On your Bike

[Timmo]

jim, i used to but due to mtb shoes nature, overshoes are difficult to find in a size that fits them, am a normal size 10 shoe, generally in shimano a size up, and for use with 'sealskinz' type socks, 2 sizes up, have a pair of crossmax sl mid shoes at the mo, but they are wider but shorter than same sized shimmy shoes, tried a few various options over the years, they did work with the XC stlye shoes, but the current 'enduro' style are a no, merino or bamboo thin socks in the seal skins helped keep warm, but didnt stop the tingling toes.
did find that silk liner gloves worked a treat for winter use with Normal mtb gloves,

[CitroJim]

I know the problem with Shimano overshoes Timmo... Even large is not big enough for my size 44s... Fitting them is a fight of epic proportions

did find that silk liner gloves worked a treat for winter use with Normal mtb gloves,

Oh yes, silk liners are essential and do really help... Reminds me, I must order a new pair as my last pair 'disappeared' in March along with my hideously expensive Assos winter kit due to a nurse wielding a large pair of shears I was sky-high on morphine at the time

I always manage to damage silk liners on Velcro... They really are quite delicate...

[Timmo]

generally Nurses Wielding Sharp implements are not the best to bargain with!
i always manage to lose the Same hand in the liners! No idea how, used to be the same with the knee warmers, until i realised the wife was pinching them when she had misplaced one of hers!

[Timmo]

Tried out the new Thin waterproof socks today, Dexshell ultra thin crew socks to give them their title, remarkably impressed, especially for sub £20! Much like a lot, they allow the water in but warm it up with your body temperature, only a short 12mile loop today but no cold feet! Muddy ones mind!

[CitroJim]

Tried out the new Thin waterproof socks today, Dexshell ultra thin crew socks to give them their title, remarkably impressed, especially for sub £20! Much like a lot, they allow the water in but warm it up with your body temperature, only a short 12mile loop today but no cold feet! Muddy ones mind!

They sound like little wetsuits for your feet Don't use them in a duathlon - a sure guarantee of blisters on the second run leg

I once tried some wet-weather neoprene gloves that worked on the same principle... Except my poor old hands and fingers could generate no heat at all and I got very, very cold, damp hands...

I suffer a condition called Reynauld's which effectively cuts off all blood to the fingers. On a bad attack it gets my whole hands... Yesterday I suffered a small one after running in the rain and it only affected three quarters of the length of my fingers... You could see a clear transition between nice warm pink finger tissue and cold white blood-startved tissue In really bad instances I can see the transition at my wrists...

Even worse is it take a good hour in the warm to resolve... An hour in which I can do nothing that required any degree of manual dexterity...

You can see why glove and keeping my fingers warm is of such an interest to me

[Hell Razor5543]

These sort of gloves are heated down to the fingertips;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorbike-Mo ... SwN1deY00E

I do NOT have any connections with these gloves, and I do not know how good they are.

[mickthemaverick]

I had a pair of those James and I can confirm they were very effective but a little cumbersome when off the bike to pay for fuel etc..

[CitroJim]

I had a pair of those James and I can confirm they were very effective but a little cumbersome when off the bike to pay for fuel etc..

And that, sadly, would render them no use at all for cycling as there would be insufficient dexterity to safely and accurately operate the brakes and gear shifters.

Cycling gloves cannot be bulky for that reason. I find that nothing really works perfectly for me and I've tried most of what claims to work, including some really quite pricey heated ones.

Gloves that others say are like ovens and make their hands roast are like little freezers to me...

I'm a difficult case... This winter I'll try the one thing I've not yet tried - lobster mittens - but hold out little hope of finding my glove utopia...

I still find the best so far is two pairs of thin silk liners under fairly thin gloves made of 'Gore Windstopper' material...

In keeping warm, a number of thin layers is much more effective than one thick layer...

[mickthemaverick]

I wonder if a different approach might suit you better Jim. I swear by the heated grips on my bike which are far more effective than any heated gloves I tried. Able to wear thin chammy gloves for wind protection of the knuckles and leave the warming to the grips
I would think a man of your engineering abilities could adapt them to fit your bike. I used Oxford Heated Grips which used to cost around £55 a set.

[CitroJim]

I swear by the heated grips on my bike which are far more effective than any heated gloves I tried. Able to wear thin chammy gloves for wind protection of the knuckles and leave the warming to the grips

It's a good thought Mick but I see two initial problems on the lightweight carbon road bikes I ride and one is carrying enough battery capacity both safely and with regard to weight... And secondly, handlebars don't have grips as such, just a winding of cushioned bar tape. One's hands and fingers don't really grip the bars as on a motorcycle but sit lightly, for the most part, on the shifter hoods... So there's no real surface to install heaters or transfer heat...

The only way I could see it might work is to somehow wind heating elements into the bar tape toward the steerer and when you feel your hands getting cold move them to that position on the bars to warm them before returning them warm to the more usual riding position...

Then you'd need special bar tape to deal with the heat, being aware that cables run under the bar tape from the shifters...

On a mountain bike with conventional grips similar to a motorcycle I could see heated grips being a great solution to the problem...

Also, a mountain bike offers more scope for carrying the battery capacity needed...

I remain open to any good suggestions on how I might implement something so keep those thoughts coming

This is becoming an interesting topic

[bobins]

Can't you turn a couple of these down on your lathe, Jim, and use them as handlebars ? Solve all your cold hand problems - probably for ever

Fuel rods

[Timmo]

They sound like little wetsuits for your feet Don't use them in a duathlon - a sure guarantee of blisters on the second run leg

No fear of me competing in any dualathons in either bike run or swim bike Jim, if I ever Run, there would be earth tremors recorded! And swimming, well, I'm on first name terms with the sea mamal rescue charities.....
My inlaws bought me some sealskinz gloves s few years back, they were quite like the sock in that water ran into them and couldn't get out, ended up with 'washer womens hands' after an hour on a wet ride, they were also quite bulky, not ideal for mtb'ing!

[myglaren]

Can you fill your handlebars with boiling water?
Or put halogen bulbs inside them. Make tea on them, or the odd bacon buttie.

[CitroJim]

Can you fill your handlebars with boiling water?
Or put halogen bulbs inside them. Make tea on them, or the odd bacon buttie.

on the boiling water but the halogen bulbs gives me an idea Steve

Not sure how the heat would affect the carbon fibre the handlebars are made of though

Can't you turn a couple of these down on your lathe, Jim, and use them as handlebars ? Solve all your cold hand problems - probably for ever

nuke fuel.jpg

Now there's a good idea I like that, and no need for lights in the dark either

My inlaws bought me some sealskinz gloves s few years back, they were quite like the sock in that water ran into them and couldn't get out, ended up with 'washer womens hands' after an hour on a wet ride, they were also quite bulky, not ideal for mtb'ing!

That was my experience of a pair of sealskinz gloves Timmo. I was so disappointed with them I chucked them away in disgust

Against that, I have a Sealskinz waterproof skullcap and it's absolutely excellent. It keeps one's head both dry and warm

[Hell Razor5543]

How about a couple of heating elements taped to the handle bars that are powered by a dynamo driven by the chain. The faster you pedal the more warmth is generated.