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Cold weather riding


rescue76
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Okay..the cold front moved through this week and temps went from 80F to 58F in the day and down to 39F tonight....I plan on riding as long as I can...or at least till Im probably snowed in.

I got a balaclava today. And have been wearing leather riding gloves, Plus my gortex thinsulated coat.

The only problem Ive had the past few nights has been my neck and chin getting the chill between my helmet and jacket..so the balaclava should take care of that...my main wonder is. When it gets down to 30F or lower...what do you guys wear to keep warm...Im thinking of long johns next.

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Okay..the cold front moved through this week and temps went from 80F to 58F in the day and down to 39F tonight....I plan on riding as long as I can...or at least till Im probably snowed in.

I got a balaclava today. And have been wearing leather riding gloves, Plus my gortex thinsulated coat.

The only problem Ive had the past few nights has been my neck and chin getting the chill between my helmet and jacket..so the balaclava should take care of that...my main wonder is. When it gets down to 30F or lower...what do you guys wear to keep warm...Im thinking of long johns next.

we had frost on the grass the other morning, and my thermometer read 30F, so i actually tossed my raingear over the top of my normal clothing. worked pretty well as a windbreak. its also less bulky than the bottom half of my riding suit, so its less work once i get to work :)

the big problem ive been running into, is having to carry a large bag to work, and then change clothes when i get there... i need two sets of clothing, one for in the building (heated) one for on the bike (frozen!).

layers...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hay

I wear as much as i can!! long johns are a must have, i mainly try and where lots of thin(ish) layers as it traps warm air. Also tuck everything in so the cold air can't find its way onto my skin. I dont ride to work so im afraid i dont have to problem you have.

Phil

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1-piece Rainsuit does wonders in keeping the cold out. ;)

Especially when you dress in layers underneath........learned that trick from being a life-long Skier.

30F is nothing! <_<

After 21 years of daily, year-round riding.....my personal record low temp that I've rode in is.......

13F & Snowing :blink:

It's amazing how many people will get outta your way in those conditions! :D

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Guest Brian Bonner

I'll second that. I've learned quite a bit about cold-weather riding from my snowmobile. It may be 32 degrees outside, but the chill factor while riding will easily bring the temperature down to zero and below.

Layers are definitely a necessity.

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I wear the Storm Rider http://exo2.co.uk/exo2.html#stormrider (not Storm walker as it doesn't have as much heating elememts more suited to bike riding.

It's fantastic ... and keeps me warm when it's snowing and I'm on my R6.

getting the above link has made me realise they have finally started to make Heated Biking Gloves ... I'll be buying some of those at the NEC show to replace's my uncomfotable heated Klan gloves.

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"I'll second that. I've learned quite a bit about cold-weather riding from my snowmobile. It may be 32 degrees outside, but the chill factor while riding will easily bring the temperature down to zero and below."

windchill.gif

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"I'll second that. I've learned quite a bit about cold-weather riding from my snowmobile. It may be 32 degrees outside, but the chill factor while riding will easily bring the temperature down to zero and below."

That windchill factor chart makes painful viewing! If it hits 0degC when I'm commuting to work in winter and I'm riding at 50mph, 12 minutes later I'll get frostbite! But my commute is ~25 minutes!! Nooooooooooo!

My hands, knees and feet seem to suffer on the coldest days in the winter when riding. Last winter, I rode my trusty 125 which is unfared; the only winter modifications I make are the handlebar muffs. Clothing wise, I had a Dickies flourescent jacket over the top of my leather jacket whenever I rode and always wore my waterproof trousers. The trousers keep some of the wind out, whick keeps my legs slightly warmer. I always wear a neck warmer winter/summer.

This year, I'm going to try my one piece ski suit over the top of the leather jacket. This should keep my legs a bit warmer. No doubt my hands & feet (esp the feet) will still suffer. I will miss the flourescent jacket as I think it makes me more visible. (It's geting to the time of year when car drivers can't see out of their cars properly. I already saw a bent bicycle on the road this week; I assumed the car parked near it had not seen the cyclist and driven into/over him.) I wear a reflective bib over the top of the leather jacket normally; I'll see if I can squeeze this over the ski suit. (The ski suit was bought with biking and not ski'ing in mind!)

When I do finally get to work, I keep my gloves on (for a while) to give my hands a chance to thaw out slowly. If I take them off immediately in the warmer air, it hurts.

I love riding in winter, despite the cold. Admittedly, if ice is forecast or present I would probably take the car instead. (And join the other queing car drivers in traffic.)

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I hate cold with a passion. At 70degrees I throw on a long sleeve. I like it around mid 80s. Preferably low hummidity but I don't mind it if it is somewhat high.

But riding to work on the bike sucks really bad. Especially when I hit some low dips in elevation.

I normally in 50F weather wear my jacket, blue jeans, boots, gloves(need thicker ones), and I wear a hooded sweatshirt over my jacket. Plus I have a full mask that is I guess breathable and stretchy that keeps the wind out fairly well. If anything it's more comfy than a car.

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