Chill factor - Wear the right gear folks

[Mom]

I consider myself an experienced biker. I got my license in 1976, and have ridden off and on since. The MOST sophisticated riding gear I had back in the day was a Line7 rain suit. We wore the warmest, most robust clothes we owned, some of us wore leather. Mostly we were warm, sometimes we got wet and cold, we used newspaper for insulation etc. These days I am ATGATT most of the time, with helmet, gloves and boots covering ankles the minimum I will consider "safe". I own 3 jackets and a couple of pairs of pants/gloves/boots etc. The gear is amazing, waterproof (mostly) windproof, and abrasion resistant.

We had a fabulous weekend gathering here. Catching up with people we have not seen for ages. It gets cold in this part of the world sometimes, so wearing the best gear you can is important. We went for a ride out on Sunday, a grey day, but dry and not particularly cold for these parts. I put my thermal lining in my jacket and rugged up with thermals etc.

I about froze. At one point, with my teeth juddering and my whole body shivering, all I could think of was getting a poxy newspaper down my jacket front. We got into Taumaranui and I managed to get a woolen scarf from a Mobil servo, thought that would help keep my chest warm. Fuck me. Nope. Probably the most miserable I have been on a bike in forever. I generally run hot, so feeling this cold is not normal for me.

Finally got home and warmed up and decided to see if I could work out why I got cold wearing "good gear" with the thermal lining in it.

Windproof layer missing in my jacket! What a noob mistake to make. There is no way you can stay warm at speed, in winter without a windproof layer. Please make sure you always have a windproof layer even if it is simply some Warehouse plastic pants and a jacket.

Please make sure you think about wind chill this winter and stay warm when you ride.

[Mike.Gayner]

My experience is that windproof is the most important element in winter. All the thermal gear in the world means nothing at 100km/h where the wind cuts right through it. That's why I like waterproof gear in winter, even if it's not wet - it's totally sealed from the wind, generally speaking.

[JimO]

do you have any pics of your chest?

[jellywrestler]

i sometimes use a heated vest, it cuts down the sheer layers you need to carry and manage but it really brings home how much you brain is not working to it's full level when you are really cold, it's something you are not aware of until one notices the change when warmer.

[Mom]

I would have described myself as mildly hypothermic by the time we got home. I had stopped shivering, but could feela vibration through my core. Many layers, a thinsulate beanie, gloves, scarf. A pass the parcel present had nothing on me I can tell ya. It took ages to feel warm again. Wind is the killer, no doubt about that.

[nzspokes]

Rubbish sack will work at a pinch as well.

[neels]

Couldn't agree more.

I still wear a 1980's vintage leather jacket, and don't like waterproof overjackets because the cheap ones flap too much in the wind, and I'm too tight to buy a decent one. I quite often wear a cheapish waterproofish jacket that I bought to stick in my back pocket for cycling under my jacket, doesn't keep the water out after a day of riding in the rain, but keeps the wind out and definately helps with the chill factor.

Have ridden cold a couple of times, and it's scary how much thinking about how cold you are distracts you from everything else that's going on around you.

[awa355]

When it gets really bitter, I usually stop and zip up my jacket.

I was logging native forest way back when, at Pureora. In summer we would take the swannis off about 11 oclock, and by 2pm the swannis were back on. The wind made a bee line from National park straight across the forest park to hit us.

[buggerit]

I consider myself an experienced biker. I got my license in 1976, and have ridden off and on since. The MOST sophisticated riding gear I had back in the day was a Line7 rain suit. We wore the warmest, most robust clothes we owned, some of us wore leather. Mostly we were warm, sometimes we got wet and cold, we used newspaper for insulation etc. These days I am ATGATT most of the time, with helmet, gloves and boots covering ankles the minimum I will consider "safe". I own 3 jackets and a couple of pairs of pants/gloves/boots etc. The gear is amazing, waterproof (mostly) windproof, and abrasion resistant.

We had a fabulous weekend gathering here. Catching up with people we have not seen for ages. It gets cold in this part of the world sometimes, so wearing the best gear you can is important. We went for a ride out on Sunday, a grey day, but dry and not particularly cold for these parts. I put my thermal lining in my jacket and rugged up with thermals etc.

I about froze. At one point, with my teeth juddering and my whole body shivering, all I could think of was getting a poxy newspaper down my jacket front. We got into Taumaranui and I managed to get a woolen scarf from a Mobil servo, thought that would help keep my chest warm. Fuck me. Nope. Probably the most miserable I have been on a bike in forever. I generally run hot, so feeling this cold is not normal for

Finally got home and warmed up and decided to see if I could work out why I got cold wearing "good gear" with the thermal lining in it.

Windproof layer missing in my jacket! What a noob mistake to make. There is no way you can stay warm at speed, in winter without a windproof layer. Please make sure you always have a windproof layer even if it is simply some Warehouse plastic pants and a jacket.

Please make sure you think about wind chill this winter and stay warm when you ride.

A hot pie in each cup?

[Gremlin]

Wind chill factor on bikes can be as much as 20 degrees (so 5 degree day can feel like -15).

That said, I didn't use the wind/waterproof layer in the jacket all weekend, but this arvo on the way home I did throw a rain jacket over the top (mostly because of the ugly looking front). Taumarunui - Taihape region was bloody cold... single digit temps and as I got into the Waikato it warmed up almost immediately. Bike topped out at 20 degrees!

[Tricia1000]

Coming back from the shore this evening, in the thunder and lightening, and at one point torrential rain, (in my car, due to knee surgery) a "biker" goes past me, and I use the term very loosely.. He was on the bike, and riding it, but don't think he was a biker..
Anyway, he had on an orange workmans jacket, and a pair of SHORTS!!! And soft shoes..
In the winter as previously mentioned, the ability to stay warm on a bike is of paramount importance. Equally as important as not overheating or getting dehydrated in summer.
Once either of those states take hold of your body, it becomes much harder to concentrate, your ability to operate your levers and pedals declines, and your body tries to shut down as many working parts as possible to conserve heat, or get cooler.
Sliding down the road, with just shorts on, is another story..
Gloves, waistcoats, socks, trousers can all be wired into your battery, to keep you moasty-toasty on your ride in the winter.. I have just received my 3 rd pair of gloves in 15 years, and couldn't ride in the winter without them, especially on the motorway..

Tricia1000
RoADA (Dip)
Consultant to NZTA

[willytheekid]

Hi Mom!

I ride all year round in ChCh, I wear my leathers, thermals, jersey etc...but the best piece of kit I have...is a thermal one piece wet weather suit that goes over top

WTF is a thermal wet weather suit??...its a nice light weight one piece suit that has this really thin 3M insulate lining...it looks like thin black material with lots of tiny holes in it (mesh type..ish)
I shit you not...that 3M liner is simply amazing!!!
On the coldest of days, when I see car drivers shivering and leaning into there heaters...I am sitting beside them with the heated grips on full, and feeling nice an warm and cosy al over...and having a water proof/windbreaker exterior, it even holds the body heat in at highway speeds!

...unfortunately, my suit has no labels except for the 3M thinsulate badge on the inside (Got it off trade me from a bike shop clearance sale...$80!) so I can't say what brand it is (its black gold and silver??)

But have a hunt around and find a one piece wet weather suit that has that thinsulate lining...cheap option and they make winter just super comfy (Ohh...and my heated grips...cos Im soft!)

[Tazz]

Wind, wet, cold.



Basic outdoors rule. 2 or more for an extended period of time and you're asking for trouble.

Easy.

[Mike.Gayner]

Coming back from the shore this evening, in the thunder and lightening, and at one point torrential rain, (in my car, due to knee surgery) a "biker" goes past me, and I use the term very loosely.. He was on the bike, and riding it, but don't think he was a biker..

Aaah wait just a fucking minute. Here you are in you CAR, while he's out there on his bike in the pissing rain. And you're questioning giving HIM the title of "biker"? Because you didnt like what he was wearing?

What an asshole.

[haydes55]

These days I am ATGATT most of the time

Everyone just take a moment to appreciate the irony in this statement

I rely on just my outer jacket to block the wind chill. It's textile/water proof, but not perfect. I've spent a bit in Kathmandu etc. buying thermals, polar fleece etc.