Cam MTB - the Cambridge Mountain Bikers' Forum

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DISCLAIMER. MOUNTAIN BIKING CAN BE DANGEROUS. YOU JOIN US AT YOUR OWN RISK.

SAFETY BRIEFING.

  • Wear a helmet. Despite recent advances in medical science, brains still cannot be mended nor replaced.
  • Wear gloves or mitts. Hands often hit the ground first. Cuts and grazes invite infection and a hospital visit.
  • Wear eye protection, it only takes a twig or thorn to lose an eye. Crud catchers are a good idea in mucky weather.
  • When downhilling, for your own protection, allow plenty of space behind the rider in front.
  • Bring a bare minimum emergency tool kit and a spare inner tube.
  • Breakdowns are a bore. Plan not to have any by ensuring your bike is in perfect working order.
  • Punctures are also tedious. You can minimise them by fitting latex tubes, slime tubes or running tubeless tyres.

Photo: CAMMTB Winter 2022-23 rides have been posted up - please click on the Runs List link..

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Winter Clothing?..

What kind of kit do you lot wear when it's as cold as it was yesterday evening?..

I'm currently looking at lightweight windstoppers with the aim of using a base layer, and possibly a fleece if need be for warmth. I've been a bit of a fair weather cyclist to date, so don't have much to go on for the winter months.

How about legs?

Cheers,
Dean.

Re: Winter Clothing?..

last night i was using a Helly Hansen base layer
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/helly-hansen-freeze-12-zip-turtle-base-layer/
then a short sleave t-shirt, long sleave top, and then a wind stopper top.

i was too warm, should have ditched the t-shirt.

but as far as the base layer goes i can not recogmend this highly enough. they are warm, comfortable, and don't smell after a hard ride.

failing this, any merino wool base layer will give the same properties.

legs, i use a pair of under shorts, a pair of over the knee Endura MT500 3/4 shorts
http://www.walkerscyclingshop.co.uk/ProductInfo.asp?ProductID=421
and then a pair of full length bib shorts.

my knees don't get cold, and you can peal the mud off when you get home.


oh yes, gloves, decent wind stopper gloves and a thin pair of merino wool glove liners.

Re: Winter Clothing?..

No need to go to the great expense, was'nt Duncan wearing a basque and lacy top stockings........

Re: Winter Clothing?..

I use a Buffalo cycling shirt, which you can order from the Army & Navy shop near the Arts Cinema. It's not as thick/hot as the Buffalo tops some of the others wear. The Buffalo website shows it in yellow, but I got mine in black, which is also a stock item. It's about £90 and is a Pertex lined showerproof top. It's the only top layer I use from October through to March, unless it's lashing down (I probably don't go out anyway) or sub zero when I may wear a thin base layer, although it's designed to be used with no base layer. It really is the best item of cycling clothing I own (I've just bought a spare).
Good Roubaix bib tights, good gloves, overshoes and a Buff to cover your ears are also well worth the investment if you want to keep riding through the winter.

Re: Winter Clothing?..

Depends what you're comfortable with.

I'm a bit like Pat and go for the two long sleeved layers - top being at least windproof, but zipped in case you need to cool down. I've gone for an Endura MT-500 shirt and Altura Night Vision Evo jacket, but I keep an extra Cool-Max t-shirt in the bag, just in case I need another layer.

For undercrackers I wear a pair of bib shorts (thin warm panel for back, you see) with a pair of Altura Winter Cruisers on top.

Feet are encased in SealSkins socks, Shimano shoes and Endura MT-500 overshoes. Plenty warm enough.

Bonce? Normal helmet and a Buff.

As for gloves, I just had full finger gloves last night and they did OK, but I've got a pair of winter gloves stashed in the bag. Good idea to keep a spare pair as they sweat up often and they can be freezing when put on damp after the pub.

Here ends Pasty's fashion tips.

PT

Re: Winter Clothing?..

Thanks guys, that's given me plenty to go on.

I've numerous base layers from trekking trips, so I'll try layering them up with a windstopper as a starting point.

I think gloves could be an issue for me - I cycled from the center back to Milton yesterday wearing some half decent Endura Strikes with a liner, and my finger tips were painfully cold by the time I was home.

Thanks,
Dean.

Re: Winter Clothing?..

wearing:

Endura Transmition base layer
Northwave cycling jersey
Endura Windchill Soft shell
stashed in my camelbak is a cheapy endura showerproof too

Also wearing some lidl Lycra longs, and sometimes some altura shorts underneath as the lidl padding is near non existent. Next week on pay day I'll be ordering some DHB biblongs, as all the mags seem to be raving about them for £45.

Usually got some Bonty thermal socks on, then another on top as i get very cold toes, with shimano shoes and endura MT500 overshoes.

Got a thing around my ears and a normal helmet. Sometimes got one of those tube things from skiing to keep my neck warm

Get very cold fingers too, so got some nice thick altura gloves with the essential bogey patch, handy in the cold wind

Kept me tosty at -2 deg this weekend, so long as i kept my speed up

however, i genuinely cant wait for the summer for the simplicity of cycling jersey and baggys!

Re: Winter Clothing?..

Fockin hell m8 sounds like my old womans shopping list.

Re: Winter Clothing?..

Hi Dean,
regarding the cold hands, i can cycle in to work about 2 miles / 10 mins ride, and my fingers will be numb to the second knuckle. the pain as they thaw out is incredible.

I use the same gloves i would ride with in the evening. liners and wind proof or liners and seal skin MTB Technical.

I think it is more a case of your body not getting a chance to adapt to the cold and pump the extra blood out to your fingers on a short ride, where as a long ride, your body understands you are not going to get hypothermia and lets the blood flow where it is wanted (fingers and toes). que the doctors of medicine to explain this or rubbish it.

I have ridden in the evening in conditions far worse than we are experiencing at the mo and have no problems after about 20 mins, it is just cold and uncomfortable for a while. Just try to make sure your hands are dry ( and preferably warm) before you go into the cold and also it helps if your arms are warm, as damp hands makes things worse for me.

alternately you could use some lighter fluid and some matches to warm your hands, and the light given off means you wouldn't need an expensive light either.


it seems as if most of us are in genral agreement, some/lots of thin layers allowing for you to get comfortable in the weather of the moment.

Re: Winter Clothing?..

Re: Numb fingers,

Cheers for that, that's interesting. The pain in the end inch or so when they were 'thawing out' was indeed quite horrible. But now I remember it, I was at Thetford a week or two back, and they went numb for the first 10 mins or so, but then returned to comfortable levels once I'd got going.

I'm now waiting on an order from Wiggle (a decent money off offer ends today), so I hope to pop along at some point to say hi, and talk lights.

I'm also happy to see you demonstrate the lighter fluid technique. :)

Re: Winter Clothing?..

Last Tuesday I made the mistake of wearing two pairs of socks under my cycle shoes. The shoes were so tight I think it restricted the blood flow to my toes!

Consequently I was hopping around in agony when I got home as my feet defrosted.

I've just got some MT-500 overshoes so hopefully next time it won't be so bad!

Re: Winter Clothing?..

This winter I are be mostly wearing:

Dolce an' Gabbana and a nylon thong

JFT

Re: Winter Clothing?..

Been to Primark and cant find any D&G clothing or thongs do they have to be nylon? only im into rubber as my fettish...

Re: Winter Clothing?..

Spare inner tube, and nothing else?

Re: Winter Clothing?..

Maybe we should have a theme for the christmas party ?......

Re: Winter Clothing?..

got my DHB biblongs through today, super warm!

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-pace-roubaix-bib-tight-with-pad-2011/

cheap, warm, good fit, good padding, well worth the cash. will ride them this weekend if my knee repairs itself!

Re: Winter Clothing?..

Arg, stupid jacket sizing...

With T-Shirts etc, I'm normally bang in the middle between Medium & large, so I ordered 2 large jackets as a starting point.. One was too small, and the other I could barely zip up!

Back to Wiggle they go..