Im either sweating and cold or just cold. no happy medium for myself
Riding outside in cold weatherā¦ inside on trainer in cold garage/shedā¦ some details will improve the help people can give. Are you expecting equipment / clothing related suggestions or something else?
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ā¦ It would also help if you indicated what you are currently wearing on hands and feet.
But for winter outdoor riding, my first priority is choosing a course where I donāt have to vary the level of effort very much, or as little as possible. Itās a lot easier to dress if youāre not having to work hard up hill and then fly down hill. Although long climbs are ok if you have the gearing to keep the effort down.
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when Iām riding outside, my hands and feet definitely get cold and numb, usually my hands warm up first. I was thinking of getting those little warming pads for my feet to keepāem toasty for the first couple of hours of those early morning rides. For now, I just used double socks - a thinner pair of cycling wool socks and thicker wool socks on top. I also have the toe covers on my road shoes. Iāve got pretty warm bulky pearl Izumi gloves for the first part of the ride then I shed those and put on some lighter gloves once itās warm enough.
7roads pogies for my hands. I can be with no gloves 30 degrees F and higherā¦and just ride the hoods for a few min here and there. it actually can get too hot. below 30 I wear thin gloves
for my feet I have shimano winter shoes and Lenz heated socks.
i am an extreme baby when it comes to cold and these work great.
When itās really really cold itās winter shoes, fuzzy yellow gloves or neoprene gloves. While this keeps me warm the trade off is lack of grip and feel.
Hereās what I typically wearā¦
45F-32F
- insulated shoes covers and gloves
- short-sleeve wool base, long-sleeve jersey, wind jacket or vest
- knickers or knee-warmers if itās sunny; leg warmers or tights if overcast or wet
- thin wool cap under helmet
32F-20F
- insulated shoes covers and heavy gloves, possibly with glove liners
- LS wool base, LS jersey, soft-shell jacket
- neck gaiter, possibly pulled over face/mouth
- heavier cap under helmet
- winter-weight bibs and leg warmers or heavy tights
- limit ride time to ~2 hours, especially if wet
Sub-20*F
- Basically never happens, unless itās a snow day and Iām farting about on the mountain bike.
- Flat pedals with boots and heavy socks
- Heavy waterproof tights
- Heavy āskiā gloves
- Goggles
- balaclava
- as many layers on torso as required
- Ride time limited to 90 minutes or so
- plan on hot tea at finish (thermos if in car)
For me, itās more about making sure I get warm as quick as possible after the ride. I donāt seem to get miserably cold while riding (total shit wet weather notwithstanding). But, if I donāt get warmed up quickly, I stay chilled all day and that ends up a useless/miserable afternoon/evening.
And it really is about layering (and actively managing layers during the ride) to avoid getting soaked with sweat.
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Great list.
I recently discovered this. Itās cheap, and itās great for preventing that freezing forehead feeling. I have a lot of hair to keep the wind off the top of my head, so this has worked great for stopping the cold without overhearing. I sometimes also combine it with a buff over my ears (and mouth/nose if needed)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002U4OV9U/ref=dp_iou_view_item?ie=UTF8&th=1
Another trick Iāve seen is painterās/gafferās tape over the front vents in the helmet. Easy to remove and keep the cold air from freezing your sinuses/brain. Lazer also has āaeroā shells that snap over some of their road helmets for a similar effect (sold for aero purposes, but I think Iād get more use as cold-blockers).
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Hereās a low-cost hack for the feet. Place worn out wool socks completely over your shoes. Then double them back so they only cover the front half of the shoe. This also leaves a pocket over the toes where you can insert a hand warmer. You have to cut a hole in the bottom for your cleats.
I then put my shoe covers on over top of this hideous looking hack 
. I find the Pearl Izumi AmFib shoe covers generously sized for this application. I have one pair of shoes that stay rigged like this for winter.
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By living in fl
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Buffalo mitts for the hands down to -10C. Shoes just my summer ones with neoprene toe covers.
Iāll ride down to 20Ā°F with a ā¤20mph wind. Anything below that or windier is no longer a go for me. I donāt want to spend the money on more extreme gear for occasional sub-20Ā°F rides.
HANDS
I want these for around sub-25Ā°F or long days sub-32Ā°F. You can get cheaper neoprene pogies, but these can easily fold away into a pocket if it warms up on a long ride.
I currently use the following because you can use or tuck away the crab claw wind protection, plus you can fit a thin glove liner inside for more insulation:
FEET
I have the Pro 2 (previous) version of these. If I bought them today, Iād buy these instead:
Underneath them, I use thick socks that go up the shins (also Spatz).
Dedicated winter road boots may have more interior room for a thicker insulated insole, but the additional stack will change your fit. Some people change it for the season, their winter bike, donāt mind adjusting more frequently or donāt need to/care about the difference.
For regular-length winter socks, I like these the best:
What are those gloves? Iāve gotten 2 pair of neoprene and was colder than thinner regular gloves
What temps are those gloves for in your experience. They seem thin?
Which shoe covers exactly? Iāve got several and none are doing this trick. Is it just a matter of more socks?
Do your shoes have vents on the bottom or toe that are allowing air in?
Yes. They are giro knitsā¦ But should that matter w/ show covers
Underrated comment 
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Definitely. Unless your shoe covers cover 100% of the shoe.