a hat. Never a winter cycling cap, those things are terrible at keeping my ears warm. 20 minutes into a ride one ear is half uncovered and numb...

I like the gaiter because it is easy to raise and lower while regulating heat. Also the gaiter fits over the helmet straps.

I like a fleece gaiter below 25, and above 25 I wear a buff, the wool buff or original.

Fleece Gaiter
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-swmN_cawh9M/UOCfADN17AI/AAAAAAAASIk/jWHpiUxewbE/s512/PC300209.jpg

Buff
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4O2UyzRXLlI/VFpOHQQiINI/AAAAAAAAThw/bl3lDuqS6dM/s720/P1070064.jpg

-Joe

[saab2000]

I need to try a neck gaiter. Right now below 40ºF I wear a 45North merino wool hat under the helmet, which in winter is a size larger than normal.

A few years ago I was offered a buy-in on a helmet deal from a local team. I tried it and ended up with a Giro helmet a size larger than I wanted. This was a HUGE blessing in disguise. I kept the helmet and it's now my default winter helm when using a thick wool cap underneath. It has an earflap and is a great winter head covering, with the helmet keeping things snug and the helmet strap keeping the earflap in place. But a neck covering sounds good on cold days.

FWIW, my personal limit is about 20ºF if there's no wind and maybe 25ºF with a bit of wind. So we're not talking extreme cold here. But it's still plenty cool.