Bike Clothing Diary

Here is the documentation I kept about what I wore in different conditions and how it worked. These entries are sorted from coldest to warmest.

Date Temperature Wind Weather Ride Type/Length Bottom Top Hands Feet Hat Neck Other Notes
12/05/24 12°   mostly sunny commute PI softshell tights & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & softshell jacket 45N heavy gloves boots Rapha deep winter hat bandana   Well, my head, neck, and hands were cozy. Everything else was pretty chilly by the destination, but just skin level. Toes were especially cold—will need a plan if these temps continue.
01/22/25 13° gusty & moderately windy snowing commute thermal knickers & HAC warmup pants with leg warmers thermal daisy jersey & softshell jacket & HAC vest 45N heavy gloves boots Rapha deep winter hat bandana   Preheated gloves and boots helped a lot. Feel were chilly by the time I got to the office, but not too too bad. Preheating gave my body a chance to warm up before everything got too cold. I think the wind vest actually helped a bit.
01/08/25 19° calm sunny commute PI softshell tights & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & softshell jacket 45N heavy gloves boots windproof earflap hat bandana   My boots were cold when I put them on and that was not great. I stood around inside to try to get them up to temp, but didn’t wait long enough and halfway through the ride my feet were very cold. Everything else was pretty comfy. If the shadows weren’t so long in the winter I’d probably have been fine, but even full sun doesn’t give much sun these days.
01/23/25 20° light mostly sunny 30 min casual velocio long thermal bibs & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & softshell jacket 45N heavy gloves boots windproof earflap hat bandana   preheated gloves were great, overall pretty comfy, especially in the sun. Shady spots were chilly but safe and not painful overall.
12/11/24 22° windy & gusty dark commute velocio long thermal bibs & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & softshell jacket 45N heavy gloves boots windproof earflap hat bandana   I was quite cold in the legs, arms, and torso. While the wind wasn’t getting through the layers, it chilled them thoroughly and I would have appreciated another layer of both pants and jacket. Oof.
01/08/25 22° Calm Dark commute PI softshell tights & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & softshell jacket 45N heavy gloves boots windproof earflap hat bandana   Everything was warm when I put it on this time and was generally comfy through the ride. A little chilly on shoulders and oddly forehead, but overall fine.
01/22/25 24° light dark commute thermal knickers & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & softshell jacket 45N heavy gloves boots windproof earflap hat bandana   Pretty comfy overall, it was much warmer than the morning so I dropped a couple of layers. I could tell that the warmer temp allowed my body temp rising to compensate for the cold temp outside, whereas in the morning, seems like no amount of internal temp could combat the cold!
02/04/25 26° Calm Sunny commute thermal knickers & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & softshell jacket 45N heavy gloves boots windproof earflap hat bandana   thankful to have pre-heated my gloves and boots, but overall this was sufficient. It was bordering on chilly, but I also ended up fairly sweaty, so it was probably a good balance.
11/26/24 32° calm sunny commute velocio long thermal bibs merino LS knit & HAC woolie sunrise gloves Giro SPD & toe covers windproof earflap hat bandana   Well, the leggings were a bit chilly. Moments in the sun helped. They were fine but I would have been more comfortable with more insulation. The wind came through the top a little bit, but not too much, I think this combo on top was appropriate & appreciated the bandana. Toes were pretty chilly, hands and ears were comfy.
12/11/24 32°   overcast commute velocio long thermal bibs & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & softshell jacket 45N heavy gloves boots windproof earflap hat bandana   Toes were a bit cold but overall comfy.
12/18/24 32°   sunny commute bib shorts & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & HAC woolie & HAC vest sunrise gloves Giro flat shoes windproof earflap hat bandana   Fingers & toes were a bit chilly, but not too bad, overall fine.
12/10/24 33°   overcast commute bib shorts & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & Patagonia Houdini sunrise gloves Giro flat shoes windproof earflap hat bandana   Overall fine, toes and upper arms were a bit cold by the time I got to the office.
12/17/24 33°   dark commute bib shorts & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & HAC woolie & HAC vest sunrise gloves Giro flat shoes windproof earflap hat     Comfy and sufficient all over.
12/04/24 34° gusty mostly sunny commute lightning thermal bibs & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & softshell jacket 45N heavy gloves boots windproof earflap hat bandana   Cozy and comfy!
12/17/24 36°   overcast commute bib shorts & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & HAC woolie & HAC vest sunrise gloves Giro flat shoes windproof earflap hat     Comfy and sufficient all over.
01/28/25 36° windy & gusty sunny commute bib shorts & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & HAC woolie sunrise gloves boots windproof earflap hat     Comfy!
11/26/24 37°   dark commute velocio long thermal bibs merino LS knit & HAC woolie sunrise gloves Giro SPD & toe covers windproof earflap hat bandana   Surprisingly comfy, those few degrees really made this more comfortable on legs and toes even without the sunlight.
01/29/25 39° Light Sunny commute bib shorts & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & HAC woolie sunrise gloves Giro flat shoes windproof earflap hat     A little warm in the core honestly, but I wouldn't want to lose a layer on the arms …
03/25/25 39° light hazy commute bib shorts & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit, thermal daisy jersey, & HAC vest sunrise gloves Giro flat shoes windproof earflap hat bandana   cozy, probably would have been ok without the vest but enjoyed being a bit warm
04/09/25 40° light overcast commute bib shorts & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit, HAC woolie, & HAC vest sunrise gloves Giro flat shoes windproof earflap hat bandana   First commute in a few weeks, so I wanted to be extra cozy & rode a bit slower. This worked and I felt approprately dressed. It started to spit a bit of rain/sleet and I was worried I might be in trouble if I got wet, but thankfully it didn't last. Toes were a bit chilly at the end, might have been an issue on a longer ride but fine today.
01/29/25 43° Light Dark commute bib shorts & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & HAC woolie sunrise gloves Giro flat shoes windproof earflap hat     A little warm in the core honestly, but I wouldn't want to lose a layer on the arms …
12/30/24 44°   late afternoon sun casual ride, 1.5h velocio long thermal bibs merino tee, thermal daisy jersey & HAC vest (unzipped) sunrise gloves Giro flat shoes bonk cap bandana   Comfy and good! No stops in this ride, but also didn’t end up zipping the vest. My anxiety was glad I had it though. Skin was chilly, so it was good to hop in the shower to warm up when I got home.
11/13/24 45° light cloudy commute thermal knickers thermal daisy jersey & HAC vest sunrise gloves Giro SPD bonk cap     Everything but the ankles was pretty ok. Chilly on the skin, but core was comfy (I may have ridden a little harder than most days). Long leggings or pants would have been better.
11/12/24 46° headwind cloudy commute bib shorts & HAC warmup pants thermal daisy jersey & HAC vest sunrise gloves Giro SPD bonk cap     Feet and hands were comfy, ears were fine. Upper arms were a bit chilly, but everything else was pretty fine. I was pretty sweaty at the end, so maybe more wind block, less thermal would be better?
01/28/25 46° windy & gusty Dusk commute bib shorts & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & HAC woolie sunrise gloves boots windproof earflap hat     Pretty comfy, the wind made this just right (if it had been calm I think this would have been too much)
03/19/25 46° moderate sunny commute bib shorts & HAC warmup pants merino LS knit & HAC woolie sunrise gloves Giro flat shoes bonk cap bandana   honestly I was a little overdressed, could have done to shed a layer or at least half a ayer on top. Feet, hands, ears were all good
11/07/24 48° low sunny commute shorts merino LS knit & HAC vest sunrise gloves Giro SPD bonk cap bandana   Toes were a bit chilly, cozy everywhere else. Probably could have gotten away without the bandana with high collar on vest, but overally pretty comfy. Somewhat sweaty.
11/13/24 51°   dark & light rain commute thermal knickers thermal daisy jersey & rain jacket sunrise gloves Giro SPD bonk cap     It was warm, so much hotter than I had anticipated as the rain was not heavy and my clothes/shoes did not get meaningfully wet. Upper half was very sweaty. Would have been far better off with the vest, but thought it was going to rain harder, even with jacket mostly unzipped, arms and back got quite hot.
03/18/25 53° moderate overcast commute shorts merino LS knit & HAC vest regular-weight handup Giro flat shoes bonk cap     skin was a bit chilly but overall this clothing seemed appropriate
11/19/24 58° breezy dark & cloudy commute shorts merino LS knit regular-weight handup Giro SPD bonk cap     Good balance of chilled skin & sweatiness, but made it so I needed to get changed IMMEDIATELY when I got home.
11/19/24 59° windy & gusty overcast commute shorts short sleeves regular-weight handup Giro SPD bonk cap     Overall fine but arms were chilly. I may have been comfier in a long-sleeve but no serious regrets.
03/18/25 70° light sunny commute shorts tee shirt regular-weight handup Giro flat shoes bonk cap     incredible and perfect

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