Winter gear...

[supermanzdead]

...I am looking into some cold weather gear without spending too much money. What would you suggest and what is a good place to purchase decent gear? I tend to go to the dealership which I hear probably costs me more than it needs to...

Thanks for any suggestions!!

[bhalv]

just picked up a First Gear Kilimanjaro on ebay for $100, warmest jacket I will probably ever need. there is good stuff to be found on ebay if you get lucky

[supermanzdead]

Yes, but the hard part is knowing what to look for I guess...LOL

[JMcDonald]

The things that will get cold first and cause the most discomfort are your neck and hands. Invest in some decent gloves and a neck warmer, and the rest you can work out over time. You can spend about $40 on the gloves, and even like $10 or $20 on a balaclava or other neck-warmer from Academy or something. And then I would just layer as needed. Also remember rain jackets as the outer later work pretty well for keeping the wind out, actually.


Are you another year-'round rider?

*edit*

And I will clarify, that when wearing warm-weather gear, you will get cold in this order:

Neck first (I wear my neoprene neck covering at anything below the low 60s).
Then hands (my normal gloves with thin under-gloves are only good to about 50 degrees, and then only for maybe 20 minutes or so).
Then wrists (which you really only feel if your hands themselves are warm, heh).
And everything else just starts chilling off in a blur :P .

[spooph]

In my experience, you get what you pay for, and you know your body better than anybody else, so you have to decide which is more important. The first thing that gets cold for me is my hands, then neck/face. I find wind-proof pants go a long way!

Most brands have some sort of cold weather gear, and they're all very close. The touring brands (Tour Master, Aerostitch, etc), tend to have better gear than the speed brands (Joe Rocket, A*, etc).

I have a set of Tour master (I think), cold weather gloves, that hold me till about 20F, with heated grips. For below that I'm getting some "hippo hands":

http://www.hippohands.com/

The key is to balance your entire suit. If you're layering like crazy for your torso, but no wind protection for your legs, you'll learn quickly how much heat it takes to keep the legs warm, and that heat comes from somewhere - your torso, which means you'll be cold all around....

[ally99]

You may also want to consider some of the Under Armor thermal wear to go under all that gear. I always wear my full gauntlet gloves, a balaclava for my neck, leather jacket and pants. With the Under Armor thermals, I stay pretty warm, even in more northern latitudes...even with my good winter gloves, my hands are always the first thing to get cold.

[zilaniz]

I would reccomend the Knox cold killers(wind/waterproof) over anything under armor.
Check out the revit dragon jacket.
But yeah my neck and hands are the first thing cold

[ScorpionNinja]

"Winter" gear? as in Riding in Snow?

or

"Cold weather" gear? Temps from 40F-59F?

IMO anything below 39F will require you to use Heated gear that plugs into a Powerlet source (like BMW touring bikes) or use "Grabbers" - stays warm for 6-12 hours - hand/toe/body warmers in your gloves/jacket/boots, etc!

[onetruevibe]

I picked up one of these at spooph's recommendation:

http://www.underarmour.com/shop/us/en/pid8000022

Changed my cold weather riding experience to almost tolerable

[supermanzdead]

Cold weather riding, and I am still on the fence about going year round.

I did ride out to the gym tonight, but it was only 43 out so it wasn't too bad.

Thanks for all the suggestions!! I will scour ebay, what other sites do you typically purchase gear from??

[Flashmonkey]

Originally Posted by ScorpionNinja

IMO anything below 39F will require you to use Heated gear that plugs into a Powerlet source (like BMW touring bikes) or use "Grabbers" - stays warm for 6-12 hours - hand/toe/body warmers in your gloves/jacket/boots, etc!

Depends what you're doing and how long you're doing it, really. Layering up on the legs and the midsection is easy and should keep you warm for your entire ride provided you're not going on the freeway for long stretches. The hands, however, are another story altogether. I recommend heated gloves. You cannot buy gloves thick enough to protect you from the wind chill at 0 degrees celsius at any speed, and you really don't want gloves that thick anyway.

The helmet's another weak point. Getting a good balaclava is a good start, but if you're anything like me, you'll start tearing up at anything below 10 degrees (50 F). This is amusing at first, but gets old fast.

[dubojr1]

Originally Posted by kawboyCAFE

i get most of my gear from the local hunting stores. they have some awesome winter gear that works just as good on a bike. and its alot less than most of the so-called motorcycle gear.

I'm sure some protection is sacrificed using hunting gear....

[JMcDonald]

Originally Posted by dubojr1

I'm sure some protection is sacrificed using hunting gear....

I think he means as far as like balaclavas, under-gear, etc.



BTW I bought sweat-pants for under-gear. Even the cheapest "Long Johns" from Walmart are still like $10 for a pair of pants, and definitely aren't as warm as sweat pants. To get something thin but still as warm as sweat pants you are going to have to drop $15-$20 per pair. I ride everyday and didn't want to have to be wearing re-runs all the time, I bought six pairs of sweat pants for $36 .


On a short trip the other day I rode in 38* weather, wearing the following:

Torso: Two long-sleeved t-shirts under my liner-attached summer riding jacket.

Neck / Head: Fleece Balaclava + Neoprene face / neck covering.

Hands: Summer riding gloves + Thin gloves underneath**

Legs: Riding jeans over sweat pants and knee guards.

**My hands were obviously cold. After only maybe 10 minutes, my hands were getting pretty numb. However, I only had mittens as an alternative (I have since bought nicer gloves) which, while very warm, are too soft to get a good connection to the throttle, so I have to squeeze hard which tires out my hand fast. So, I really didn't like wearing the mittens because I didn't feel like I had control of the bike. I don't think I could have gone more than a few more miles like this.


I have been gearing up minimally for two reasons:
1) I ride to school and work, and don't want to walk around looking like I am going hunting in Alaska when it is not absolutely necessary :P .
2) I am trying to condition myself for it. I don't want to wear all my best gear when it is just 40* out, because then I'll just end up getting discouraged at the prospect of riding to school on those 20* mornings :P .

And Flash, yeah sometimes I tear up when it gets colder. Though, with my new windscreen, I find if I lay my hand on the tank to act as a "pad" for my chest, I can get pretty much my whole helmet out of the wind and be quite comfortable .

[spooph]

This is just plain awesome!

[JMcDonald]

Which part?
Posted via Mobile Device

[highpsiguy]

Originally Posted by ally99

You may also want to consider some of the Under Armor thermal wear to go under all that gear. I always wear my full gauntlet gloves, a balaclava for my neck, leather jacket and pants. With the Under Armor thermals, I stay pretty warm, even in more northern latitudes...even with my good winter gloves, my hands are always the first thing to get cold.

Hey Ally northern latitudes means Commerce right?

[JeffM]

My Cortech/Tourmaster jacket and pants work well, with all the liners in, worn over my winter running gear (fleece running tights and technical type top - all moisture wicking ). I add to that a wind stopping neck gator and Under Armor type skull cap. All this works pretty well for my short commute or a run up the canyon when the roads are clean and the temps are in the 30 to 40F range.

The coldest day I remember going out in was Christmas Eve last year. The high was +-20F and my hands and face suffered due to inadequate gloves and having to ride with my shield cracked open so I could see. Tearing up was a major issue. The moisture from my eyes was actually freezing on the inside of my glasses. Contacts when it is cold. I lasted about 30 minutes .

Remember, frost bite can occur very quickly in these conditions. Here are photos from that day.

[spooph]

Originally Posted by JMcDonald

Which part?
Posted via Mobile Device

All this discussion of riding in the cold... It's like the fun never stops! I guess it's also really cool to see others doing the same thing... Riding in miserable conditions.... Let me take that back... I love riding in the cold. Everything is so crisp and precise... Unless there's precip and especially slush involved....

Awesome pics Jeff! I need to get me some saddle bags....

[JMcDonald]

Oooh ok yes I agree .



I also wonder a little bit about putting some dual sport tires on my bike. But, it really only snows maybe a couple days per year average, so it really wouldn't be worth it.

[JMcDonald]

But yeah, my next cold-weather steps are wearing my rain pants under my riding pants to block some of the wind, wearing my new gloves, and wearing my actual rain-proof riding jacket again to block some wind. These, with a few layers, should take me much further.

[spooph]

I've been thinking about DS tires as well... Haven't really looked, but I'm thinking something like the Avon Gripster, or some Distanzias would work quite well in the snow, too bad they come in the 250's size....

[JMcDonald]

43* This morning. Long-sleeved shirt + Hoodie + rain liner + vented jacket** = perfectly warm torso.

I sewed my fleece neck warmer to my balaclava this morning so it is now one long unit = very warm (almost too warm, hah). I only wore it around my chin, too, rather than covering my whole face.

Sweat pants + knee armor under jeans = perfectly warm legs.

I still wore my vented riding gloves with liners. On the short trip to school my hands only got slightly numb. They got much worse when I stupidly left the gloves with my helmet on the bike, and then got on my bicycle at school and rode a half mile to class :P .

**This is the same jacket that kept me from sweating on 105* summer days, so it doesn't add a lot to the warmth once moving, heh.



BTW sunglasses help tremendously with the tearing up. It really only ever happens to me at night (when obviously I don't have the sunglasses on...). If the tearing gets bad in cold weather, I will probably buy a set of clear glasses for night riding. I might even invest (I spend an average of $4 on sunglasses :P ) on the nicer foam-lined glasses to really keep the air out of my eyes.

[spooph]

I wear glasses, so unfortunately I don't have that luxury... Which is why I just picked up a new Shoei. The guy promised me it should be a lot more quiet and still inside...

[ScorpionNinja]

kawboyCAFE - you dont have to have heated gear below 39 degrees. you just have to have good gear. i have rode to and from work in below 39 degree many,many,many times.




Ill add that, i meant if your taking a long trip up in Michigans UP* at -39F temps!

I rode 3 hours non-stop last year up to my cousins house, ALL HIGHWAY @ 70-80 MPH about 40-43F. I suffered, but if i only had Heated gear.

I ride to work in 35F temps in the morning aka short distance of no more than 30MINs with No Problems, Now compare that to riding 3 hours non-stop on the Highway???

I wont ride in temps no matter what Bike,Gear,etc, I have... if the temps are at or below Freezing, 32-33F.

Black ICE on roads while on a motorcycle in Michigan = BAD IDEA and NOT WORTH IT!

Ive been thinking of moving to Arizona, but the summers would Melt me, maybe!

[JMcDonald]

Ooh yeah thats true. I think we are just talking about getting where we are going, not road trips :P .

[Bleak21]

Originally Posted by bhalv

just picked up a First Gear Kilimanjaro on ebay for $100, warmest jacket I will probably ever need. there is good stuff to be found on ebay if you get lucky

Damn I saw that and was going to buy it if we were looking at the same auction.... rawr

[FrugalNinja250]

You can search for comments on particular brands and types of gear over on advrider.com, lots of post history to browse through there. I would recommend looking through http://www.webbikeworld.com/ for reviews of gear types. I've bought most of my gear from www.newenough.com, where I've found generally great prices and fast shipping.

My setup is leather jacket with removable liner, Tourmaster Elite rain jacket, Firstgear textile riding pants with removable liner, balaclava (not to be confused with baclava!) and long sleeve shirt. Generally I run without the pants without the liner over my jeans+jacket with liner+rain jacket in temps from 50F down to 35F for short trips up to 20 miles. Below that I add the pants liner and the long sleeve shirt over my regular shirt.

The coldest I've ridden in was 22F, 13 mile commute to work. All was well except for gloves. Insulated with 3M Thinsulate, they failed at about 30F. That 22F day was brutal on my hands. I've got heated gloves now though they're not installed yet. I've been running Tourmaster Winter Elite gloves with polar cover built in, so far they're quite comfy down to 40 though I got them mainly for the rain. Gloves are the only item I can't offer any recommendations on yet. The Cortech Winter Scarabs that were recommended to me completely suck for a variety of reasons.

To elaborate on the Cortech gloves, the giant problem is that they're not waterproof on the outside. Nicely made from goatskin and other premium products, the waterproof/breathable barrier is between the leather outer shell and the fleece inner shell. What happens is that the leather soaks up a hell of a lot of water which, though it doesn't get through the liner to your skin, does evaporate from the shell and increase the wind-chill effect dramatically and completely overpowers the insulation's ability to keep your hands warm. Then, to add insult to injury, when the gloves eventually dry out (and it takes a very long time for that) the leather becomes extremely stiff.

This design conceptional error is common to many gloves. Basically, if the glove isn't waterproof on the outside it's pretty useless as a wet/cold weather glove. A waterproof cover would help, but nobody makes one that's any good. I had the Fieldsheer Overglove and they were complete pieces of junk, worth about $25 less than the $12 + $11 shipping I paid for them.

I may keep the Scarabs for cool (not cold) dry weather riding, or sell them. I haven't decided yet, and I've only worn them half a dozen times (and only once in the rain, never again!)

[spooph]

Frugal Ninja, I'm confused, I looked on Tourmaster's site, and there's a Polar-Tex glove, and a Winter Elite glove, not a Elite Polar glove. I've owned both the Polar-Tex and Winter Elite (currently still have the Winter Elite), so I'm just wondering, because I'd like to compare your findings with mine.

http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/cata...e-p-109_9.html

http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/cata...s-p-108_9.html

[FrugalNinja250]

Edited my post...

[spooph]

rock on, I've found about the same... What kind of electrics you got? I opted for the cheaper hippo hands instead. They're in, I just have to find time to go pick them up, can't wait to give them a shot....

[ally99]

Originally Posted by highpsiguy

Hey Ally northern latitudes means Commerce right?

LOL! Yeah, Kevin. Guess so down here! I work near Commerce (Nicholson), and teachers have EARLY hours, so it's usually dark on the way to work AND cold. I can tolerate it if there's promise of a sunny afternoon ride on the way home, but I could definitely use something to warm my hands on those rides!
Oh, and the thermal gear has gotten me through some cold mountain trips too...and no, not the "mountains" in Commerce.

[JMcDonald]

Im almost surely going to need clear night glasses. The general eye irritation last night was terrible on the way home from work (dark outside)!


Spooph, which hippo hands did you get? It doesn't look like they make them specifically for the 250r?

[RedCromwell]

Originally Posted by JMcDonald

Im almost surely going to need clear night glasses. The general eye irritation last night was terrible on the way home from work (dark outside)!

Noticed you mentioned "general eye irritation" not sure if it's the same thing, but I haven't found anyone else mention what to do about your eyes tearing up from the cold wind blowing into your helmet while at speed.

Maybe it's just me, but the freezing air blowing into my eyes causes them to tear up. After awhile I just have tears running down my face (big crybaby).

Maybe, simple solution is to close the front vent on my helmet, but then I'm worried about my visor fogging up.

What do others do?

[spooph]

McDonald, I just had my local shop order whatever should fit best. He told me they run about $25, and they're for ATV's, not specific to the ninjette at all. I don't think they're really hippo hands either. Once I get my hands on them I'll post up more info for you...

Cromwell, concerning the eyes - tears are still OK, once your eyes start to dry out, and it gets painful to close them, that's a bit of problem cause they can't focus anymore... I say this so that you know I know what you're dealing with.... What do I do? Close all the vents, use cotton balls to stopper up any other holes. Seal that helmet up. Wear a large scarf (or in my case - a sweater with a massive collar, the seals the helmet from the bottom, enough to allow exhalation, and to block the majority of air flowing in. To stop fogging, pinlock, cat crap, and there are many other options. According to the guy at my shop, the insert he's getting me for the shoei is not the pin-lock option, and that pinlock got their idea from these people and their design. It's a $25 sticky insert, and should work across helmet manu's. I'll post. Also:

http://www.respro.com/products/racin...ng/foggy_mask/

In the past, I've found with a foggy, the cotton balls, and cat crap the fogging has never gotten very bad, and that's maybe $30 worth of stuff (I got my foggy for $15 a few years back), and I've had luck into the negative digits...

[RedCromwell]

Originally Posted by spooph

http://www.respro.com/products/racin...ng/foggy_mask/

In the past, I've found with a foggy, the cotton balls, and cat crap the fogging has never gotten very bad, and that's maybe $30 worth of stuff (I got my foggy for $15 a few years back), and I've had luck into the negative digits...

Thanks for the link and info Spooph. I'm definitely adding this to my Christmas wish list!

[spooph]

This is what I got with my new lid:

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...ro-Shield.aspx

Mark at the shop said it's the best, and he's raced in just about all kinds of conditions... So I'm gonna give it a shot this next week and report back. Under current testing, my glasses definitely fog up before the shield does, so I'm thinking with the foggy I'll be A-spec and set!

Also, the "Hippo Hands" I got are named Ducks Unlimited ATV Hand Warmers, hea:
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...d-Warmers.aspx. Can't wait to try them out, but that prolly won't happen till Monday. For the first in my life I'm going to say this: Let's hope it's a cold one.... :P

[JMcDonald]

Originally Posted by RedCromwell

Noticed you mentioned "general eye irritation" not sure if it's the same thing, but I haven't found anyone else mention what to do about your eyes tearing up from the cold wind blowing into your helmet while at speed.

Maybe it's just me, but the freezing air blowing into my eyes causes them to tear up. After awhile I just have tears running down my face (big crybaby).

Maybe, simple solution is to close the front vent on my helmet, but then I'm worried about my visor fogging up.

What do others do?

They didn't really tear up, but I noticed I couldn't keep them open and was constantly having to squint and blink. Im sure in colder temps the next step would have been watering, though.


I rode to school at 35*F this morning.

Head and neck: Still sewn-together freelce neck warmer and fleece balaclava. Still extremely warm (noticed no coldness at all that I remembered).

Eyes: Sunglasses--> no watering or irritation (which I even tried to notice given our discussion last night). However, I noticed the glasses themselves would fog up a little at longer stoplights.

Torso: Still just a long-sleeved short under a hoodie, under my my mesh summer jacket with liner attached. Completely warm (surprisingly). With this jacket, one time on a cool summer night (about 70 degrees) my teech started chattering when I was wearing this jacket with just a tanktop underneath :P . So, I'll say I am very pleased with how well the jacket setup has turned out working (that just a few mild layers and the liner seems t obe good enough for 35F weather).

Hands: Tried out the new gloves today. They kept my hands pretty warm, but keeping my wrists covered (also keeping wind out of my sleeves) was also a big bonus. They were slightly cold by the time I finished the ~10-minute ride, but I am extremely cold-handed so that didn't surprise me at all. Like, seriously, unless I am truely warm (rare... teeth-chattering at 70 degrees :P ), my fingers follow ambient temperature. No really, I have consistently measured their temperature at whatever the thermostat says :P .

Pants: Again, sweat pants and shin guards, but under a thinner zip-up nylon overpant. Still, my legs didn't really get cold, despite them being my thinnest riding pants.

Boots: My basic steel-toed work boots weren't cold by any stretch, but occasionally I would notice a light draft coming in from the laces above the water-proofing liner. I am due for another pair soon and I was going to get a half or whole-size larger so I can wear thicker / multiple sucks for comfort and moisture control, so that should pretty much take care of the coldness.

[spooph]

Originally Posted by JMcDonald

However, I noticed the glasses themselves would fog up a little at longer stoplights.

Yup, when it gets really cold out, the heat from your eye balls can actually cause them to fog up.... So I put a cat crap on there and it's all good! Or a well insulated helmet, above your nose, to keep the temperature inside your helmet constant - not sure how you're gonna pull this off though...

[JMcDonald]

Mine does it from my breath coming out from under the clava. Maybe a second internal helmet, or maybe one of those old scuba bowls, will do the trick. Will get on that asap and report back!

This morning, 39, didnt take that extra 30 secs to get everything situated. Wrists cold, bottom of neck cold, and ankles cold, all from gaps between stuff .

And dress pants are not nearly as warm as swrat pants! Hah.

Oh and as far as my jacket goes, I really should give a lot of that credit to my sport touring windscreen which, even when sitting upright, pushes the wind above my shoulders to where it hits maybe the outside inch or so. On a naked bike, I probably wouldnt be doing nearly as well, heh.

Posted via Mobile Device

[spooph]

try repositioning where the balaclava sits on your nose. I've found if I pull mine over my nose, my glasses fog up, and if I put it under my nose, they don't fog up..... Plus my nose stays plenty warm due to the insulation it's providing the rest of my head.... :P

And yea, those "seals" go a long way, eh? I spent 15 min. the other day, gearing up before work, and just the tips of my fingers were cold. No matter how late you are, the extra few seconds are totally worth it in the long haul....