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Re: Sub zero weather? No problem with the right kit
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 4:14 pm
by halfabusa
TmaX9 wrote:I'm still using my summer gloves. Never think to switch the gips on and only wearing the same jacket I wear all year with just the extra lining zipped in. If it's wet I have lightweight waterproof over trousers.
19 mile trip each way 50:50 motorway and comfortable enough for the 40 minutes or so it takes 90% of the time. I couldn't be bothered with any more clobber, and certainly nothing that involves wires and plugging in. Wipe seat, get on, fire up and ride away, no messing.
Bloody hell you must have a biological furnace inside your body! I wear the same kit all year round and only change gloves in the summer. I feel the need for muffs below around 13-15 degrees and plus heated gloves when its below 6 degrees. I hate the clutter too but i cant bear the freezing feeling.
As mightbesane says, heating the gloves up in the house before leaving really helps but on the journey back from work there's no heater in the office so i rely entirely on the heated gloves...
Re: Sub zero weather? No problem with the right kit
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 5:02 pm
by TmaX9
Might actually use the car tomorrow as the forecast is for some snow around Preston, and the last thing I want to be is stuck at work on a Friday night!! Somehow I doubt there will be much here, but you never know, judging by the differing forecasts for places only a few miles apart, the Met Office doesn't either.
Re: Sub zero weather? No problem with the right kit
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 5:13 pm
by Sylar
Don't know about anyone else but, I only ride for pleasure. I don't have to go out this weather, i choose to. I've been out on the Burgman 400 today, only 54ml but no problem with the weather, Handle bar Mitts,(Keis) heated vest, insoles and inner gloves. I was out on Satuday and Sunday on the Silverwing 86 mls and 75 mls each day. I just cannot go more than 2-3 days without riding. I would never dream of laying a bike up because of the weather, even if it snows as long as the main roads are clear i'm out somewhere.

Re: Sub zero weather? No problem with the right kit
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 6:47 pm
by ridinhigh
NOT for me my bikes tucked away for winter ,was a time i had use a bike for work in any weather and any hr round clock,but those days are gone
warm weather only now days
Re: Sub zero weather? No problem with the right kit
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 7:01 pm
by halfabusa
I wonder how it'll be tomorrow... met office warnings all over the news but then again they said 4 inches snow last week and we only saw a handful of flurries. I salted the driveway just in case. As long as i can take the bike out on the main roads i can ride it to work. Thing is they say it'll snow even through the afternoon tomorrow so coming back might also be a problem... Hate the bloody trains though

Re: Sub zero weather? No problem with the right kit
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 7:05 pm
by Funkycowie
I wear the same kit all year round like Dave, only this year I invested in some winter gloves and with or without heated grips the effect on my hands is the same as if I was wearing all weather/summer gloves... the only difference is that they do keep my hands dry in rain. Upper body the only diffence is a wooly on top of a tshirt and under my Richa jacket that has the thermal/waterproof layers which are always in any way. Trousers are my hood jeans and if raining Rich textile trousers with a waterproof lining. I only use the heated grips if the windchill is significantly below 0.
Re: Sub zero weather? No problem with the right kit
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 7:10 pm
by richie the 1st
halfabusa wrote:I wonder how it'll be tomorrow... met office warnings all over the news but then again they said 4 inches snow last week and we only saw a handful of flurries. I salted the driveway just in case. As long as i can take the bike out on the main roads i can ride it to work. Thing is they say it'll snow even through the afternoon tomorrow so coming back might also be a problem... Hate the bloody trains though

And what goes up.?? Comes down.?? I Mean shooters hill/Blackheath hill..Or do you go round.???

Re: Sub zero weather? No problem with the right kit
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 7:46 pm
by MrGrumpy
poldark wrote:MrGrumpy wrote:R
Actually, it would be the ideal time to get out my heated jacket, but the connector is stored in the TMax, which is still in the Scooter hospital 20 miles away.

That sounds like a feeble excuse - says he who's not been out on the bike for nearly two weeks!

It is actually the ideal time to use it...its damned cold, but dry, so the roads that are clear of snow are quite dry and not icy. I know my commutes only 10 minutes or so, but you can get bloody cold in that time!!!!!
Re: Sub zero weather? No problem with the right kit
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 7:49 pm
by Drago
I also only have the one kit. I have my jacket and waterproof armoured trousers, both with removable
inner layers (for summer), though I never bother to remove them. My gloves are summer ones. For
my commute 7 miles each way they are fine, even in this cold weather (no snow here at all yet!)
However for longer trips the summer gloves are of course no good in this weather. I rode 120miles today
temprature was 3-5 degrees. 10miles of that was in fairly heavy snow (but it wasn't settled). But it was also windy and I was averaging 60mph. When I finally reached my destination (Exmoor Zoo) my hands were frozen! Though when I shoved them in my trouser pockets they soon warmed up!
Re: Sub zero weather? No problem with the right kit
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2013 7:50 pm
by halfabusa
richie the 1st wrote:halfabusa wrote:I wonder how it'll be tomorrow... met office warnings all over the news but then again they said 4 inches snow last week and we only saw a handful of flurries. I salted the driveway just in case. As long as i can take the bike out on the main roads i can ride it to work. Thing is they say it'll snow even through the afternoon tomorrow so coming back might also be a problem... Hate the bloody trains though

And what goes up.?? Comes down.?? I Mean shooters hill/Blackheath hill..Or do you go round.???

main roads are usually treated and open. i only had to come back once a few years ago and that day even the main roads were horrible. I had to turn back from the middle of the shooters hill incline because it took me like 30 mins to get there (around 2 miles from home) and was only getting worse.
i'll wake up a bit early tomorrow morning and judge whether to take the bike or not according to the morning situation. If i can make it to work and if it snows heavily during day time i can always leave it at the office which is even better than leaving in my drive as we have closed underground car park there and it'll stay dry at least.