Staying warm

[IronPawz]

It was crazy cold today riding into Wellington so here are some comments on staying warm.

Things I found work well that are not typical:

-I've stuffed a woolen beanie in the lower part of my helmet a few times in bitter weather to stop the wind coming up to my face. Sure I have face masks and neck socks but a well placed item in front of the mouth doesn't hurt my. In keeping the cold wind out is has been great. Probably die of carbon poisoning so something like an old lady beanie you can breath through that still blocks the wind.

-Plastics, once all the thermal layers are on (tee shirt, tight thermal * 2, thin ice breaker hoodie * 2, full neck sock) the plastics keep the wind out and make a huge difference (forget just using them for rain the wind is also a big part of the charm).

-Men in tights - thermal tights * 2. Today I doubled the order of thermal tights that I've been wearing all winter and it was toasty where it counts (you know where) more than I would have thought. I've some new ones that are full tights down to the toes and ones I've had for ages that are just legging. Besides the kids love them "do the men in tights dance again!" and it gives the wife a good laugh. 2 for $30 from Max for the wife's fleecy lined tights (which I stole). They are great under the work cloths through the day on days like today also.

The basics

-It is a play off between restriction and warmth (ok and fashion but they are under cloths mostly and my bike is Japanese). Yes it can be restrictive but in the cold you tend to hold muscles tight and try and avoid moving which is more restrictive and mentally draining (I'd just sooner be warm, awake and somewhat restricted).

-Neck Pain is not uncommon on my long commute in winder due to neck socks restricting my motion, over time this can be quite noticeable so welcome ideas here but again I live with it really for the safety of being warm and it goes away in summer.

-The full kit for someone doing around 70 minutes in real cold with likely rain to stay warm for me (not much natural padding) is

One decent tee-shirt preferably a little tight. Two tight thermal long armed thermal skivvies. Two ice breaker hoodies (I wear the hood up on one of them and my thumbs through the finger wholes on one under my gloves). Decent jacket with thermal and waterproof layers in. Two sets of tights. One pair of jeans. Good pants with thermal layer in. Decent arctic gloves. Decent boots with normal socks. Full one piece plastics. Neck sock (the kind that also goes down the front and back and up under the helmet. Decent helmet. Heated grips (first time on 75% for a while this morning).

Last layers need to be put on outside (to stop overheating) so have everything ready as finding the keys in that setup is not good at all and sweat on the face turns cold fast once you start moving. With all this I can move well enough and do 70 minutes warm and dry. On the way home I left out one hoodie and one thermal top and I was getting cold for the last 15 minutes (not bad but certainly would have put them on again if I could do over).

If you have some natural padding I am sure this is not all needed and perhaps I just get cold easy however I FAR prefer warm marshmallow man over cold style is everything boy.

I heard about a chap near Wellington this morning on a GN250 in the rain in light gear legs exposed. That is madness as it was the coldest day of the year to date leaving home this morning (warmer and wetter in Wellington but still cold).

I am sure the beanie in the helmet idea could be a bad one for some and hopefully others have better ideas but I once forgot my neck sock and pulled into a garage for a $20 old lady hat that made a HUGE difference to the rest of the trip and was I think far safer than being sincerely cold around the neck as I was to spend that on such a fashion statement (it was white with a pompom and worth every $).

For years I rode very cold in winter. Whatever part of you gets really cold effects the brain badly and it is miserable riding so keep it all warm.

Oh and yes I can still walk fine in all that. Last note pull everything up well as you go and stretch the legs once moving on the bike (tights can have other unpleasant side effects if to tight). I may look like an inflated turd but I am a warm inflated turd!

[jellywrestler]

It was crazy cold today riding into Wellington so here are some comments on staying warm.

Things I found work well that are not typical:

-I've stuffed a woolen beanie in the lower part of my helmet a few times in bitter weather to stop the wind coming up to my face. Sure I have face masks and neck socks but a well placed item in front of the mouth doesn't hurt my. In keeping the cold wind out is has been great. Probably die of carbon poisoning so something like an old lady beanie you can breath through that still blocks the wind.

-Plastics, once all the thermal layers are on (tee shirt, tight thermal * 2, thin ice breaker hoodie * 2, full neck sock) the plastics keep the wind out and make a huge difference (forget just using them for rain the wind is also a big part of the charm).

-Men in tights - thermal tights * 2. Today I doubled the order of thermal tights that I've been wearing all winter and it was toasty where it counts (you know where) more than I would have thought. I've some new ones that are full tights down to the toes and ones I've had for ages that are just legging. Besides the kids love them "do the men in tights dance again!" and it gives the wife a good laugh. 2 for $30 from Max for the wife's fleecy lined tights (which I stole). They are great under the work cloths through the day on days like today also.

The basics

-It is a play off between restriction and warmth (ok and fashion but they are under cloths mostly and my bike is Japanese). Yes it can be restrictive but in the cold you tend to hold muscles tight and try and avoid moving which is more restrictive and mentally draining (I'd just sooner be warm, awake and somewhat restricted).

-Neck Pain is not uncommon on my long commute in winder due to neck socks restricting my motion, over time this can be quite noticeable so welcome ideas here but again I live with it really for the safety of being warm and it goes away in summer.

-The full kit for someone doing around 70 minutes in real cold with likely rain to stay warm for me (not much natural padding) is

One decent tee-shirt preferably a little tight. Two tight thermal long armed thermal skivvies. Two ice breaker hoodies (I wear the hood up on one of them and my thumbs through the finger wholes on one under my gloves). Decent jacket with thermal and waterproof layers in. Two sets of tights. One pair of jeans. Good pants with thermal layer in. Decent arctic gloves. Decent boots with normal socks. Full one piece plastics. Neck sock (the kind that also goes down the front and back and up under the helmet. Decent helmet. Heated grips (first time on 75% for a while this morning).

Last layers need to be put on outside (to stop overheating) so have everything ready as finding the keys in that setup is not good at all and sweat on the face turns cold fast once you start moving. With all this I can move well enough and do 70 minutes warm and dry. On the way home I left out one hoodie and one thermal top and I was getting cold for the last 15 minutes (not bad but certainly would have put them on again if I could do over).

If you have some natural padding I am sure this is not all needed and perhaps I just get cold easy however I FAR prefer warm marshmallow man over cold style is everything boy.

I heard about a chap near Wellington this morning on a GN250 in the rain in light gear legs exposed. That is madness as it was the coldest day of the year to date leaving home this morning (warmer and wetter in Wellington but still cold).

I am sure the beanie in the helmet idea could be a bad one for some and hopefully others have better ideas but I once forgot my neck sock and pulled into a garage for a $20 old lady hat that made a HUGE difference to the rest of the trip and was I think far safer than being sincerely cold around the neck as I was to spend that on such a fashion statement (it was white with a pompom and worth every $).

For years I rode very cold in winter. Whatever part of you gets really cold effects the brain badly and it is miserable riding so keep it all warm.

Oh and yes I can still walk fine in all that. Last note pull everything up well as you go and stretch the legs once moving on the bike (tights can have other unpleasant side effects if to tight). I may look like an inflated turd but I am a warm inflated turd!

heated jacket, warms your core and you'd be surprised how clearer you think when you're warm

[IronPawz]

heated jacket, warms your core and you'd be surprised how clearer you think when you're warm

Good point I would love one of those. Might have a wee look at that. I do find that if just one thing gets really cold (like one finger due to bad glove) it is also a major distraction. Bit like having every part of yourself not being stabbed but one is still very distracting.

[pritch]

The shops that sell tramping gear usually sell hand warmers. One of those strategically placed in a chest pocket makes a difference. On the way home some fish and chips up yer jumper might help at a pinch, as would heated grips and/or hand guards.

Heated vests are available for the well healed and an internet search should reveal battery powered socks. (German hunters use battery powered sox and gloves 'cause they sit out in the freezing cold.)

There is other specialist clothing around, the days of wearing an army greatcoat back to front are long gone.

[IronPawz]

The shops that sell tramping gear usually sell hand warmers. One of those strategically placed in a chest pocket makes a difference. On the way home some fish and chips up yer jumper might help at a pinch, as would heated grips and/or hand guards.

Fish and chips is a great idea. I suppose a good old hot water bottle would be good too. A few layers out or not fully hot. There are those things you microwave also. I don't mind going all the layers it is low tech and it works really well if you have decent thin thermal gear and it covers a lot of surface. Again having one really warm thing is nice and it helps but having one really cold thing and its still bad over time.

I well remember fantasizing about the fire at home I desperately hoped was going when I got there. Back on my old F650 all upright and over exposed to the cold. So a forward leaning bike and some fairings can make a big difference also (to a long distance winter commuter).

[jellywrestler]

Fish and chips is a great idea. I suppose a good old hot water bottle would be good too. A few layers out or not fully hot. There are those things you microwave also. I don't mind going all the layers it is low tech and it works really well if you have decent thin thermal gear and it covers a lot of surface. Again having one really warm thing is nice and it helps but having one really cold thing and its still bad over time.

I well remember fantasizing about the fire at home I desperately hoped was going when I got there. Back on my old F650 all upright and over exposed to the cold. So a forward leaning bike and some fairings can make a big difference also (to a long distance winter commuter).

one reason your hands and feet get cold is your body when cold limits the blood flow to them so the returning blood doesn't cool the core down to a critical level, heated grips might transfer a bit of heat to your core, a heated jacket does your core and the warm bllod flows to the extremeities as per normal, i've done ten day trips to the brass with cotton socks, all i can wear, and rubber boots, (waterprrof) remmeber getting cold toes twice all up plus once you've got grips they stay on that bike whereas the jacket moves along with you, and youy don't have to bulk up on clothes either

[mrchips]

Eat more pies

Sent from my GT-I9300T using Tapatalk

[jasonu]

Get a car with a heater.

[skippa1]

Battery owered jackets.....pfftttt

used to brave the winter cold in a great coat with newspaper stuffed down the front......the triumph had built in hand warmers, one each side, those of you that rode then will know what Im talking about

[Blackbird]

I've always found that heated grips have marginal benefits for me as I suffer from cold fingers. This winter, I finally succumbed for cold early morning starts and bought some electrically heated gloves. Pure magic and wish I'd done it years ago. The whole body stays warmer and I've got much better control of the bike than with bulky winter gloves. A happy chappie!

[haydes55]

I have a Milwaukee heated hoody. Runs on a power tool battery. You can also but a plug to connect it to a cigarette lighter outlet. T-shirt, heated hoody and my textile jacket and I'm toasty

[roogazza]

Luxury! I can't believe I rode in -4 mornings in 65/66 in a nylon parka.

We discovered Belstaff a few years later,which were fantastic things for their day.

At 16yrs old my mother and me discovered after thought, that the scarf I wore to tie my hair down (it was the sixties) worked great if you cut it up and made like a neck warmer that you can buy today.

Won't even go out in the cold now at 67 !!!!!!

[ellipsis]

...dry macrocarpa, old man pine or gum and watching other people ride on youtube will suffice for me these days...

[Banditbandit]

Toughen up

[Maha]

On Sunday I rode for about an hour and half in less than 10 degs temp, wind chill made for more than uncomfortable riding at times, I could see snow the closer I got to home. I have good gear but had summer gloves. The key is to keep the wind off you body the best you can. All n' all when I got home I had a hot shower and went up to the club for a beer.

I guess if you're regular rider in cold conditions having heated stuff must be a godsend....short distance cold weather riding not so much.