Keeping your Johnson warm

[Area54]

Yes, this is a serious post, but feel free to have a laugh and go off topic a bit.

So, living here in the land of the endless summer, you don't think much about the cold and the effect it has on appendages. You might throw on a pair of neoprene shorts for a mid winter surf - prolly moreso to protect your image in the carpark to prevent your package becoming a mangina. You're certainly not concerned about frostbite.

Buuut, with a trip coming up in the white fluffy AK stuff - it got me thinking. I'm refining my clothing list, and one area I can't find tech about is, peter heaters, dong long johns, willy warmers; whatever you want to call them.

The baselayer was going to be some sugoi thermal tights with a chamois when in motion, then layer up with primaloft pants when not in motion. I've got other active layers to adjust comfort when in motion, but still the question remains - what to be done to keep the nether regions safe when I can just ride in tights for temp regulation? Or am I just totally off the mark with temp expectations and be thinking about more insulation on the lower half? My plan was to feel a little of the cold to keep perspiration down. What do the racers do, who just race in tights?

[bmike-vt]

thats usually the last thing that gets cold, regardless of what i'm wearing. toes, fingers, nose, ear tips, etc. all first. YMMV, of course, as we are all built to deal with the cold differently.

for me, down to about 8dF i can wear a pair of wool blend xc ski shorts over a pair of triathlon specific bike shorts (minimal pad, but otherwise just spandexy bike shorts). never gave a thought about keeping privates warm. i add a pair of 'breathable' rain / run pants if things like wet snow or hike a bike or wind are in the mix.

from 20-40s (and into the 60s) i can manage with a pair of wool blend knickers, adding calf insulation as needed - usually leg warmers or long socks.

[Mario]

Two product that have work for me are the Halti wind briefs (sometime hard to find) good down to about -25c with a good wind proof outer wear. This weekend I just got a pair of merino/spandex Ibex Duo short and they were toasty warm. Will be testing them a lot in the next months, can keep you poster on the results.

[sfuller]

Wind briefs definitely help me out. I also have a pair of Swobo german wool knickers that I wear a lot on fall/winter rides. They really block the wind "down there" too

[Area54]

I was thinking of some merino boxers/underwear. The sugoi tights have a chamois. I might have to break my rule of nothing between me and the chamois, but the merino might work with no seams to rub. Wifey is pretty good at crochet, maybe she can make me a heater, some nice angora wool. Either that, or a manly codpiece made from windstopper...

[JayP]

the subject is nothing to laugh about. anyone ever have frostbite down there? i can remember a few harsh times nordic skiing where i just had to stop and thought i was going to puke...

when i first started riding in the winter on snow i went camando with no padded shorts. used some wind briefs, long underwear and my top layer which is a pair of wind front nordic pants. i learned the hard way that no chamois for me was no good after my first run in AK. running that silly spyder web seat didnt help as it acted as a cheese grader...

after much geeking out, thats what i do, for the past several years i run a pair of Smartwool Cycling Shorts, a pair of lightweight wool long underwear and then a windfront nordic pant with side zip venting. cant remember ever putting on an extra something or taking off anything to regulate temp. this is a bottom system that works for me in +30* to -40*F.

Getting_Dressed_With_JayP.mov

stay warm!

-jayP

[Damnitman]

Jay kind of hit on something...your seat...though it may not be the seat itself but the positioning, or vice versa...cold...Alaska cold...will exacerbate any circulation issues you have, be they in your fingers, your toes, your schwaz...whatever.  If your bar/stem/grips are not in an optimal configuration, guess what, not only do your hands go numb from pressure on nerves, your fingers end up with bigger circulation issues than they are normally able to compensate for with the same configuration in "normal" temps...

What you may not perceive as a problem with your seating at "normal" temps may manifest itself in sustained -10 to -30 temps (that's Fahrenheit folks).  What may normally be doing it's best to play "turtle" at 10f is struggling to keep ANY blood flowing through it at -10...it's not necessarily all about windchill and such...you may need to seriously reevaluate your...well, cockpit isn't technically the correct term...reevaluate your seating.  Get re-fitted for your bike...not for a Road or TT or CX or even XC position, but for a touring position.
Rod Johnson starts to get a bit chilly after an hour or two at -20...I know I need to make a half-adjustment to my seat angle, but the clamp is indexed and I can only do full adjustments.  I need to get a new post...and I would if I was going to do the type of ride you are planning. 
Regardless, windchill does have a non-negligible affect too...the codpiece is probably a winner...but then there is less ventilation and you sweat more and being wet in the cold is no good either...vicious circle...

Doesn't matter too much though...my friends that have done the ITI said their training time would have been better spent pushing a 70 pound shopping cart down the beach...I think Billy said he only biked a bit over 100 of last years race, maybe 150 or so?

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

the subject is nothing to laugh about. anyone ever have frostbite down there? i can remember a few harsh times nordic skiing where i just had to stop and thought i was going to puke...

when i first started riding in the winter on snow i went camando with no padded shorts. used some wind briefs, long underwear and my top layer which is a pair of wind front nordic pants. i learned the hard way that no chamois for me was no good after my first run in AK. running that silly spyder web seat didnt help as it acted as a cheese grader...

after much geeking out, thats what i do, for the past several years i run a pair of Smartwool Cycling Shorts, a pair of lightweight wool long underwear and then a windfront nordic pant with side zip venting. cant remember ever putting on an extra something or taking off anything to regulate temp. this is a bottom system that works for me in +30* to -40*F.


stay warm!

-jayP

WOW! JayP what a great video on winter layers. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

[Yagi]

WOW! JayP what a great video on winter layers. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

Absolutely.  Many thanks for elaborating in video, jayP. 

So, what kind of seat do you use if you're not using the acclaimed cheese grader?  I know seats are a personal topic, I'm just curious.

[JayP]

WTB Rocket V - will not / have not use(d) another saddle.

4 Tour Divides, 4 AK trips, a Trans US and so much more...it works for me! Dedicated 5 years now on every bike I own.

The cheese grader was a hard lesson learned about saving weight in the wrong places.

[Tommi]

Army issue wind pants. Ugly, but functional.

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

Hea Area54,
Now that you are back. Did your stick and berries survive? Did you have to do anything special?

[Done]

When I XC ski raced back in high school, I used to stuff a washcloth down my pants. Not elegant, but it worked!

I've moved on to wind pants or tights with wind-block panels.

[Cosmo K]

"stuff a washcloth down my pants."

...and in high school chicks would come up to you and say...is that a wash cloth in your pants or are you just glad to see me.

[Joe13]

I've used a small sil-nylon stuff sack when I've been caught out on a cold ride or ski in the past but found XC ski underwear with Windstopper panels to be a far better option.

[Area54]

Hea Area54,
Now that you are back. Did your stick and berries survive? Did you have to do anything special?

All good, turned out to be a non issue, but happy I asked the question. I used sugoi mid-zero tights (I sewed in some loops on the front so they mated with my braces) and some OR cirque softshell pants as the outer layer, super comfy at 25F below, I felt there was scope to go lower. Layered up with mtn h'wear primaloft puffers at night, part of the sleep system.

Used the same combo down through Oregon as well, 11 days in the same layers day and night, worked well as a system.

I took along an old windstop ski mask to cut to shape, but yeah, found I didn't need it. The cirque pants cut out the breeze as needed.

Saddle was the same I use on other bikes - Selle Italia SLK.

[PretendGentleman]

My old boss used to do a lot of riding in Vermont.  He said he would just put a plastic sandwich baggy around his junk to provide that boost in protection.  Obviously a more breathable but still windproof material such as the sil-nylon stuff sack mentioned by Joe13 would be ideal.  So basically, I'm seconding Joe's rec.

Aside from frostbite, I wonder if a bit of a chill down there is good when taken in context with reduced blood flow that may accompany many hours in the saddle.  Basically, if you've got reduced blood flow to tissue, cooling that tissue off slows down metabolism and cellular activity so the reduced circulation isn't a problem.  hmmm.....

[bicyclehobo]

This is a great video...I love how some of the more tried and true items of your system have the wear and tear to prove it. It really tends to enforce the idea that this is what works and not necessarily a product endorsement. Thanks for sharing.