Some other cold weather ideas

[macx]

I work on large construction projects, mostly power plants, and so see lots of specialty cold weather gear.

One thing I picked up is like a thin, close fitting ski mask that just has an opening for the eyes, and nose if
you want to pull the bottom of the opening down a little. Only thing it could be a little longer. But when it
gets really cold and windy, that really is nice to keep the face warm behind the face shield, and is thin enuf
material so it's not uncomfortable even in my snug fitting helmet. I'll post a photo of it here in a few days or
so - gotta dig it out for winter pretty soon.

One other thing I just thought of this morning while riding to work (1230AM, temps dipping into the 30's)
was a welder's "sleeves" that are made out of leather and are basically two sleeves with just enough
connecting them shoulder to shoulder to keep them on. Sort of like a jacket with most of the body cut
away below about shirt pocket level on the front, and very little material on a person's back. Just one layer
of leather, not bulky or thick or anything, but the leather should be an effective wind barrier over a jacket
or whatever. They're made for welders working in hot weather to protect them from sparks falling down
on their upper body and arms.
There are different types, some with nothing more than the sleeves themselves, and some with a shorter
"body" section than in the picture - no longer than about where the emblem is on the chest on those,
but you get the idea.

That hit me when I noticed just enuf wind coming around the upper corners of the windshield and hitting
me right on the shoulders and very upper arms, a cold enuf spot so it got my attention.

Not that it would work for everyone on all bikes with all different types of windshields, but I think I'm
going to see if I can find a set at a welding supply store or online, or even flea bay.

[SteveJJ]

I like multipurpose things. Have outer jacket and pants for motorcycle, that's enough! I layer with heavy flannel, cheapo down jackets from costco that pack away nicely, double as night wear when cold (camping) and can be worn whenever. That sort of thing.

This welders gear is a novel idea, but the gear I've seen have been made of heavy cowhide and wouldn't go under a jacket easily. Maybe new modern materials perform better? I'd just put on another layer that can be used elsewhere. Maybe growing up with depression era folks I've learned to be frugal, but not so well, I still haven't parted with the weestrom that the R has replaced.

Is your balaclava a Carhardt? I picked one up last winter. I should see if it will work under the helmet. I used it for cold weather camping, but it could have been warmer.

One odd piece a friend has that interests me looks like a dickie, a fake turtleneck type of thing. Like a parsons collar that wraps around and protects the neck and velcros in the back, it has a bib down the front to keep the chest warmer. That struck me as a novel repurposing of an old (if silly) idea. I never did get the hang of turtlenecks, they rub whiskers way wrong! And a fake turtleneck? Fashion sense, an overlooked oxymoron perhaps... I'm rambling, where's my coffee?

[riceburner]

wrap your levers in electrical tape - reduces the transfer of heat from your finger tips to the cold metal

2 'Buff' head scarves worn as one (ie one inside the other) will stop virtually all cold wind getting to your neck.

a daily application of your preferred visor treatment is always going to be better than a weekly one - so make time for it.

a hot body is better than just hot palms - get a heated jacket BEFORE you look for heated gloves or boots. (your blood stream will always cut off the extremities first - so keep your core warm and let the warm blood flow to your extremities).

When it's cold, it's better to be cold, but DRY, than warm but WET - be waterproof.

[peels]

only have a ten minute commute in the morning...

what Ive done:

-cheap but THICK fleece gaiter (neck warmer/scarf) under collar of my lined leather jacket. and up over back of my head, under helmet. chin/neck is not cold during ride.

-i aleady had some nice waterproof winter gloves, that are pretty thin, but windproof. but, they allow wind into the sleeve of my jacket. so. i cut the feet out of some black thermal socks I had, and cut a thumbhole. put my arm in it. then, the upper portion goes over my sleeve.

I am VERY cold proofed.... ive noticed my chest getting cold first. Leather jacket is more of a form over function job. Also, my feet and legs get a bit cold. wish I could just stick em inside the oil cooler vents LOL

Ive only been down to 42 degrees with this, but so far, quite comfy.

[macx]

All good ideas that I'm sure work!

I don't have a leather jacket so that is why I thought about those welder sleeves - worn on
the outside of the jacket just as a wind blocker.

The jackets I do have don't have a loose enough collar to stuff in multiple layers of scarves
or anything - tried that with just a small piece of fabric a little larger than a washcloth
which didn't fully block the cold air from getting to the bottom of my chin or totally keep it
off my throat. Besides, ruined the zipper after a week of attempts to choke myself :-/

So - the helmet windbreak idea came along (see post below) which keeps the windstream off of
my throat. Then a row of snaps along the very bottom edge of the helmet, about the front half,
to fasten a single layer of a thin but windproof fabric maybe 6" long in front that isn't too bulky to
put under the jacket and that'll totally protect my chin and throat. My wife's sending that, will post a pic with it mounted when I get it and get the snaps installed. (I'm currently 1700 miles from home working a near 3 year long job)

I just got a heated jacket for $90 that's nicely fleece lined and a real tight weave fabric. I know heated clothes are usually worn under an outer jacket, but for $90 versus most other stuff that
I've seen going for closer to $200, I'll find something like those welder sleeves to go over the
jacket if I end up needing something. Even a 4X flannel lined denim shirt or something.
It's a Milwaukee brand (as in Milwaukee Tools) and I got it on ebay from ToolUp.com. I opted for the plug in cord instead of the more expensive battery that's said to last for up to 6 hours.
http://www.milwaukeetool.com/power-tools/cordless/2331

For my legs, I've got flannel lined heavy denim jeans that work well down to maybe 40 or 45 degrees, then I've got the regular thermal longjohns that aren't heavy and bulky to add if needed. If I don't want to wear something that warm all day at work, my wife is making some leg protectors out of a pair of flannel lined jeans. I had tried leather chaps but, besides being quite expensive, were so bulky I pretty near needed a large trunk just to haul them around! My wife cut the legs off of the flannel lined jeans, then is opening up the inseam. They'll fasten around my legs with strong elastic loops sewed to one edge that loop around 5 or 6 decent sized buttons on the other edge. Doesn't matter if the edges don't close, I can position the opening on the inside of my thighs or the back of my legs. Only the front of the legs but mostly the top of my thighs are what gets cold even without a lot of airflow. I wear long tube socks which helps stop the chill from wind blowing up my pant legs. Those "leggings" will be lots less bulky than chaps and I'm sure will do what I need them to do. And I ride 40 miles to work at 4:30 AM in temps down as low as into the 20's. In fact, would you believe I hit 33 a couple mornings ago - and that's in the Mojave Desert in South CA about 50 miles SW of Vegas! I'm sure the 20's aren't far behind.

One thing for sure, lots of folks have different ideas that work, and there's always something to learn from somebody else's good ideas. Ride warm!

[AZBMWRIDER]

I moved to the low deserts of central Aridzona, just about eliminated the need for cold weather gear .

But now I need to get concerned about hot weather riding gear !!!