Cycling UK Forum

Anyone use them during winter for cycling or are they just too hot?
After getting really cold today riding through snow showers it makes me wonder if there's anything that works when wet this time of year. I was thinking of the Belay jacket with the full front zip?

I've used Special 6 shirt for below freezing cycling. Anything above freezing I found to be too warm, but I run a bit hot.
There is a Techlite shirt which has a microfibre lining rather than pile which I found better in warmer conditions.
The belay jacket is designed to be worn over the top of a mountain shirt to keep you warm when you are "belaying" when you are climbing, hence the name. I did not like it on it's own as there was no baffle on the zip , so had a cold area right down my chest.

Neil

I wear the Big Face shirt (same as the cycling shirt i understand) and teclite trousers in the winter and the teclite cycling top in the spring and autumn. I find the cycling shirt is ok at about 8 degrees or below on my commute. I open the pit zips if i get too warm and wear it next to the skin

There's also the Active Lite between the Teclite and Mountain/Special 6.

Not tried any personally, but I've got an old Montane smock that's probably fairly equivalent to the Teclite, and I've used it a fair bit for winter cycling for which it's good. It'll see off a fair amount of dreich as well. I generally run pretty hot so have always eschewed the full-on Buffalo P-P stuff for my hill walking (quite often top out in just a base layer), but the lighter stuff appeals and I got the Montane over the Buffalo as it was in a bargain bin at half price rather than I thought it would be better.

The smocks are different rather than better/worse compared to jackets. Venting at the side means slightly less binary cooling/heating when riding along in cold air, and the kangaroo pocket gives a spacious and centred place to put things. OTOH they're a pain on and off in comparison (not an issue with the original idea of one garment on all day while you walk/climb, but not necessarily the thing in a general purpose cycling top).

Pete.

It must be around 25 years since I considered one of these and I see the design seems hardly changed - cycling shirt with strap under crotch. Although that's not a feature which appeals to me, they must be popular to have been available so long. The aspect I really don't understand - and this is just theory, because I've not tried one of these garments - is that the two-layers-in-one-garment arrangement seems to run contrary to the normal principle with layering that you only wear what you need, in other words, two layers in one garment seems inherently inflexible.

thirdcrank wrote:The aspect I really don't understand - and this is just theory, because I've not tried one of these garments...

It's all explained on their website.
http://www.buffalosystems.co.uk/advice/how-works/
and as you yourself identified, the secret is to try one...
I used to more-or-less live in a Mountain Shirt between October and March, back when I climbed walked or cycled all the time, simply because... they worked.

I tend to wear mine in the winter when cycling to work and pack it for the evenings when cycle camping. Nothing like putting on the Buffalo when it starts to get cold! If it is above 10 degrees it feels a little warm though and I have to cycle a little slower! There was an unseasonally warm day the other week and I arrived at work a little on the moist side and really enjoyed a cool shower to cool down. Overall love the damn thing.

simonineaston wrote: ... and as you yourself identified, the secret is to try one....

Way beyond my price range in those days, and still a lot more than I'd thoyle for a trial, now that I'm not short of a bob or two.

I used to use a layering system of Helly baselayer plus an Altura Nevis jacket but then I would arrive at work drenched in sweat because the jacket didn't breathe as much as I sweat. When I had a crash on my old road bike and slid along the tarmac I wrote off the Nevis jacket. To replace it would have cost me lots so as it was winter I just wore my Buffalo. A revelation. No more drenched commutes cos the shirt breathes a lot better and even when i do get sweated up it and me are dry in minutes. Same in heavy rain. It isn't waterproof but it will take a lot of rain to get you wet. I now have the salopettes for winter mountaineering, the mountain jacket and the teclite trousers and cycle top. Even better, it's made in Sheffield so my money has kept UK people in work

I've tried wearing my Buffalo Mountain Shirt on the bike a couple of times in the past when it's been several degrees below freezing and I've ended up uncomfortably hot, and now prefer my Rab Vapour Rise smock for those conditions as it's more breathable. If it's fairly cold and wet and windy then I tend to wear a Paramo jacket which is a relatively recent acquisition for me.

I wear my Buffalo a lot in winter, but mostly for pottering around at home, and when walking/camping/bothying, but definitely not for cycling.

This is my oldest piece of cycle clothing still in use.

I bought mine in yellow, with blue sleeves and red trim in 1980, and it still works for the winter

I also have a Mountain shirt for walking in of similar vintage

I love my Buffalo 6 shirt and doubt I could get through the winter without it. October to April its always on, whatever the weather, if I'm outside walking or cycling. No need to decide what to wear or what to take with me the Buffalo covers every condition.
I firstly bought a Snugpac shirt which are nearly half the price. It is warmer than the Buffalo and comes with a hood as standard but the fit is more for big guys with big bellies.
I also succumbed, in a sale, to a Montane pile/pertex full zip jacket which I wear as town wear. The pile in the Montane is not as good as the others and there has been times I've shivered in it.
I also find wearing the Buffalo seems to keep my hands and feet warm too because my trunk temperature is good.

Over the past few weeks I've either used my Montane Extreme pile n pertex smock or a woooly jumper with my Paramo jacket above. Both have kept me dry and warm when walking and cycling. It depends on how athletic your cycling is, but I love it unless it becomes rather wet. Then wear proofs!

I have owned a Snugpak, two Montanes and a Trax pile jacket. Just make sure you get one that fits well, as fit is key.

I have used a wind shirt with base layers for years. It is great but not waterproof. This is not really a problem as it is still wind proof and dries out quickly. I have cycled in the winter and used it sea kayaking in the winter and it is perfect. I also have a gore jacket and it is fine In the rain but does still induce sweating.

thirdcrank wrote:The aspect I really don't understand - and this is just theory, because I've not tried one of these garments - is that the two-layers-in-one-garment arrangement seems to run contrary to the normal principle with layering that you only wear what you need, in other words, two layers in one garment seems inherently inflexible.

The trick is that with appropriate venting you can cool off. As they say, replaces up to 4 layers of conventional clothing. The problem as I see it is that's 2-4 layers rather than 1-4 layers, which means if you'd be happy in just a base layer you'd probably be cooking in a Buffalo, so not as flexible if you need to go down to 1 layer, but actually more flexible if you're looking at more because you don't have to faff around taking loads of stuff on and off. I'm typically wearing a layer less than those around me going up a hill, so I've not bought in, but at some point I'll experiment with the lighter versions.

Paramo waterproofs have a related issue. The thermal properties of the liner sometimes make them just too darn hot, and while vents are Good Things they're not as effective as marketing departments would have you believe

Pete.