It doesn't have to.sendler2112 wrote:Good equipment costs a fortune.
You can get riding gear which will withstand a Scottish winter for a few hundred quid.
Commuting in Winter?
Moderator: Modsquad
Re: Commuting in Winter?
You can get riding gear which will withstand a Scottish winter for a few hundred quid.
Four decades on two wheels has taught me nothing, all advice given is guaranteed to be wrong
Re: Commuting in Winter?
Hello allow me to give my input as I ride in London to the city daily and I'm an all weather rider (been through torrential rain and wind gusts that will blow your socks off!)
On all the bikes I've commuted with, the main issue in winter riding is your hands freezing and if frozen, you hands hurt and cannot operate the controls quick enough!
My PCX has been through 1 winter which I've avoided riding a week as the roads were covered in snow, ice and snow are the only reasons i'll take public transport. The IRC tyres are fine for winter, just ride gentle and slow it down on corners ( I now have city grips on the rear).
The following is what I have:
2 piece textile suit - RST Razor (looks overkill but its from my old bike)
goretex winter gloves ( for when its really cold, this wont make your hand warm but prolongs it from being frozen)
Tuscano Urbano R360 handle muffs (just fit this 2 days ago, so far they keep my summer gloves from going cold, didn't want heated grips so looking forward to winter riding, will be removed for summer)
Neck wind protector (a must and you are stupid to not have this for winter riding!)
boots
That's pretty much it, I've rode through 5 winters, this will be my 6th, on some days it may be best to suck it up and take public transport. Take whichever bike you feel you can do it with or can be bothered with?
On all the bikes I've commuted with, the main issue in winter riding is your hands freezing and if frozen, you hands hurt and cannot operate the controls quick enough!
My PCX has been through 1 winter which I've avoided riding a week as the roads were covered in snow, ice and snow are the only reasons i'll take public transport. The IRC tyres are fine for winter, just ride gentle and slow it down on corners ( I now have city grips on the rear).
The following is what I have:
2 piece textile suit - RST Razor (looks overkill but its from my old bike)
goretex winter gloves ( for when its really cold, this wont make your hand warm but prolongs it from being frozen)
Tuscano Urbano R360 handle muffs (just fit this 2 days ago, so far they keep my summer gloves from going cold, didn't want heated grips so looking forward to winter riding, will be removed for summer)
Neck wind protector (a must and you are stupid to not have this for winter riding!)
boots
That's pretty much it, I've rode through 5 winters, this will be my 6th, on some days it may be best to suck it up and take public transport. Take whichever bike you feel you can do it with or can be bothered with?
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sendler2112
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Re: Commuting in Winter?
Agree. 30 minutes or more at sub 3C temps and 55 mph will have you stopping to warm your fingers on the engine regardless of whatever clumsy winter ski gloves you are wearing as I did two years ago before getting my heated gear. This is basically less than safe to ride with your fingers so stiff. My heated glove liners allow me to ride any distance in cold temps as long as there is no danger of ice.Cracksta wrote:On all the bikes I've commuted with, the main issue in winter riding is your hands freezing and if frozen, you hands hurt and cannot operate the controls quick enough!
Re: Commuting in Winter?
ohhh, the thought riding in sub zero temperatures...and they laughed when i moved from the UK to Thailand...sendler2112 wrote:Agree. 30 minutes or more at sub 3C temps and 55 mph will have you stopping to warm your fingers on the engine regardless of whatever clumsy winter ski gloves you are wearing as I did two years ago before getting my heated gear. This is basically less than safe to ride with your fingers so stiff. My heated glove liners allow me to ride any distance in cold temps as long as there is no danger of ice.Cracksta wrote:On all the bikes I've commuted with, the main issue in winter riding is your hands freezing and if frozen, you hands hurt and cannot operate the controls quick enough!
in 5 years here, i think the coldest its been is about 25 degrees....
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djcat
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Re: Commuting in Winter?
Thanks for all the input guys.
Re: Commuting in Winter?
djcat,
Just one more thing to consider if considering commuting through the winter on a PCX. If you intend using country lanes instead of main A roads, remember that few of these are gritted with salt. I prefer to use the main roads when it's frosty/icy because they are usually much safer than taking the backroads where ice stays in the shadows all day.
Just something to consider perhaps?
Just one more thing to consider if considering commuting through the winter on a PCX. If you intend using country lanes instead of main A roads, remember that few of these are gritted with salt. I prefer to use the main roads when it's frosty/icy because they are usually much safer than taking the backroads where ice stays in the shadows all day.
Just something to consider perhaps?
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you you
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Re: Commuting in Winter?
gn2 wrote:It doesn't have to.sendler2112 wrote:Good equipment costs a fortune.
You can get riding gear which will withstand a Scottish winter for a few hundred quid.
But could it cope with a Scottish summer?
Re: Commuting in Winter?
No problem at all, up here we just ride in the bare scuddy when it gets too hot.you you wrote:But could it cope with a Scottish summer?
Four decades on two wheels has taught me nothing, all advice given is guaranteed to be wrong
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you you
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Re: Commuting in Winter?
In the warm rain?gn2 wrote:No problem at all, up here we just ride in the bare scuddy when it gets too hot.you you wrote:But could it cope with a Scottish summer?
Re: Commuting in Winter?
Doesn't rain very much on the east coast.
Four decades on two wheels has taught me nothing, all advice given is guaranteed to be wrong
Re: Commuting in Winter?
I've been doing this for a while now. I'm from Maine and moved south to Maryland a few years ago. From my observations about commuting in the cold.
Get heated gear if your going below 50 degrees for any long period of time. You can make short hops and not be very cold but a heated jacket will make it actually enjoyable. You have to keep your core warm or your hands and feet start to get cold as your body is attempting to survive by conserving heat. You can't fix this with just heated grips or insulation, only slow it down. Over time cold always wins and your hands and feet will go numb. Just get a heated jacket trust me on this it's the single most important article for cold weather. I don't even use insulated gloves until the temps are below 35 degrees (I do have hand guards to block the wind) With the core warm, hands and feet will be toasty. I was stubborn about this but a 12 hour ride over 700 miles where I encountered rain at 35 degrees which soaked through my aerostich changed my mind.
Next most valuable peice of gear is a quality neck gaiter that is wind blocking, nothing is worse than air anywhere on your neck of face below freezing, nevermind you'll get frostbike extremely fast at 55mph below freezing with exposed skin. I use one that wraps up around my head and over the cheeks under my helmet. I usually keep the visor cracked for prevention of frost formation. Ice fog is a bitch though, you'll need a heated visor if you want to tackle that.
Layer up with some good windbreaking clothing, I usually commute with a aerostich one peice with normal cloths underneath, khaki's/jeans and collared shirt with just the heated jacket keeping me warm. I don't even wear insulated socks or boots. This is for a one hour commute btw.
The rest is just good quality normal gear, the heated stuff is a game changer. You can go out all day in freezing temps and actually enjoy yourself.
I don't know what scooter's output for spare wattage but a heated jacket is about 95 watts on high, they may be able to power it without issue, a volt meter can be used to test that. I use a small voltage meter on the bike to prevent a dead battery. Your stator will be fine as they run 100% all the time with excess running to ground via the regulator/rectifier. I've read people stating you will burn out your stator with heated gear, you won't you'll just have a dead battery and possibly stall if the voltage get's too low for the FI to run.
As for the bike itself? I ride more carefully in the cold, tires take a lot longer to warm or don't ever get to operating temps so they will not have as much traction, this goes for all of them. You'll hit ice eventually as some melt/runoff from somewhere will cross the road, level up and go neutral on everything and coast over it. Don't turn, brake or gas or you're going down. Because of this always give yourself an "out" for cornering as you may need to go strait to get over a patch of ice. You'll need to be extremely alert. If your not capable of that kind of vigilance that don't go out below freezing.
Keep in mind bridges freeze faster than the road, metal is slippery, wet wooden bridges are really slippery (my only crash on the street in 15 years, green algae on it).
You'll deal with salt, ACF-50 is amazing, coat your metal parts other than brakes and tires (common sense) and it'll look like new in the spring when you wash off the grime. It also prevents the electrics from corrosion, it's made for aircraft.
Be aware that other driver's don't expect to see a bike in the winter (usa) and you'll need to be VERY cautious about motion camouflage and predicting there not seeing you, you have to be extra careful in the off season. I wear hi-viz and have LED auxiliary lights running to help with this. Take some rider's courses if your new and think ahead and predict your surroundings.
Finally prepare to have co-workers think your mental when you show up day after day and it's 15 degrees outside.
Get heated gear if your going below 50 degrees for any long period of time. You can make short hops and not be very cold but a heated jacket will make it actually enjoyable. You have to keep your core warm or your hands and feet start to get cold as your body is attempting to survive by conserving heat. You can't fix this with just heated grips or insulation, only slow it down. Over time cold always wins and your hands and feet will go numb. Just get a heated jacket trust me on this it's the single most important article for cold weather. I don't even use insulated gloves until the temps are below 35 degrees (I do have hand guards to block the wind) With the core warm, hands and feet will be toasty. I was stubborn about this but a 12 hour ride over 700 miles where I encountered rain at 35 degrees which soaked through my aerostich changed my mind.
Next most valuable peice of gear is a quality neck gaiter that is wind blocking, nothing is worse than air anywhere on your neck of face below freezing, nevermind you'll get frostbike extremely fast at 55mph below freezing with exposed skin. I use one that wraps up around my head and over the cheeks under my helmet. I usually keep the visor cracked for prevention of frost formation. Ice fog is a bitch though, you'll need a heated visor if you want to tackle that.
Layer up with some good windbreaking clothing, I usually commute with a aerostich one peice with normal cloths underneath, khaki's/jeans and collared shirt with just the heated jacket keeping me warm. I don't even wear insulated socks or boots. This is for a one hour commute btw.
The rest is just good quality normal gear, the heated stuff is a game changer. You can go out all day in freezing temps and actually enjoy yourself.
I don't know what scooter's output for spare wattage but a heated jacket is about 95 watts on high, they may be able to power it without issue, a volt meter can be used to test that. I use a small voltage meter on the bike to prevent a dead battery. Your stator will be fine as they run 100% all the time with excess running to ground via the regulator/rectifier. I've read people stating you will burn out your stator with heated gear, you won't you'll just have a dead battery and possibly stall if the voltage get's too low for the FI to run.
As for the bike itself? I ride more carefully in the cold, tires take a lot longer to warm or don't ever get to operating temps so they will not have as much traction, this goes for all of them. You'll hit ice eventually as some melt/runoff from somewhere will cross the road, level up and go neutral on everything and coast over it. Don't turn, brake or gas or you're going down. Because of this always give yourself an "out" for cornering as you may need to go strait to get over a patch of ice. You'll need to be extremely alert. If your not capable of that kind of vigilance that don't go out below freezing.
Keep in mind bridges freeze faster than the road, metal is slippery, wet wooden bridges are really slippery (my only crash on the street in 15 years, green algae on it).
You'll deal with salt, ACF-50 is amazing, coat your metal parts other than brakes and tires (common sense) and it'll look like new in the spring when you wash off the grime. It also prevents the electrics from corrosion, it's made for aircraft.
Be aware that other driver's don't expect to see a bike in the winter (usa) and you'll need to be VERY cautious about motion camouflage and predicting there not seeing you, you have to be extra careful in the off season. I wear hi-viz and have LED auxiliary lights running to help with this. Take some rider's courses if your new and think ahead and predict your surroundings.
Finally prepare to have co-workers think your mental when you show up day after day and it's 15 degrees outside.
-
you you
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- Posts: 10000
- Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:37 pm
- Location: Between Lulu and Chichi
Re: Commuting in Winter?
15 degrees. That's summer for us. What a wimpLee.R wrote:I've been doing this for a while now. I'm from Maine and moved south to Maryland a few years ago. From my observations about commuting in the cold.
Get heated gear if your going below 50 degrees for any long period of time. You can make short hops and not be very cold but a heated jacket will make it actually enjoyable. You have to keep your core warm or your hands and feet start to get cold as your body is attempting to survive by conserving heat. You can't fix this with just heated grips or insulation, only slow it down. Over time cold always wins and your hands and feet will go numb. Just get a heated jacket trust me on this it's the single most important article for cold weather. I don't even use insulated gloves until the temps are below 35 degrees (I do have hand guards to block the wind) With the core warm, hands and feet will be toasty. I was stubborn about this but a 12 hour ride over 700 miles where I encountered rain at 35 degrees which soaked through my aerostich changed my mind.
Next most valuable peice of gear is a quality neck gaiter that is wind blocking, nothing is worse than air anywhere on your neck of face below freezing, nevermind you'll get frostbike extremely fast at 55mph below freezing with exposed skin. I use one that wraps up around my head and over the cheeks under my helmet. I usually keep the visor cracked for prevention of frost formation. Ice fog is a bitch though, you'll need a heated visor if you want to tackle that.
Layer up with some good windbreaking clothing, I usually commute with a aerostich one peice with normal cloths underneath, khaki's/jeans and collared shirt with just the heated jacket keeping me warm. I don't even wear insulated socks or boots. This is for a one hour commute btw.
The rest is just good quality normal gear, the heated stuff is a game changer. You can go out all day in freezing temps and actually enjoy yourself.
I don't know what scooter's output for spare wattage but a heated jacket is about 95 watts on high, they may be able to power it without issue, a volt meter can be used to test that. I use a small voltage meter on the bike to prevent a dead battery. Your stator will be fine as they run 100% all the time with excess running to ground via the regulator/rectifier. I've read people stating you will burn out your stator with heated gear, you won't you'll just have a dead battery and possibly stall if the voltage get's too low for the FI to run.
As for the bike itself? I ride more carefully in the cold, tires take a lot longer to warm or don't ever get to operating temps so they will not have as much traction, this goes for all of them. You'll hit ice eventually as some melt/runoff from somewhere will cross the road, level up and go neutral on everything and coast over it. Don't turn, brake or gas or you're going down. Because of this always give yourself an "out" for cornering as you may need to go strait to get over a patch of ice. You'll need to be extremely alert. If your not capable of that kind of vigilance that don't go out below freezing.
Keep in mind bridges freeze faster than the road, metal is slippery, wet wooden bridges are really slippery (my only crash on the street in 15 years, green algae on it).
You'll deal with salt, ACF-50 is amazing, coat your metal parts other than brakes and tires (common sense) and it'll look like new in the spring when you wash off the grime. It also prevents the electrics from corrosion, it's made for aircraft.
Be aware that other driver's don't expect to see a bike in the winter (usa) and you'll need to be VERY cautious about motion camouflage and predicting there not seeing you, you have to be extra careful in the off season. I wear hi-viz and have LED auxiliary lights running to help with this. Take some rider's courses if your new and think ahead and predict your surroundings.
Finally prepare to have co-workers think your mental when you show up day after day and it's 15 degrees outside.
-
sendler2112
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djcat
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Re: Commuting in Winter?
He probably meant 15 degrees Fahrenheit, not Celsius.
Lee.R: Thanks for the long post.
Can you pls clarify what motion camouflage is?
I certainly make sure I am seen, not new to riding at all, just to winter commuting on two wheels...got three advanced riding/motoring certificates and driving licences out of 5 countries, a little mental, I know.
Lee.R: Thanks for the long post.
Can you pls clarify what motion camouflage is?
I certainly make sure I am seen, not new to riding at all, just to winter commuting on two wheels...got three advanced riding/motoring certificates and driving licences out of 5 countries, a little mental, I know.
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djcat
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Re: Commuting in Winter?
33C this Sunday in Gibraltar - I wanna go back!sendler2112 wrote:34F/ 1.5C this morning and still toasty.
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you you
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Re: Commuting in Winter?
You have Gibraltar, I'll have Spain. Vamanos!!djcat wrote:33C this Sunday in Gibraltar - I wanna go back!sendler2112 wrote:34F/ 1.5C this morning and still toasty.