It was frosty cold yesterday morning and ideal conditions to test my new glove protection against the elements. For regular readers you are familiar with my tedious search for something to keep my hands warm. And my desire for something simple — read that nothing electric. My searched ended on Friday when I purchased a pair of Black Diamond Mercury Mitts — mittens for extreme cold.
A bit of history. Last winter I purchased a pair of Alpinestars insulated gloves to begin my cold weather riding. When the temperature dropped to 40°F the Alpinestars weren’t warm enough and a purchased a pair of Tourmaster Cold-Tex gloves. I rode with these all winter but I should describe the experience.
My winter riding at sub-freezing temperatures with my Tourmaster gloves require frequent stops to warm my hands on the headlight or exhaust. At 30 degrees I can manage 15 minutes at 50MPH before my hands are painfully dead. More or less time depending on speed. For my daily commute where speeds are less than that I can suffer along down to 15 degrees. For long trips I plan my route with stops to get warm, eat, drink, and huddle around the muffler. Sort of like camping when I was a kid.
My hands have always been cold since I was a kid. This personal property worsened a few years ago when I developed frostbite on the ends of all my fingers while helping a friend move a stainless steel centrifuge in sub-zero temperatures with no gloves. This act is on my top-ten list of boneheaded actions.
So when it comes to winter gloves I am starting at a disadvantage — genetically cold hands, frostbite history, and a rejection of modern electric technology. Just so you appreciate my challenge. I’ve done considerable research and inquiry about gloves on various forums and in person and I’ve found that estimating protection against cold is not an exact science and complicated my personal tolerance. And it seems as if manufacturers rate things against death or damage rather than my comfort level. But then again how can they determine that.
With that history in mind I can proceed with my story. It was a dark and dreary night and all the riders were sitting around the campfire when in walks Steve. And this is the story he told them…
In my search several gloves kept being recommended — the Tourmaster Winter Elite, Tourmaster Polar-Tex, Orina 118, BMW winter glove, and generic snowmobile equipment. After some interaction with members of the Adventure Rider forum with people riding all winter in places like Alaska I realized that no glove on the market without electrics was going to keep my hands toasty in the weather I would be riding in. When I finally accepted this I turned towards mittens at the suggestion of Mr. Charpentier at Rush Hour Rambling.
When I couldn’t find much evidence of snowmobile glove and mitten effectiveness I abandoned that search in favor of arctic expedition and snowboarding mittens. There was a lot of ratings and descriptions of the environments this stuff is used in. Snowboarders at 4000 meters in sub-zero cold traveling at 50 MPH. If it worked for them it had to work for me on the Vespa.
After abandoning consideration of the $200 Outdoor Research Alti mitts and other serious expedition down filled mittens I looked at the black diamond Mercury Mitts at our local outdoor outfitter — Appalachian Outdoors. Waterproof/breathable liner, windproof, ten ounces of PrimaLoft insulation, and big gauntlets, I put down the cash and ended my search.
Yesterday morning, 8AM, 28°F. Perfect weather for my first test. I decided to ride 60 miles to my in-laws in Altoona to hand deliver an anniversary card.
I’ve made this trip many times last winter in comparable temperatures so I knew what to expect in terms of hand coldness. My goal was to ride to the half-way mark, the Family Chill and Grill, without having to warm my hands. Usually I would have to stop three to four times at this temperature.
With these new mittens I didn’t have to stop to warm my hands. They weren’t toasty but not painful either. I did stop twice to take pictures and holding the icy metal camera in my bare hands didn’t help. But once the mittens were back on I could feel them warm rather than the steady decline towards pain in the old gloves.
Upon arrival at the Family Chill and Grill for a hearty breakfast my hands were cold but nothing I couldn’t live with all day. And I was riding at speeds I normally would not ride on this trip — 50 – 60 MPH. So I consider the new mittens a success and expect them to be fine for my kind of low speed adventuring all the way down to my 5 degree goal.
I should add that the bulk of these mittens requires some adjustment at the controls. The leather palms grip the brake levers nicely but you have to be more deliberate in moving your hands and fingers. After a few minutes of practice I was fine. The thumbing of the starter, high beams, turn signals and horn was easy.
My reward for the test was a too big breakfast. I thought I ordered bacon, eggs, homefries and toast when choosing the Country Breakfast.
Instead I got more of everything than I needed, plus sausage, plus pancakes. See what good mittens will get you!
Cool to see you out there on the Scoot. A bit of clarification though; Alti Mitts are only $180 and they are worth every penny!
Yeah, I forgot exactly how much the Alti’s were so I rounded up to $200. I just couldn’t see myself spending that much for mittens. I may change my mind if I see a pair in person. I wouldn’t want something so bulky that I can’t operate the brakes. The black Diamonds seem about as bulky as the Vespa can handle.
All I can say is that you seem to have the situation well in “hand”. What’s this “Mr. Charpentier” stuff? You’re not going to expect all of us to start calling you that are you, Gary?
Wow! Now that’s a MANS breakfast. So…did you eat it all?
Good tip on where to find mittens. I bought in to the idea, I just need to buy the mittens.
I bought some Wells Lamont gauntlet work gloves from my store with 100 gram Thinsulate, and they are okay, but not great.
I’ll continue the mitten quest.
Have fun,
Bill
Hilarious ending to your mitten search and test ride. 😀
Steve, you are a brave man. If I were riding a vespa in the winter, I would probably purchase some kind of windshield that extends far-enough out on each side to keep the windchill off my hands. I’ve seen one that covers the hands, but seems too tall. I would probably cut that one down. I have also seen a flyscreen that covers half of each hand. That’s more my speed. When I had my BMW, there were no handguards available for it, so I adapted ones from another model. They were still too small, so I ended-up gluing and zip-tying a set of larger ones over them to protect my digits from the cold. I remember seeing clear handguards in JCWhitney that attach using the mirror mounts, maybe that’s an option for you? As-I-recall, they are $30-50.
John
I wish your blog got wider circulation. Your stories are excellent, there’s always something interesting to read, even if it is about cold weather to which I am allergic. I guess the windshield will diminish the purity of the experience you always allude to in your stories.
conchscooter key west
Great report, Steve. I am glad you found something you like. I ound some Under Armour Cold Gear gloves.. but perfect for winter riding (hehe my definition anyways 🙂 )
Yum! Breakfast looks warm!
Steve, I’m glad you found a pair of mittens that work for you. Tell me, are they wide open inside, or do they have separate finger compartments?
Mine are the latter. I’m not sure if that is the best configuration, but these have been just fine down to 18°F.
For irondad: Of course not. I was an NCO, therefore you needn’t call me mister, or sir, or any other honorific that isn’t uttered with great bitterness, under your breath.
Ride well,
=gc=
Mr. Bateman, I mean irondad: I applied the honorific in regard to the mitten wisdom shared by Master Charpentier. I’m glad I have the mittens now so I can quit obsessing about that. Now I can focus on other things.
bill: I ate almost all of that hearty breakfast. Left half a pancake and two sausage links. When I rode on to Altoona afterwards I was chilled as all my blood gathered in my stomach to work on that mess.
If there is a drawback to the mittens it is in dexterity. With an automatic scooter it’s not a real big deal. If I had to shift, then that would be a pain.
tom: A person needs to be careful ordering food. You never know what you’ll get into if you aren’t paying attention.
John: You are not the first to suggest the windscreen. One fellow I know hammers me every time I see him. I don’t like the way they look and ‘m a bit stubborn about wanting to ride the scooter bare. We’ll see how I hold up in the cold weather. The older I get the more pleasant warm climates seem.
conchscooter: I do value the purity of the ride but I am not sure exactly why. It is one of the many questions I ask myself these days. I am always worried that I am just being stubborn and hard-headed.
I track visitors to the site and I’m approaching 10 thousand visitors a month. Amazes me how people just stumble across this place. Well, not stumble exactly, a can see how many come from other sites and what’s really weird is how visitors arrive via various Google searches.
Maggie: those Under Armour gloves look cool. They might be something for me to look at to wear inside the mittens for those sub-zero rides I dream about. And of course the hearty breakfast break that comes with the ride.
Gary: The left-had mitten is open inside and the right has a separate compartment for the index finger. So I guess they are a right-handed pair of mittens. I notice that index finger feels colder than the others warming together.
I’m really hoping that I can ride down to 15 degrees with these and maybe lower if I find a thin pair of gloves to wear inside the mittens. When I go on my weekend adventures I am usually not riding fast; most of the time in the 25 -45 range with many stops for pictures and wanders.
I’ve got two ideas for you to keep those hands even warmer. The first thing you can try is putting those latex/vinyl gloves on before you put your mittens on. They will retain moisture and keep your hands from losing heat. When I would remember, I used to put them on before I put my old (twenty years now?) Hein Gerickes on.
The second idea is one I still need to find a way to accomplish for gloves that don’t have the rain mitts behind a zipper on the back of the hand. My HG’s have zippered pockets for the stitched in rain mitts sewed right into them. But what I’m thinking for you which might work is at the portion where the gauntlet is, at the wristwatch area of the mitt, you could stitch on an inner pocket to hold a hand warmer.
I’ve stuffed handwarmers into the HG gauntlets and it does work. Seems to take the edge off the cold and helps the wrists stay more comfortable too.
I don’t know if either of these is something you want to try but both have worked for me in the past. The hand warmers do get pretty toasty right at the spot where they’re sitting over your skin though.
Roadbum
Roadbum: I have plenty of room for the chemical pack heaters in my mittens. I could just drop them in between the mitten liner and the mitten since it is removable. I just need to wait for a really cold day now to try it out.
I hadn’t thought of latex gloves. I wear them when I work on the scooter or other messy stuff now but will give that a try too.
Thanks!
When I was in London I saw a man on a scooter with a wind shield/screen. He was using it along with little prong attachments to hold maps up of the city as he drove around. It looked sort of convenient in a way. When I chuckled about it – a colleague of mine informed me that the guy on the scooter was learning the London roadways in preparation for becoming a cab driver. Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of it – but the shield on the scooter was certainly an interesting sight.
I don’t understant the objection to electric gloves. The wiring is minimal and so is the power draw (I’ve use an electric vest, which is almost too warm, and that only takes 35 watts of 12-volt power). Can your Vespa 150 spare 20 extra watts from the battery terminals?
eldercattus: I try to get by with as little gear as possible and still be safe and functional. The modern Vespas (LEADER engine generator design) can marginally handle an increased measured load of 3A (36W)when everything is perfect. So it can handle gloves or a vest but not both.
If I find that the cold weather gear is not sufficient I’ll have to look to electrics.
What are you riding?
Hi Steve!
I just got these hand mitts: http://www.quadboss.com/qbweb.nsf/Products/2BC3962674F8D91286256E7E0060EC95?opendocument
The black ones of course! They’re cheap and easy to install-uninstall, but I use them on a MUCH milder climate! I only wear leather summer gloves, and tested them down to 4 degrees Celsius. They would possibly need some modification to use on a scoot with thick plastic next to the grips.
Dimitris: I’ve only looked at those in passing, partly because I don’t like the aesthetics (but when my hands are frozen I won’t care) and partially because the control spacing on the Vespa makes it difficult to actually adapt them to the scooter in a functional manner.
For 20 bucks though it might be worth trying. I’ll check our local snowmobile dealer to see if they have some I can look at.
Thanks!
Steve, I ride a Suzuki Burgman 650, which has a generous 120 extra available watts of power. The Burgie is nominally a scooter, with a step-thru frame, but it’s a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” I got it because I could fit on it–THEN I fell in love with it. At 6′ 8″ and 285 lbs., I overwhelm nearly everything else scooterwise, usually with my knees banging the underside of the steering … or looking at the road between them.
eldercattus: At our last local scooter rally I had a chance to see and ride with a couple of Suzuki’s like yours and they seemed like great touring scooters. The guys who had them just loved them and had ridden up from Philadelphia which was about 180 miles away. Heated garments would be no problem with 120 watts of power. Someday I am going to find a dealer willing to let me take a test ride on a Burgman.
I know what you mean size. At 6’2″ I look a bit big on the Vespa. You have 5 inches on me so I can see how that would be a problem.
Steve, after my wife has healed from her surgery–say, late winter or early spring–I’ll come up your way, to Unionville perhaps, and you can borrow my Burgman for some time. Be sure to hit the ‘power button,’ and then blast up a steep hill.
Great Blog. How come I haven’t seen you riding your Vespa around here?
Mark R. Brockport, PA
06 Burgman 400S
Steve,
Check out this site:
http://www.jett.us.com/
for a great electric vest that gets its’ power from its’ own rechargable battery. I bought one and it really puts out a nice amount of heat and you can use it for other winter activities besides scooter riding.
eldercattus: Lunch at the Unionville Cafe would be great and I’d love to take a turn at the Burgman. You can try out the low power Vespa alternative. Keep in touch and as the weather gets warmer we’ll make plans.
Mark: Brockport and the Brockway area are on my list of rides. I let you know when I get up that way. those Jett heat vests look pretty neat.
Widder Lectric Gloves are $126.37 + S/H, and draw 20 watts. Connection could be directly to the battery + and – posts. If needed, put a trickle charger on the battery overnight.
So comfortable and warm gloves & jackets are available at Wilsons Leather store through couponalbum.com…
great blog !!!