does anyone ride all year like me? This year I have a longer commute and I need some dedicated cold weather gear. I live in north florida so it only gets to about 30 F. Last year I just bundled up under my leather jacket and jeans. Any reccomendations would be great.

Electric vest or jacket and gloves or heated grips.
I dont have any electric and dont ride much below 40F but I wear polypropylene long underwear, sweatpants and sweatshirt, textile jacket & overpants, heavy wool socks, balaclava, and winter gloves. I'm good for a at least 3 hours like that.

First Gear has a set of pants that are just great. They zip all the way up the legs and have a removable liner. Excellent for commuting.

Go el cheapo and wear carhart pants a jacket....probably be warm enough and good in a fall

Yeah, I was shocked to see that Squeky still rides in the winter. Gets darn cold. Way too much snow to ride consistently. Has anyone ever rode a bike such as the Z and been caught in the snow?

yup....CBR F2. Lots of feet dragging and tire spinning. No es bueno!

When it gets colder than 45 F, I wear my leather jacket,
Glove-liners that I got at an H.D. dealer which I wear under my leather gloves.
I also have a face mask.
And over my jeans a set of overpants I can zip into a small package. I found at a local sporting goods store.
All that keeps me warm enough in cold spells down here, glad it only drops below freezing once or twice a year, and then I don't ride.

My cold ride gear

Long-johns, man. Long-johns under your pants and shirt. A sweatshirt under your jacket and good gloves, boots, scarf and hunting socks. A Carhaart insulated oversuit is good when its in the low 30s if worn over the other stuff. Electric heated gear and grips are even better I hear. I ride as much as possible in the winter if the roads are dry. Washing the salt crud off the bike is the worst part. Worth it (to me). I go crazy if I don't get a putt once in a while. A beater bike is best for winter riding though.

Originally Posted by immiketoo

Go el cheapo and wear carhart pants a jacket....probably be warm enough and good in a fall

Been there and done that too. Sears has some insulated bibs that would really do the trick. I did it with insulated cover-alls but ended up cutting the sleeves off because they bunched up too much under my jacket. After I cut the sleeves off I cut them length wise down the seem and sewed those on over the thigh/knee area of the cover-alls and made them them that much better.

The key is to layer. buy yourself good a good columbia ski jacket and pants, banclava and layer those fleece pullovers. Heated grips are cheap so get them.

I have been commuting year round for about 10 years now. I've done it with layers (including the 'advanced' fabrics and bar covers) and I've done it with electrics. There is simply no comparison. I currently have a gerbing jacket and gloves for my 45-60 minute commute (with speeds over 70mph). The passive gear can only do so much and I was never warm in the mornings using it (even with 'tricks' like a lot of hot drink before getting on the road or taking a really hot bath).

Even with electrics you must still do some layering on a bike like the Z1000 if you see very low temps, moreso if you're riding in the dark. ~30F is pretty easy. 20F and below is quite a bit different. 10F and below you really need to be prepared for. We don't really see below 0F. Any of those temps in the dark are worse than in the light.

The key is not layering, the key is keeping the wind out. Jeans simply don't cut it when it gets very cold and when you've been on the road for awhile. Some leather or textile overpants would be a good addition. Tuck your regular pants inside your boots and put the overpants on top. A fleece neck gaiter (avail from any outdoor) is nice too.

Sorry this isn't more coherent/organized, I'm just waking up...

Kirk

I know electrics is the way to go, but I've never owned any, so I only have non-electrical advice, but based on many years of riding year-round in temps down to 25F or so (though my record low is 10F):

Base layer: wicking fabric is a must; NOT cotton. I use bicycle-type shorts and a wicking t-shirt, then silk long johns, top and bottom.

Insulating layer: fleece top and bottom layers, wool socks.

Seal drafts: a windproof neck gaiter, or balaclava, depending upon temp.

Outer layer: waterproof/windproof textile jacket and pants (I wear Aerostich Dariens, but there are many on the market); important to have sealing flaps over the main zippers.

Gloves: water/windproof winter gauntlets (Olympia makes a great set that still allows sufficient control-feel).

Additonal strategy for sub-freezing temps: water/windproof boot and glove covers (I use fake Totes rubber boot covers and Aerostich Triple-Digit glove covers). Silk glove liners. Windproof socks are now available, but alas I don't have any (yet).

Note I never need to wear a sweatshirt or even a long-sleeve shirt. That reduces bulk for better movement. Again, stay away from cotton. If you sweat, cotton will hold the moisture next to your skin and you'll freeze.

Originally Posted by wkroy

I currently have a gerbing jacket and gloves for my 45-60 minute commute (with speeds over 70mph).

What bike do you ride and do you have any problems with the charging system keeping up with the extra draw from the heated clothing. My commute is now 35-40 min each way all interstate so I am really interested in heated clothing. Is your Gerbing stuff wind proof so I could just put it under my leather jacket, or do I need a pretty loose fitting jacket to fit it under? Thanks for the help.

Rob

Originally Posted by robp

What bike do you ride and do you have any problems with the charging system keeping up with the extra draw from the heated clothing. My commute is now 35-40 min each way all interstate so I am really interested in heated clothing. Is your Gerbing stuff wind proof so I could just put it under my leather jacket, or do I need a pretty loose fitting jacket to fit it under? Thanks for the help.

Rob

If you can afford the heated stuff it is great, but here in Jax, you really won't use it a lot unless you are really serious about riding no matter what.. Average low is 45, average high is 64 in the three coldest months.. It does get into the teens occasionally, but I just don't ride then.

I have a pair of ski gloves, a Tourmaster Cortech GX jacket with liner and I wear a long sleeve turtle neck under it, and I have a pair of Hein Geirke insulated touring overpants, fullface helmet with a balacava and I have a taller shield that gives me something to duck behind. The shield helps considerably. This gets me down to about 40 degrees on short rides. 30 miles of so.. But the trouble of changing at work is such a pain, even though I ride all year I usually don't ride to work in the colder weather.

What bike do you have?

Never mind, I see from other posts you have Z1000

Eurobikes makes a fairing/screen add on with hand protectors that would help a lot in the winter..
http://www.eurobikes.com/jmvz1000.htm