staying warm...

[dizzyblonde]

I don't have much of a problem being cold with my kit. I wear a jumper and a tshirt in winter under my jacket(which is a three layered one), and a pair of long john thingies under my textile pants.
I have a pair of undergloves under my winter gloves, which are lovely and warm just too big to feel anything!
My boots are water resistant, but have always been waterproof in the three years they have been drenched over and over, they are really toasty warm so I only need one pair of socks...they aren't exactly one of the most fashionable styles but I don't care.
I have a windstopper neck thingy, which is big enough to go over my ears and down my chest, as its designed like that, it also has some sort of waterproof membrane so doesn't get wet. Again may not look 'cool' but its functional.

Theres really no need for heated grip this, that and the other, but then I have spent a lot of money on my kit instead.

I need a new textile jacket as my one is too big, too heavy and has a hole in but i'm too tight to go buy one.

I've bought heated grips and for £30 with thick winter gloves they work. Considering building my own wind shields for the old hands and seeing if they work.

I got a set of long thermals for long rides but need to invest in neck protection and more foot protetion but thick socks and my boots seem to do the trick.

The only electrically heated thing I have is heated grips. I've never needed any more than that, and don't intend to start now.

If you use layers that trap air, and plenty of them you don't need it. On a long motorway journey in freezing temperatures, I put on...

Top - T-shirt, thin fleece, thick fleece, textiles with quilted winter lining, cold killer neck tube, balaclava, helmet

Bottom - Usual underwear, thermal long-johns, cotton tracksuit bottoms, textiles with winter lining, normal socks, walking socks, gore-tex boots

You can't wait to get your helmet and gloves on to get moving 'cos your roasting before you start, and if you stop for any length of time, it's too warm, you need to keep moving, but you can sit on the motorway all day and stay toasty.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by AndyBrad

got one for a mat for his b day. it was crap and kept falling off the helmet. rubbish. but a good idea

I won't buy one then, cheers
Spanner man said he knows a guy who uses a big bit of innertube stretched around instead!

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

Theres really no need for heated grip this, that and the other, but then I have spent a lot of money on my kit instead.

How long do you get before your hands are numb? Without heated grips 150 miles or so is agony for me.

Is it just me that gets freezing cold hands (if not wearing my heated gloves) after about 20 mins of riding ??

It must be my lazy desk job .... no problems riding to work ... but evening rides home used to be agony ...

[DavieSV]

Originally Posted by rictus01

I thought I'd put down what I do

Great tips there Mark

Originally Posted by LK-SV

Is it just me that gets freezing cold hands (if not wearing my heated gloves) after about 20 mins of riding ??

It must be my lazy desk job .... no problems riding to work ... but evening rides home used to be agony ...

No. I remember coming home from DMC's Peak District ride last January and my hands were so cold that I had to stop a few times and warm them up cos I couldn't feel the controls. And warming them up was so painful, just light rubbing them together was agony and my fingernails were so blue I was sure that they were going to fall off. They didn't

[rictus01]

Originally Posted by rictus01

( a good trick is to wear a one piece waterproof over everything elseCheers Mark.

Originally Posted by TEC

What Mark has posted all makes sense, specially for those just getting into biking and not wanting to fork out for electric clothing when most of the other layers can be used off the bike. Would add one other layer though (which might remove one other layer), one piece rain suit.

Its all very well getting dressed properly, but one down-pour at the wrong moment will cause the soggy jacket/trousers to wick heat away from body even quicker. Another upside of the oversuit is it would keep the crap off the gear and so make it last just that little bit longer.

Oh and for the record, been using a Widder for a few years now and the Ghost has heated grips as well

Already covered, but thanks anyway.

Cheers Mark.

gents ride naked and i garrantee you wont be worried about your hand or feet, problem solved

Another tip on this is that your extremities, nose, ears, hands and feet act like the radiator on a bike, your blood vessels are the coolant pipes and your torso is the engine. The body is dissipating and loosing heat as warm blood flows round your extremities. Your body knows this and if your core temperature starts to drop it preserves heat by cutting blood supply to your extremities and retaining heat in your torso, which is why you get cold hands, feet, nose, etc, first. If you want to keep your extremities warm, keep your torso even warmer.