Good Morning all I left the House around 6am this morning and it was around 23F just wana know who else is out there rididng in this weather and what kinda Gloves and clothes you guys use. I have FieldSheer Suit everything i'm worm but I need Glove...anything..?
Thanks
Ravi wheel.gif
Ravi,
I rode in relative comfort yesterday and this morning in Montgomery County MD. using the following items: Aerostich Darian Pants over British Mil Surplus quilted liner pants, a Joe Rocket Revolution Jacket with included fleece liner, Aerostich electric vest, cotton t-shirt, and heavy weight polyester thermals. On the hands were windproof/waterproof ski gloves. There is some sacrifice of road protection in exchange for warmth using these gloves. When needed, I also include thin non-cotton liner gloves. An important part of the emsemble was a neck gaiter made of Goretex windstopper fleece. It has been estimated that 70 to 80 % of your body heat could be lost around the head and neck.
This is only the third week of having the electric vest and it is wonderful. To echo what many other riders have said, I don't know how I got along without it for this long. Keeping the torso warm keeps the entire body warm.
Just a quick note on cotton. Cotton is fine if it does not encounter moisture. If it gets wet from either rain or sweat, it will lose the little insulating properties it has. Synthetics are the way to go for performance clothing.
Man that's lots Stuff you got on. Nice to know there someone esle is ridin not just me. is maybe possiable if you can hook me up with some links to Nic stuff beasue i need something all i had this morning was FieldSheer Suit my work cloths and some Gloves it was ok but my nic and hands ware realy cold
thanks
ravi
The biggest battle is with the wind. If the suit you have is windproof, you have more than half the challenge met. If you have enough looseness in the suit, adding an insulating layer would help much. Fleece garments are great insulators. As mentioned in the previous reply, you can get cold fast if the neck is exposed. Again it is important to use something that is windproof.
This is where I got my vest.
http://www.aerostich.com/home.phpHere is a good place to get fleece and other warm stuff. They also have a couple of stores in the area. On their website they have an outlet section that has lots of good deals.
http://www.rei.com/webservices/rei/DisplayHome?
For gloves, a waterproof and windproof ski glove should work. Just make sure that it is not too bulky. You would like to be able to still activate the turn signals.
This is my first winter riding and I rode in this morning when it was ~25 here in Charlottesville, VA. I had a Balaclava on which kept me warm, but fogged my glasses and shield at stops. I need to figure that part out, maybe try putting on the HJC breath guard thing in.
Though I think my limit for riding might be 30 now.
Still commuting daily here....(Mont. County)
My current cold weather gear:
Joe Rocket Ballistic 5.0 pants
Gaerne ST boots
Spidi NetStep 365 jacket
Joe Rocket Nitrogen gloves
Neck Warmer
HJC helmet
I wear this over my regular work clothing (pants, dress shirt - occasionally a sweater on really cold days) and am fine down to about 20 degrees or so (basically commute all winter around here). However, my commute is only about 10 miles, and I'm only on the freeway for about 10 minutes (~80 mph) so this makes a big difference. As Fireplug mentioned, its all about the wind. Around town, or sticking to backroads (50mph) this outfit is fine....if I had to spend any more time at highway speeds, I'd want an electric vest and gloves, or at least a taller windscreen and some way to block the wind on my hands (bar mitts or handguards..).
If you don't want to go electric, the Joe Rocket gloves are great - waterproof, insulated and reasonably priced if you shop around. They aren't summer gloves (and thus will take some getting used to if you are used to the feel afforded by thin gloves), but aren't quite as bulky as ski gloves either. They also have built in thumb squeegees (great for rain) and as a side bonus, also act as my ski gloves......
As Fireplug also mentioned - the neck warmer is crucial - I have a thin one that I use most of the time, and then a thicker one designed for skiing - the important part is not having any skin directly exposed to the windblast.....
The Spidi jacket is great - its a bit bulky but has both a windproof liner and an insulated liner and top grade CE armor. Last winter I used a Joe Rocket Ballistic 3.0 jacket, that also worked well, as it had a heavy zip in liner. I ended up replacing the 3.0 because it was no longer waterproof, and I got a smokin' ebay deal on the Spidi.
I'm also pleased with the Ballistic pants - warm and waterproof (well, 99%) with quick entry and exit over street clothing. Too warm for summer though.
Twowheeledfiend - I also run an HJC helmet, and keep the fog issue at bay with some anti-fog spray. I personally use Scott anti-fog cleaner on both the visor and my eyeglasses(acceptable, but others have had luck with other types). With frequent reapplications it does its job, and allows me to breath freely with the visor closed.....
Hope this helps - let me know if you'd like any more info....
Oh, and happy winter riding!
Sean
Rode this morning in Virginia Beach, 33 degrees. had long johns, sweatshirt and jacket on. Gloves were Olympia Middle wieght gloves on. They work real well, have goretex and windstopper. Worked real well, hands didn't get cold.
I rode this morning from Falls Church to Fairfax ... bike said it was 26F ....
My route is not too fast, mostly 40-50 mph, which helps. I wear Set Up boots (near generic made by Sidi), First Gear HT overpants (textile), Motoport Ultra II kevlar jacket with thermal and gore-tex liners, full face Arai, and Olympia winter gloves that came with my bike.
At the end of my 25 minute ride, my hands were just starting to get frosty but everything else was fine. Am thinking about heated grips and/or better gloves, but the good news is that there should be plenty of days to ride in DC's Jan and Feb.
greenville, nc here. First winter on two wheels, and planning to ride all winter! My commute is less than 5miles, so that is easy. I need some fleece equipment for true enjoyment.
'Stich, Gerbing jacket and gloves, and a Warmnsafe temp controller hardwired to battery, control knobs on the left meter fairing. Balaclava if it is below 30. I go to single digits without discomfort. beer.gif
I use gloves made by Marsee they're wind and waterproof plus they have a little flap on the left thumb to scrape Ice and shit from your visor ( much like ski gloves) I actually use them as backup snowboard gloves too. I wear a Widder 'Lectric vest under a Teknic stinger jacket. Widder also makes gloves, sleeves, and chaps that you can plug into your vest and control with the same rheostat. However, I haven't found anything but the vest to be a must.
http://www.widder.com/