just drove through the mountains in my old commute route from a shitjob i had a few years back
My findings as a newbie biker
>thin waterproof pants are not windproof or coldproof, better wear thick ass cotton, denim, or leather pants underneath if you dont want to freeze your balls off
>make sure to wear tall shoes and pants that cover your entire legs or else you will lose tons of heat in the gap between your shoes and your pants
>neck gaiters are a must to protect your neck from the winds, and your nose and mouth from any cold wind getting into your helmet
>if neck gaiters are too thick you're gonna pull them down when you put your helmet on and it will be a pain in the ass to pull back up
>earplugs are nice to avoid wind noise in shitty helmets but you gotta be careful not to remove them when putting your helmet on which can be a pain in the ass
i may just buy a balaclava or something similar thats thin but warms up most of my head and is not pulled down whenever i put my helmet on