What to wear cycling by temperature

Dress for how the ride will feel after ten minutes, not for the doorstep. As a guide: above 18 °C a jersey and shorts, 13 to 18 °C add arm warmers and a gilet, 8 to 13 °C long sleeves and knee warmers, below 8 °C a thermal jacket, tights and winter gloves. Rain, wind and easy riding all make it feel colder.

Calculator

Temperature

°C

Rain

Strong wind

Ride

I usually feel

Cool

Dress as if it is 10 °C

Long-sleeve jersey + base layer
Knee warmers or 3/4 bibs
Light full-finger gloves
Gilet

HotWarmMildCoolColdVery coldFreezing

Felt temperature = temperature + your offset − 3 °C for rain − 2 °C for strong wind − 2 °C for an easy ride + 3 °C for hard efforts.

How the what to wear calculator works

Dressing for a ride is a guess about how you will feel in half an hour, not on the doorstep. Riding creates its own wind, and effort decides how much heat you make. This calculator turns the forecast into a "felt temperature" for your ride, then gives you a layer-by-layer kit list for that temperature. It is one of the free LeCoach cycling calculators.

The felt temperature starts from the actual temperature and adjusts for:

Rain: 3 °C colder. Wet kit loses heat much faster.
Strong wind: 2 °C colder.
An easy ride: 2 °C colder, because you make less heat.
Hard training or racing: 3 °C warmer, because you make a lot more.
How you usually feel: 3 °C colder if you run cold, 3 °C warmer if you run warm.

An endurance ride at a steady pace is the baseline, with no adjustment.

Worked example. It is 10 °C, dry and calm, and you plan an endurance ride. You feel the cold like most people. Your felt temperature is 10 °C, which is in the "Cool" band: a long-sleeve jersey with a base layer, knee warmers or 3/4 bibs, light full-finger gloves and a gilet. If the same 10 °C day brings rain and strong wind and you ride easy, it feels like 3 °C: "Cold" kit, plus a rain jacket, mudguards and a wind-proof layer.

What to wear at every temperature

Felt temperature	Band	What to wear
24 °C and up (75 °F and up)	Hot	Light short-sleeve jersey, bib shorts, cap or light helmet liner, sunglasses and sunscreen
18 to 24 °C (64 to 75 °F)	Warm	Short-sleeve jersey, bib shorts, optional thin base layer
13 to 18 °C (55 to 64 °F)	Mild	Short-sleeve jersey and base layer, bib shorts, arm warmers, gilet in the pocket
8 to 13 °C (46 to 55 °F)	Cool	Long-sleeve jersey and base layer, knee warmers or 3/4 bibs, light full-finger gloves, gilet
3 to 8 °C (37 to 46 °F)	Cold	Thermal jacket and long-sleeve base layer, thermal tights, winter gloves, overshoes, neck warmer
−3 to 3 °C (27 to 37 °F)	Very cold	Winter jacket and thermal base layer, thermal tights, lobster or heavy gloves, winter shoes or thick overshoes, cap under the helmet, neck warmer
Below −3 °C (below 27 °F)	Freezing	Everything from "very cold", plus a wind-proof outer layer. Consider riding indoors: ice is the real danger

Each band starts at its lower number: 13 °C counts as "Mild".

Want this worked out for you every day? LeCoach builds your training around your own numbers.

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How to dress well

Start slightly cool. Comfortable standing outside means too warm after ten minutes of riding.
Layer, do not bulk up. Two thin layers trap more warm air than one thick one, and you can take one off.
Protect hands, feet and ears first. They get cold first and make the ride miserable. Overshoes and good gloves matter more than a heavier jacket.
Plan for the descent. A long descent after a climb feels much colder than the climb, because you are fast, sweaty and barely pedalling. A gilet in your pocket fixes most of it.
Check the whole day. A morning start at 6 °C can turn into 16 °C by lunch. Choose layers you can remove and carry: arm warmers, knee warmers and a gilet.
Wet days need more than warmth. A rain jacket and mudguards keep you, and the riders behind you, drier.

On hot days the opposite applies: drink to your sweat rate, which you can measure with the sweat rate calculator, and read our guide to hydration and electrolytes for cyclists.

Common mistakes

Dressing for the doorstep. You overheat, sweat, then chill on the first descent.
Forgetting the wind chill of your own speed. At normal riding speeds, even a calm day feels windy on the bike.
Cotton base layers. They hold sweat. Use merino or synthetic.
Leaving the gilet at home. In spring and autumn it earns its place.
Ignoring wet roads below about 3 °C. Bridges and shaded corners can be icy even when the rest of the road is fine.

When the numbers change

Easy recovery rides feel about 2 °C colder than you think. Near the bottom of a band, dress for the next band down.
Intervals or races feel about 3 °C warmer. Near the top of a band, dress lighter, and bring a layer for the warm-up and cool-down.
Indoor riding needs no layers at all, just a fan. If the weather is dangerous, see our comparison of indoor vs outdoor cycling training.
Event day: pack for the forecast at both start and finish. The race day checklist helps you remember the rest.

Cold can be more than uncomfortable. If your fingers or toes stay numb, turn white or waxy, or feel hard after you warm up, see a doctor, as these can be signs of frostbite. Shivering that will not stop, confusion or clumsiness are signs to get indoors and get help. In heat, stop riding and cool down if you feel dizzy, confused or sick.

LeCoach plans your week around your schedule and recovery, and you can ask the coach to swap a session when the weather turns.

Sources

LeCoach felt-temperature model: rule-of-thumb adjustments for rain, wind, ride intensity and personal preference, based on common club-cycling clothing guidance.
Mayo Clinic. Frostbite: symptoms and causes.
Mayo Clinic. Heat exhaustion: symptoms and causes.

Frequently asked questions

What should I wear cycling at 10 °C?

At 10 °C (50 °F) on a dry, calm endurance ride, wear a long-sleeve jersey with a base layer, knee warmers or 3/4 bibs, light full-finger gloves and a gilet. If it rains, it feels like 7 °C: step up to a thermal jacket, thermal tights, winter gloves and overshoes, plus a rain jacket.

What should I wear cycling at 15 °C?

At 15 °C (59 °F) a short-sleeve jersey with a base layer, bib shorts and arm warmers usually works, with a gilet in your pocket for descents. On an easy ride in strong wind it feels like 11 °C, so switch to a long-sleeve jersey and add knee warmers and light gloves.

What should I wear cycling at 5 °C?

At 5 °C (41 °F), wear a thermal jacket over a long-sleeve base layer, thermal tights, winter gloves, overshoes and a neck warmer. In rain it feels like 2 °C, so move to heavier gloves and winter shoes or thick overshoes. Watch for ice on bridges and shaded corners when it is this cold.

Is it too cold to cycle outside?

Below about −3 °C felt temperature, or whenever roads may be icy, the calculator suggests considering an indoor ride. Cold itself can be managed with layers, but ice cannot. If you do ride in freezing conditions, cover all skin, avoid shaded roads and bridges, and choose a short route close to home.

How do I keep my hands and feet warm cycling?

Protect them first, because they cool fastest. Use winter or lobster gloves and overshoes or winter shoes below about 8 °C, and keep your core warm so your body keeps sending blood to your hands and feet. Avoid tight shoes, which restrict circulation, and put dry gloves on for the descent if you can.

How should I dress for cycling in the rain?

Dress as if it is about 3 °C colder than the forecast, and add a waterproof rain jacket and mudguards if your bike takes them. Keep hands and feet covered: wet gloves and shoes chill you fastest. Change into dry clothes as soon as you stop.

Should I dress warmer for an easy ride?

Yes. At easy effort you make much less heat, so it feels about 2 °C colder than a steady endurance ride. Hard intervals or racing feel about 3 °C warmer. Enter your ride type in the calculator and it adjusts the kit list for you. On hard days, bring an extra layer for the warm-up and cool-down.