Cool Weather Gear Reviews

Given the recent weather around here, I've been trying out a number of new pieces of cool/cold weather riding gear. So, here's what I've been using:

Craft Nemo Shoe Covers
I'm not sure if Craft is still making what I have, but the linked item looks similar. I got these things last winter, and they are great for cold weather riding. My feet have never gotten cold when I've been wearing these babies. The problem is, if it's not really cold, my feet have a tendency to overheat. Also, because they cover up a lot of the bottom of the shoe, I haven't worn them for mountain biking. They're a very tight fit over my Shimano M120 shoes, but they fit better over my Sidi Dominators.

Pearl Izumi Winter Tour Sock
I tried these socks out this morning for "cool" weather riding (about 45F this morning); I didn't wear the shoe covers. The socks performed pretty well, definitely better than a typical summer cycling sock. My feet were not exactly warm, but they were comfortable for the whole ride. I don't think I'd want to wear them alone in temps much colder though, at least on the road. I could probably tolerate colder temps on the mountain bike, since there's less wind.

Craft Split Finger Thermal Gloves
These fall into a similar category as the shoe covers. They are great in cold temps, but my hands have a tendency to overheat if it's warmer.

Canari Static Gloves
I got these this year and have worn them several times this Fall. They're not quite as warm as the Craft gloves but they are considerably warmer than my normal summer gloves. They are also definitely windproof, as advertised. If I'm pushing hard, my hands can overheat a little in these gloves, but it's nowhere near the problem it is with the Craft gloves.

Pearl Izumi Photon Splice Knickers
I tried these out this morning for the first time too, again looking for some cool weather solutions (I also wanted to evaluate them for racing). First off, the stitching on these knickers is pretty cool, they make you look fast! Funtionally, they provided decent "core" warmth, particularly since they have no chamois, so I wore normal bike shorts underneath. Knee warmth was a little tough for me to judge today, since it was also rainy. The rain soaked through the knickers and made my knees a little colder than I would have liked. They probably would have been OK today if not for the rain.