This is my first autumn/winter season road cycling. At this stage I only have cycle shorts and short sleeve shirts. What are the bare essentials required for the colder months? What would you not leave home without? I need to do some shopping. From my experience tramping/hunting being waterproof is less important then being windproof with a decent thermal layer underneath provided you keep moving. I'm guessing this would be even more so with cycling, unless they have invented some new fangled material that is both breathable and waterproof. Any brand reccomendations?

Suggestions - Jacket, windproof and water resistant yet not too bulky and with vents. Comfortable arm warmers +/- leg warmers (warmers are easy to take off and stuff somewhere if you warm up too much). Longsleeved, thickish top or something thermally. Maybe some long shorts. Warm gloves. A cap/head warmy thing for under the helmet too. Warm socks (wool).

I'll be getting some water/windproof shoecovers this year. I've used plastic bags over socks in the past, but that's a hassle and it looks really maing.

The only brand suggestion I have is for Defeet gloves, they're great and they look badass.

My 2c:

Arm and leg warmers - I have summer and winter ones
Gloves - pref waterproof, but definitely windproof... my Speshy winter gloves are nice until they get wet. Icebreaker glove liners underneath help - I plan to get some LG Tornado (wind and waterproof, supposedly) ones as soon as the supplier has them.
Overshoes - LG mtb ones. Wind and waterproof - neoprene ones are a waste of time (IMHO) as soon as they get wet.
Jacket - I have a Showers Pass shell - wind/waterproof, vent on the back, zip vents under the arms - and fits in a jersey pocket with a bit of shoving. IMHO - being water/windproof is more important on a bike as you can get the long descents where you're not pedalling or working & the wind chill factor kicks in.
Socks - Anything merino/wool! I have dorky knee-length Colombia ski socks
Tops - I have winter tops, but tend to wear a merino l/s under my s/s cylcle tops more often, cos I like the pockets in the s/s tops better!

In summary: arm & leg warmers, gloves, overshoes, shell jacket. Louis Garneau kit gets my vote

Layers and zips make it a lot easier to control your temperature - eg on a 4 hour ride I can leave home in bright sunshine, get rained on over the Aka's, freeze my @rse off down the Hutt motorway, then head in to a warm-but-harsh northerly! I'm guessing you already have some warm/merino tops from tramping that you could wear under cycle tops?

What part of the country are you in?

Lights!!!! If you're gonna be out in the wet make sure you're seen! In winter I use my rear flashy light all the time, along with often wearing my shower jacket (yellow).

I choose to go with the thermals approach keeping the thin warmer stuff close to my skin as opposed to wearing a heavier top, although on saying that I have a winter cycle jersey too that has sleeves with thumb holes that fit nicely under the gloves - but makes it hard (impossible) to push your sleeves up when it gets warmer.

Last year I was missing shoe covers and paid the price with frozen toes, I also only had short finger gloves which made for some frozen fingered rides, specially when it gets down below freezing.

Thanks for all the replies, I'm in the Manawatu.

Here's what I've got:

Long tights for over the top of my regular shorts. I tried leg warmers but they kept falling down and got annoying.
Arm warmers (I've only got one longsleeved jersey, pref to use shortsleeved with arm warmers).
Thermal top for under cycle shirt
Long fingered gloves (for the really cold mornings I wear a 2nd pair of thinsulate ones underneath & can still change gear & brake!)
Cannondale Morphis Jacket (it has removable sleeves so great for when it warms up later in the ride)
Kathmandu thermal (really thin) skull cap for under my helmet if it's frosty.

Oh & lots & lots of lights - I look like Las Vegas commuting to work in the dark

last winter i used santini thermal full length bibs, icebreaker 150 short sleeve bodyfit base layer, 2XU full membrane thermal jacket, l/g windtex gloves, l/g booties, merino socks and a merino beanie under my helmet. if it was properly cold i used a 2XU lite membrane waterproof shell on top of the thermal jacket as well.

arm and leg warmers are only really any good in spring/autumn time or if you're a fair weather rider in the winter (or a fatty - they don't need as much clothing)

I alternate between tights (often with shorts over top to keep my bum warm!) and shorts plus legwarmers.
Tops - again, alternate with armwarmers and long sleeve tops. this year will be my first year with a long sleeve merino top - usually just short sleeve merino and arm warmers (thick ones defeet i think)
Shell jacket - i have two, one is fluro and really old and though it has vents it doesn't really breath it can't, it's waterproof - i use this for really heavy rain but usually i have a LG shell that is not water proof but water resistant and good for stopping the cold air - as you mention, this is more important that water resistance.

My most favourite purchase is neoprene overshoes. I know SC has said she doesn't like them but I do - previously I would have to stop often to rub my feet that had gone numb but with the overshoes they dont go numb so quickly and also they keep my feet dry for almost my entire commute. In saying that, I have two pairs, one is really thick and the other is not so thick and the less thick ones aren't as good but are good between seasons, like now for example.

I have some wind proof gloves but they're so thick it's not always easy to change gears or break... something I am yet to crack.

jeyboi wrote:last winter i used santini thermal full length bibs, icebreaker 150 short sleeve bodyfit base layer, 2XU full membrane thermal jacket, l/g windtex gloves, l/g booties, merino socks and a merino beanie under my helmet. if it was properly cold i used a 2XU lite membrane waterproof shell on top of the thermal jacket as well.

arm and leg warmers are only really any good in spring/autumn time or if you're a fair weather rider in the winter (or a fatty - they don't need as much clothing)

Hey! Less of the "fatty" comments

JKS wrote:

jeyboi wrote:last winter i used santini thermal full length bibs, icebreaker 150 short sleeve bodyfit base layer, 2XU full membrane thermal jacket, l/g windtex gloves, l/g booties, merino socks and a merino beanie under my helmet. if it was properly cold i used a 2XU lite membrane waterproof shell on top of the thermal jacket as well.

arm and leg warmers are only really any good in spring/autumn time or if you're a fair weather rider in the winter (or a fatty - they don't need as much clothing)

Hey! Less of the "fatty" comments

Actually you're really right about this, I have found riding a lot colder this month than I did at the same time last year....I guess my body fat has dropped by about 15% though. By rights I should have a warm tummy still this winter

jeyboi wrote:arm and leg warmers are only really any good in spring/autumn time or if you're a fair weather rider in the winter (or a fatty - they don't need as much clothing)

well i guess also it depends on what time of the day you ride... i do my long rides pre-work (usually start 5.30am) and just ride home from work in the evenings when it is warmer so I find arm / legwarmers help there so that I can wear less on the way home than i do on the way in...

Have ridden through 2 Chch winters (at night) with Ground Effect Daddy Long Legs, merino top (sometime x2), Baked Beanie, a Krank Jacket & some neoprene booties. Haven't been stopped by the cold yet.

Its not that cold in the manawatu.
A long sleeve top, 3/4 pants, full gloves, thin beanie and a windproof vest works well for me most days.

On cold nights:
Wooly vest or polypro under long sleeve top.
Windproof vest.
Shell jacket
Long woolen socks
Shoe covers.
3/4 pants with fleecy knees.
Woolen beanies and windproof gloves, I have a thick and thin of each for different temperatures.
Arm warmers are often used too and I carry leg warmers on longer rides just in case.

Always carry a shell jacket as it gets really cold really fast if you have to stop when you're sweaty.

Depressing starting to think about this! I'm a big fan of layers, Ground Effect and Icebreaker stuff and merino specifically.

Once it gets cold enough I'm into the thermal full-length bibs, but otherwise have a polypro or preferably merino base layer (socks, tights, top, gloves, beanie or balaclava or headband around ears) and then layers of stuff on top of that. Usually have my Flash Gordon jacket and wind-proof long pants as an outer layer if needed. Haven't really ridden with overshoes in the past, but I do really like the Sealskin waterproof gloves and socks - amazing what a difference they make.

And, yeah, lights of course. Though even though I'm usually an over-preparer I already have been caught out once this year, thinking I'd be home from my training ride before sunset and not taking them. Various factors slowed me down and I had miscalculated, and ended up riding in the dark. One close call - car that had been stationery executed a slow u-turn in front of me, necessitating a very rapid deceleration from about 35kph to 0kph. Very frustrating that it was all my own stupid fault! Helpful suggestions shouted from a few passing vehicles: "You haven't got your lights on". Gee thanks. I hadn't noticed.