I'd still rather be hot.. I rode through Sudan with temperatures of 49/50C and although I almost past out with the heat and dehydration, it beats riding around with numb fingers which you can't feel..

I ride all year through and I HATE the cold.. HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT !! :freezing:

This is probably due to circulation problems in my hands that even with heated grips and winter gloves, my fingers feel like theres nails being driven through them.

The worst thing about the heat is trying to camp.. Your tent is like the inside of a sauna and you have to wait to pass out through heat exhaustion lol. Still, I think I prefered it to sleeping in at 4000m where the inside of my tent had icicles and I shivered myself to sleep... :freezing:


A nice steady 25-30c would be just perfect :D


Still, respect to you crazy frozen bikers who ride in the cold for fun :thumbup1:

Tent ? you need to make a Igloo to stay warm lol. I was thinking that i will use my Hammoc for the hot weather.
Visit my website for some winter Riding entertainment.
Ratty's Shack

To quote Billy Connolly, "there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing".

I find it far easier to stay warm than keep cool, so at minus-stupid it's just careful use of layers (which means the top ones are far too big without the lower ones). At high temperatures you can't win, wrap up and you boil, strip off and you burn/chaff.

WRT to the comments about heated jackets, I think they have a use. At minus 30 you have to assume the bike might die and if you don't want to follow it you'd better be dressed to survive. Only those who want to prove Darwins theory head into the top of Finland in January reliant on a waistcoat full of hair like wires. If you are dressed to be warm by body heat alone, you don't need the wires and risk of sweating until you are cold. I think the heated jackets corect use is about now in climates where you can't tell if it'll be 3-degrees and sleeting, foggy or 25 and sunny, or maybe all three if you are crossing hills. The ability to dress for comfortable riding at plus 10, uncomfortable survival at plus 3 and switch the jacket on to take the edge off the higher bits is just convienient.

The guys who scare me are the ones who decide to try somewhere cold without buying the oversize rain suit, skiing gear etc. thinking a 40W jacket will make it OK.

Andy

I thing most of us should watch Bruce Parry's Tribe series there is lecture to learn....
Bruce Parry: Just another day in Siberia ...

Watch Tribe - Ep. 2: Nenets online - SeeSaw

for the best advice on riding in the winter check out;
Paul "The Iceman" Mondor - Home

Just received certificate of 2011 ICE BUTT
Now done it twice in winter time temp -5C to -30C

http://kuvablogi.com/nayta/prev/img2990945.jpg

recommend Buffalo clothes for the cold. British made, Buffalo Systems outdoor performance pile and pertex clothing and sleeping bags for mountaineering, hill walking, climbing, ice climbing, mountain biking, cycling and general outdoor pursuits

Check out Buffalo Systems Performance Outdoor Clothing half way down, a guy on a snowmobile alaskan race

For the coldest, I would wear the Tecmax shirt as base, then use a armour jacket, then either a down jacket or another Buffalo that would fit over the armour. As a general rule I would check out mountaineering stuff for use on a bike in the coldest of weather.

I have used the buffalo kit, and it's superior in terms of dealing with body moist and keeping you warm at the same time. There are other brans who does similar, Montane's Extreme range and Patagonia used to have some called Speed Ascent. For gloves I would check out the Montane Extreme ones, or Black Diamond gloves.

I would also stick a pair of electric feet warmers that runs on a battery pack for about 8 hours. They use them on everest, so if it saves toes there, it'll save toes anywhere.

There is a lot be learned from mountaineering in terms of keeping warm. The high altitudes makes -20oC much much colder for us humans than what -20 does to us at sea level :scooter: