Winter Commuting

[campagman]

Been riding almost a year now, but started commuting about 25m each way in November, mixed town, A road and Mways, so wondering if any tips on keeping good visibility and warmer extremities.

Already tried:-
Pinlock - works fine with almost no internal misting
I wear yellow tinted sun glasses for protection when visor is up and to take glare off headlights, again OK but usally mist up when very slow or stopped - tried Rainx, Fog-Teck anti fog etc
Outside of visor -got a V2 sponge - seems good but not when actually riding, got a wiper blade on left index finger..
To disperse rain, spray, grime etc I've tried Rainx again, Visor vison Raincoat and the stuff sold at the NEC show - sort of pink wax stick you apply with a cloth.
This is all on Shoei Multitec.

Seen threads that mention carwax, funiture polish, washing up liquid and others. Do these work any better?

So, is it a question of trail and error till I find something that works?

Also, despite heated grips, standard TA knuckle guards and thick pair of Spada gloves I still get painfully cold index fingers - could it be a vibration issue?
Finally - cold feet - Daytona Goretex boots, thickish socks and some old Helly Hansen fleecy type over socks - still cold feet.

Other that that I'm enjoying it, it was -6 deg the other morning, but dry. When I used to do much that same route in a car, the drive became a challenge to stay alert and awake - no problem now.

Sorted most other things out - Scottoiler, rain jackets, neck buffs, ear plugs, bike cleaning and anti corrosion stuff.

Appreciate any suggestions

[Zenarchy]

I tried this stuff called cat crap (not sure if they're still making it but you can probably pick it up from ebay).

That worked for me with visor misting on a naked bike before I got the Africa Twin, but the screen now cuts down the airflow onto my helmet (which has rubbish ventilation) so I ended up having to get a pinlock to sort it eventually. If the airflow is OK in your helmet it might be worth a try on your glasses.

I also tried a thin smear of washing up liquid, rubbed in with a finger then polished off with a glasses cloth, and Mr sheen. These seemed to do pretty much the same job as the cat crap but I'd heard there's stuff in them that can make the visor brittle or scratch it so stopped using them (plus the cat crap comes in a handy little case so easy to cary with you on the bike and is designed for this purpose apparently -and seems to last forever as you only need the tiniest smudge for it to do its job). I still use the cat crap on the outside of the visor when I remember as it helps the water to bead up and run off too (not sure how it compares to other things for this though).

For gloves I've got some of those little wool stretchy gloves that someone gave me that I carry around if it gets really cold and they'll go under regular bike gloves easily and still leave you able to feel the controls (couldn't believe they'd fit as they looked like gloves for a baby but they somehow stretch to fit my hands - I usually take a size large in gloves). Those worked a treat underneath a pair of summer leather gloves for quite a while riding a naked bike with no hand guards at night in the winter for hours at a time sometimes, but now I'm using some winter gloves I got from Liddl that seem to do the trick too (though you get much less feeling through them).

You can pick up those stretchy wool gloves from ebay for a couple of quid, or the local pound shop or supermarket (or ask a few women - that's where I got mine from - have noticed a lot of women have them for some reason).

[fatowl]

Originally Posted by Zenarchy

I also tried a thin smear of washing up liquid, rubbed in with a finger then polished off with a glasses cloth, and Mr sheen. These seemed to do pretty much the same job as the cat crap but I'd heard there's stuff in them that can make the visor brittle or scratch it so stopped using them

I've been using them for years, and not had a problem. I reckon it's an old wives tale. Having said that, I'm sure modern stuff is better - I just don't know what it is, 'cos I use the old ways... (not JUST because I'm tight!)

[sam h]

Hands.... silk liners can help. I prefer the "two finger" glove - good for insulation, but also saluting speed cameras! The ones I use are from Hein Gerrik.
Feet - The boots are also H-G and are totally w.proof and warm. Main thing are to use thermal layers... by keeping all your body V. warm the extremitise will benefit.

[donkster]

get a heated jacket, make one up using a kit, or DIY

amazing difference, I don't even bother with heated grips on anymore, as your core temperature stays warm, you don't shut down the blood supply to your extremities, therefore hands and feet stay warm, even though its only the body part thats heated

my hands used to get really really cold, and then have those horrid aches as the blood started flowing back to them after the ride - no more

[digitalcaptive]

Glove wise, I'm currently using a pair of oxford bone dry and they are very good, you get plenty of feel through them, they keep my hands warm at all times (no heated grips here yet!) and always very Dry!!! the only down side is I don't see them lasting more than the one winter but at £17.00 I wouldn't really expect them too, so far (2 months in) I'd have to say HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

[icenian]

Your pinlock should sort out visor misting, though they have problems. One is that when you wash the visor, it's easy to get water between the pinlock insert and the visor, and it then takes ages to dry it properly (and if you don't it'll mist up). Another is that you get worse glare at night.

An alternative is the Respro "Foggy" mask (try scootique_hull on ebay for a good price). I find this isn't 100% perfect at stopping misting, but it works fine as you ride along, and lifting the visor 1/4" at traffic lights isn't a big deal. The advantage is you just have an unadorned visor, which is easier to clean, more scratch resistant, has less glare at night and also give better peripheral vision. (The peripheral vision thing was a big surprise; I've used pinlock or fog city inserts for years and would have sworn the visibility was fine, but having now stopped, I can tell how much better my field of vision is.)

Keeping the outside of the visor clean is a pain in the *rse. Rain-X destroys the anti-scratch visor coating. I've tried furniture polish etc. but it didn't seem to be much help. Stopping and washing it is the only thing that actually seems to do any good! I knew a bloke who just you to keep a big wet sponge wedged inside his fairing. Nippy Norman's visor sponge looks handy but haven't got round to trying it.

As for cold extremeities, keeping you body warm is the best thing you can do. If your body starts to chill even slightly, blood circulation to hands and feet will be reduced to protect your core temperature. Keeping your body warm enough should maintain circulation. If you wear enough that your body is actually too hot then warm blood will get circulated around your hands and feet; they'll actually get heated up if you can make your body warm enough.

The trick is having a warm body without sweating profusely before you get going, and also not wearing clothes that'll stay wet when you do sweat. Cotton is dreadful. Wool is pretty good, as are high tech fabrics; your local outdoor clothing shop is the best place. There are loads of lightweight "fleece" type fabrics; I find Ullfrotte extremely good for the warmth you get from the thickness, but it costs a bit more.

For insulating layers, polyester "fleece" is very popular; it's easy to wash, doesn't matter if it gets wet, nice to wear; but actually the warmth you get for the bulk isn't that brilliant. Down is much better, but you mustn't get it wet, so not so great on a bike unless it's sub zero. Several thin layers is better than one thick one, and to avoid bulk restricting your movement, try a gillet. I bought a cheap (25 quid) down gillet from Land's End that's great value for money; proper mountaineering down clothing is rather bulky to get under a bike jacket.

I also have a pertex top that's lined with very thin microfleece (about the thickness of a thin t-shirt) which is amazingly good for it's thickness. The one I have isn't available any more, but I think Montane make similar things. Usually marketed as a top layer for people who need lightweight stuff, like cyclists and runners; but great under a bike jacket.

The two-finger gloves (Hein Gericke and Held brands well spoken of) seem popular, though I've got by with ordinary 4 finger gloves. Buying a size slightly too big (so long as you can still use controls!) helps, as there's more air inside (any clothing that's tight will be colder). Possibly the best thing you can do is to learn not to clench (relaxed fingers means better circulation); it sounds daft, but actually it's easy to grip the bars really hard without realising, especially when you start to feel cold. Also try not to keep you fingers on the (cold) brake/clutch levers when you don't have to.

Boots: never had a problem since I bought myself a big chunky pair of Altbergs. I got a pair a 1/2 size too large (all their boots come in half sizes) and wear "loop stitch" wool socks underneath. They are knee length boot socks, so I can turn the top down to make them good and thick at the top of the boot; draughts down the top of the boot may not be noticeable but can freeze your feet. It may seem extravagent to buy an extra pair of boots for winter, but I bought these in 1996 and they're still going strong!

(So good in fact I later bought another pair of Altbergs for the rest of the year, which have been worn almost daily for most of the year, are 5 years old and still perfect. BTW if you 'phone them up you'll get prices much lower than the web site ones).

If all this fails maybe just bite the bullet and get an electric heated vest?

[Zenarchy]

Originally Posted by icenian

(So good in fact I later bought another pair of Altbergs for the rest of the year, which have been worn almost daily for most of the year, are 5 years old and still perfect. BTW if you 'phone them up you'll get prices much lower than the web site ones).

That's handy to know. I could probably do with a decent pair of boots and heard a lot of recommendations for altbergs, but their online prices are close to the sidi couriers I like the look of so a bit torn between the two (when I eventually replace these boots at least - will be a while yet I think). When I need a pair I might phone them and see if they can offer me a deal.

My bike instructor couldn't praise them highly enough and said he'd had the same pair of boots for years and they were still holding up well (and he's out using them pretty much every day for hours every day in all weathers so they must get quite a hammering). Aparently when they're looking a bit worn you can send them back to be reconditioned and they stitch in a new sole and inner and sort out any problems with them and when you get them back they look almost like a new pair of boots (but for a fraction of the cost of a new pair).

Seems like they'd be a good investment.

[Zenarchy]

Originally Posted by fatowl

I've been using them for years, and not had a problem. I reckon it's an old wives tale. Having said that, I'm sure modern stuff is better - I just don't know what it is, 'cos I use the old ways... (not JUST because I'm tight!)

I can't say I noticed a lot of difference between the cat crap stuff and washing up liquid (if anything the washing up liquid trick might have worked slightly better for misting but I seemed to need to reapply it more often and and it might have glared a little more on the lights in the dark - though the cat crap does that a bit too).

This is the stuff I've got : http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motor...isor-anti-fog/

[AlecS]

Originally Posted by icenian

Buying a size slightly too big (so long as you can still use controls!) helps, as there's more air inside (any clothing that's tight will be colder). Possibly the best thing you can do is to learn not to clench (relaxed fingers means better circulation); it sounds daft, but actually it's easy to grip the bars really hard without realising, especially when you start to feel cold.

I was going to say that!

Originally Posted by icenian

Also try not to keep you fingers on the (cold) brake/clutch levers when you don't have to.

Or you could run a 12v wire from the bateries to your finger-tips. When you touch the brake/clutch leavers a massive current will flow, causing the levers to turn red hot. That should help keep your fingers warm.