COLD - product rec

[b4cruz]

http://www.ibmwr.org/prodreview/windtri.html

i am freezing now riding in 40degrees even at only 65mph
(I patched my rear tire so I'm taking it slow for now)
http://forums.banditalley.net/viewtopic.php?t=2851&highlight=tire+repair
I believe I can ride slow till I get the money to buy a new tire
the plug stayed put & hasn't leaked for the past 3 days so far
hope it stays that way till I can get me a nice set of tires
christmas and january/december birthdays kill me economically

right now I wear a standard all season leather with
3 layers of vests and sweaters & a scarf
I look like a pregnant football player when I ride
It takes forever to get all this crap on

So I have a new bike tire and
super-winter jacket fund
any recommendations?

I like the idea of the wind-triangle a lot
I really want a cold season rain jacket
I'm not against synthetics
I want something I can quickly throw over a thin cotton shirt
I don't think I can do electrics
Its not that cold here in california
@ 40 with wind chill I can ride with jeans
and high tops and not feel anything on my legs
as long as my torso & neck is wrapped up warm.

[ttewejnodnarb]

My gear:

Hippo Hands (summer gloves underneath)
Balaclava (thick fleece neck/mouth covering)
Columbia Bugaboo jacket w/ fleece linner (100% water and windproof)
Dianese armor w/ full spine protector (worn underneath)
Ski pants (forget the brand but it doesn't matter)
Tourmaster WP solution boots
Thick socks

This keeps me warm (relative term) down to about 25F for a good hour.
Biggest problem:  Little to no abrasion resistance and no leg protection.  I where a Joe Rocket leather the rest of the year but it's just too damn cold right now.   For me my leather riding pants are too bulky for commuting and I didn't have enough $$ to buy a warm winter jacket AND a warm riding jacket w/ CE protection.  I think the Hippo Hands are the biggest help...core temp is vital but doesn't seem to mean much when your hands are blue!

[Swamp Rat]

I use the First Gear Kilamanjaro jacket and the Hyper Tex overpant. If money is an issue....[$410]....don't look to these products otherwise I highly recomend them.
  I still need to get some good gloves and boots
I have a breathe box for my HJC helmet that my wife sewed part of a balaclave into,that protects my neck.

[Sven]

@ 40 with wind chill I can ride with jeans

Wow, I sure can't!  Anything under the high 50's and my legs get cold!  Once the bike starts putting off heat, my upper legs/crotch are comfortable, but I never get warm on my lower legs at that temperature.

A lot of folks (including me) have the Joe Rocket Meteor jacket, with a removable vest, which is a good all-weather jacket (except for the heat of summer).

For a wind triangle, the very lightweight Turtle Fur brand of acrylic fleece is good, not as bulky as Polar Fleece.

[B6mick]

Op shop. one piece ski suit, you know the parka material type. cheap as shyte. wear ski suit under ya leathers ( before I found the one piece I used a bib and brace ski suit)...... toasty warm forget the 20 layers of crap, you end up unable to move, which in turn is dangerous. A good set of thermol undies and your ready to rock. I found at one of them ski sales, a set of Dents ski gloves, with the seven layers of thinsulate, I've had ice forming on them suckers and still got to where I was going without the pain of winter taking its toll. ( yeh broken every finger on both hands, including the thumbs, between footy cricket and motorcycles)
They got leather palms, so they should hold up fairly well. One draw back is being a bit thick using the switchgear can be a pain.

I could lend you my gear, its 30 degrees c down here.        

[vadim]

I have the wind triange and like it a lot.  In the hindsight, I should have ordered the XL version (and I am not a big guy).  I have motoport Ultra II pants and jacket with Gore-tex liner, which allow me to ride in 45+ with a sweat shirt if I don't go above 70mph.  With a sweater and some underpants, I could probably ride in any above-freezing temps.  Didn't get around to buying winter gloves yet, so I got an XXL pair of workman gloves and put them over my summer perforated.  Not the best combo, but kept my hands from totally freezing on those last few winter rides.  I do plan to warmer gloves for the spring.

-Vadim

[txbanditrydr]

I just purchased some ski pants and they work great for keeping the legs comfortable.  They go on fairly easy over boots and jeans for the ride into work.  They were a lot cheaper than regular riding overpants.  No armor protection obviously but I got them large enough to fit over my mess armored riding pants.  Add a layer of thermals under that and I good down to about 30 degrees (for the lower extremities)

I'm still working on a good glove solution.  I bummed a pair of battery operated gloves and will try those out sometime.  The big disadvantage to those are the tight wrist set-up that won't go over the other (5) layers up top.... that and the "D" batteries.

[PaulVS]

any recommendations?

A car.  

[ldbandit76]

I want something I can quickly throw over a thin cotton shirt
I don't think I can do electrics
Its not that cold here in california

You want something you can throw over a T-shirt for cold riding?  The only thing I can think of is a one-piece snowmobile suit, and that won't have armor or abrasion resistance.  

Your legs may not feel cold, but you're losing heat through them nonetheless.  You'll probably want windproof pants.  Even Cordura ski pants would help a lot.   One with side zips or snaps will go over your riding boots as easily as they go over ski boots.  

The FG Kilimanjaro would be a good cold weather jacket, but the FG Voyager II is better.  It's an obsolete model, but it's got wind cuffs at the waist and wrists, a wrap-around neck/chin gaiter (very nice) and is completely windproof.  If you can find one on eBay or elsewhere, they're going for around $100-$150.  

Windproof fleece is an excellent insulator for cold riding.  Cabela's sells a brand called "Windshear" that works very well.  One layer of that is probably worth two cotton sweaters.  

Electrics aren't just for very cold weather riding; they make everything that's less than 70 F much more pleasant.  An electric vest or liner is much less bulky than a sweater and actually puts heat into you rather than trying to slow it coming out.  Failing that, heated handgrips are also very nice, and also not just for the very cold.  And you don't have to put those on every morning.  

Sealing out the wind will be your first priority.  A balaclava works better than a bandana or scarf around your head and neck.   Make sure your glove gauntlets close around your sleeves.  Watch the small of your back; short riding jackets can let a breeze up there.  

If I were you and had a bit of money saved up for cold weather gear, I'd get the following:

-a good balaclava that fits under my helmet
-a completely windproof jacket, be it a moto-specific one, or just a windbreaker for my leathers
-snowmobile gloves or similar
-windproof pants
-an electric vest or liner

Bang-for-the-buck you can't beat a windbreaker and balaclava for lowering your temperature limits.  But electrics are wonderful.  

Dave

[b4cruz]

A car.  

archk! I hate those things
I'm thinking of buying a new honda 250ruckus in the spring
if my tax return is big enough. cars suck

As far as the triangle sizes I have a 59 head XM size
Should I go for an XL version of the triangle?

It never gets that bad down here in california
and my trips are only about 40 mins tops
so my legs are never cold.  If it rains I do have
ski bottoms.  

I guess a joe rocket is gonna be preferable to aerostich
or a Kilamanjaro costwise.  If everyone thinks its warm enough
I'll probably go with that.  If I find a good deal afterchristmas
sale I may get the higher priced stuff though.

[Vidrazor]

I just made an outfit based on leather outers and (mostly) synthetic insulation. The entire setup, while it cost me, is pretty bulletproof, and I don't feel like a stuff potato. I'll detail it here in case you may want to look into any part of it.

At the base, I use Duofold synthetic thermals that provide surprising insulation and good wicking:

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?memberId=12500226&productId=39189310
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?memberId=12500226&productId=39189308

Pricier than I cared to pay, but they work very well, and are very thin. I put the Duofold bottoms under sealed leather pants made by a company call First Racing, which I hadn't heard of before until a local distributor showed up at my local shop. The 1.4mm buffalo leather pants ($150) have knee armor and hip padding.

On top I'll place a (borrowed) Widder electric vest against the Duofold top, then layer a Campmor fleece on top of that:

http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?memberId=12500226&productId=21856672

Finally I put a Tourmaster Cortech Magnum jacket ($250) on top:

http://www.tourmaster.com/product.html?sku=84-071

I've been using various natural and synthetic socks inside First Gear Kilimanjaro boots.

http://www.firstgear-usa.com/products_boots.htm

I use Olympia 4350 all season gloves ($60) with a pair of motorcycle mitts my friend brough back from Japan (unknown brand).

http://www.olympiagloves.com/performance/4350.htm

While this was an expensive setup (~$800), with the exception of the Kilimanjaro boots (and to a lessor degree, the motorcycle mitts), this stuff is holding out as low as 20s so far, and I'm ready to push it further down if I can ride without ice.

The Kilimanjaro boots I think are better suited for summer riding, as my toes get pretty cold after an hour or two of riding.  I'm replacing them for now with Stanley Work boots ($25 at payless!), which I can layer socks in better than in the Kilimanjaro boots (which are tight).

I've also run across these socks that look very useful for riding, check these out:

http://www.papaswarehouse.com/Detail.bok?no=64

I'm gonna try these out to see if they take care of the frozen toe syndrome.

Hope this helps. Keep warm!

[Red01]

If you want an electric vest/jacket, etc. but are scared off by their prices, you can make your own with parts from an old electric blanket and a few parts from Radio Shack. There's several How-TO write-ups on the Net, but to save you from searching, here's one of them.

[Vidrazor]

>>There's several How-TO write-ups on the Net, but to save you from searching, here's one of them.<<

That's one funny article. You'd think that guy would know what that little flower icon on the digital camera is for. I suppose a few beers and it all looks a lot clearer...

[b4cruz]

How-TO write-ups on the Net, but to save you from searching, here's one of them.

Damn Paul, you are Googling Godsend!

THANKS

[Red01]

One of the other sites I spens some time at is Sport-Touring.Net. A couple years ago I was on a ride in the winter with the article's author, Jackie, AKA Fastcat, and she was wearing her homemade electric vest and told me the instructions were on her site, so I already knew where to look for that one.