Best Gear for Cold Riding?..

39769 Views 40 Replies 28 Participants Last post by gregoryj, Aug 22, 2011

alex92

Discussion Starter · Jun 10, 2010

Hey guys,

Yeah so I'm riding in the cold and my nuts are freezing off. I wore my 'Skins' pants, the wooly thermal pants and Draggin Jeans and was still sort of cold. On top I was wearing the thermal singlet thing, long sleeved shirt and textiles jacket and was still cold.

Questions:
1) At the moment I'm using an all-rounder textiles jacket. I'm getting my leather jacket (slightly perforated, but not heaps.) Will this stop the wind more, and will it keep me warmer than the textiles jacket?
2) Would a thermal long sleeved shirt help? What sort do you recommend? Just like the black tight compression ones (like Skins)?
3) I'm getting heaps of wind up the bottom of my helmet, even though there is heaps of padding under there to stop it. I've tried heaps of different positions. I tried wearing a scarf, which blocked some of the wind getting under there, but there's still alot more getting under there.. Any suggestions?...

Cheers

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mewnz

· #2 · Jun 10, 2010

Sounds like you kinda need to harden up first of all

But in all honesty, I'm in western syd as well and I wear a hoody under my leather jacket and that's about it. Depending on what I chose to put on that day I might have a long sleeved shirt under the hoody.

Leather in and of itself isn't particularly warming, I don't think. If you have a winter liner then it should be a bit warmer. My old jacket had one, current does not... but I can't say I've noticed a difference.

Biggest factors just from what gets cold on me would be gloves and pants... sort those out and leather + underneath a jumper/hoody etc should have you right.

alex92

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 10, 2010

mewnz said:
Sounds like you kinda need to harden up first of all

haha yeah i know. I was thinking that today while riding. but it was pretty fkn cold...

But in all honesty, I'm in western syd as well and I wear a hoody under my leather jacket

Even on cold nights like tonight? I've been riding until about 6:30PM on the M4. At 85km/h that wind is pretty damn cold..

mewnz

· #4 · Jun 10, 2010

Yeah mate, I used to come home at like 2-3am from work. Regularly comeback from being out late etc.

It's not too cold, maybe I'm just used to it. There is spot near rooty hill on the M4 where it gets much colder like instantly, I always feel that. But soon back to not noticing.

ajpennypacker

· #5 · Jun 10, 2010

i normally wear a hoodie under my leather jacket anda neck warmer if its real cold.
Just make sure you have no exposed skin and that the wind cannot get inside of your clothes. make sure that there are no air gaps so to speak. u can wear a million layers but ifthe wind gets inside than you'll freeze.

alex92

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 10, 2010

What pants do you usually wear when riding?..

ajpennypacker

· #7 · Jun 10, 2010

jeans. If its real cold i'll wear a pair of trackies under the jeans and some hell thick socks

mewnz

· #8 · Jun 10, 2010

+1 to jeans.

koiom

· #9 · Jun 10, 2010

thermals and a neck gaitor = win

crazylegs

· #10 · Jun 10, 2010

i have the same problem, i ride home at 5:30 every morning and its shit.
try stuffing newspaper inside your jacket, its a bit old school i know but its just about the best insulation you can get, stuff it down your sleeves and across your chest, scrunch it up, its how the homless stay warm and they would know if anyone.
also get a box of rubber gloves, like the surgical ones(make sure the arent powdered ones) and keep a few under your seat, if you wear them under your gloves they will keep the wind off your skin (if you only have summer gloves with vents like me).

these are a few hints of gotten from the older guys from "back when we didnt have that expensive shit to keep us warm".

good luck, just think at least its not hailing on you...yet, that really sucks lol

Ninexz

· #11 · Jun 10, 2010

birthday suit.
your bits flapping around in the wind will cause friction which in turn generates heat.

viper33

· #12 · Jun 10, 2010

well i've got a rjays mesh jacket, which is for summer
cant afford a leather jacket right now, so i just wear a jumper underneath it and a shirt
keeps me pretty damn warm upstairs
and as for pants, i just wear trackies and well its a bit cold, but i dont care as long as my feet are not freezing
seriously wind on your thighs isnt that bad, like is very easily bearable

i've been riding with dirt bike gloves and id recommend against it in winter
by the time i get to work, my hands feel like i just took them out of a freezer, that is IF i can feel them

EDIT: you can get this electrically heated vest thing, which connects to your bikes battery and generates heat to keep you warm upstairs
cant remember what its called
probably too expensive

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Osiris

· #13 · Jun 10, 2010

get yourself one of these http://www.whotzhot.info/Polo_Pancho.html

Leigh (my sister)[/align] got me one a while back and i can tell you there is no better neck warmer. This one also covers your chest and where the jacket zips are so no little sneaky cold air can get in and piss you off!!

zane

· #14 · Jun 10, 2010

have to say ur a bunch of pussys!!! how cold is it actually?

crazylegs

· #15 · Jun 10, 2010

about 13 degrees or so. sometimes bit colder. but you should be used to the cold, isnt it always cold in dubland?

Osiris

· #16 · Jun 10, 2010

hahahah 13 degrees is a scorcher here :lol:
the odd time i just put on my gear minus the leather trousers so i just ride in my jeans ....that's at 13 degrees

what i would consider cold and start wearing all warm shit and put the lining back in the gear would be something like 5 - 7 degrees or lower :nod:

crazylegs

· #17 · Jun 10, 2010

does get like that sometimes

Jay

· #18 · Jun 10, 2010

As AJpennypacker said the clothes you wear must seal around each other in order to keep the warm in and the cold out. So make sure your gloves tuck over or into your jacket sleeves and are properly sealed from the cold. I wear a fleece neck-tube from my chin down to my chest to keep the cold out of my lid and from getting down the front of my jacket at the neck. I'm the type of person who wouldn't really get on a bike without armoured trousers of some kind. If you guys are riding around in just jeans I couldn't see them keeping you warm on a cold morning\evening. I have armoured textile trousers that I can slip over my jeans. They zip into my jacket and over my boots. Toasty.....

Having said all that as an Irish motorcyclist I'd probably be riding around in shorts and flip-flops in temps that you are calling 'cold'.

Matt

· #19 · Jun 10, 2010

yeah, its a bit funny like that, i think the wind chill makes it worse. we've been getting some pretty shite weather in sydney at the moment. i think if you are used to riding around in perforated leathers, jeans and gloves with holes in them so you don't sweat, it comes as a bit of a shock.

there are these balaclava things you can get. a workmate used to wear one in winter and swore by it.
freaky

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Fitryder

· #20 · Jun 11, 2010

the one pc rain suits are great for cold weather riding! when i used to have to ride to work at 4:30am i used to wear all my normal winter stuff then slap on the wet weather suit over the top even when it was fine. Makes you look like a power ranger but at that time its dark and hardly anyone on the road.

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