Cycling in Chilly Weather

Bike Tours Tips & Tricks: Cycling in Chilly Weather

by Brynn Cunningham

When the temperatures start to dip, it signifies the end of cycling season for many of us. A 35-degree day with high winds and scattered showers? Yikes! Those types of forecasts can keep even the most hardened cyclists indoors, dreaming of warmer days to come, like your Wilderness Voyageurs bike tour vacation next summer…

But it doesn’t have to be that way!

With a few key pieces of gear and a dose of motivation, riding outside up until the trails and roads freeze over becomes no big deal. 

So let’s talk about riding in temperatures ranging from 33 to 50. For those of us who live in four-season regions, that’s fall, a bit of winter, and early springtime, which amounts to many days out of the year. 

Below are three tips that improve your riding experience in 33-to-50-degree weather, plus words of wisdom from some of your favorite Wilderness Voyageurs Bike Tour Guides.

Have a strategy for keeping your hands warm

Some of us can get away with little to no hand protection much of the time. Others of us begin to experience cold hands or worse, Reynauld’s-type symptoms, at the first rain drop or breeze, completely derailing our ability to stay outside and recreate, particularly to ride a bike. 

“Once your hands and feet get cold everything else goes quickly, too,” says Tour Manager/ Guide Heidi Coulter. 

So, have a personalized strategy that works for your hands. Clammy, warm-handed riders will differ in their cycling glove requirements from their dry, cold-handed fellow riders. 

Additionally, take your route into account. If it begins on a downhill, wear thicker gloves to start. If you have a big, sweat-inducing climb, take off the gloves and stash them inside your shirt, sports bra, saddle bag, pockets, whatever works! Then put them on again for the next flat or downhill. 

For instance, the other day I rode about 2.5 miles downhill, then unzipped my windbreaker almost all the way, stashed my gloves in said windbreaker like a kangaroo pouch, and rode uphill for 5.5 miles. At the top, I zipped and gloved back up for a four-mile descent, and on and on….

Pack an extra pair of gloves that are either lighter or heavier than the ones you started out wearing, especially if you began in the morning, and it rose from 33 to 50 within your ride. 

Sealskinz, a brand we carry in our Ohiopyle outfitters store, offers many different cycling gloves. 

Seasoned cyclist and Guide Chuck Morris uses the water resistant Pearl Izumi Cyclone Gel Gloves for cool weather. Heidi prefers water resistant and windproof gloves, too, while Tour Manager/ Guide Paul Kingsbury skips the gloves and goes straight for cycling-specific wool mittens made by a friend. He says he’s never found anything better!  

Bikepacking.com reviews the best cycling gloves for all conditions in this article.

All in all, regulating hand temperature is manageable if you put in a little thought and preparation. It might take some experimenting, but don’t let your cold hands keep you from enjoying the beauty of fall foliage or spring wild flowers from the saddle!

Dress in layers

This one may seem like an age-old adage by now. That’s because it works.

I can’t count how many times I’ve started out wearing a lightweight, weather-resistant jacket like the Patagonia Houdini over a synthetic fabric or merino wool midweight long-sleeve over a light t-shirt, just to strip down to the short-sleeve for the steep climbs, and layering back up for the miles-long descents to avoid getting too wet from sweat.  

“Riding in the cold is all about heat and moisture control. Your body will generate enough heat as you pedal. The trick is to not let the wind cut through your clothing and rob the heat and to not overdress and get hot and sweaty. Too hot, and your energy is sapped; too sweaty, and eventually you’ll get cold,” says Guide Paul. 

• Rule Number One for Sweat Management: Don’t Overdress!
• Rule Number Two for Sweat Management: Remove a layer as soon as you feel yourself beginning to sweat. For me, that goes for gloves, too. Especially gloves. 

What to do with all those layers when not in use, you say? Again, cool-weather cycling takes a bit of planning. Whereas in the summertime we might leave the trailhead with nothing but bottles in our cages and a repair kit in our bike saddle bag, during the shoulder seasons, it’s smart to take an extra handlebar bag or wear a hydration vest or waist pack with a large enough capacity to fit all those layers.

Look for a lightweight jacket with a stuffable chest pocket or featherweight material to make packing easier. Guide Heidi uses the Trail Wind Jacket by Specialized. A weather-resistant vest is another perfect layering piece to bring along. 

Tour Managers/ Guides Heidi, Paul, Chuck, Patty Ann (P.A.) McLaughlin and I all love layering with merino wool, which provides natural thermoregulation, moisture wicking, and breathability. Click here for my favorite merino wool items, good for runners and cyclists alike, and all outdoor sports, for that matter. 

“It’s all about wool, windshells, and zippers,” says Guide Paul. “At 50 degrees, I’d wear a thin cycling cap under my helmet, a merino wool base layer with a heavier wool long sleeve jersey, sealed up with a windfront vest. Then riding pants over my legs. Perhaps some light gloves. 

“For riding closer to 30 degrees, I’d swap the thin cap for a wool cap with ear flaps (by 45NRTH), a merino neck gaiter, wool mittens, a wind jacket instead of the vest, maybe merino wool long underwear under the pants, and windproof shoe covers.” Paul also recommends wearing loose-fitting clothing, as tight clothes restricts circulation and cuts off the warm air between each layer.

Heidi’s favorite wool baselayers are the Mons Royale Cascade Long Sleeve and Smartwool 

Classic Thermal Crew, while one of my favorites is the Ridge Merino Midweight High Neck top. The neck pulls way up over my nose and eliminates the need for a neck gaiter. I like covering my chin when riding against the wind. It can even pull up over the back of the head for a makeshift head covering. 

Synthetic material options are great, too. Guide P.A. and I recommend Patagonia Capilene base layers. “If you’re into reducing your carbon footprint, capilene is made from 100 percent recycled materials. It’s not inexpensive, but I can attest to it lasting season after season,” says P.A. I can, too. 

P.A. prefers the half-zip Capilene over the crew neck for extra ventilation. As Paul says, “Front zips and pit zips and adjustable wrist cuffs” are key to releasing or containing heat. 

For more on layering, including how to dress on a cool morning versus a wet autumn day versus a cold, dry day, refer to our blog, How To: Dress for a Fall Bike Ride.  

Invest in waterproof cycling pants

For years, I would head out on my bike in windproof-ish running joggers during stormy weather, only to return soaking wet and freezing. Finally, I had enough. 

In my mind, the choices were:

• Go to a spin class 
• Get an indoor trainer like Zwift or something more basic from Facebook Marketplace
• Spend money on the pants listed below

I chose the latter. 

First, I got some Gorewear Windstopper pants. Those work well for cool, dry days, but the soft shell backside doesn’t repel water enough on my often wet and muddy trails and gravel roads, and definitely not during rain. 

Enter waterproof pants! 

I have two: 

• One ultra light thin capri style by Endura for very high 40s and 50-degree days. In fact, I wore them paired with light Terry leggings on a mixed terrain 11.6-mile ride right before sunset just the other day with spitting rain and wind and 1,100 feet of climbing and equal descent. It’s as if they were made for that exact type of ride. 

• The second are the game-changing Patagonia Dirt Roamer Storm Pants, 100 percent water-and-weather proof, breathable, stretchy, three-layer, and durable, featuring zippered thigh vents. Without a doubt, they are sometimes the only reason I hop on my bike when it’s 45 and under and even colder. Rain, muddy trails, howling wind, exposed gravel roads, borderline freezing temps, bring it on! 

Guide Chuck, who wears them four to five days per week all winter, also swears by the Patagonia Dirt Roamer Storm Pants. 

“These pants are great from 50 to single-digit temperatures (with heavy weight leggings under), are really comfortable, and very weatherproof. For a layer under the Dirt Roamer pants I’ll wear lightweight quick drying merino wool or synthetic leggings. If temps drop below 30, I’ll use a heavy layer under them,” says Chuck. 

Needless to say, 100 percent waterproof pants are 100 percent worth it. Even if it’s not wet or rainy, as their name indicates, they simply provide extra warmth and wind protection. 

To add on to Chuck’s advice, I like pairing them with short chamois underneath to prevent overheating on the warmer side of cool weather, like for a 50-degree mostly downhill ride. While layering with thermal chamois in the coldest weather is a sure bet for staying cozy, warm and happy. 

Take heed, though: Guide Heidi says, “waterproofing can be a sweat trap.” So remember Rule Number One and Two for Sweat Management (listed above), especially if you’re a heavy sweater or generally run hot. 

Lots of brands, like Pearl Izumi, Gorewear, and Showers Pass, offer waterproof cycling pants. 

Cycling Weekly rates and reviews some here. 

Explore the pants options, find the best version for your type of riding, terrain, sweat profile, and environment, and get yourself this extra motivating, get-me-out-the-door-and-on-my-bike piece of gear!

Final thoughts

Brynn has been working for the Wilderness Voyageurs Bike Tours Department since 2019. She began mountain biking and gravel riding regularly in 2010 (back before “gravel” was popularized), is a member of the Ohiopyle Biking Club, leads their Lady Ripper rides, and currently lives and plays year round in Ohiopyle, PA, where it’s 33-50 degrees approximately five months out of the year.