Don't make cold weather riding difficult. ALL of you problems have been easily solved by the snowmobile industry. If I can ride all day long (at highway & faster speeds) in minus 20... you can certainly use the same gear to ride in +20.


Check out Klim and FXR. Also... look to Gmax and others for modular helmets - they are equipped for the cold with chin curtains and breath deflectors.


Keep your hands, feet and head warm and you will never really get cold.

 

I'm not a big heated grips fan but a heated jacket liner w/heated gloves, a one piece weather-proof suit, REAL wool socks and water-proof boots should take you thru the 30's into the upper 20's - no problem!

 

wow...lots of great ideas here. None bad
I wear boot straps to keep my pants legs down over my boots to keep wind from going up my pants legs. Really helps.
Something I haven't seen...if you wear leather boots keep them shiny and clean with a good coat of wax or polish. This makes a wind proof outer on the boots which really helps keep the wind and chill from entering the pores of the boots. And it forms a water resistant barrier to keep water from saturating the boot and eliminates cold feet due to water seeping through the pores.
small things...
Something that must be addressed is how we, as individuals, adapt to cold. And what exactly IS cold. I am pretty warm natured. I can handle some cold. My wife, on the other hand, is extremely cool natured. What I call a little chilly she calls downright miserable. Find out where you stand on that line and dress accordingly.
Ride fast, take chances
T

 

Layers, skidoo suits and even a Roadcrafter suit..............those things cost as much as a full set of heated gear and if you read the OP's original post - he's already got a Gerbing jacket liner and gloves. The simple answer is buy the pants liner and either socks or insoles. Behind leather, heated gear is the best money you'll ever spend on riding gear.

 

How long will you be riding on your longest ride? You can get away with less protection for shorter periods of time in the wind.

I wear snowmobile bibs, hoody, leather jacket and heated gloves, regular boots/cotton socks (I've got lowers). This works fine for a 20-25 minute ride into work at 65MPH, temperature high 30's down to the mid-teens.

The same weather and a longer ride, e.g., an hour or more, and my upper torso, and feet, start getting cold. The longer I go, the colder they get. (The heated gloves are Gerbings with built in batteries. They have 3 heat levels, so the hands being cold aren't a factor as long as the batteries hold out).

Obviously if you plan for the worst-case and 'layer' as others have suggested, as long as you have someplace to put the stuff you strip-off, you can adapt to temps.

Alan

 

I've had good luck with overalls that are made for snow skiing. They aren't that expensive (under $50 at Academy Sports), they're waterproof and they block the wind really well. Then I wear a roomy jacket with a heated liner underneath (got mine from Cycle Gear). Also, a heated seat will help prevent the frostbitten ***.

 

The snowmobile gear is a great idea. I usually wear Carhart pants in the winter, you can get them in many different thicknesses or even with flannel or other types of linings. Then heating pants/jacket. Also Dicks makes some very heavy duty jeans

 

Not to beat a dead horse... but if you go with snowmobile pants/jacket and gloves from a good manufacturer, you'll get light, warm, waterproof clothing with reflective piping. They will be virtually windproof yet breathable with strategically located ventilation. The thinsulate is heavier in areas that get cold (your rear, etc.) and the pants & jacket will have "gators" to keep the air out. The gloves typically have more insulation on the back of the hand to better use handwarmers, and most have a wrist gauntlet to cover the jacket at your wrists. I prefer "pants" to bibs... most jackets are longer, especially in the back (made for sitting). Many jackets are sold as a shell with zip-in liners (fleece, 100 gm, 200 gm) so you can adjust based on the weather.


Like anything else, you get what you pay for. But you could get some decent gear for about $150 each. Good luck. We can't ride here after the first snow... too much salt and anti-skid on the roads.

 

Even though I live in central TX, we still have days where highs are 40 or less and I still ride daily unless there is ice.

I use a Columbia Omni-Heat Parka liner with a windbreaker over it and it is plenty warm.

For pants I wear Cabela's Fleece Lined Jeans, and those are all I need for riding into the upper 30's/low 40's. Any colder and I will wear thermals and/or chaps as well, but rain pants as a windbreaker will work just fine too.

For feet, all I have right now are a good set of wool socks, however I am riding to Albuquerque in mid-February so I am going to try these wireless controlled heated insoles from Cabela's:
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Therm...heated+insoles