Today I rode in to work at 28F. I don't have all the proper cold weather riding gear due to my economy. I normally ride in just blue jeans which can get a bit airy at 28F. I have the proper gear for my upper body, just not the legs. Today, just to experiment I threw on my new Frogg Togg black rain pants to see how they performed at blocking the wind. Jackpot! they did great as windblockers for the legs. So until I can get some real overpants, frogg toggs it is. The jacket/pants combo was like $50 on sale and stows just about anywhere.
also suggest as an option, hitting up a surplus store, some one size larger winter BDU pants, or rain paints etc may be the ticket ofr anyone else lookign to go cheap or dirty
I run Frogg Toggs in the Summer, you can almost set your watch to the 3pm afternoon thunderstorms. I found the Toggs to be a perfect light weight suit for the heat of the South East.
For a Winter/cool weather alternative, I'd recommend hitting up your local sporting goods stores since their snow gear's probably on sale. I have a $40 pair of snow boarding pants I slip on when needed. They're wind and water proof!
I wear mesh riding gear when the weather's warmer, I like my proper protection, so the Toggs and snow pants are kept on the bike for those "just in case" moments.....