I am in Saskatchewan. Winters here can hit -50. He is my take on it. I love to ride. Anything that will extend my riding season is a no-brainer for me. And layers are great until mobility is affected. I am much more comfortable with long johns,heated pants then windprood pants then up top is my long johns,heated jacket,bunny hug(hoodie)then my riding jacket. Once I buy a pair of chaps that will eliminate the wind pants. I love to ride and I also want to be comfortable.

 

Quite honestly, I think it's a bit of a pain to deal with heated gear from the standpoint of getting this plugged into that and getting everything plugged into the thermostat, plugging the thermostat into the bike, and getting the thermostats adjusted correctly.

HOWEVER, with the heated gear, I've ridden when the temperature is 15-18°F. With layering, I find it difficult to ride any great distance when the temperature is less than 30°F.

The big thing is the hands. Unless you have a fairing to protect your hands, heated gloves are a must IMHO. Even with the very best winter gloves on the market, they aren't very effective less than 30°F without a fairing to protect your hands.

If you go with heated gear, I recommend heated gloves instead of glove liners. It is difficult to find a glove large enough to fit over the heated glove liners and still maintain good flexibility. In fact, I'm switching from liners to heated gloves this winter.

 

I live and work outside in Canada, where your "Cold" comes from...(I'm at about mile 50 of the Alaska Highway) Electric clothing was worn by bomber crews in WW2; worked for them and it works for me. It is a fact that if your body core is HOT it will cool blood by circulating to your "extremities" ie: hands and feet and therefore keep them warmer...I know that theory works. I prefer lighter weight, higher mobility clothing to being bundled up like a walking sleeping bag. BTW; merino wool and silk are far better than cotton as a base layer. But yes; when I'm far into the bush in the cold, I carry a parka in case I have to get out on foot without power.

 

[QUOTE=sharkey;8911683]I live and work outside in Canada, where your "Cold" comes from...(I'm at about mile 50 of the Alaska Highway) Electric clothing was worn by bomber crews in WW2; worked for them and it works for me. It is a fact that if your body core is HOT it will cool blood by circulating to your "extremities" ie: hands and feet and therefore keep them warmer...I know that theory works. I prefer lighter weight, higher mobility clothing to being bundled up like a walking sleeping bag. BTW; merino wool and silk are far better than cotton as a base layer. But yes; when I'm far into the bush in the cold, I carry a parka in case I have to get out on foot without power.[/QUOTE

I don't ride in extreme cold. But I can tell you from skiing, that it definitely keeps your hands warmer, if you keep your core warmer.

I wear a lot more layers, than my kids. Even when they have better gloves they me, they complain about cold hands and feet. But I'll have more thermal shirts, and a fleece vest, and my hands and feet are warm.

 

..... ski bibs, sorel snowboots, an extra thermal jacket liner & a full face.
.. the only real issue on the RG is wind hitting your hands. If I had heated gloves I'd never stop.

 

I rode for many years with Carhart Arctic Coveralls as my outer layer with various expedition strength long johns, wool pants and sweaters in layers. It got to the point that mobility was affected. I now have Gerbing heated gear and I'm much happier and warmer. The big issue for me concerning winter riding is how long the trip is and how much hiway travel is involved because hours of that 70 MPH windchill can seep through layers in my opinion. My experience has been that the heated gear doesn't really warm you like a car heater would but that it keeps the chill away so that you're comfortable. I had been working outside all day and cold to the point of shivering if I wasn't moving. I suited up and got on the bike to come home, after dark. It took about 10 minutes to get warm enough to not shiver and the rest of the hour ride home was cake. It seemed the heated gear helped me to not loose body heat.
If you can afford it all, I suggest gloves over glove liners for the reason stated earlier. I don't think the glove gauntlets are large enough but that's me. I like the jacket liner over the vest because it really helps my arms, as well as my core. I wear a leather jacket over it to cut the wind and prevent asphalt abrasion if necessary. I suggest the heated overpants instead of a pant liner because when you get to your destination you can easily pull them off without finding a bathroom to strip down in. I use my gear to commute to work year round. Gerbing discontinued the heated socks a few years ago, when I got my gear, and instead went with heated insoles. I haven't tried either one but insoles should work. Their new Micro Wire system is really nice. I of course have the older system!!
Getting all the gear plugged into each other isn't too bad. the gloves take some work for me, when they're plugged into the sleeves it's like little kid's mittens with the leash so you don't loose them until you get them on and the connector situated across the top of your wrist. The biggest challenge I've had is where to put the thermostat controller. You can get one that permanently attaches to the bike but I have the stand alone unit and it sometimes slips off just clipping it to the pants pocket. Usually I can fit it into my jacked or vest pocket. And I highly recommend the dual control unit!
Be sure to start the bike before turning on your gear and try to remember to shut the gear off before you kill the bike.
When it's in the mid to high 30s I can get away with the heated gloves and jacket liner, my leather jacket and chaps or leather pants over jeans and thermal underwear. Very comfortable and moveable. The overpants and silk glove liners come out when it's below freezing.
Now if they would just come out with a Micro Wire skull cap for under the fullface...

 

I rode for many years with Carhart Arctic Coveralls as my outer layer with various expedition strength long johns, wool pants and sweaters in layers. It got to the point that mobility was affected. I now have Gerbing heated gear and I'm much happier and warmer. The big issue for me concerning winter riding is how long the trip is and how much hiway travel is involved because hours of that 70 MPH windchill can seep through layers in my opinion. My experience has been that the heated gear doesn't really warm you like a car heater would but that it keeps the chill away so that you're comfortable. I had been working outside all day and cold to the point of shivering if I wasn't moving. I suited up and got on the bike to come home, after dark. It took about 10 minutes to get warm enough to not shiver and the rest of the hour ride home was cake. It seemed the heated gear helped me to not loose body heat.
If you can afford it all, I suggest gloves over glove liners for the reason stated earlier. I don't think the glove gauntlets are large enough but that's me. I like the jacket liner over the vest because it really helps my arms, as well as my core. I wear a leather jacket over it to cut the wind and prevent asphalt abrasion if necessary. I suggest the heated overpants instead of a pant liner because when you get to your destination you can easily pull them off without finding a bathroom to strip down in. I use my gear to commute to work year round. Gerbing discontinued the heated socks a few years ago, when I got my gear, and instead went with heated insoles. I haven't tried either one but insoles should work. Their new Micro Wire system is really nice. I of course have the older system!!
Getting all the gear plugged into each other isn't too bad. the gloves take some work for me, when they're plugged into the sleeves it's like little kid's mittens with the leash so you don't loose them until you get them on and the connector situated across the top of your wrist. The biggest challenge I've had is where to put the thermostat controller. You can get one that permanently attaches to the bike but I have the stand alone unit and it sometimes slips off just clipping it to the pants pocket. Usually I can fit it into my jacked or vest pocket. And I highly recommend the dual control unit!
Be sure to start the bike before turning on your gear and try to remember to shut the gear off before you kill the bike.
When it's in the mid to high 30s I can get away with the heated gloves and jacket liner, my leather jacket and chaps or leather pants over jeans and thermal underwear. Very comfortable and moveable. The overpants and silk glove liners come out when it's below freezing.
Now if they would just come out with a Micro Wire skull cap for under the fullface...

 

Sorry, don't know why it posted twice, only hit the button once!!

 

I've done both layered and heated gear dress. Heated is better. I can't layer on heavy enough to keep me warm and when layered, I feel like the sta-puffed marshmallow man. The two best investments I've made for my bike are my Gerbings heated jacket and gloves.

 

For me heated gloves (the only heated gear I have at the moment) were a great investment in my riding comfort and safety. I did not like the bulky feeling of winter gloves, I never really felt like I had total control with all the bulk of thicker gloves.