Winter options...
Discussion
I wrote a really long post detailing the what, why and previous attempts at keeping my hands warm. The long story short is:
Are heated gloves the best winter biking solution, are Gerbing XR12 still the best and is the waterproofing any good on them?
I note Dane have a heated glove now, goretex too, but double the price and I can't find a review of them yet.
I've already been through two different brands of heated glove so don't want to keep throwing money at poor products!
Are heated gloves the best winter biking solution, are Gerbing XR12 still the best and is the waterproofing any good on them?
I note Dane have a heated glove now, goretex too, but double the price and I can't find a review of them yet.
I've already been through two different brands of heated glove so don't want to keep throwing money at poor products!
Not tried heated gloves but found the combination of heated grips, bar muffs and summer gloves about the best.
Hated winter gloves as they're too bulky. I've never found a pair that stay waterproof for long and trying to get your wet hands back in winter gloves after you pulled the lining half out paying for petrol is a frustrating process occasionally resulting in all the toys being kicked out of the pram.
Muffs keep all the rain off and all the wind off and combined with heated grip is heaven for the hands. And they look cool
Hated winter gloves as they're too bulky. I've never found a pair that stay waterproof for long and trying to get your wet hands back in winter gloves after you pulled the lining half out paying for petrol is a frustrating process occasionally resulting in all the toys being kicked out of the pram.
Muffs keep all the rain off and all the wind off and combined with heated grip is heaven for the hands. And they look cool
dern said:
I've never found a pair that stay waterproof for long and trying to get your wet hands back in winter gloves after you pulled the lining half out paying for petrol is a frustrating process occasionally resulting in all the toys being kicked out of the pram.
...and that lining never, ever, goes back in quite right either. Agreed entirely, I've got a pair of bering heated gloves that did exactly that. They weren't even that warm, so essentially were a complete waste of money!Timely thread - I was riding my Speed Triple into the office this morning (Hampshire countryside) and felt a bit of a chill through my summer gloves.
Last winter I tried the combo of summer gloves/heated grips/Tucano bar muffs on my VFR800. Absolutely fine from a warmth perspective, alas the unnaturally low angle I was forced to hold my arms to access the muffs gave me a really bad case of tennis elbow.
I really wanted to like the Tucano muffs, their fit to the bar is great (they don't push back on the levers at speed, a problem I had with some Oxford ones years ago) but as well as the angle issue I found them a little too restrictive for using indicators/main beam switch. I had one nasty experience where i really needed to indicate quickly but just could not get the switch. Overall they didn't seem the right solution on my bike, although I am sure they would be much better on a more upright machine with flatter bars.
After a few weeks I ditched the muffs and struggled on with winter gloves and heated grips only to find the arm ache, started by using the muffs, continued. I solved that with a set of bar risers. The Tucanos might get a second chance outing but I'm not hopeful of improvement.
This could be the winter I finally stop baulking at the cost and go for a set of electrc gloves, probably Gerbing XR-12s too.
Last winter I tried the combo of summer gloves/heated grips/Tucano bar muffs on my VFR800. Absolutely fine from a warmth perspective, alas the unnaturally low angle I was forced to hold my arms to access the muffs gave me a really bad case of tennis elbow.
I really wanted to like the Tucano muffs, their fit to the bar is great (they don't push back on the levers at speed, a problem I had with some Oxford ones years ago) but as well as the angle issue I found them a little too restrictive for using indicators/main beam switch. I had one nasty experience where i really needed to indicate quickly but just could not get the switch. Overall they didn't seem the right solution on my bike, although I am sure they would be much better on a more upright machine with flatter bars.
After a few weeks I ditched the muffs and struggled on with winter gloves and heated grips only to find the arm ache, started by using the muffs, continued. I solved that with a set of bar risers. The Tucanos might get a second chance outing but I'm not hopeful of improvement.
This could be the winter I finally stop baulking at the cost and go for a set of electrc gloves, probably Gerbing XR-12s too.
Edited by PurpleTurtle on Thursday 13th September 12:53
Maybe but won't keep the rain off.
I found the muffs a bit of a pain until I cut a hole in the side and drove the end weight bolt through them. They stay put then and you don't have to move them out of the way of the controls. I think some of the tucano one are designed like this now and they're better quality than the oxford ones. I'll be buying some at the weekend as for some reason I gave my last pair away having decided to only ride in blistering sunshine from then on. Commuting on the A34 has changed my mind.
I found the muffs a bit of a pain until I cut a hole in the side and drove the end weight bolt through them. They stay put then and you don't have to move them out of the way of the controls. I think some of the tucano one are designed like this now and they're better quality than the oxford ones. I'll be buying some at the weekend as for some reason I gave my last pair away having decided to only ride in blistering sunshine from then on. Commuting on the A34 has changed my mind.
Edited by dern on Thursday 13th September 11:08
SBDJ said:
dern said:
Commuting on the A34 has changed my mind.
I regularly use the Oxford <> Newbury stretch and the lane discipline is woeful. I find I can't help but to aggressively filter :/
MotorsportTom said:
pessimal said:
rather than using muffs, do the normal handle bar protector type things not offer enough protection from the wind?
Nope. They do the grand sum of f
k all in proper cold and wet conditions. If they do anything at all, it isn't enough by a long stretch SBDJ said:
...and that lining never, ever, goes back in quite right either. Agreed entirely, I've got a pair of bering heated gloves that did exactly that. They weren't even that warm, so essentially were a complete waste of money!
I’ve got a pair of bloody lovely RS Taichi winter gloves that I paid over £200 for years ago. So so warm, goretex so actually waterproof and the leather is super supple. Only problem is the fking linings come right out and turn inside out whenever I take my hands out now, rendering the fking things useless. I just wear my summer race gloves and some silk liners in the winter now but I don’t really feel the cold that much and I live in the south.
Biker 1 said:
MotorsportTom said:
pessimal said:
rather than using muffs, do the normal handle bar protector type things not offer enough protection from the wind?
Nope. They do the grand sum of fk all in proper cold and wet conditions. If they do anything at all, it isn't enough by a long stretch They did as little later on when it pissed down for 2.5hours of my journey.
Bit the bullet this week and went for a set of Gerbing G12 heated gloves.
I’m not massively keen on being wired In, but last winter was brutal. I had a heart attack in 2017 and either that or the blood pressure meds I am on mean that I have noticeably lower circulation when it gets cold than I used to. The factory heated grips on my VFR800 just no longer cut the mustard for me.
Two rides in with the Gerbings is bliss. Lovely warm glow across the back of the hand, arguably where you need it most, and all the way down the fingers. Wish I’d bought them years ago. Plugging in is a bit of a faff but I have a 25 mile commute each way so it’s bearable for the warmth they bring.
I’m not massively keen on being wired In, but last winter was brutal. I had a heart attack in 2017 and either that or the blood pressure meds I am on mean that I have noticeably lower circulation when it gets cold than I used to. The factory heated grips on my VFR800 just no longer cut the mustard for me.
Two rides in with the Gerbings is bliss. Lovely warm glow across the back of the hand, arguably where you need it most, and all the way down the fingers. Wish I’d bought them years ago. Plugging in is a bit of a faff but I have a 25 mile commute each way so it’s bearable for the warmth they bring.
I've been using the Gerbing XR12S gloves for the last 2 winters doing hundreds of miles a week, lovely and warm all over your hand rather than just one side, totally waterproof and the lining doesn't crap itself when you take them off. For winter gloves they still give relatively good feel as well.
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