Cold Weather Scooter Warriors

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:52 pm

Man, today must be "Ride your scooter in the wicked cold weather just to prove how cool scooterists are" day.
I saw no less than 12 scooters on my commute this morning, and only 1 motorcycle. It was crazy. That is the most I've seen on one commute even in the middle of summer! Way to go scooter crowd!

jfrost2 · Post by **jfrost2** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:56 pm

I got several looks and laughs when people saw me riding late last night, it was cold, but I wasnt cold at all while riding, just my fingers, I still have my summer gloves with mesh material to stay cool, I should get winter gloves.

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:58 pm

jfrost2 wrote:I got several looks and laughs when people saw me riding late last night, it was cold, but I wasnt cold at all while riding, just my fingers, I still have my summer gloves with mesh material to stay cool, I should get winter gloves.

Yeah, even with my winter gloves, my fingertips have bit a bit frosty. I'm thinking about finding glove liners, or just wearing another set of knit gloves under my leather ones.

mayra · Post by **mayra** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 5:50 pm

i've been riding in the cold--not sure exactly how cold as i haven't checked the weather recently but my commute is only 7 minutes, so i get too cold (usually just my fingers) right when i get to work

broke · Post by **broke** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:34 pm

Luckily there is a donut shop mid-commute for me!

It was 32 at my house when I left this morning... very dry though! That was nice.

reenie · Post by **reenie** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:43 pm

Ski pants -gloves -leather jacket & fleece! During a 30 minute commute I passed a sign that said 36 degrees. I grinned the whole way!

standup · Post by **standup** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:48 pm

What works for me is a Ramones-style MC jacket, fleece underneath, fleece neck gaiter in 30s-ish weather.

The gloves are still under scrutiny. This AM I found one of my two silk glove liners, and the hand with the liner was not much better off than without under 'midweight' leather MC gloves.

I've got a pair of ski gloves ordered from REI on clearance (http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/775496) that have a shell and a liner, we'll see how that goes.

I think my legs will just be cold, but it seems like the torso will be OK. This is my first winter on scooter, I'm playing "how low can I go".

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:07 pm

broke wrote:Luckily there is a donut shop mid-commute for me!

It was 32 at my house when I left this morning... very dry though! That was nice.

Yeah, it was 30 at my house this morning.... It was actually a whole lot warmer than the fog we had yesterday.

newslinky · Post by **newslinky** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 10:08 pm

Kaos wrote:
jfrost2 wrote:I got several looks and laughs when people saw me riding late last night, it was cold, but I wasnt cold at all while riding, just my fingers, I still have my summer gloves with mesh material to stay cool, I should get winter gloves.
Yeah, even with my winter gloves, my fingertips have bit a bit frosty. I'm thinking about finding glove liners, or just wearing another set of knit gloves under my leather ones.

I highly recommend these in addition to your winter gloves. They keep the wind from hitting your hands directly thus allowing your winter gloves to be much more effective keeping your hands warm. They are also very easy to slip on and off for when you do not want to use them.

broke · Post by **broke** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 10:33 pm

newslinky wrote:I highly recommend these in addition to your winter gloves.

(I got rid of the extra "url" at the end of your url in my quote so this link should work)

Hey newslinky, any chance you could take a photo of those off the bike? I know how to run my wife's sewing machine just enough to probably take a stab at something like that... but I was curious if they have any fancy-pants way of staying secured?

When you take your hand out to give someone a cool scooter wave while riding do the openings shut and make it hard to work your hand in to find the grip again?

Do you ever feel unsafe using them?

I was almost ready to spend a bunch of money on better gloves, but I'll bet these covers would work better. I'm willing to buy some waterproof fabric and try to make a set and if it doesn't work I'm not out much...

I wonder if mini fairings could be easily fabricated to shield the grips and tops of your hands without needing to be integrated into the windshield...

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 12:19 am

newslinky wrote:
Kaos wrote:
jfrost2 wrote:I got several looks and laughs when people saw me riding late last night, it was cold, but I wasnt cold at all while riding, just my fingers, I still have my summer gloves with mesh material to stay cool, I should get winter gloves.
Yeah, even with my winter gloves, my fingertips have bit a bit frosty. I'm thinking about finding glove liners, or just wearing another set of knit gloves under my leather ones.
I highly recommend these in addition to your winter gloves. They keep the wind from hitting your hands directly thus allowing your winter gloves to be much more effective keeping your hands warm. They are also very easy to slip on and off for when you do not want to use them.

Hmm, hadn't thought of using those, actually. I'll have to get a set.

BuddyLove · Post by **BuddyLove** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:05 am

I have those scooterworks gloves as well and they are fantastic! I have not felt unsafe with them, they do not close up so you can wave to your hearts content and still get in there to the controls. Not to mention they are awesome conversation starters.

donkin · Post by **donkin** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:34 am

How do they attach?

Thanks,

-Don

r0sa · Post by **r0sa** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:42 am

the sun was just setting and i was riding home from school, FREEZING! geez, it was cold

Post by **Lostmycage** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 4:37 am

Hrmm... while we're in a creative mood at our house, maybe we'll take some of the leftover marine vinyl and make something similar to those. Of course, it'd match the seat (the original purpose of the vinyl) and we could use some of the leftover batting from the lap blanket to line them... It's getting to be WAY to "matchy" on my Buddy lately...

My helmet has green parts in the design and the Armadillo Parka is pretty much dead on with the Italia colors. I guess I'll have to post a pic of all this matchy nonsense once we make some of those hand pockets.

And all this time I was trying to avoid looking like my scooter. With the Blur out of commission, I accidentally ended up becoming one with the Buddy. I'm not sure how I feel about that...

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 4:47 am

I'm not trying to rub it in or anything, but at 9PM when I was riding home from work tonight, it was 75 degrees out. I was starting to sweat by the time I got home. It's almost 10 PM now and it's still about 74 degrees. I'm thinking about taking a ride out to a local coffee/desert cafe right about now - they don't close until 1 AM.

siobhan · Post by **siobhan** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 2:51 pm

Lostmycage wrote:...
My helmet has green parts in the design and the Armadillo Parka is pretty much dead on with the Italia colors. I guess I'll have to post a pic of all this matchy nonsense once we make some of those hand pockets.
...

Hey Lostmycage,

You have the Armadillo Parka? If so, can you post a few comments about it? I'm thinking of getting one for the b/f for Christmas, but it's a lot of money for never having seen it/touched it in person. Can you let me know how you like it, fit, etc. He's inbetween the sizes and I'm hoping the large won't be too loose. Thanks in advance!

7eregrine · Post by **7eregrine** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:01 pm

I had been saying I would ride in the cold, But I am thinking 45 is my limit. Been driving this week...

Post by **illnoise** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 11:57 pm

Cold Weather Challenge O8-09 is coming soon, stay tuned! : )

kilted texan · Post by **kilted texan** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 1:58 pm

It was 40 this morning in Fort Worth. I had on a thermal, Vanson Vent Max, my rain jacket, Triumph vented gloves, Stryker ski gloves, Colorado Dry Gator and I was still cold.

Time to get winter gear...why didn't I think of this when it was still warm.

KCScooterDude · Post by **KCScooterDude** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 2:37 pm

38 degrees when I left my house in Kansas City to commute downtown to a freelance gig. 30 minutes. Feldsheer mesh jacket with rain liner over Tommy Bahama sweater. Jeans. Thermal socks with l.l. bean boots. ff helmet.

Leather gloves got cold after 15 minutes. Winter riding gloves will be the next purchase. Balaclava a must.

Other than that, not bad. It did start raining on my ride home two hours later (about 45 degrees). That got a little cold.

Our coldest month, January, the average daily temp is 26 with an average daily high of 34. I'm looking at a Feldsheer Adventure jacket for cold weather. Anyone have an experience with one of these?

DennisD · Post by **DennisD** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 3:08 pm

KCScooterDude wrote:38 degrees when I left my house in Kansas City to commute downtown to a freelance gig. 30 minutes. Feldsheer mesh jacket with rain liner over Tommy Bahama sweater. Jeans. Thermal socks with l.l. bean boots. ff helmet.

Leather gloves got cold after 15 minutes. Winter riding gloves will be the next purchase. Balaclava a must.

Other than that, not bad. It did start raining on my ride home two hours later (about 45 degrees). That got a little cold.

Our coldest month, January, the average daily temp is 26 with an average daily high of 34. I'm looking at a Feldsheer Adventure jacket for cold weather. Anyone have an experience with one of these?

This is an updated model of my Fieldsheer 3/4 jacket. It is waterproof, windproof and warm, warm, warm. I only wear it 3 or 4 times a year here in northwest Florida when the temp drops down into the twentys or thirtys for a couple of days or so in January and February. Same for the booster pants that go with it. You have to get used to putting all this stuff on and its not the lightest in the world, but it is the difference in riding or not riding in those temps.

newslinky · Post by **newslinky** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 11:49 pm

broke wrote:
newslinky wrote:I highly recommend these in addition to your winter gloves.
(I got rid of the extra "url" at the end of your url in my quote so this link should work)

Hey newslinky, any chance you could take a photo of those off the bike? I know how to run my wife's sewing machine just enough to probably take a stab at something like that... but I was curious if they have any fancy-pants way of staying secured?

When you take your hand out to give someone a cool scooter wave while riding do the openings shut and make it hard to work your hand in to find the grip again?

Do you ever feel unsafe using them?

I was almost ready to spend a bunch of money on better gloves, but I'll bet these covers would work better. I'm willing to buy some waterproof fabric and try to make a set and if it doesn't work I'm not out much...

I wonder if mini fairings could be easily fabricated to shield the grips and tops of your hands without needing to be integrated into the windshield...

Pictures

Sorry for the delay in response life is a bit busy for me right now. In answer to your questions the openings are edged in a stiff edging that keeps them open and easy to put my hands back in. Even when wearing my bulky winter gauntlets I have very little trouble getting my hands back on the handlebars after removing them to wave.(Ok I must point out that I only ever remove one hand to wave at any time

)
I have not felt unsafe riding with them at all. The link provided above has some pics of the muffs hopefully that will help.

broke · Post by **broke** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 12:16 am

newslinky wrote:Sorry for the delay in response life is a bit busy for me right now.

Hopefully it's a good busy! Thanks very much for taking the photos for me. I really appreciate it.

kneil67@yahoo.com · Post by **kneil67@yahoo.com** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 12:23 am

28 this morning Manchvegas NH bundled up stayed moderatly cool

Eddy Merckx · Post by **Eddy Merckx** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 2:04 am

rode into work the other day, it was around 35 degrees, noticeably colder at 40 mph, remember cold weather riders, bundle up and do what you gotta do to stop the wind from going through your clothing.

Twentyfourskys · Post by **Twentyfourskys** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 2:38 am

If there is no ice on the road I am riding

OScoot! · Post by **OScoot!** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 3:11 pm

newslinky wrote: Hey newslinky, any chance you could take a photo of those off the bike? I know how to run my wife's sewing machine just enough to probably take a stab at something like that... but I was curious if they have any fancy-pants way of staying secured?

Here ya go. These would be super easy to make with just some left over fuzzy backed vinyl. They tie on with elastic bands. I tie them to the rear view mirrors. Work great. It's really nothing more than a huge oven mitt with a couple of holes notched in the side where the handle grips and the brake levers fit through. (See where I place a pen and a marker to show where they fit through.)

You could probably make 'em for a couple of bucks. Dimensions: about 8 inches wide and 10.5 inches long. The thumb panel is about 2.5 inches wide.

PeterC · Post by **PeterC** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 3:43 pm

Several years ago, I bought silk long underwear tops and bottoms from Cabela's. I've worn them on several hunting trips and innumerable cold weather scooter rides, and I've never been uncomfortable. Best part is, if the weather warms up, you don't get overheated, like with conventional thermal underwear.

broke · Post by **broke** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 5:24 pm

OScoot! wrote:Here ya go.

Excellent as well! Thanks for the help. I'll post pictures of my homemade ones a little later.

ringdoc · Post by **ringdoc** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 7:10 pm

good thread, looking for ideas on keep on riding during the colder months in kc. not liking the cold rain, at night. any ideas on keeping my face shield from fogging up??

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 7:46 pm

ringdoc wrote:good thread, looking for ideas on keep on riding during the colder months in kc. not liking the cold rain, at night. any ideas on keeping my face shield from fogging up??

"Rain-X" or I've heard ordinary dish washing soap also works. Rub the the dish soap straight onto the shield then wipe it off.

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:08 pm

babblefish wrote:
ringdoc wrote:good thread, looking for ideas on keep on riding during the colder months in kc. not liking the cold rain, at night. any ideas on keeping my face shield from fogging up??
"Rain-X" or I've heard ordinary dish washing soap also works. Rub the the dish soap straight onto the shield then wipe it off.

Dish soap DOES work, but doesn't last long. I have to soap my visor every other day to keep it from fogging.

betsy q. bramble · Post by **betsy q. bramble** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 9:41 pm

PeterC wrote:Several years ago, I bought silk long underwear tops and bottoms from Cabela's. I've worn them on several hunting trips and innumerable cold weather scooter rides, and I've never been uncomfortable. Best part is, if the weather warms up, you don't get overheated, like with conventional thermal underwear.

YES yes yes - I have the silk long underwear, too...and I cannot possibly imagine riding in this weather without them.
And during the day at work, they are totally unobtrusive, being so thin.

peabody99 · Post by **peabody99** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 10:56 pm

whenever I ride in REALLY bad weather -extreme cold, driving rain, sleet, etc. I sometimes get the look from people in cars that I am one of the following: having a mental illness, am very poor, or not very smart.
I am a bit of all of these things, but not so much I cannot function. The people on the bus give me the "you go girl" look though. So I like them.

broke · Post by **broke** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 1:41 am

peabody99 wrote:I am a bit of all of these things...

ME TOO! I think that is a pre-requisite for owning a scoot!

ringdoc · Post by **ringdoc** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 6:26 am

I am trying the dish soap and see how it goes tommorow, probably gonna be in the 30;s tomorrow, rain-x said no plastics

Scooter Hoot · Post by **Scooter Hoot** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 3:38 pm

I will admit - for years I was one of those people who silently pitied the motorcycle and scooter drivers on cold and/or wet days while inside my car. Now that I have my scooter, I've come to discover, even a cold and wet day on 2 wheels is better than any day in the car. Thank god for living in the South though. I'm not sure I could handle sub freezing temps - I still need to get a good pair of pants and gloves that cut the wind.

lobsterman · Post by **lobsterman** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 4:54 pm

40 degrees here this morning and coldest ride to work so far this season, though not nearly as cold as it will be. I have ridden the last two winters and intend to do so again this year.

Today I tried something different. Instead of using my textile winter armored jacket, which I don't really like much, I borrowed an idea from SteMer and put my regular use winter coat over my trusty mesh armored jacket. It's a Lands End Squall ( http://www.landsend.com/pp/ClassicSqual ... igin=index ), and it was excellent. It had plenty of room for my mesh jacket underneath and kept me warm and cozy without being restrictive. It also has a zip up collar that reaches my chin and combined with the windshield was more than sufficient for now. I have a turtle fur neck thingy that I use when it's really really cold but I didn't need it today.

I also wear an extra layer on the legs, I use thermals designed for athletes. They work well under the mandatory "business casual" pants, and I take the thermals off when I get to the office.

One thing I would consider this year is the hand muffs shown above. I use silk liners in the winter riding gloves, but that doesn't seem to keep my fingertips really warm when it's below freezing.

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 7:23 pm

I did my coldest ride to date this morning to work. Low 40's when I took off. I just took the layered approach. I wore a fleece pullover, then a windshear sweater, light jacket on top ... long underwear with windshear pants on the bottom ... gore tex/thinsulate gloves and I was actually too warm by the time I got to work.

Anywhere from snow flurries to 2" of snow is predicted for tonight, so this will likely be my last ride for a bit.

Rob

skotot · Post by **skotot** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:01 pm

Rode home from lab today... in flurries. Khakis, the insulating jacket to a larger coat, a scarf wrapped around my neck [and laying underneath my zipped up coat], helmet, and tipless skeleton gloves. Pretty chilly!

broke · Post by **broke** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:44 pm

AND THEN THERE ARE DAYS LIKE TODAY!

70 degrees... beautiful skies... I work on a little campus and found lots of reasons to ride between buildings today

Just needed to touch base with some different people... keep up to date on happenings...

Oh, and during lunch I really needed some food from Safeway... in Lake Oswego. Today was a good day

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:47 pm

broke wrote:AND THEN THERE ARE DAYS LIKE TODAY!

70 degrees... beautiful skies... I work on a little campus and found lots of reasons to ride between buildings today Just needed to touch base with some different people... keep up to date on happenings...

Oh, and during lunch I really needed some food from Safeway... in Lake Oswego. Today was a good day

Heh, thats awesome. I did the same thing. I needed to go from my office to Sylvan, so I took Canyon to downtown and back up on the oposite side of Sylvan just to rack up a few more miles in the sun

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:50 am

ringdoc wrote:I am trying the dish soap and see how it goes tommorow, probably gonna be in the 30;s tomorrow, rain-x said no plastics

Actually, Rain-X says "not for plastics unless pre-approved by manufacturer of plastic to be treated". Since I don't know if my visor is pre-approved or not, I wiped some on anyway. Didn't seem to hurt anything and it's suppose to rain within the next few days, so I guess I'm going to find out if it works or not.

squash1978 · Post by **squash1978** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:04 pm

According to AccuWeather the temp was 28 F when I left the house this morning. I just got a Tourmaster Transition II last week and that thing has been a champ so far! I was quite warm even at 45-50 MPH. My finger tips got a little cold by the end of my ride but I'm wearing some really old, thin winter gloves. However, I should be receiving a pair of Tourmaster Polar-Tex gloves today... I can't wait to try them out!

Xena · Post by **Xena** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:20 pm

When I left this morning it was 32 degrees...the only part of me that was cold was my fingertips...this thread has been quite helpful in ideas though...

I just got back from England and damn if they don't ride in rain, snow, wind, cold etc...nothing stops them...I was way impressed and inspired...

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 7:24 pm

Xena wrote:When I left this morning it was 32 degrees...the only part of me that was cold was my fingertips...this thread has been quite helpful in ideas though...

I just got back from England and damn if they don't ride in rain, snow, wind, cold etc...nothing stops them...I was way impressed and inspired...

That's quite normal in most other parts of the world where scooters are a way of life (think "appliance") and not so much just a fad because of high gas prices.

Apiarist · Post by **Apiarist** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 12:25 am

i recently got a firstgear thermo 1 piece. the promo code you can get from ericalm (re:the above sticky) from motorcycle-superstore and that there was no charge for shipping made it a sweet deal. it is very bulky to wear to like a cafe or grocer, but when i go to work i am warm and waterproof. a 'break the wind' brand balaclava and winter riding gloves keep me warm, warm, warm.

babblefish · Post by **babblefish** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 4:35 am

I just bought a pair of waterproof, windproof and insulated ski pants that have full length zippers on both pant legs with a flap to cover the zippers and elastic around the ankles. They're great and fit perfectly over my regular pants...even my cheekless leathers...now there's a visual for y'all! Best of all, they were on sale for $35.

My lined and waterproof mesh jacket is warm enough so I'm ok there.

Post by **Lostmycage** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 5:07 am

I need some solid glove reviews, suggestions. I started off with Redline Leather Gauntlets, which were horrible in every way. I now have Corazzo Winter Gauntlets, which although better, don't do it for my fingertips. This is turning out to be a very expensive experiment. I'm looking for some solidly made gloves with wind and waterproofing and minimal pillowing.

Suggestions please?

ALSO: Babblefish, mind sharing your ski-pants source? That's an incredible deal, from the sounds of it. My homemade lap blanket does really well, but I like having options, hehe.

And Apiarist, do those gloves keep the bees out as well? (What brand/model are you trying?)

Modern Buddy

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