Road cycling kit for a cold start and a warm afternoon

LÖFFLER designs and manufactures road cycling clothing in Ried im Innkreis, Austria – for road cyclists who ride in changeable conditions, from early morning rides in 5-degree weather to warm afternoons. The transtex® and Airblocc technologies are designed to ensure that a single clothing system covers the entire temperature range.

The rule: the greater the difference between the morning and afternoon temperatures, the more layers need to be fully removable – not just openable. A full-zip jersey can be opened for ventilation, but it can’t be tucked into your pocket. Arm warmers, leg warmers and a vest can.

• Starting at below 8 °C, rising to over 15 °C in the afternoon (a big jump) → Short-sleeved jersey + thermal leg warmers + thermal arm warmers + AB Light cycling vest. All three extra layers are taken off one by one as soon as the sun comes out and the chill has gone from my legs.
• Morning 8–12 °C, afternoon 18–22 °C (moderate rise) → Short-sleeved jersey + Elastic arm warmers + AB Light or Windshell cycling vest. Leg warmers are usually not necessary here, as your legs generate enough heat of their own whilst pedalling.
• Start 12–16 °C, rising to over 22 °C in the afternoon (a slight rise)→ Short-sleeved jersey + Elastic arm warmers. A vest can be kept in the jersey, but is often not needed at all – just put it on for descents or when you’re riding with the wind in your face on open stretches of road.
• No significant change; consistently below 15 °C → There’s no point in changing clothes here. A long-sleeved jersey and an AB Light bike vest stay on all day. Taking off fewer layers means less faffing about whilst out on a ride.

Not every layer is designed to be removed. Cycling shorts and base layers sit directly against the skin and remain the same regardless of the temperature – the chamois pad setup only works if there is nothing in between. The short-sleeved jersey forms the constant base layer on top.

The only layers that can be removed are those that are separate, independent items: arm warmers detach at the upper arm, leg warmers at the thigh, and the vest via the front zip. All three can be taken off during the ride and stuffed into the jersey pocket – an advantage over long-sleeved jerseys or long cycling tights.

Your head and hands are the first to react to the cold, yet these items of clothing take up the least space when stowed away: a thin skull cap under your helmet or a scarf weighs next to nothing and fits into any jersey pocket, even if arm warmers and a vest are already in there.

When changing clothes on the go, it’s not just thermal performance that counts, but pack size too. Windshell models are designed for the smallest possible pack size and are intended for a temperature range of 5 to 15 °C – ideal for that first layer you take off in the late morning. The Airblocc Light Softshell covers −5 to 10 °C and is slightly warmer, but still packs down small; the Airblocc Warm Softshell (−10 to 5 °C) is the warmest but bulkiest option and is intended more for consistently cold rides than for changing layers.

A practical order for packing them away: take off the vest first and place it on the very outside of the middle jersey pocket; then roll up the arm warmers and place them next to it; leave the leg warmers until last, as they get in the way the least if they’re left slightly loose. This leaves a pocket free for energy bars and your mobile phone.

A short-sleeved jersey with arm warmers is almost always the better choice than a long-sleeved jersey in changeable weather: you can adjust your arms independently of your torso without having to change the whole jersey.

• Too many layers to start with. If you set off at 8 °C wearing a long-sleeved jersey, a vest and leg warmers, you’ll be soaked with sweat after 20 minutes of climbing – and that damp base layer will cool you down immediately the next time the wind blows. It’s better to wear one less layer and feel a bit chilly for the first few minutes than to start the descent soaked in sweat.
• Cotton as a base layer. Cotton traps moisture rather than wicking it away, and therefore cools you down as soon as the wind starts to blow. transtex® fibres wick sweat away from the skin and dry quickly; this applies to both jerseys and base layers.
• Taking your clothes off too late. As soon as you start to break a light sweat whilst cycling, that’s the time to take off your first layer – not when the sun is already high in the sky. Damp clothing cools you down more than dry clothing at every stop and on every descent.
• Cold knees are underestimated. The hamstrings are particularly prone to irritation in cold weather. Leg warmers are worth wearing even when the starting temperature is only moderately cool, even if the rest of your body isn’t feeling the cold.
• No contingency plan for the change in the weather. In case ‘the weather takes a turn’, you should always pack a windproof, packable layer – even if the forecast promises sunshine for the afternoon. A windshell vest weighs next to nothing and is the cheapest way to protect yourself against an unexpected cold snap.