Welcome to the Two Wheeled Texans community! 
Feel free to hang out and lurk as long as you like. However, we would like to encourage you to 
MotoTex
0
After copious research for ways of keeping my pinkies warm I've read about pros and cons for all the most common things to consider. Insulated gloves, heated gloves, heated glove liners, Hippo Hands, heated grips, and other products each had their supporters and detractors. What I found was that there is no single solution that stands head and shoulders above the rest for everyone. Personal preferences, fit and function will affect each rider's final judgement.
I had been using a pair of Olympia waterproof Winter gloves for a few years that were only okay, at best, down to about 40 degrees. Below that the fingers would become uncomfortable to painful depending upon the temperature and length of exposure. They also bound my fingers when I gripped the bars and the bulk made working switches and reaching the levers awkward. There has to be a better way.
Having become tired of cold hands being the determining factor preventing me from enjoying more cold weather rides it was time to do something about it.
A lot of folks just park the bike for the "off season" while others will outfit their dirt bikes with a ski on the front and a track on the back to work like a snowmobile in those places it will work. There's a whole range of riders between these extremes, but suffice it to say that after reading of folks back East (yup, them Yankees) riding well into and through Winter I couldn't see any reason we Texans should be hanging up the gear for weather those folks might consider the usual Fall or Spring riding temps. (brrr, just the same)
So began the quest. Having made a trip to Austin I visited all the usual places for gear, trying on insulated gloves and heated gloves while pestering the staff with many questions. Consistently I was unable to find a pair that fit well while allowing me to grip the bars without binding my fingers and constantly fighting the glove just to keep a grip on things. Dexterity was never all that good with any that I tried on. Levers and switches would have been clumsy to operate. None I found were any better than the Olympia pair I was using as a reference for the qualities I wanted, or more specifically, wanted to avoid. I knew there had to be a way to protect my hands from the cold without compromising safety and control.
The reviews I had been reading on gloves of all kinds seemed to support this finding as well. Some folks with insulated gloves and heated grips couldn't get as warm as they wanted because the insulation in the palm was too thick. Heated glove wearers mentioned issues with fit, reliability and heat controllers. Liners seemed to have their share of detractors as well, with mention of uneven heating, bulky fit and the need to own a dedicated pair of gloves to go over them that were too big to use without the liners.
My goal was to reduce the amount of gear I pack along to the minimum. I needed:
After considering all the options I felt that the Powerlet Glove Liner Kit (I understand these are made by Warm n Safe) were the most favorably reviewed, came with a Powerlet controller and offered me the option of choosing what to wear over them.
As it turns out I was able to wear them under my Triumph Adventure Mesh gloves, thanks to the elastic in the fingers. They worked well like this for the commute in temps in the 40's. I preferred them over wearing the bulky Olympia gloves. Once the temps dropped into the 30's the liners were having a tough time heating against the airflow. So, I began a new search, with liners in hand, returning to those same usual haunts for MC gear trying on a wide variety of insulated and non-insulated waterproof gloves over the liners. Disappointment was met at every turn as I was unable to find a motorcycle specific glove at any price that fit and functioned well with the liner.
As I pondered this conundrum the practical aspects of the many gloves I had been trying brought to light how most of the Winter/Waterproof gloves were either textile, or, were made with thin leather. This emphasized to me how protection from the elements was taking a priority in design over crash protection. Once I had clamored over this mental hurdle I experienced the epiphany that there might be other places to look for the glove to meet my specification. Places where dexterity, warmth and protection from the elements were as important to those users as it is to motorcyclists.
Off to REI I went with my Powerlet liners in hand. There I found the end to my quest in a mountaineering glove. This is the Men's Epic Glove from Mountain Hardware (a division of Columbia).
The XL size fit over the "L/XL" liners nicely and provide fantastic flexibility compared to the motorcycle gloves I had been trying on. I was impressed. Reading the reviews for the Epic Glove I found several written by bicyclists and motorcyclists who had found this glove worked well for their application. It's features are as follows:
LDDave's cancelled Taylor BBQ run became the opportunity I had been looking for to test this gear as at the last minute the forecast showed the rain probability down to 20%. It would be about an hour each way. Soon I was suited up and off I went into a brisk wind from the North.
Temp was about 30F when I left the house and as the road carried me North to Taylor the temps continued to drop. Upon arrival someone said it was 27F at Muellers BBQ. Perfect conditions for this evaluation.
First off, the Epic Glove is very thin, yet as an overglove it does an amazing job at blocking wind and keeping warmth inside. I'll presume that it's waterproof qualities will be as good as I've read in the reviews, that is, excellent. Once Winter is past I'll keep these gloves in the tankbag as they should fit over my mesh gloves for riding in rain. The Epic has grippy material on the fingers and palm that is perfect for providing a good feel on the motorcycle controls.
Behind the Cycra hand guards with the Powerlet Liners on setting 3 (of 5) my hands stayed remarkably comfortable. They were cool, but never cold. I'd compare it to riding with only my mesh gloves on a low 60's day. I was impressed with the Epic gloves wind-blocking and their ability to keep the warmth in my hands in this sub-freezing temps at highway speeds.
One thing about the Powerlet liners I had read, and have found to be true, is how on setting 4 and 5 they can make the thin skin on the lowest knuckles uncomfortably hot. On the ride home from Taylor I put on a pair of silk glove liners and bumped it up to 4 to see if that extra layer would help. I felt the knuckles getting toasty within a few blocks, so pulled over and dropped it back down to 3. Returning, the hands were cooler than they were without the silk liners, but still comfortable enough for the ride home. I'll remove the silk liners from my standard kit now that I have the heated liners.
Overall I am very happy with the comfort of the setup worn for this test run.
Here's the low-down on all the layers I wore:
I could have ridden for hours like this in those high 20's temps. By leaving room for air space between my body and rain liners it was easy to bend and move without binding at the joints like it would be had I included a pair of pants and a sweater. It was a calculated gamble and I was pleased to find that it paid off to minimize the overall bulk of clothing worn.
The carbon fiber cloth technology used in the gloves and vest is impressive, both in feel (soft and compliant) and the warmth produced being evenly distributed. With both the vest and gloves on each's Medium setting it was perfect. The key to heated vests/jackets/pants is to only place a thin layer between the heat and the skin to maximize transfer of the warmth to where it is needed and put any other layer(s) over to hold the heat in.
Being somewhat torn between crash protection available from a motorcycle specific glove as weighed against compromised control operation. My choice was swayed toward having better control being a key aspect of crash avoidance in the first place. I've cursed those Olympia gloves many times for poor control feel, fatigue from fighting them to maintain grip, and, after riding with this setup I feel that safety is improved overall.
For those wanting to extend their comfortable riding season I highly recommend looking into some of these new Infrared technologies in heated clothing and combinations available for achieving a working system.
If the rider's core can be kept warm it will spread the heat via the blood to the extremities. The limited circulation to the hands and feet can be addressed with heated gear and/or protection from the wind.
Hopefully this review will help other riders enjoy more time in the saddle.
Edit: Forgot an important part, prices. I couldn't find the Powerlet Liner Kit locally so ordered from Revzilla for $99.95, and the Epic over-gloves were $65 and in stock at REI's Austin North store.
I had been using a pair of Olympia waterproof Winter gloves for a few years that were only okay, at best, down to about 40 degrees. Below that the fingers would become uncomfortable to painful depending upon the temperature and length of exposure. They also bound my fingers when I gripped the bars and the bulk made working switches and reaching the levers awkward. There has to be a better way.
Having become tired of cold hands being the determining factor preventing me from enjoying more cold weather rides it was time to do something about it.
A lot of folks just park the bike for the "off season" while others will outfit their dirt bikes with a ski on the front and a track on the back to work like a snowmobile in those places it will work. There's a whole range of riders between these extremes, but suffice it to say that after reading of folks back East (yup, them Yankees) riding well into and through Winter I couldn't see any reason we Texans should be hanging up the gear for weather those folks might consider the usual Fall or Spring riding temps. (brrr, just the same)
So began the quest. Having made a trip to Austin I visited all the usual places for gear, trying on insulated gloves and heated gloves while pestering the staff with many questions. Consistently I was unable to find a pair that fit well while allowing me to grip the bars without binding my fingers and constantly fighting the glove just to keep a grip on things. Dexterity was never all that good with any that I tried on. Levers and switches would have been clumsy to operate. None I found were any better than the Olympia pair I was using as a reference for the qualities I wanted, or more specifically, wanted to avoid. I knew there had to be a way to protect my hands from the cold without compromising safety and control.
The reviews I had been reading on gloves of all kinds seemed to support this finding as well. Some folks with insulated gloves and heated grips couldn't get as warm as they wanted because the insulation in the palm was too thick. Heated glove wearers mentioned issues with fit, reliability and heat controllers. Liners seemed to have their share of detractors as well, with mention of uneven heating, bulky fit and the need to own a dedicated pair of gloves to go over them that were too big to use without the liners.
My goal was to reduce the amount of gear I pack along to the minimum. I needed:
- a pair of three season gloves (those three seasons are the one between March and October that we call "Summer" in Texas),
- a waterproof glove, and
- something for Winter weather to complement the Tour Master Synergy heated vest.
After considering all the options I felt that the Powerlet Glove Liner Kit (I understand these are made by Warm n Safe) were the most favorably reviewed, came with a Powerlet controller and offered me the option of choosing what to wear over them.
As it turns out I was able to wear them under my Triumph Adventure Mesh gloves, thanks to the elastic in the fingers. They worked well like this for the commute in temps in the 40's. I preferred them over wearing the bulky Olympia gloves. Once the temps dropped into the 30's the liners were having a tough time heating against the airflow. So, I began a new search, with liners in hand, returning to those same usual haunts for MC gear trying on a wide variety of insulated and non-insulated waterproof gloves over the liners. Disappointment was met at every turn as I was unable to find a motorcycle specific glove at any price that fit and functioned well with the liner.
As I pondered this conundrum the practical aspects of the many gloves I had been trying brought to light how most of the Winter/Waterproof gloves were either textile, or, were made with thin leather. This emphasized to me how protection from the elements was taking a priority in design over crash protection. Once I had clamored over this mental hurdle I experienced the epiphany that there might be other places to look for the glove to meet my specification. Places where dexterity, warmth and protection from the elements were as important to those users as it is to motorcyclists.
Off to REI I went with my Powerlet liners in hand. There I found the end to my quest in a mountaineering glove. This is the Men's Epic Glove from Mountain Hardware (a division of Columbia).
The XL size fit over the "L/XL" liners nicely and provide fantastic flexibility compared to the motorcycle gloves I had been trying on. I was impressed. Reading the reviews for the Epic Glove I found several written by bicyclists and motorcyclists who had found this glove worked well for their application. It's features are as follows:
- OutDry Waterproof Technology: extremely waterproof, totally windproof. The OutDry membrane is directly bonded to the glove's outer shell, eliminating the ability for wind and water to penetrate through the sewn seams of the shell, keeping hands warmer.
- "Extreme Precurve" patterning with Kevlar stitching provides unprecedented fit and dexterity
- Brushed polyester tricot lining adds warmth and wicks moisture
- Durable, high-grip synthetic palm
- Articulated cut for a precise fit
- Short gauntlet with Velcro® wrist closure
LDDave's cancelled Taylor BBQ run became the opportunity I had been looking for to test this gear as at the last minute the forecast showed the rain probability down to 20%. It would be about an hour each way. Soon I was suited up and off I went into a brisk wind from the North.
Temp was about 30F when I left the house and as the road carried me North to Taylor the temps continued to drop. Upon arrival someone said it was 27F at Muellers BBQ. Perfect conditions for this evaluation.
First off, the Epic Glove is very thin, yet as an overglove it does an amazing job at blocking wind and keeping warmth inside. I'll presume that it's waterproof qualities will be as good as I've read in the reviews, that is, excellent. Once Winter is past I'll keep these gloves in the tankbag as they should fit over my mesh gloves for riding in rain. The Epic has grippy material on the fingers and palm that is perfect for providing a good feel on the motorcycle controls.
Behind the Cycra hand guards with the Powerlet Liners on setting 3 (of 5) my hands stayed remarkably comfortable. They were cool, but never cold. I'd compare it to riding with only my mesh gloves on a low 60's day. I was impressed with the Epic gloves wind-blocking and their ability to keep the warmth in my hands in this sub-freezing temps at highway speeds.
One thing about the Powerlet liners I had read, and have found to be true, is how on setting 4 and 5 they can make the thin skin on the lowest knuckles uncomfortably hot. On the ride home from Taylor I put on a pair of silk glove liners and bumped it up to 4 to see if that extra layer would help. I felt the knuckles getting toasty within a few blocks, so pulled over and dropped it back down to 3. Returning, the hands were cooler than they were without the silk liners, but still comfortable enough for the ride home. I'll remove the silk liners from my standard kit now that I have the heated liners.
Overall I am very happy with the comfort of the setup worn for this test run.
Here's the low-down on all the layers I wore:
- Motoport Mesh jacket and pants
- Motoport rain liners installed in above,
- Thermal bottoms (no pants, I know, TMI
) - Long sleeve Henly shirt
- Electric vest,
- Light fleece jacket between the vest and the rain liner.
- Smartwool socks
- Sidi Rain boots.
- On the head and neck I wore a silk baklava under an AGV helmet. I left the chin vent open for defogging my glasses and still stayed comfy.
I could have ridden for hours like this in those high 20's temps. By leaving room for air space between my body and rain liners it was easy to bend and move without binding at the joints like it would be had I included a pair of pants and a sweater. It was a calculated gamble and I was pleased to find that it paid off to minimize the overall bulk of clothing worn.
The carbon fiber cloth technology used in the gloves and vest is impressive, both in feel (soft and compliant) and the warmth produced being evenly distributed. With both the vest and gloves on each's Medium setting it was perfect. The key to heated vests/jackets/pants is to only place a thin layer between the heat and the skin to maximize transfer of the warmth to where it is needed and put any other layer(s) over to hold the heat in.
Being somewhat torn between crash protection available from a motorcycle specific glove as weighed against compromised control operation. My choice was swayed toward having better control being a key aspect of crash avoidance in the first place. I've cursed those Olympia gloves many times for poor control feel, fatigue from fighting them to maintain grip, and, after riding with this setup I feel that safety is improved overall.
For those wanting to extend their comfortable riding season I highly recommend looking into some of these new Infrared technologies in heated clothing and combinations available for achieving a working system.
If the rider's core can be kept warm it will spread the heat via the blood to the extremities. The limited circulation to the hands and feet can be addressed with heated gear and/or protection from the wind.
Hopefully this review will help other riders enjoy more time in the saddle.
Edit: Forgot an important part, prices. I couldn't find the Powerlet Liner Kit locally so ordered from Revzilla for $99.95, and the Epic over-gloves were $65 and in stock at REI's Austin North store.
I had read the reviews on the link you just posted before i ordered them.
