Pulled the bike out of storage and rode the valley and Glenwood Canyon on this warm November day. Was really lucky the roads are great for this time of year. 71 miles with temps reaching the 50's.
A nice little 120 miler in temps ranging from the high 40s, up to about 60, then back down into the 50s, with a pretty heavy, cold, wind coming from the south. Got a chance to test out some new cold weather gear: a Klim Inferno mid layer jacket, and Eddie Bauer fleece lined jeans. Both performed spectacularly.
I bought the Inferno jacket to go over my Warm and Safe heated shirt. I prefer this to the old jacket liners. Much less bulky, and since the heating elements are right up against the skin, it draws a lot less current for the same, or even more heating as a liner through a base layer shirt. My only complaint, and it's a minor one, about the shirt is that they only provided heating in the upper arms, and since I ride with 16" apes and no windshield, my lower arms could use some heat. That said, the Inferno jacket along with the Fox Creek liner insulated enough for the upper arm heat to radiate down a bit, so I wasn't cold. Just not as warm as the upper arm areas. The lined jeans are something I should have bought LONG ago! With the Fox Creek leather overpants, my legs, were toasty, AND my boys got protection as well, hahah!! For my feet, I have some heavy duty polar rated socks, that kept them nice and warm.
All around a very enjoyable ride, and I am confident that I can ride longer distances in even colder temps. We'll see if Mother Nature cooperates by holding off on the white air garbage for a little while longer.
11-13-2023 | 07:12 AM
