Im in the PNW so not that cold - mid 30’s in the morning and right now 50’s in the afternoon. It will soon be 30-40’s throughout the day. Not much sub freezing and since i ride indoors when its wet i’m not THAT concerned about the temps.
For the hands I liked shelled micro pile mitts. For the body, mesh base, then active insulation under a windproof shell. For the legs a roubaix type material. For my feet, summer shoes with neoprene toe covers. I find that good enough down to 21F or so.
I think some type of Softshell jacket is my favorite piece of winter kit, its more breathable than a full winter jacket. A gilet or thin rain jacket can be worn on top when need be. I rarely ride these days when its below 0 deg C (32F).
My go to for chilly dry weather is a thick base layer. I have a great one that I ski in with a head band/ear warmers. Coupled with this fleece jacket and a gator.
For feet I bought a pair of Fizik Attica R5 shoes. (They run big)
I will probably sell them since it’s now mid October and it’s going to be 95F tomorrow. 5 years ago it was cold in the winter here.
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As long as they don’t have a laminate , which are just sweaty as hell.
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Shove a thick section of newspaper in your front chest area inside your jacket. It blocks the wind, keeps you warm and sucks up moisture…and it’s free. At the time fellow riders thought I was a dork…now years later they call it genius.
Living in the miserable winter wonder land of Upstate NY and having “cold feet” I’ve had plenty of practice with cold weather gear. So here’s my Foot stuff
These are my go to for cooler dry rides 40F to 55F over my regular road shoes Cycling Shoe Covers – DeFeet
When it gets colder 30F to 40F or is wet I’ll use a waterproof shoe cover over these along with activated toe or hand warmers Amazon.com: HotHands Toe Warmers - Long Lasting, Odorless, Air Activated - Up to 8 Hours of Heat - 20 Pair : Sports & Outdoors
Colder below freezing for winter fat bike riding etc either the 45North Wolvhammer or Lake MX146 boot with the toe warmers
For hands a pair of thin heated gloves https://bit.ly/saviorheatS20glove just make sure size up (they run small) and to get a very thin liner glove as your hands may sweat and they can be a pain to get back on if you take them off mid ride
Cheers
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I found that the thing making my feet cold was as much that my shoes weren’t insulated enough as it was my shins. It was like the blood was cooling before it got to my feet so winter shoes and shoe covers only did so much. Spatz wear knee high overshoes have been amazing. They look dorky as hell and you do get pretty sweaty underneath but my feet have never been warmer.
Also dorky looking but also work extremely well are bar mitts. It takes some practice to be comfortable with your hands in them but you can wear thin mtb gloves down to freezing and even bare handed down into the 30s F. So your hands stay warm but you still have the dexterity to grab food, mess with your phone, or whatever else.
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