Hippo Hands, warm chaps, snow plow for bike& snow tires.......

[Guest byekryam]

OK, ok, I was just joking about the plow and snow tires, but I wanted to get your attention.

 

I have been investigating "Hippo Hands" and think they are viable solution to cold hands, but wanted to see if anyone has feedback about them. Some feedback is the wind puts some pressure on the clutch and brake levers when you're on the highway. Other people have said they are "the best thing since sliced bread". The ones I need are $73.00 so I just don't want to throw the money away if they aren't going to do the trick.

 

I'm also curious about any quick removable insulated chaps. Not the leather kind, but maybe a snow suit type material with some down feathers and maybe some velcro straps that can be easily-on/easily-off.

 

Any feedback would be really appreciated as the cold weather is rapidly approaching.

 

Thanks,

Woody

[Sylvester]

Never heard of them, sorry.

 

[painterman67]

I ve got a set of hippo hands on my 4 wheeler for hunting and riding in the cold and snow. Cant give a real comparison but I do like them on my atv. Keeps my hands warmer even in sub degree weather. Now as for the snow suuits. If your cold natured by a set. My wife loves hers. ONly draw back is they will melt real quick if you hit them on the exposed pipes. She rides a honda shadow and melted the outer lining on hers when she hit the exhaust not thinking on her first ride with them. After that she puts her snow suit/bibs on and then her leather bibs over them to keep this from happening again.

 

 

Hope this helps as I ride a 1st gen and so far have had much need for more than jeans and leather bibs in temps down to the low 20's

 

 

David

[ThomWill]

As an alternative (and great if you have multiple bikes) I bought a pair of mountain hardwear mittens from the climbing guy at REI. They have windstop material laid in both directions are toasty well below freezing. Riding in mittens takes a little practice but with a pair of light cotton glove liners in them I have been warm enough down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

[hipshot]

i've never found a glove that will keep my hands warm.

i think when you have restricted circulation to start with, anything less than "heated gloves" is a waste.

but then i haven't been on EITHER of my bikes in over two years.

just jt

[ThomWill]

i've never found a glove that will keep my hands warm.

i think when you have restricted circulation to start with, anything less than "heated gloves" is a waste.

but then i haven't been on EITHER of my bikes in over two years.

just jt

 

Yeah, gloves are a problem in the wind because they mainly increase the surface area and heat loss as air moves across them. My personal experience has been the the wind proof mittens are MUCH better at anything below 45 degrees. Of course I have never ridden with heated gear so it could be even better.

[mini-muffin]

Muffinman had the hippo hands for the bike. Somewhere along the way he's misplaced them (don't ask I have no idea how) and he loved his.

 

Margaret

[TEW47]

I think you are talking about the leather hippo hands. A friend had a pair 30 yrs ago a they were nice and warm. They were lined with thick sheeps wool, maybe one inch thick.

 

tew47

[davecb]

Electric gloves are the way to go. Tourmaster are the cheapest. If you shop around you can get them cheaper. Wingstuff had them for $179.00....

 

With the Hippo Hands, you are still gripping a cold grip, and the cold radiates from the handlebars...

Edited November 5, 2010 by davecb
didn't proofread

[Yammer Dan]

Electric gloves are the way to go. Tourmaster are the cheapest. If you shop around you can get them cheaper. Wingstuff had them for 4179.00....

 

With the Hippo Hands, you are still gripping a cold grip, and the cold radiates from the handlebars...

 

 

 

 

 

Over 4,000.00 for a pair of gloves??? I think I'll have to pass. I can hear the Warden now......:rotfl:

[navydavy]

First of all, no I haven't had a need for Hippo Hands here in southern California. But I do have some experience with them from years ago when I lived in Michigan. I loved them. Mine were not leather, they were quite thick with the sheepskin lining, and they kept me hands quite cozy down in the twenties I remember. I also wore some thick gloves. The best part of them was keeping the wind off. I don't recall any problems with the brake or clutch levers.

 

Come to think of it, I did do a ride up one of the local mountains just before Christmas a couple years ago, and I could have used them that night.

[Mariner Fan]

I have a set that I use on my '07. I'm very happy with them!

The nice thing about them is that they are easy to put on and take off.

I've never had cold hands yet while using them and I'll ride into the low 30's.

 

Hope that helps.

Bob

[RichD]

I'm also curious about any quick removable insulated chaps. Not the leather kind, but maybe a snow suit type material with some down feathers and maybe some velcro straps that can be easily-on/easily-off.

 

Woody,

 

WhiteHorsePress.com carries some insulated textile chaps that are pretty easy to get in and out of, and are toasty warm at least down into the 30's, which is my lower limit here in southeast Texas. I also have a pair of "Knee-Necks", which are insulated nylon wraps that velcro onto your lower leg, but they unfortunately leave your knee exposed. However, I think that company also sells some full length chaps that wrap around your leg and are secured with velcro.

 

Rich

[Guest byekryam]

Thanks guys for the info. Everything looks so good on an ad, but nothing compares to having info from those who have actually tried the product. I ride into the 20's so I definitely need something, otherwise it makes riding miserable and defeats the whole purpose.

 

I think I'm going to order a pair of the Hippo Hands and just use a summer pair of gloves underneath. The summer gloves are for in case I dump, (I have a fondness for the skin on my hands), and because you made a good point above, that the handlebars still do conduct cold and rob heat from your hands. I'm also going to investigate the chaps place mentioned. I think if I keep my hands warm and the sides of my legs a little bit more protected from the wind, that I'll be fine. Then all I have to worry about is keeping an eye on the ice patches every once in a while that form in that temperature. I've ridden in two ice storms due to unforseen weather and I don't ever want to do that again. Luckily it was on a much lighter bike each time, I wouldn't imagine it on the 800 lb Venture.

 

Thanks again,

Woody

[phertwo]

Check out Gerbings.

 

I have a pair of the G3 gloves and they are a life changer! They are worth the investment ($139) as you can ride in sub-freezing temperatures with pure delight. The best part is that they are still quite lightweight and thin as opposed to those bulky winter gloves, so they are easy to control the bike. Believe me they work really well. I always have them in my bike now for when the temperature drops down below comfortable.

[darthandy]

Sorry, I just got around to reading this thread , so my comments are probably too late to help...still, just in case... I have had a set of Hippo Hands for over 20 years and they are great. The newer ones are even better as they have made design and material changes to keep them from "flapping around" in the wind. This becomes very important if you have to pull your hand out at speed and then try to re-insert it! Also, be careful where you get them (If you haven't already!) because there are imitators but the quality is much lower (Don't ask how I know!). The real ones are made in St. Catharines, Ontario up here in the Great White North. I have even taped hot packs to my handle bars when it was especially cold and I had a long trip ahead (Yeah, yeah, I know...I need to get heated grips!). Thanks to the Hippo's stopping the direct wind blast the extra bit of heat (with my winter gloves on) kept my hands quite comfortable for several hours. Hope this is of some help.

[hillrider]

Hippo Hand are a GREAT invention altho it takes a little getting used to. GOT to know where the buttons are. I now wear summer gloves in the winter. Also install grip heaters. Now the Hippo Hands make little ovens.