Winter gloves

[rad]

For whatever reason, I'm morally opposed to heated gear.

I thought like that many years ago; then my local mechanic talked me into a cheapo Widder heated vest and told me to just throw it in my bags for my upcoming cross country late fall trip.

Well, on that trip years ago I was crossing Montana in October and had never been so cold. I stopped and dug out that vest and I think I smiled the rest of the way back to California.

That trip in about 1996


Now my Gerbings jacket liner lives in my panniers year around. I love how little room the liner takes up and the outstanding temp range it will handle.

BTW, I also have the BMW Pro Winter glove. I don't get to use them to much being a California boy, but they sure are nice.

[twinsig]

Yesterday I bought Tourmaster cold-tec 2.0. Fit and feel is good, a bit bulky but if not they wouldnt be winter gloves.
Trip home was 60 miles, 60-75 mph @ 40F.
Fingers started getting cool.
Turned grip heat on & donned my Freeze-Out liners.
Comfort improved but was marginal at that temp.
Not bad for non heated glove, but for a sustained rides below 45 deg I see heated liners in the future.
However, my legs chilled and my toes were REAL COLD.
Going shopping at CG & Bass Pro, TODAY!

Going to post Socks or Soles?

[OfficerImpersonator]

Wore my ProWinter gloves skiing yesterday. 30 degrees and snowing an inch an hour. My hands were toasty warm all day long, without a liner - and without heated grips.

Maybe heated gear was useful 20 years ago, but synthetic insulation has improved so much that you don't need heated gear - or dress up to the dimensions of the Michelin Man - to stay warm and comfortable all day long in frigid temperatures.

You guys keep plugging in your clothes if it keeps you happy. I'd rather not be wired to the bike after shelling out big bucks for yet another set of outdoor cold-weather clothing.

I'm perfectly comfortable in all conditions without heated gear, and thus for me, electric clothing is superfluous.

Why sleep under an electric blanket when a down comforter is even more comfortable?

I still proclaim electricity in clothes is for wussies.

[dancogan]

If it makes you happy, call us wussies. But riding in below freezing temps for any extended period of time is not exactly like an active sport such as skiing. And a heated jacket keeps me warmer and safer than I would be without it, and I don't have to dress like the Michelin man.

[05Train]

This wussy averages 2,000 miles a month on his bikes during the winter. Anyone can put on a set of insulated gloves and pose for an hour on a bike. Come ride with me for 10-12 hours at a clip when the warmest it gets is 20, and we'll see how well your synthetic fibers do.

Likewise, we'll start out at 50 degrees, go to 10, then back up to 40 over the course of the day. I won't have to do anything other than adjust the thermostat, you'll be shedding and adding layers.

Skiing isn't riding. Skiing is doing physical work while traveling 20-30mph. Riding is sitting on your butt doing 70. Big difference.

There's no shame in using modern technology in order to stay comfortable, regardless of what Luddites might try to tell you.

[k75s]

Repeating another post I made a few months ago, on a trip all around Colorado earlier this year, I only needed my Gerbing's jacket liner and my BMW venting jacket. That combination or just the venting jacket was good from the 30's to 100. Of course the temperatures usually rose during the day. All day in the 30's would have called for a different jacket.

Good to know that the BMW ProWinter gloves work well. I recently bought the BMW ProSummer gloves and they are much more comfortable than other BMW gloves I have purchased.

[SeabeckS]

Wore my ProWinter gloves skiing yesterday. 30 degrees and snowing an inch an hour. My hands were toasty warm all day long, without a liner - and without heated grips.

Maybe heated gear was useful 20 years ago, but synthetic insulation has improved so much that you don't need heated gear - or dress up to the dimensions of the Michelin Man - to stay warm and comfortable all day long in frigid temperatures.

You guys keep plugging in your clothes if it keeps you happy. I'd rather not be wired to the bike after shelling out big bucks for yet another set of outdoor cold-weather clothing.

I'm perfectly comfortable in all conditions without heated gear, and thus for me, electric clothing is superfluous.

Why sleep under an electric blanket when a down comforter is even more comfortable?

I still proclaim electricity in clothes is for wussies.

Uh, who you calling a wussie? LOL

I understand your point, but after 9 heart surgeries this old boy doesn't have a very competent personal circulation system. A bit of heated gear adds about 4 months to my riding season here in the great Pacific Northwet.

Just sayin'!

Cheers!

[BCKRider]

This wussy averages 2,000 miles a month on his bikes during the winter. Anyone can put on a set of insulated gloves and pose for an hour on a bike. Come ride with me for 10-12 hours at a clip when the warmest it gets is 20, and we'll see how well your synthetic fibers do.

Likewise, we'll start out at 50 degrees, go to 10, then back up to 40 over the course of the day. I won't have to do anything other than adjust the thermostat, you'll be shedding and adding layers.

Skiing isn't riding. Skiing is doing physical work while traveling 20-30mph. Riding is sitting on your butt doing 70. Big difference.

There's no shame in using modern technology in order to stay comfortable, regardless of what Luddites might try to tell you.

I basically agree, though I have not ridden much below 32F. I found the thermostat invaluable on my Gerbing jacket liner. Surprising how much the ambient temperature can change in a couple hour ride, even without great elevation changes. Getting a little warm or cold? Move the thermostat knob and in seconds life is perfect. I too do not understand how any given set of non-electric undergarments can compensate for these varying temps.

I really do see the advantage in not having to plug in gloves, pants and socks unless you are into extended rides well below the 32F.

[PGlaves]

I used to "pride" myself riding without heated gear. I'd even wear a heated vest and brag to Voni that I didn't even need to turn it on.

One day, returning from a rally several hundred miles from home I made that comment and she looked at me and asked, "How many calories do you think your body is using just to keep warm, and how tired is that going to make you?"

Now, my Gerbing jacket liner is my normal jacket liner. When it is too chilly for just the Stich, the Gerbing goes on. If I am wearing it, it is plugged in. If I feel chilled it gets turned on.

I'd much rather use excess alternator electrons to stay comfortable than burn calories and body energy. After a few hundred miles the difference in fatigue levels can be noticed.

Understanding physiology does not make a person a wuss. That is just name calling.

[sdpc2]

that i am beyond trying to impress anyone. If i'm cold, i turn on the heat. If i'm hot. I take off my clothes........... (oh never mind).

[SeabeckS]

My age/experience colors my opinions of course.

I can remember the day when I had no heated gear, much less heated grips. One fall day, when I left Phoenix in the afternoon it was 106 degrees. Spent a night in San Bernadino, then left the next day after making some repairs to my GS850G Suzuki, bound for home in Minden, NV. When I stopped for gas after dark in Bishop, the temperature signs said it was 32 degrees. I put on most of the clothing I could manage, and made it home about 3 hours later after having gone over 3 Sierra mountain passes.

My wife knew I was about to arrive, so she'd already opened a garage door for me.
I thankfully pulled into the garage and shut the bike down.

10 minutes later she came out and asked if I was okay? Then she helped pry me off of the machine. It wasn't long after that, that I purchased my first heated vest. And 30 years ago I was a front line firefighter, and in excellent condition.

Now, I'm just older...and MAYBE a bit wiser. I hope.

[175781]

I don't have heated gear, and rarely ride below the upper 20's due to my regional climate. But I never underestimate the drastic toll being cold takes on coordination and decision making. Wearing insufficient gear in cold weather shuts me down pretty quick.

[Weasel]

Back to gloves. Who has heated gloves - what brand? I have good winter gloves, but below 20 on my commute to work (30 miles each way), the tips of my fingers can get a bit numb. Fingers are always on the perches due to traffic conditions, so those fingers aren't getting any heat from the grips. I've heard the heated gloves are the cat's meow...the rest of me is roasty, toasty warm on the 1200RT.

[jstrube]

I have the liners from Powerlet. I'm looking for some gloves to use with them.

[stanley83]

Back to gloves. Who has heated gloves - what brand?

Before I bought my Beemer, I was riding older Vespas who's power output is barely enough to run the engine and headlight at the same time, so electric gear is a no-go. I found that handle bar muffs make a huge difference, allowing me to wear a level lighter glove for a given temperature.

The winter MC gloves I've tried are too thick/stiff and my hands get tired. I've used ski gloves, but am concerned that they offer minimal abrasion protection.

I put some muffs on my R75/6 and the help a lot, but the faster speeds traveled caused me to acquire some Gerbing G3 gloves. I chose Gerbing because they were on sale and I already had a Gerbing vest and they play well together. I only bought the gloves this spring, so I do not have long term experience, but it sure feels nice to crank temp controller and feel the warmth.