I wonder sometimes why I ride in the cold. I love to ride I suppose and don’t want to stop. There is visual variety and a bit of a challenge but mostly the riding experience is what attracts me. A warmer climate appeals as I get older but don’t see myself moving with the kids and grandchild here. So I need to buck up and deal with frozen temps!

Gerbing’s website describes the gloves as “wrapping the hands with heat”. I’ve never paid much attention to the pattern except when riding with just the gloves the tips of my fingers and thumbs would get cold first. I need to test the gloves with just the grips to see if my hands can stay warm. With temps heading toward 60F not sure when that experiment will happen.

Riding yesterday I was using the gloves, then just the grips as the temperature moved toward 40F. I had the grips on the lowest setting and they were plenty warm. The covers keep the wind off the hands and it doesn’t take a lot to stay warm.

The Tucano Urbano covers make a remarkable difference. Cutting out the wind hitting the gloves means they can do their job of insulating and keeping heat that is just impossible with the wind. I rode with a pair of expedition mittens supposedly good to -40F. But riding along at 20F at 50mph my hands were frozen. Now, with the covers, I can ride to work at 20F WITHOUT the heated grips on wearing light leather gloves.

I’ve tried a number of winter and polar riding gloves and my hands were cold. The heated gloves alone weren’t enough and the heated grips alone weren’t either. I’ve not tried the heated gloves and grips without the covers though.

Again, depends on how cold you’ll ride and how far and how fast.

Just a comment, the heated gloves only heat on the back side of the fingers and hands. If the bike is left out in the cold, it takes quite a while for the steel handlebars to warm up and until they do, they just suck any warmth you may have in your hands. After all, without the grip heaters, the only way they can warm up is you. So, to me, it isn’t a question of which but I use all three. Even if the grip heaters are only used for a while on low to warm up the handlebars enough that they aren’t sucking any warmth you have from your hands. The gauntlets keep the wind from pulling heat from the back of the gloves.

Just a suggestion…

My chiropractor uses battery powered socks for riding horses in the winter. She said she burned her feet because she had the setting too high. I guess these devices need some careful attention.

I have the Gerbing leather Classic Heated gloves. The heated wires did a small burn on my hand that looked like a cigarette burn. The controller is required. Rode this morning and it was nice to set and forget it.

The blood thinners definitely changed things and have required some adjustments on my part — hence the controller. Come May I’ll find out if I can stop taking that medication or need to continue indefinitely. Regardless, I think I can manage the cold now.

As far as the drain on the Vespa’s charging system — I’m told there is plenty of power for the gloves and grips. So far I’ve seen no suggestion of a problem in terms of the battery turning the engine over on a cold morning.

Warmth is ahead. I am looking forward to it.

I’ve thought of that. Seriously, that would probably do the trick.

I’m surprised how well the combination of covers, heated grips and heated gloves work. I suspect now that even in sub-zero weather my hands would be toasty. And you’re right about warm hands making everything else feel warm. Same with the head. When I don the baklava my head stays warm and my body feels better. The only time I feel a chill in my core is after I eat a big breakfast on the road and then start riding again. Ugh — no blood available to keep warm — it’s all digesting food.