I follow the layers theory for cold weather riding down to 5 degrees Fahrenheit.
At the lowest temperatures here is what I wear:
Polypropolene long underwear top and bottom.
Heavy wool or Thermax socks
Blue jeans
Wool-cotton mix long sleeve shirt
Mountain Hardware Windstopper jacket
First Gear Kilimanjaro IV insulated riding jacket
polypropolene ski mask
full helment
Tourmaster Overpants
Wolverine Leather Boots
Black Diamond Expedition mittens
Polypropolene glove liners.
It's a lot of stuff but since I am going non-electrical I need insulation to keep my heat in and the cold air out. And since I ride a long ways sometimes in really cold weather I was concerned about the relatively light electrical gear giving out a long way from home.
I pretty much wear all that gear as soon as the temperature hits 35 degrees F. The only variable is what gloves or mittens I put on. It might seem like I would be stuffed and looking like the Michelin man but it's not really any problem. Wouldn't want to hike for miles but riding is fine. The attached picture made by my friend Paul shows how it all looks.
And I like the notion of no electrics.
I will say that I hate being cold, and I am cold to begin with often wearing a jacket when my wife is stripping off clothes because she's hot. Anyways, I ride in the cold but do not want to be cold.
The weak link in my winter riding are my hands. No matter what they get cold fast. Having had frostbite once doesn't help. When the temperature drops below 20 degrees F I need to stop about every 20 minutes to warm my hands a bit---on the headlight, muffler, or indoors.
So I have been thinking about getting electric gloves this year but have some narrow philosophical resistance to overcome first. Was at the dealer yesterday looking at a pair of Gerbing gloves installed---$250.
We'll see.

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| Photo by Paul Ruby near McLevey's Fort, Pennsylvania |