And today's commuting highlight is...
Discussion
GM182 said:
bgunn said:
Tall_Paul said:
sjtscott said:
bgunn said:
Same, NW London to E1, and effing cold it was too.
I think I need to get some heated gloves...
You do and you won't look back once you do.. Gerbing XR12 (long cuff) or XRS12 (short cuff) I have the latter I'd highly recommend. On my second winter with them.I think I need to get some heated gloves...
I have the long cuff XR12 ones and they're brilliant. Sub zero? Not a problem. Hands stay nice and warm. I'm never going back to heated grips.
Edited by bgunn on Wednesday 7th February 21:42
The xrs12 50% setting is spot on for this current colder snap. Usually 25% is enough for me round town. You just don't notice the cold, it's fantastic having the whole hand fingers top and bottom evenly heated. Short cuffs work better for me as i like my jacket sleeves to go over the gloves which is always better in rain.
sjtscott said:
Heated grips are better than nothing, covering levers which i always do in London gets you ice cold painful finger tips with cooked palms and colder backs of your hands, had them on my previous blackbird and did 8 winters on it.
The xrs12 50% setting is spot on for this current colder snap. Usually 25% is enough for me round town. You just don't notice the cold, it's fantastic having the whole hand fingers top and bottom evenly heated. Short cuffs work better for me as i like my jacket sleeves to go over the gloves which is always better in rain.
I may have to get a pair of these, it was rather bitter on the way into town today! I've only ever used heated grips briefly on a loan bike. Didn't like them. Made the bars too bulky and as you said, the palms get roasted while your fingers still go numb.The xrs12 50% setting is spot on for this current colder snap. Usually 25% is enough for me round town. You just don't notice the cold, it's fantastic having the whole hand fingers top and bottom evenly heated. Short cuffs work better for me as i like my jacket sleeves to go over the gloves which is always better in rain.
Where do you thread the cables for the heated gloves? Inside the arm, body of the jacket and then into a flying lead?
Desiato said:
sjtscott said:
Heated grips are better than nothing, covering levers which i always do in London gets you ice cold painful finger tips with cooked palms and colder backs of your hands, had them on my previous blackbird and did 8 winters on it.
The xrs12 50% setting is spot on for this current colder snap. Usually 25% is enough for me round town. You just don't notice the cold, it's fantastic having the whole hand fingers top and bottom evenly heated. Short cuffs work better for me as i like my jacket sleeves to go over the gloves which is always better in rain.
I may have to get a pair of these, it was rather bitter on the way into town today! I've only ever used heated grips briefly on a loan bike. Didn't like them. Made the bars too bulky and as you said, the palms get roasted while your fingers still go numb.The xrs12 50% setting is spot on for this current colder snap. Usually 25% is enough for me round town. You just don't notice the cold, it's fantastic having the whole hand fingers top and bottom evenly heated. Short cuffs work better for me as i like my jacket sleeves to go over the gloves which is always better in rain.
Where do you thread the cables for the heated gloves? Inside the arm, body of the jacket and then into a flying lead?
I used to have heated grips and muffs but even they would struggle when it got close to zero.
You thread the leads down each arm then the controller box sits by your left hip poking out from the jacket (I slide mine inside once it's set as the light is mega bright and can be a bit distracting at night) and the lead to the battery pokes out from under your seat.
I actually work not far from the gerbing main office so I popped in there one lunch and picked up a pair
Edited by Tall_Paul on Thursday 8th February 10:34
Tall_Paul said:
It was -2 most of my 45 minute commute this morning, gloves on 75% and my hands were lovely.
I used to have heated grips and muffs but even they would struggle when it got close to zero.
You thread the leads down each arm then the controller box sits by your left hip poking out from the jacket (I slide mine inside once it's set as the light is mega bright and can be a bit distracting at night) and the lead to the battery pokes out from under your seat.
I actually work not far from the gerbing main office so I popped in there one lunch and picked up a pair
Cheers for the info Paul.I used to have heated grips and muffs but even they would struggle when it got close to zero.
You thread the leads down each arm then the controller box sits by your left hip poking out from the jacket (I slide mine inside once it's set as the light is mega bright and can be a bit distracting at night) and the lead to the battery pokes out from under your seat.
I actually work not far from the gerbing main office so I popped in there one lunch and picked up a pair
Edited by Tall_Paul on Thursday 8th February 10:34
Desiato said:
Tall_Paul said:
It was -2 most of my 45 minute commute this morning, gloves on 75% and my hands were lovely.
I used to have heated grips and muffs but even they would struggle when it got close to zero.
You thread the leads down each arm then the controller box sits by your left hip poking out from the jacket (I slide mine inside once it's set as the light is mega bright and can be a bit distracting at night) and the lead to the battery pokes out from under your seat.
I actually work not far from the gerbing main office so I popped in there one lunch and picked up a pair
Cheers for the info Paul.I used to have heated grips and muffs but even they would struggle when it got close to zero.
You thread the leads down each arm then the controller box sits by your left hip poking out from the jacket (I slide mine inside once it's set as the light is mega bright and can be a bit distracting at night) and the lead to the battery pokes out from under your seat.
I actually work not far from the gerbing main office so I popped in there one lunch and picked up a pair
Edited by Tall_Paul on Thursday 8th February 10:34
I have a pair of the Keis X800i and the Keis X25 jacket. I wouldn't buy either again.
The jacket was great - until I got the gloves. The cable for the control unit is a little short, barely seems to come out much past the bottom of my jacket so it's quite hard to see the LEDs on but it's not a huge issue. The connectors on the jacket for the gloves have failed repeatedly however, always at the crimp where they join the main wiring inside the jacket. I repaired them several times before I cut up the Y cable that came with the gloves and soldered that in instead, which seems to have lasted much longer.
The gloves are long cuffs with the setting button on the cuff, but the cable is on the outside of the glove, meaning it's either snaking the cable (and bending it more than I would consider advisable) round the sleeve of the jacket and the cuff of the glove, or putting the long cuffs under the jacket which can be a pain and makes getting to the button difficult. I have to say even at 100% power they aren't that hot, I can still get cold hands after a few hours in this weather.
My gloves also tore all the way across the bottom of the cuff within a few months of owning them.
TL;DR: Buy the Gerbing kit.
The jacket was great - until I got the gloves. The cable for the control unit is a little short, barely seems to come out much past the bottom of my jacket so it's quite hard to see the LEDs on but it's not a huge issue. The connectors on the jacket for the gloves have failed repeatedly however, always at the crimp where they join the main wiring inside the jacket. I repaired them several times before I cut up the Y cable that came with the gloves and soldered that in instead, which seems to have lasted much longer.
The gloves are long cuffs with the setting button on the cuff, but the cable is on the outside of the glove, meaning it's either snaking the cable (and bending it more than I would consider advisable) round the sleeve of the jacket and the cuff of the glove, or putting the long cuffs under the jacket which can be a pain and makes getting to the button difficult. I have to say even at 100% power they aren't that hot, I can still get cold hands after a few hours in this weather.
My gloves also tore all the way across the bottom of the cuff within a few months of owning them.
TL;DR: Buy the Gerbing kit.
Edited by SBDJ on Thursday 8th February 12:19
Tall_Paul said:
Train commute for me too this morning, a decent covering in Maidstone, only a couple of cm but enough for me to look out the window and say "hell no". Made the right choice as it started snowing heavily when I left to walk to the station.
Snow is pretty much the only thing that stops me using the bike, unless it's something stupid like -5 or below but that never happens down here.
Was -5 this morning in my part of Maidstone, dropped the bike backing it out when my foot slipped on an iced over puddle, did the splits & down went to bike - only broke an indicator though.Snow is pretty much the only thing that stops me using the bike, unless it's something stupid like -5 or below but that never happens down here.
Edited by Tall_Paul on Wednesday 7th February 12:40
supercommuter said:
Perfect combo for me in cold weather is t-shirt, keis heated jacket, textile jacket without a liner. On those days where it gets below -2/-3 I put my waterproof jacket over the top.
I wear summer gloves in urbano tucano muffs with heated grips.
Never cold!
I wear my alpinestars el nino suit over my textiles, blocks out all windchill & keeps me dry if its raining, summer gloves, heated grips, same muffs as you - never cold, never freezing my backside off when I get to work or home.I wear summer gloves in urbano tucano muffs with heated grips.
Never cold!
CAPP0 said:
Tall_Paul said:
I actually work not far from the gerbing main office so I popped in there one lunch and picked up a pair
I didn't know they were there, I go past there regularly. Do they have any deals for walk-in customers, e.g. end of line, refurbs, etc? I mainly went in to try them on to make sure I got the right size.On mine the loop which holds the toggle on has come unstitched but that wasn't worth taking them back, just got it stitched back on a bit stronger.
Sea Demon said:
Was -5 this morning in my part of Maidstone, dropped the bike backing it out when my foot slipped on an iced over puddle, did the splits & down went to bike - only broke an indicator though.
What time was that? My VFR showed -2 when I pulled it out the garage and for 80% of the way in, that was after 8am though.tjlazer said:
Well that could have been a f
kload worse indeed. I hate trucks side by side, hang back let them sort it out and move on. Wait and be patient. They can't put you back together if you go under a truck, sadly I know from losing a good friend last year, different circumstances but the result here would be the same.
I used to live in Vietnam. I saw quite a few bikers splattered all over the road, including one guy who had his brains mashed all over the pavement. They always involved trucks. Keep well clear of trucks. kload worse indeed. I hate trucks side by side, hang back let them sort it out and move on. Wait and be patient. They can't put you back together if you go under a truck, sadly I know from losing a good friend last year, different circumstances but the result here would be the same.Tall_Paul said:
Yeah they're in High Brooms, Tunbridge Wells, sort of behind the big BMW garage there. Give them a call before dropping in, they didn't have any deals on but I did go in when most of them were at the NEC show, got a free torch I mainly went in to try them on to make sure I got the right size.
On mine the loop which holds the toggle on has come unstitched but that wasn't worth taking them back, just got it stitched back on a bit stronger.
Sizing was a bone of contention and the only negative part of my remote mail order experience.. I believed the stuff on the website with sizings and ended up ordering the wrong size initially their sizing illogically pointed me to a Medium size and stupidly I believed them. I always take Large sized gloves. I mainly went in to try them on to make sure I got the right size.On mine the loop which holds the toggle on has come unstitched but that wasn't worth taking them back, just got it stitched back on a bit stronger.
Some brands size L gloves are really large with maybe too much space and some are spot on - the Gerbing being the latter. So a size L on the less generous size - the M I ordered by mistake were way too tight. No chance to try on in a shop.
Sea Demon said:
Was -5 this morning in my part of Maidstone, dropped the bike backing it out when my foot slipped on an iced over puddle, did the splits & down went to bike - only broke an indicator though.
Oh dear, I refuse to go out in minus temps now,just not worth the hassle 
Sea Demon said:
Just after 7am - I've got one of those weather station things, I'm addicted to checking the weather 
Haha, before I stated riding I couldn't care less about the weather, since October though I've checked it every night before I go to sleep, 3 different apps 
Weirdly enough I had more issues on the way home tonight than I did at -2 in the morning, a bit of unseen mud in the middle of the road in the dark between tyre tracks gave a bit of sideways slippage, even though i was almost 100% upright! I normally ride in the left or ride side of the lane due to this, but didn't at this time for some reason.
Rear tyre puncture on the m25. Thankfully 1mile before a services so limped it there.
Kind reminder to all to carry puncture repair kit, I’ve been meaning to buy one. Thankfully the garage sold that horrible tyre weld, and was just enough to hold it and get me home.
Repair kit purchased, now to never need it!
Anyone else been stuck behind a grittier, pretty much creates a salt shower. Horrible. Salt in every orifice of the bike now.
Kind reminder to all to carry puncture repair kit, I’ve been meaning to buy one. Thankfully the garage sold that horrible tyre weld, and was just enough to hold it and get me home.
Repair kit purchased, now to never need it!
Anyone else been stuck behind a grittier, pretty much creates a salt shower. Horrible. Salt in every orifice of the bike now.
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