What to Wear Cycling in 70°F Weather
70°F is 21°C. Everything below applies to either reading — the kit does not care which scale you think in.
Close to ideal. A single light layer works; you'll warm up quickly once you get moving.
What to Wear
Cycling kit for 70°F
- ●Short sleeve jersey
- ●bib shorts
- ●sunglasses
- ●SPF if UV 3+
Women's variation
- ●Short sleeve jersey
- ●bib shorts or shorts
- ●sunglasses
- ●SPF if UV 3+
What 70°F actually feels like once you are moving
At 70°F the 16 mph of air you are pushing through stops being a penalty and becomes the thing keeping you cool. It strips sweat off you faster than any other activity on this list, which is why 70°F feels genuinely comfortable at speed — and why it stops feeling comfortable the moment you do. A traffic light, a regroup, a mechanical: the airflow ends, the heat you are still making does not, and 70°F suddenly feels like far more. Dress for the moving part and accept being warm at the stops.
Dress for the finish, not the doorstep
Your own engine is worth about 12°F once you are going. The practical rule is to dress for 82°F standing still rather than the 70°F on the forecast. The rider's version of this has a sting in it: your effort is not steady. On a climb you will be too warm in exactly the kit that leaves you too cold on the descent that follows, so what you actually want at 70°F is a windproof layer you can open and close, not a warmer one.
Not sure of the temperature? Enter your city in the free tool for live conditions, a Ride Score, and rain- and wind-adjusted advice.
Open the live toolThe first ten minutes
Start easy and think about the stops rather than the start. At 70°F you are cool while moving and hot the instant you are not, so the plan that matters is fluid and where you will refill it, not what you are wearing.
What changes at 70°F when it is wet, windy or bright
Rain
Rain at 70°F rides like about 60°F dry, and worse than that on a bike, because 16 mph of airflow over a wet layer removes heat far faster than the same rain does standing still. Road spray from below soaks you even when it has stopped falling. A windproof or water-resistant shell over the same kit is the change to make — not more insulation, which just holds the water against you.
Wind
Real wind matters more to a cyclist than to anyone on foot, because it adds to the 16 mph you already make. A 15 mph headwind at 70°F is a 31 mph wind on your skin. Block it rather than insulate against it: a thin windproof front beats a thick fleece, and packs away when the route turns and that same wind is behind you.
Sun
Direct sun at 70°F can add the better part of 10°F to what you feel, and UV does not track temperature — clear, cool days burn people who never gave it a thought. Sunscreen on whatever the kit leaves out, and something over the eyes.
The mistake people make at 70°F
70°F is the classic over-dress for a rider, because it is judged standing still in a car park. You will be too warm within two miles and too cold on the first long descent, which is an argument for arm warmers and a gilet — things that come off into a jersey pocket without stopping — rather than one heavier jersey you are then stuck inside.
Hands, feet and ears
Nothing needs covering for warmth at 70°F, but the hands and the back of the neck are in direct sun for the whole ride and are the two places riders reliably burn.
Frequently asked
What should I wear cycling in 70°F?
For 70°F, wear: Short sleeve jersey, bib shorts, sunglasses, SPF if UV 3+. Dress for about 82°F rather than 70°F, because your own effort is worth roughly 12 degrees once you are moving.
Does 70°F feel colder when you are cycling?
Not in the way cold does. Above 50°F the airflow from moving at 16 mph mostly helps, by evaporating sweat — so 70°F feels cooler in motion than standing still. The risk at 70°F is overheating when you stop, not chilling while you move.
Should I dress differently cycling at 70°F than for running or walking?
Yes, and more than most people expect. At 16 mph you make far more apparent wind than a runner at 6 or a walker at 3, so a cyclist needs more wind protection at 70°F than either — and less insulation than a walker, because you are producing much more heat than they are.
Is 70°F too cold to go cycling?
No — 70°F is comfortable for cycling with the right layers, and plenty of people consider it close to ideal once they are moving.
Do I need a jacket at 70°F?
Not for warmth. Carry a packable gilet or wind shell in a jersey pocket for the shade, the descent or the walk home, but leave it off at the start.
What should I wear cycling in 21°C?
21°C is 70°F, so the answer on this page is the one you want: Short sleeve jersey, bib shorts, sunglasses, SPF if UV 3+. Nothing about the advice changes with the scale — only the number you read off the forecast.
What changes if it rains at 70°F?
Treat it as roughly 60°F. Add a windproof or water-resistant shell over the same kit rather than adding insulation underneath — wet insulation holds water against the skin and is worse than none.