How do you ride in the cold?
 

I recently moved to CO and even though the winter has been extremely mild, it's colder than Texas....sometimes.

I went for a ride this past weekend. It was around 50-55 degrees out when I went out. I had layers on, leather coat, gloves and a full face helmet. After about 30 minutes, I could feel the cold penetrating my gloves and the wind finding ways into my helmet even though the vents were closed.

I passed several other riders enjoying the day and most were dressed similar to me. However, I came across several riders with nothing on their heads. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not complaining about them not wearing helmets. I just don't understand how they can ride without anything keeping their heads and face warm. I mean they had no hats, no clava, scarf, whatever. They did wear sunglasses.

I know my face had a chill when I got back home and that's with something blocking most of the wind. How the H*** do they ride in this weather. Have they already lost all feeling in their face?

So all of this got me to wondering how other people ride in cooler to cold weather?

50 is pretty much my cut off point for an enjoyable ride at highway speeds, I have ridden in colder but it pretty much takes the fun away when your cold.

Bottom line! You get use to it....
keep your core worm and the rest will be fine. Wool is your friend...

LOL ! Bundle up like Ralphie from “A Christmas Story”

Yeah you kind of kind get used to it.

I'm in CA so we don't have terribly cold winters but I hit the road around 6AM and it's somewhere around 45 degrees, my daily commute is about 40 miles round trip.

I don't get crazy with gear but up top I do a shirt, a flannel, a hoodie, and a leather jacket. If it's real cold, I'll throw another sweater in there. For the bottom, I pull my jeans over a pair of sweats that I take off when I get to work. It's still a little cold but bearable. This is with a 3/4 helmet which doesn't help but I can't really wear a full face anyone, got too used to the visibility from a 3/4.

I would go out and get a pair of cold weather gloves...it's a pain in the ass to have your fingers frozen. I was gifted a nice pair of Harley ones with insulation the really help. If it gets real cold, I reach down and grab my pipes for a few seconds to warm up.

I’ve rode many times around 30 knowing when I go to ride home from work, it’ll be much warmer. Here in Canada you have to take the bad with the good. Layers are your friend. Leather jacket, fall jacket, vest, sweater, long sleeve shirt, long john’s, jeans, 2 pairs of socks, neck warmer, gloves and a full face helmet and you’re all set. Lmao.

Wind chill on the hands and on the neck are my first cold riding complaints.

Best gauntlet thick gloves, silk liner, fairings, lever covering bark buster can all aid the cold hands issue. +1 for heated gloves.

Neck, turtle neck insert, scarf.

Feet/ boots. Good socks.

Many recommend by electric vests, keeping your core warm and allowing blood to remain in you extremities.

Yes, bundle up like Xmas story, get use to it or become a fair weather rider.

Then there are slick footpegs, fog issues on googles and the rest of the story.

Yet, have fun.

If humans were meant to do that, we'd have evolved from the penguins... just sayin' :icon_snow:

Did the riders without helmets have windshields?

I usually put my windshield on when it gets into the lower 50's, it helps.
I also have a set of liners I add into my normal leather gloves.

40 and below the heated jacket and gloves come out.

3/4 helmet (if that counts) and no windshield. My face probably gets the coldest.

We don't get much below 40 here but in the middle of winter if you're in the desert it can get to low 30s. I just put more layers on but it's pretty rare around here.