who's still riding? (in toronto)

[Jayell]

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It depends. I'd say if you're going to get the cheap $5 ones off e-bay, it only lasts AT MOST until early Spring iif you put it on top of your grips with the shrink wrap. I heard if you put it under your grips, you barely feel them and its also a ***** to do. If you put the heated grips on top, you're going to get sticky, slimey, glue on your grips when you remove it.

No, the cheap eBay grip heaters are intended to be installed under the existing grip; in other words, between the bar and the existing grip. The shrink wrap is used on the clutch side as insulation between the bar and the heater. The heater element on the throttle side should be wrapped around the plastic throttle tube, no insulation required. Typically with this type of heated grip, the throttle side will be warmer than the clutch side, as the steel bar acts as a heat sink, despite the shrink wrap insulation. For five bucks and free shipping, though? Give 'em a try!

I use Heat Demons by Symtec. About $50 from GP Bikes. My clutch side side isn't quite as warm as the throttle, but it's acceptable to me. The Oxfords are likely the best solution, even at about $100. I chose the under-the-grip style because I wanted to retain my stock grips, and above all, have a discreet installation. I was able to hide the switch, so most folks don't know they're there. The Oxfords use their own grips and have a larger switch.

Heat Demon:

Oxford:

 

[Jock Macdonald]

Snowmobile gloves. They're boxy, but good. My last pair were $13 at Crappy Tire. Lasted all winter. If it starts, you can ride it.

Jock

 

[Vuarra]

I have a set of snowmobile gloves as well. They're not as water-resistant as I was hoping for.

 

[daught]

Not to be the negative one, but I doubt snowmobile gloves offer much sliding protection on pavement.

 

[ahernandez74]

Last year I wore my textile jacket + the jacket liner with my winter jacket over it. Kept me warm till about -10. The only real problem is cold hands which is why I'm waiting for the Velocity heated gloves to come in ^_^. $15-$20 glove liners from sport check underneath my gloves helped out a lot as well - kept my hands warm for (probably) an additional 15 mins before they really got cold after 30 mins in those temps.

Yeah, i'm going to try and get some additional layers. One of my riding buddies swears by under armor stuff and says it's going to do the trick. I'm going to give it a try.

 

[daught]

Yeah, i'm going to try and get some additional layers. One of my riding buddies swears by under armor stuff and says it's going to do the trick. I'm going to give it a try.

A good base layer does WONDERS. Check out patagonia capilene 3 or even better 4. MEC has the T3 base layers which are close to capilene 4. They create a nice barrier between the wind chilled outerwear and your skin. The capilene 3/4 and T3 are for really cold weather. I wouldn't use them in late fall or spring. The overheat quickly. Heck just my T3 and my shell were too much for skiing in the coastal BC.

 

[ZX600]

Oxford is well worth it, the quality is top notch.

Agreed, discussed plenty on this forum. I got them and wouldn't go back to the cheap crap anymore

Edit:
However those speed demon pictured above seem fairly good for what cheap stuff goes.

 

[Renboy]

Not to be the negative one, but I doubt snowmobile gloves offer much sliding protection on pavement.

Less friction on frozen asphalt.

 

[WeatherB]

Looks like the salt is down in the city now, Finch was looking whiter than usual this morning. I'll get out one last time this weekend and then that's it!

Kudos to the orange R6 on Finch this morning though!

 

[JZ67]

2 riders this morning at -4 degrees. Kudos to you, you have bigger stones than I do.

 

[Matt Rain]

I rode in, mostly to test-drive my new Thermosport gloves. They kept my hands perfectly comfortable, I'm impressed. I don't think they would hold up on long rides at highway speeds, but around town they're perfect.

 

[PLau]

2 riders this morning at -4 degrees. Kudos to you, you have bigger stones than I do.

Bet those stones are frozen though.

 

[TwistedKestrel]

Sigh ... too cold for me today.

 

[roark007]

I rode in today. Not balls, just a testament to how much I detest taking the TTC.

 

[ZX600]

I rode in today. Not balls, just a testament to how much I detest taking the TTC.

if I had to chose between the TTC and riding, I would probably put some studs on the tires and continue to ride the entire winter..this is how much I hate public transportation

 

[V-Tom]

I was out on my bike yesterday (day off) doing some errands and didn't cover my bike when I got home (it was already soaked with the rain and flurries.) When I hopped on it this morning to commute to work my seat was frozen solid. It was hard as a rock and took (I'm sure) 15 minutes before it started thawing out.

..Tom

 

[KarGo]

I might end my season, the other day my bike's battery ran out as I parked my bike (luckily it happen when I got home). I'm not sure if its because of the cold or something else is wrong with the bike. It sat outdoors for nearly 9hours, around -4 on my way home.

 

[Riceburner]

only -3C this morning with a few flurries.

 

[Face]

Commuted 4 days last week, and this morning. Even with Oxford grips on full & a thin layer under the gloves, my finger tips were a little cold after my stretch of 401 (at actual highways speed) this morning. Everything else was fine, even without other heated gear. Should warm up as the week progresses.

Last 2 years, I put the bike away on Dec 24th. Hope to do the same this year.

 

[Riceburner]

With my wind deflectors, my hands are fine with the heated grips. I have the ones similar to the Heat Demon. Only problem after lots of years is that the switch only runs the High mode. It's my lower back/butt that gets cold....and my toes.

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