Winter Riding tips tricks and questions

[muaymendez1]

I have not seen a post like this so I would like to start it. Lets share our tips and tricks for staying warm and give our advice on hat gear nd combination work.

I am tiredof riding winters where 3 hours are fine but getting back home is mysery.

My hands are exposed. Will I need wind guards to go with heated gloves or will heated gloves work plenty.

I have no lowers, will chaps be plenty to keep my long john and fleeced legs warm. I have always felt cold legs but Im sure it because of the wind.

I hope this thread gets some action.

[friesman]

Ive found that wearingsomething like a disposable glove inside your winter gloves helps stop the air infiltration and seems to help me keep warmer. Same works on boots, slide your foot into a shopping bag before putting your boot on will keep you warmer just because the air cant get to you. Sounds goofy but it works for me, esp on damp days.

If you have crash bars, I would make up something that will block the air coming at your legs, it could even be some fabric with a bubber coating.

 

brian

[muaymendez1]

I have thought of the disposable glove thing but after wearing a ran jacket then building up moisture and almost freezing to death on the way home I ditched the idea. I would think that latex gloves will make your hands sweat and create and easier mode to cool off.

[w.steve wells]

i've riden with temps in the high teens and the best gloves i've found,heated or non-heated is a pair of skier's gloves i purchased from dicks sporting goods they are water-proof and have pockets for the hot-pads your hands and fingers will be toasty for hrs. know and respect your limits and ride safe steve

[Galapagos]

I do alot of steelhead fishing in Ohio. We get some wicked winter seasons on Lake Erie. Heres how I dress when fishing and I also adapt it to bike riding in the cold.

 

Layer up. Layers trap air and keep you warm.

Stay away from cotton clothing. Cotton holds moisture and will chill you to the bone when it cools off.

Use polypropylene, fleece and wool.

Polypropylene or silk underwear. Sportsmansguide.com actually sells a nice silk or poly assortment on their site. A poly foot liner with a wool sock over it. The liner wicks moisture away and the wool stays warm when wet from sweat.

A fleece pullover under your jacket.

A scarf made or wool or synthetic material. It is amazing what a simple scarf can do.

I wear a foot liner, wool sock, fleece pants under my waders.

I wear poly underwear on top and bottom if it is real cold and on the top if not.

Fleece under a jacket.

Now to the subject of Gortex. Leather does not breathe.

Gortex does. Gortex jackets are nice.

Notice a trend here? Wick the moisture away.

We wade streams that are right at or beyond freezing temps. I fish all day in these conditions dressed correctly.

[darthandy]

We can get some nasty weather up here with lots of cold and wind. I've found that a good parka and some Walmart fake leather gloves will keep me nice and warm till the heater in the car warms up. The bike? It's where it belongs in the winter...sitting in the garage awaiting its next improvement!

 

Andy

[Preacher Dude]

I wear leather gloves with the brown jersey gloves inside them. I put the knee high hose that my wife throws away over top my socks. Dont laught it works. I do this when I go hunting also keeps my feet warm. I layer up then put my leather pants and jacket on over top of everything . I have rode in 20 degree weather and stayed warm. I ride my scooter year round. 2006 RSV. Has 56000 on it.

[dacheedah]

Heated gloves are great, I got a pair of heated snowmobile gloves at Farm & Fleet for $20.00, each take 4 aa batteries and have a hi, lo and off. I wear a neck gater, leather jacket. When it gets cold I throw a gortex 100mph fishing rainsuit over my clothes. That will breathe but keep wind and rain off ya. I have also used gloves that take hot hands ( the cheap chemical hand warmers) and have a pocket it slips in, I end up using these for muzzle loader season when it can be bitter. If I rode some distance I would throw some toe warmers in my boots and a thermalcare on my back. No electrical issue there. You don't want your boots tight, they need air to keep your feet warm, and I find wool is the best insulator, even when it's wet...

[hog]

I ride 32 miles one way to work when it is in the lower 20's.I wear a pair of nylon windstop pants under my chaps and leather coat with the liner in it and a themal shirt and bought a cheap 5.00 scarf from walmart to keep the wind from going in around my neck down my jacket and a pair of gloves that the tops are big enough to go over the sleeves of my leather jacket to keep wind from going up my sleeves and I manage to stay pretty warm that way.My face is the only thing that get chilly and have tried calvalcias but they fog up my glasses and a full face helmet does the same.

[muaymendez1]

I have used gauntlet gloves but below 40 the wind just cuts in, i installed grip warmers last season and the heat on the palms flows thoughout the glove keeping your hands bearable but the heating element started distorting the throttle sleeve so I ditched those.

I have layered my legs and still manage to get a draft, i will try some of the suggestions here but I m still pondering where to spedn my cash this week.

i dont want to overload my circuit so a full heated suit is out.

I would rather have a heated vest and get some insulated windproof gloves and maybe a set of chaps.

the one major thing ilearned from riding 5 winters is .Once you develop a chill "ITS OVER JOHNNY":fiddle:.

I have a mesh jacket that I use with its rainproof liner and lots of layers underneath and that works until I start really riding and my body begins to perspire, then comes the chill and nothing can shake it even a hot shower and a cup of coffee.

[Mike G in SC]

I replaced my chaps with ski pants.

Very light weight, packs easy. Keeps it all warm.

Wind chill is not a factor anymore.

[jlh3rd]

i spent all kinds of money buying this "best" pair of gloves or that guaranteed best jacket or pant .....doing the layering thing , silk liners, wicking material, eventually feeling like a stay puff marshmellow man

you hit the nail on the head, once you get cold , your done

 

do yourself a favor....bite the bullet... and get heated clothes, the 12v stuff.....i used heated glove liners, pant liners and jacket liners .....so, jeans, a sweatshirt, the lioners and a rainsuit worked 99% of the time...

[CrazyHorse]

I dont ride below 40 anymore especially at 5 am when i have to go to work to many chances for black ice in my area.

[dynodon]

I ride often down to about 30, short rides in the 20's. I find chaps help with air infiltration up the legs, but starting from the bottom up, this is what works for me.

 

Good tall boots, with toe warmers in them, carry extra's for long trips, but these work for 3-4 hours or more.

 

Good socks also.

 

heavy jeans, with heavy leather chaps, my legs don't get cold, I ride a royale or my wing and both have good lower protection. I have foot wings on both bikes, and they help.

 

layer the core of my body with a long-sleeve T-shirt, and sweater. with a good jacket with liner. My body doesn't get that cold, so i don't have electric vest.

 

I have tourmaster heated gloves, and they work great, but the wing also has heated grips, my first bike with these, and they really work to keep my hands warm. I tried battery gloves and they just didn't work for me.

 

I use a face scarf that goes down the front of the neck and behind. and then a full face helmet. I have ridden in low 30's for several hours and not felt cold.

 

As others say, respect the cold, if you start feeling cold stop before you start shivering, and get warm again. Get inside.

 

I enjoy my winter rides. Have done a new years day ride the last 5 years or so as long as the roads are clear.

[rod]

I agree with layers. I got some insulated bib overalls (Carhartt) that work great. Make sure to get the ones that have the long zipper on the legs for easy on/off. Good ski gloves keep your hands warm. Rod