Riding in a group of one on J1

[LawnmowerRG]

So yesterday I went for a ride in January 1/2018.

If you are reading this after the fact. It was 22* when I left the house. I saw temps as low as 20*.


With the low temps I didn't stop to take any pictures really.

It was cold so gear was a must.
I wore Carhartt heavy long sleeve shirt. An Olympia AST II jacket with the liner in. Then added a Columbia Titanium fleece jacket too.
On my legs I had Carhartt fleece lined Jeans then First gear overpants with the liner in those.
Feet I wore polypropylene socks, then wool socks, with Dainese torque out boots.
Hands I had Held warm and Dry gloves with a cheap brown cotton glove inside. Bmw heated grips.
Head was covered in a Balaclava/neck cover by Windstopper. Wearing an Aria Signet Q pro tour helmet.

Part of the trick is to layer and to interlock/overlap you clothes.
Start with bottom layer. Shirt tucked into jeans. Jacket on top of jeans but under the overpants.
Same thing with socks and pant legs. Pants Tucked into your boots. Over pants on top.
This takes time and effort but it will help keep cold air from creeping in.

Dressing is a big part of the ride when that cold.

Next thing is to plan a slow route. Wind Chill is huge. If you can keep the pace around 40 that helps a bunch.

If you don't believe me suit up and Jump on the interstate. I would put money on you getting off at the next exit.

So I spent a good part of my time getting dressed.

Got out on the road. Of coarse watching for water/ice, and I actually didn't find much to my surprise.
I noticed on the pre ride Sunday that my left heated grip had stopped working. So that became a problem. My left hand was cold. Not a little cold, but almost to the point of being painful. I took some back roads from the shop in Leeds.

When down 78. Turned on Rex Lake rd. Man I was actually a little pissed. People were driving ridiculously slow. Like 15 under the speed limit in a 45. I say a little bacuase I was aware that the lower speed was keeping the windchill down.
About the end of Grantsmill rd. I was really noticing that left grip not working. Right side was toasty.
Remember that whole painful thing. We are not there yet.

So as I go past the really nice curves at the golf coarse I notice a broken waterline spewing. It was to late  to stop mid curve. This scared me a little.
I dipped to the outside of the curve because the leak was on the inside.
Luckily all the water was running down the shoulder and onto the golf coarse.

As I got into Mountain Brook I got caught at a light. Of coarse it didn't read me. I sitted until a car pulled up behind me. This is where that left hand got cold. Holding down that metal clutch HEATSINK.
She zapped all the heat I had in my hand. So now my hand was cold. I just thought it was cold before. I was having a hard time being easy with the clutch. Good thing is. I didn't have far to go.
Now my mind is racing thinking about every possible route and which one has the fewest lights. So I choose to go over the hill to Altimont Rd. and drop down to Clairmont. By the time I got to Lakeview area. My pinky finger was starting to get really cold it had that little spot on the outside that was starting to hurt.
Kris let me in where she was hoarding all the heat while she worked. I warmed a little then we walked over to eat.

Slice (though not advertised) was closed.
So we hit Moe's BBQ. Man it sucke to have to settle for Moe's. ;D

We ate then I headed back home. Amazingly my left heated grip started working. So now I need to find the shorted wire. As well as R&D something to insulate those leavers.

Expect a tech articale resulting from this ride.

[klaviator]

Hard core getting out in that cold weather.

[KrisCook]

Pictar from Moe's.  I figure he survived it because the beard kept him warm.  It took him half an hour to be able to move his fingers on the frozen hand.  BBQ helped. 

[Hammerdown77]

I rode yesterday for about an hour and a half, too.

Gear:

Head
- Cycle Gear Freeze Out balaclava
- Scorpion helmet (can't remember the model) with anti-fog coating on visor, and drop down sunshield.

Upper body
- UA Coldgear mockneck base layer, long sleeve
- A thin wicking Champion base layer over that. Long sleeve
- Firstgear heated jacket liner
- Firstgear Kilimanjaro with insulated liner installed (this is key)

Hands
- Firstgear heated gloves

Lower body
- Champion thermal tights (these are not very thick)
- Cycle Gear Freeze Out tights (not actually "tight")
- Joe Rocket textile pants with windproof/rainproof liner

Feet
- Mid weight wool socks
- Gaerne Balance Oiled boots

First issue I had right off the bat, the face shield on the Scorpion helmet must not have been sealed well against the gasket along the bottom when fully closed, because there was some icy cold wind getting in, no doubt aided by the gale force side winds. I rarely ever wear that helmet because it just doesn't fit my head well, but I can't get my Shoei Qwest over that Cycle Gear balaclava, whereas the Scorpion I can. Upside to the wind getting under the visor, it cut down on fogging.

I had the gloves turned up all the way, and the jacket liner at 50%. I also was running heated grips. Heated grips + the heated gloves is the ticket, although at speeds above 50, they were not what I'd call "hot". However, my hands never got cold.

I usually wear my heated jacket liner by itself, with just my main jacket (either leather or textile) over it. No other liners in the jacket. However, I've found that the heated jacket liner works best, and heats most evenly, with a snug fitting insulating layer over it. This is why I installed the insulated liner in my FG Kilimanjaro jacket. I have one for my H-D leather jacket as well, but I can't get it plus the heater liner under the jacket without feeling immobilized.

My upper body was fine, even at some shorter jaunts at 70+ mph.

Lower body is where I'm struggling. I need to either get some heated tights/socks, or get an insulating layer on my legs between the base layer and the outer windproof layer.

My feet were the biggest problem area. For the first hour they weren't really too bad, but then my toes started hurting and became painfully numb over the last 30 minutes headed home. When I got the boots and socks off at the house the toes were angry red, and it took half an hour in warm water to get feeling back. Not good. Likely need to get some serious wool socks, with liners, and maybe look to different boots with more space in the toe box (these Gaernes are a little tight with midweight socks).
Or heated socks.

[LawnmowerRG]

Way to go Hammer.
Makes me happy to hear other people were out.

I did see a red GS go past the shop just before I pulled out.

[Hammerdown77]

Twern't me, I was V-Stromin' it on Monday. The GS needs tires and an oil change and it's been too cold to sit out in the (unheated) garage and do that stuff.

Guess I could just bring the bike inside the house..

[IceCold4x4]

I rode the duc today.

No heated gear no extra insulation other than a freeze out balaclava and freeze out glove liners. Knees got a lil cold in jeans but all in all meh?

Ride was about an hour took the LONG way into work. Kinda curious about heated levers though....

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[KrisCook]

I wear hot hands insole foot warmers in my boots.  The key to that is to have enough room in your boots to wiggle your feet around.  They can't work in the absence of oxygen.  If you can wiggle your toes around, and flex your feet inside your boot, the warmers will sure help.  Sometimes less is more, where socks are concerned.  My feet freeze a lot worse in big thick wool socks than they do in midweight cotton ones with the warmers.

[renchinrider]

My wife made me a custom triple-quilted riding suit some years ago, and I absolutely love it.  Then later she bought me a set of electric glove liners, which are essential for me, since I've had some frost-nip on my fingers in the past, and now my fingers' circulation is insufficient to keep my fingertips warm.

My next goal is to get a nice pair of electric insoles for my boots and a dual heat controller.  I think at that point I'll have a complete, head-to-toe totally weatherproof suit ;)

[klaviator]

Not being hard core like some of these guys I waited until the temperature shot up to a balmy 35 degrees today for my first ride of the year.  Since it was so warm I was able to wear the appropriate scooter riding gear of shorts, Hawaiian shirt and flip flops........ ::)

OK, maybe it wasn't that warm.  I had on jeans and a sweatshirt.  Over that I put on an old insulated flight jacket and my 23 year old Aerostich over that.  My head was kept warm with a turtle fur balaclava under my helmet.  My hands weren't quite kept warm with my Bilt gloves.  Since it was only about 10 miles each way to the grocery store I was fine.  For a longer ride I'd need warmer gloves.