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Winter Tight Recommendation

6K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  kbwh 
#1 ·
While this post would get more activity in the Apparel forum, what I'm looking for is a recommendation for women's tights for daily riding 15-30 miles in 30-40 degree weather and occasionally down to mid-20s. To give you a better idea of what I need, I have some thermal PI Select and LG Ridge thermals and they are not warm enough for me. I prefer not to layer and I want them with a chamois. I had a great pair that wore out when they became see thru. I tossed them in spring and now can't remember what brand they were. Your help is appreciated.
 
#2 ·
I know you say you don't want to layer, but have you tried? I get winter weight leggings from costco or Old navy (so no more than $20 and often much less on sale) and use my shorts underneath. If you look at leggings with the fleecy inside then there is no slip if they are tight enough. I also don't have many shiny lycra type leggings or shorts, they are more the soft grabby fabric than slick lycra. The costs savings are obvious. If you find any leggings you love, you can sew an aerotech top shelf chamois in them really easily too. The layering for me is all good though, if it is cold. I have sewn in the chamois to knicker length leggings (AKA cparis LOL) because they get more use than full length. Using running leggings gives you much more choice. I was surprised that the costco stuff I got last year are really great wind blocks too. One pair has a really fleecy inside but the others are just hefty. My costco has winter weight leggings in stock now. Old navy stuff has to be seen in person and tried on as there is too much variety even within the same item. I ride a fair bit but 20s is pushing it. I would only ride above freezing. Even then I might have shorts and base layer and leggings.
 
#4 ·
In my search of the warmest bib tight I came up very disappointed. I spent many thousands of dollars and several years buying and trying and ended up with nothing that will fulfill your request.

We're all different, we all handle the cold different, but there's no bib tight on the market that will take me into freezing temps, doesn't happen. The warmest bib tights I've found are the S7 Bonka tights from Assos, followed closely by the S7 Habu and S5 Fugu tights. The women's version of the S7 Habu is the S7 Tiburu tights.

Under 40 degrees I put on a second pair of bibs over the good ones, the second pair has no chamois obviously. So for freezing it's two pairs of bibs, no way around it for me. Even though the S7 Bonka are like $500+ they still can't cut it, nothing can. And they're not just expensive, they're also the heaviest of all bibs I tried and they are the warmest but still... no.
 
#7 ·
The warmest bib tights I've found are the S7 Bonka tights from Assos, followed closely by the S7 Habu and S5 Fugu tights. The women's version of the S7 Habu is the S7 Tiburu tights.
I appreciate you sharing your experience about the warmest bib you've found. That's what I was looking to find out with my original post.

Still hoping to get other suggestions that aren't layering or about tights I already own.

To clarify, I'm not interested in or willing to do any sewing.
 
#5 ·
Try heading over to team oestrogen's apparel forum. Unfortunately if blokes can't find good kit, women are really out of luck. Women are lucky because leggings have an enormous range. Cycling tights aren't magic, sew in a chamois to leggings and voila. Marketing clothing to women is particularly irritating when it comes to the pink tax. Really, at 20 degrees you wouldn't ski in a pair of tights, you would layer.
 
#11 ·
I recently purchased a pair of PI Amfib tights and have worn them twice in 34-35 degree weather with light winds. Plenty warm enough for me. Tomorrow morning will be interesting as there's a freeze warning. I doubt it gets much below freezing, but I'll have a better idea of how they might do in the mid-twenties.

I know everybody is different and what works for some won't for others. My husband will ride in the high teens with just thermal leg warmers on his legs and his legs are fine. Before anyone turns that into a joke, he does wear upper body layers.
 
#12 ·
Have you tried PI Amfib tights? I've got a buddy who says that they are too warm for all conditions for him, and he rides in the 20 degree range on his commute quite often. I just checked and they make them in women's with a chamois. Pearl Izumi says that they're their warmest tights. Good luck
 
#14 ·
The warmest womens thights I can think of is the Assos Pompadour. Will probably be too cold at -6C though. At those temperatures I have to layer on top of it's male counterpart the Bonka, for example with their Sturmnuss knickers.
 
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