When Assos Thermals Were the Only Warm Clothes Out There...

i'm going to get back into the bike all year round and am slowly getting all the stuff together to make cycling bearable in the winter months. i'm not keen on the idea but i'm not going to lose a stone and a half by merely wishing for it!!

i am longggg out of winter cycling - the last time i rode a bike and got frozen toes must have been the late 80s!! can you guys and gals recommend modern clothing that's going to keep me warm out there and not break the bank ie A.S.S.O.S (as much as i'd like it, that is!!) i need thermals and decent overshoes. i'll stick with the old faithfuls- the helly hansen mitts - the circulation in my fingers is so dreadful in the cold that only mitts will do, as cumbersome as they may be.

many thanks
craig

Assos are very good but the price is a bit prohibitive to say the least. I have some Lusso Super Roubaix bib tights for about 8 years and for the money - about £30 I think - they are excellent.

If you really feel the cold then I have some Endura Stealth softshell bib tights spare.

DHB kit from Wiggle is good value by all accounts. Modern materials make winter cycling far more tolerable than 30 years ago where your wet, woolly jersey and shorts would get water-logged and hanging around your ar$e

Decathlon winter bib tights. Ground Effect Diablo socks and BBB overshoes. DHB neoprene gloves with latex gloves inside to act as a vapour lock. Gore winter jacket on the top for colder days.

I rode at temperatures down to -8 last winter with this lot on and it kept me toasty.

On the weight loss, i have dropped a stone in 4 weeks - by stopping eating all the good stuff . NO crisps, butter, cheese, white bread, , burgers, sausages, Mars Bars and milk chocolate. I have started eating fruit, cup-a-soup, diet biscuits (which are actually nice).

I lost my weight and now i am looking to get mobile on my bike - hence my numerous maintenance posts. I thought the sight of me and my keg in lycra would be too much for the public to see and i thought that if i go out in darkness i would have to buy lights - i am stingy!!!

Good luck with your cycling and weight loss - i am now 7 weeks into my sorta healthy eating and have lost 16 - 17 lbs and am happy where i am - bloody new jeans had to be taken in after 2 weeks!!! I should add, that if i want a beer etc or go out for a meal, i forget about the diet - it is only one day and the weight seems to stay off.

Next thing is exercise - we will see how that goes!!

Good luck

Windproofing is where it's at. You can get away with nothing more than long tights and a long sleeve lycra top if you stick a windproof layer over the top. I use a Montane featherlight smock, which is about £45. You won't overheat and it's slightly breathable, so you don't sweat too much in it. If you just want to try out the principle, get hold of a pack-a-mack because they are similar material.

Though I do admit my Movember facial additions have been keeping my face quite a lot warmer than it was last year without them

Just ordered a bit of Northwave kit for the shop as it's great stuff for the money. Fabric feels Assosy - but prices are Giordana-y.

I have a Giordana windtex jacket which is toasty. I've seen similar on ebay for £30.

thanks for your recommendations, folks.

the eddy merckx corsa extra frame should be with me at the start of next week so i'm on the look out for parts to build it - retro of course!!




craig

similarly feeling the need to protect myself against the northern baltic air

I'm still using a set of santini thermal bid tights that I bought 10+ years ago. they were expensive but worth.

asked santa for a warm pair last year, received endura thermolite... went out, was freezing

sigma have got some decent deals on bib thighs at the moment

http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/c/1477/cycl ... ort-081112

ordering Giordana Fusion Solid Bibtights (no pad) £28, sounds cheap, hopefully they'll be warm.

for pedalling in the winter I like padless shorts, so I can wear shorts or 3/4s underneath and get the benefit of an addition layer