What cycling clothing to wear in what weather conditions

Getting out on a ride wearing either too much or too little cycling clothing? This article discusses the sort of cycling clothing that I wear and how much of it based on the weather conditions. It provides information to help you decide.

Cycling is a little different to other sports because you are moving through the air faster than some sports, like say running, so will suffer more from wind chill.

Matching my cycling clothing choice in the morning to the weather conditions for the day is really important. If you are of a lean build then you will feel the cold more than others and can suffer from first stages of hypothermia very easily. If you stop on cold days or descend down long hills you also have to be particularly careful.

We are lucky in Australia in that the weather stays relative good all year around for riding. So the temperatures I'm dealing with range from 0 degrees to 42 degrees.

Personal preferences plays an important part of clothing selection. These guidelines are based on mine. If you use these guidelines you may find that you will be a little over dressed. By establishing your own preferences you'll have less chance of getting out on a ride wearing either too much or too little.

Here is how I go about selecting clothing for the days ride...

I have three tools I use before each ride:

• The most important one is an outside electronic thermometer. This measures the outside temperature and displays it on a screen in our bathroom.
• The second is the weather forecast. I fire up the computer or look at my iPhone and check the min and max temperatures for the day. I also check the local rain radar to see what's coming
• Finally, I look outside and check the current cloud cover.

Here are my personal guidelines:

0-10 degrees:
Anything under 10 degrees means that I wear booties and gloves. I also wear long sleeve "roubaix" jersey, "roubaix" bib shorts, short sleeve woollen undergarment, full length leg warmers, a wind vest and a cotton cap. If it's below 5 degrees then I'll wear ear warmers as well. I'll also swap my short sleeve woollen undergarment for a long sleeved one. If I'm going to be doing a lot of descending I'll swap my cotton cap for a thin thermal hat.

10-15 degrees:
I wear a long sleeve "roubaix" jersey, normal weight bib shorts, short sleeve woollen undergarment, full length leg warmers, a wind vest and a cotton cap.

15-20 degrees:
Short sleeve jersey with arm warmers, normal weight bib shorts, short sleeve woollen undergarment, 3/4 leg warmers (knee warmers), a wind vest and a cotton cap.

20-25 degrees:
Short sleeve jersey with arm warmers, short sleeve cotton undergarment, normal bib shorts with 3/4 leg warmers (knee warmers), cotton cycling cap.

25-30 degrees:
Short sleeve jersey, short sleeve cotton undergarment, normal bib shorts and cotton cycling cap.

30+ degrees
At this point I feel like I'm almost naked! Short sleeve jersey, normal bib shorts and a sweat band under my helmet to replace my cotton cap.

Ok, some environmental considerations…

Rain - If it is raining or going to rain then I'll dress a little warmer.

Sunny day – If it is a sunny day then I'll dress with a little less clothing. This it usually because on sunny days the temp will warm up quickly.

Overcast – I stay with my plan.

Intensity of training - If I'm racing or training very hard then I'll usually dress with a little less clothing. But, if I am going to be riding slowly after the hard training session then I'll take a wind vest or other warm clothing items with me to ensure that I don't get cold. Consequently, if I am riding very slowly; like a recovery ride or taking out slower riders on a training ride I'll rug up more.

Long descending - If the temperature is lower than 25 degrees I'll always take a wind vest with me if I am going on a ride that has lots of long descending. I'll zip it down when climbing, then zip it up when descending.

I generally choose clothing based on the initial temperature and strip off clothing as it gets warmer.

Please note that in all cases I wear a Australian standard helmet while riding as it's the law in Australia.