Cold weather gear choices?

[BigGuppy]

As mentioned elsewhere, yesterday it was in the low 30s in NJ. To try out cold weather riding, I put on every piece of wool I could find and for the most part I did ok:

• Icebreaker 200 wool leggings
• Icebreaker 150 wool t-shirt
• Woolrich wool pants
• Wool sweater
• Bombas wool socks
• Polyester balaclava

I covered it all with Kilm Goretex pants, Joe Rocket Alter Ego jacket, leather boots, and regular riding gloves.

Biggest findings:

• My regular riding gloves have tiny holes, and since they're wrist length only, the wind tended to go up the arms. I velcroed my jacket tight at the wrists, but I'd rather have gauntlet style gloves for these temperatures.
• The handgrip heater was not a good way to keep my hands warm. My palms roasted but my thumb and fingertips froze. I found myself holding my handlebars differently for heat rather than for the best controlling grip--not good. Heated gloves, maybe
• The icebreaker long sleeve undershirt would have worked better than the short sleeve (I just couldn't find it)
• Bombas wool socks were not warm enough, and my feet went a little numb. Maybe I just needed a thicker pair of wool socks. From my road cycling days, I know that cheap grocery store plastic bags make good windbreakers for feet, which I might bring along next time.

All in all a good ride. Back of the neck got a little cold, arms got a little cold, palms roasted, and the feet went numb. But I did fine and felt it was a success.

 

[GregC]

FYI - I use these glove liners in really cold weather because the aluminized fabric seems to hold heat better and spread the heat of my Oxford heated grips better:

Glove Liners

I'm also trying these "lobster" style gloves this year so I get the benefit of mittens on all but my index and thumb (so I can still manually shift the DTC):

Gordini Gauntlet Gloves

As long as there little chance of ice on the road and it's not snowing, I'll ride.

 

[Olythom]

Shoe full-face helmet.
Battery powered Warmthru gloves.
An extra layer under Aerostich one-piece suit (over my jeans and button-down work clothes).
Merino wool socks.
I just started using a 'neck-gator' around my neck (not over my my face) to cover the gap between helmet and riding suit.
So far, this has gotten me through my 30 minute commute in temps down to 33 degrees, rain or dry, in relative comfort.

 

[showkey]

There is no substitute for good heated vest or liner and good heated grips and or heated gloves.

 

[SleepyC]

Besides heated gear (I just use snowmobile gloves) this is the best $15 you can spend to keep your hands warm.

TUST MOTORCYCLE HAND MITTS

 

[GregC]

Besides heated gear (I just use snowmobile gloves) this is the best $15 you can spend to keep your hands warm.

TUST MOTORCYCLE HAND MITTS

Has anyone used these on a DCT? I wonder where they hit on the left grip (do they cover the parking brake, can you easily use the paddle shifters, etc.).


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[SleepyC]

Has anyone used these on a DCT? I wonder where they hit on the left grip (do they cover the parking brake, can you easily use the paddle shifters, etc.).


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I opened up the stitching on the inside and you can get them on pretty much anything with no issues...

Like this.... (not my bike, a dude sent me this pic to guide me as well)

 

[wa5vhu]

Barkbusters or cheaper Chinese version until it gets too cold, then the muffs. I put these over the Barkbusters. To use the parking brake you have to undo the Velcro strap once stopped.

Warning! You do have to do some things by feel while going down the road so be careful!

 

[SleepyC]

Barkbusters or cheaper Chinese version until it gets too cold, then the muffs. I put these over the Barkbusters. To use the parking brake you have to undo the Velcro strap once stopped.

Warning! You do have to do some things by feel while going down the road so be careful!

View attachment 35215 View attachment 35216

Cut those threads and open them up like the pic above your post. The metal still holds the mouth open and teh wind is still stopped. It's a game changer. I went from liking the muffs to loving them as you can't even feel them or know they are there when the mouth is opened up!

 

[booblinker]

-Honda tall windshield
-bark busters
-heated grips
-snow pants I bought during Bushes second term for $15
-Knockoff carhart with a hoodie underneath
-Some sort of $30 "snowmobile gloves"
-China Red Wings
-Cheap balaclava with fleece neck band.

I run down to the low 30s, almost 20 miles. Feet end up a little cold, also face is a little cold due to crappy seal on helmet. Neck, upper body, mid and lower body all comfortable.

 

[WPZ]

Very short description of the answers that have kept me on the road:
Aerostich
Gerbing's
In the early '90s, I once rode home to Chicago from Montpelier, Vermont straight through because it was snowing in Montpelier: 1130 miles (1800km). It rained almost the whole way home, with only a break from Cleveland to South Bend, and the temperature never went over 48 degrees (+9C). I had both the Gerbing's jacket liner AND an old Eclipse electric vest on, along with Gerbing's electric gloves, underneath my Roadcrafter. Along with the fabulous Concours 1000 fairing, it actually wasn't that hard.
Gerbing's. Never leave home without it.

 

[lue42]

When I got hit with cold weather on a recent tour I learned a couple of things...

It is all about wind protection and then about heating/insulation.

I have a 22" MadStad and it provided adiquate wind protection.

I have a good neck protector (joe rocket, found in a clearance sale) and a good warm jacket (tourmaster transition 3). My torso was fine with just the thermal lining and all the zippers done up. An extra sweater would have been nice though.

I have heated grips (honda oem) but without wind protection they were all but useless for my hand coldness. I am pretty sure that barkbusters type guards would have worked well in conjunction with the heated grips. But, I confess I was wearing vented summer gloves. I ended up stopping and buying a regular pair of winter leather gloves and with no wind getting through my hands were fine. I didn't really need the heated grips either. So, lesson learned is wind protecting guards and/or proper winter riding gloves.

I had a pair of non-motorcycle columbia pants. They are wind proof and pretty thin but do have a bit of a thermal layer. For the most part they were fine. Lesson learned is that a proper pair of riding pants with wind protection, thermal layer and armor would be great.

Which gets us to BOOTS. The biggest issue and something I didn't really fix on the road. I use a non-motorcycle pair of lace up leather boots. I love them and they are worn in perfect. However, they sucked in cold weather - completely useless. I tried putting plastic bags over my socks and that did help but ultimately I think a new pair is what I need.

 

[happy]

This should do the trick.

Joke aside: Any recommendation for a heated inner jacket liner? battery powered?

 

[frog13]

Motoport gear is really good , customer support is excellent.

 

[ld_rider]

Gerbings Heated Socks check
Gerbings Heated Jacket check
Gerbings Heated Pants check
Gerbings Heated Gloves check

LLBean WindBloc jacket over Gerbings Jacket check
Aerostitch Darien Jacket over LLBean Jacket check
Aerostich Darien Pants over Gerbings Pants check

Lightweight Thermal Base Layer under everything check

Trip to Key West from Maine and back during my February one week school break (9 deg F when I left)... check

Chicks that might think I'm the coolest, most bad@ss rider in the Keys....check ;-)

 

[Naked_Duc]

Heated jacket liner will go a long ways especially when the ride is longer than 30 minutes.

 

[backtochain]

Before I got into the Gerbings apparel I would put on a rain suit over my atgatt apparel. The rain suit works quite well to prevent the brunt of the wind chill from penetrating the under gear. I think it was a XL rain suit that fit well over my large size atgatt gear. My hands and feet would eventually get cold and would have to stop to warm them up but I could ride a fair distance this way. I road many years this way before the heated gear was affordable.

 

[nm4_dude01]

Been commuting as low as 26 degrees the last week or so.

From head to toe:

Shoe GT Air
Rukka wind stopper neck wrap

Long sleeve T shirt or button down shirt
WarmNSafe waterproof heated jacket liner
Klim Apex jacket

WarmNSafe heated gloves
Hot Grips heated grips with pulse width controller

Boxers
WarmNSafe windblock heated pants liner
Klim K52 riding jeans or Rokker Evolution waterproof jeans if wet

Smartwool socks
Timberland Pro boots with toe and heel protection

That's it. From 50 degrees to zero, I just dial in different heat settings as needed. No more dressing like the Michelin Man anymore. I carry a change of pants for work as wearing jeans or chinos under the other 2 layers is just a bit too tight.

I used to think heated gear was unnecessary, but after one really long day and feeling really cold despite all the layers, I learned an important lesson, when your body can't produce enough heat due to fatigue or even extreme cold, it doesn't matter how many layers you have. Took me more than 2 hours at a McDonnalds to get warm enough to finish the final 30 miles that trip. Since I got the heated gear, I wear fewer layers and have never felt that fatigue chill.

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[SilverRocket]

Geez...
Our weather out here is so warm that I had to go back to wearing my mesh jacket and summer gloves!
If it ever gets cold... I just attach the jacket's liner.

Of course I am planning longer trips in the Winter/Spring, so will probably need some warmer gear, so thanks for the tips!

 

[potter0o]

Here is what I look from today. Superrrr wet. New bib over pant worked well. Temperature not too bad in the low 40's (6 C)