Posts
3115
Joined
6/2/2016
Location
None, AE, USA
Who makes a quality cold-weather moto gear set? Our summer kits aren't suitable for the Woodland winter series, where we will see mornings in the high 20s, days with rain and mud in the 40s, and with luck a couple sunny days in the 50s. Would like to find a heavier pant/jersey that we can add base layers to for the really cold days, and run waterproof pants/jacket over for the mudders.
PNW - we race all year, all conditions! 
my go to solution is some regular pants and a a moto hoodie of some sort 🤷♂️
I use regular Mx gloves even if it’s -20 celsius.
Regular pants and shirt but with something like this under that i don’t know the english word for: https://shop.ullmax.com/se/produkt/active-set-m-green-stripe/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fshop.ullmax.com%2Fse%2Fprodukt%2Factive-set-m-green-stripe&pk_campaign=AdWords&pk_kwd&pk_source=google&pk_medium=cpc&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADHJ76cFiG7uc5ZJ1ICmXBMSu8mQ0&gclid=Cj0KCQjw05i4BhDiARIsAB_2wfCdndaBXJt3goaU1AcuNzNYPNQ4Vo5FzgFtmloEAfCHzr8Tw0lNB4UaAio1EALw_wcB
And a thin enduro jacket.
Waterproof jackets and pants make ju just as wet under them from the inside instead when you sweat.
Yeah, that's been our tactic too. Was hoping for something better, but lord knows we have enuff moto hoodies to run a full winter series!
I don't think you'll find many options because most people wear non vented regular moto pants in the winter, sometimes putting thermals underneath.
On top typically a sweatshirt with a jacket or vest. The vests are a really nice not too warm not too cold option, allowing for better mobility than a jacket, but it also signals to everyone that you are over 30.
The tricky part is gloves because your hands take a lot of wind but bulky gloves make it so you can't feel the bars. Elephan Ear handguards are nice, not sure if they still make them? The newer style bar mits look difficult to get your hand back in if you take it off the bar for some reason.
Most waterproof gear isn't fully waterproof & collects sweat which is uncomfortable. A better strategy is polypropylene under garments / socks which are hydrophobic garments.
Growing a beard is a good strategy too.
The Shop
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
I think You will have to look more at off road style gear. Alpinestars has some nice cold weather gloves that I wear myself on my EMTB. Also Leatt has some off road gear that might be worth looking at. They have some single piece suits that are intended for MTB riding that might also be worth checking into.
Thor has some off road gear that claims to be waterproof. The range pants. I have not sold any of the 25 version yet. But I sold some of the previous Off road line and the Jersey was thicker with less venting and the sleeves felt like they were the same material a windbreaker is made of. The newest jerseys look like they are not the same. But they offer 2 styles. One is vented a little and the other matches the waterproof pants.
They have 2 lines, each has a jacket, Jersey and pants. They have some non current vests that have been popular with off road customers that wear Thor around me. Most of my customers wear regular gear and insulated underwear when its colder.
They have over the boot and IN the boot style pants. I only saw images of a rider in a full pant/jersey with the over the boot style pant. But I attached a couple images of the in the boot style , one of the 2 jackets they offer and some jersey's. They only have 2 color ways and 2 different lines right now. I wouldn't be surprised to see another colorway added at some point over the next few months.
We ride all year also , heated grips in the winter , non vented pants and jersey , vests this time of year and light jackets when it gets snowy . Most of what changes is base layers and I use two toe warmers in each boot
The last time I rode in the snow, I wore regular MX gear with insulated underwear. Warmed up with a jacket and took it off. I've never raced a MX race in the snow . only trail rode and practice track. When its colder than 20 , too much stuff breaks anyway. But I wear either snowmobile gloves or neoprene cold weather gloves and handguards to protect from roost if I am out in really cold and dry snow.
These days I might go out in my SXS in the snow. or EMTB when stuff is frozen . There has been 1 MX race I remember in NE that they plowed the track off. I just watched. Southwick that was a mix of ice, frozen sand and a little mud, was not my idea of fun.
100% Brisker gloves.
Non-waterproof is literally just an insulated riding glove, you lose a little dexterity but gain a ton of warmth. And they'll still breathe a bit.
Waterproof Brisker glove is the best all-around winter glove I've ever bought. Tough enough to do outdoor work in, warm enough to spend the day outside in, and legitimately waterproof in my two winters using them almost exclusively as winter gloves. Also you'll have way more dexterity than a ski/snowboard type glove, and they're way tougher/warmer than the normal isotoner-esque glove. Don't like riding in them as much as the non-waterproof as they're just slightly bulkier, but if its actually wet out, you'll appreciate being dry.
The 100% brisker gloves are amazing in colder weather. Long johns and some layers under a jersey usually keep me warm and once I’m sweating and have my heart rate up I’m good to go
I have brisker gloves when i ride my snowmobile but would never ride a bike with them but i am really sensitive on thinn grips and gloves. I always run renthal full dimonds as grips.
Handguards is a must during the cold conditions and take away the cold wind that blow on your hands. If you warm up correctly you won’t need warmer gloves than regular mx gloves.
The hand ”bags” you mount on the handlebars is a saftey hazzard just like barkbusters your hands can get stuck in them and you brake your wrists.
It’s better to use a thin enduro jacket than a hoodie. A hoodie becomes a sponge in wet contidions and will make you more cold than warm.
I like the looks of that Thor gear, and over-boot might be a great idea for Woodland sand/mud. Brisker gloves to go with sounds like a solid kit. Waterproof shell over all that for the really nasty days, which we skip on occasion. It's just not that much fun to ride deep sand mud in the pouring rain and 40f, and it's so hard on the bike.
We use handguards and they are a big help. Some days tho it's cold enuff that by lap 2 I can't feel my hands with regular moto gloves. I've tried the latex trick but then I just sweat and it's worse. Hoodies are only for when it's cold and dry. If it's raining we wear a waterproof shell, even tho you do tend to sweat more in them. Wet from the outside, wet from the inside - take your pick!
I don’t know if you are talking about Mx or woods riding but one tip i have is to cool down your hands and then get them warm before the start. Have you once getting up the warmth and blood flow it will stay warm for the rest of the day.
If it’s snow outside i can stick my hands in the snow so they become cold and then do a proper warm-up and the body will compensate and get warm, just like when you get inside after being outside in the cold and you feel your hands starting to pulsate, hurt and then get warm.
People tend to overthink the clothing part in cold weather.
For me...
Non-Vented regular MX pants with quality natural fiber long johns, Long johns top and a sweat shirt or... I wear cross country ski gloves.
Moto racing. It's usually wet and cold here in the winter, only snow at higher elevations. Hard rain and 35f on a bad day, so staying dry while not sweating underneath it all is the challenge. And the track is volcanic sand, so it gets very deep ruts and holes filled with water. Some days I wonder why we race.
Ah okay 👌🏻 i would still stick to what i said and do a better warmup.
By nordic winter standards it’s not that cold that i think that you would need any special gear and winter gloves if i look at what we wear when we race in the winter.
As mentioned thermal underwear, regular non-vented mx clothes and proper warm-up would be the best. You should be sweating when you line up at the gate before the start.
The temperature limit we have for the winter races is -17 celsius / 1.4 Farenheit and all the riders use the clothing i’ve mentioned.
From the first enduro world championship round in 2008, regular pants and gloves, and a special light weight enduro jacket. This was my typical clothing during all the winter races.
I use older gear with less venting that is more baggy. I use the Underarmour cold weather stuff under my gear and it does the job.
Yeah, but I used to ski Austria every winter with some Swedes, and Norsemen, and Finlanders, and they were all immune to cold and usually well insulated by large quantities of alcohol. Anything regarding "cold" from you guys has to be taken with a grain of salt. Who invented the sauna plunge into a fjord? Not someone from Dubai!
Pit Row
I used to ride in the cold being from upstate NY.some winters you could get lots of riding in….studded knobbies, thin lycra bicycle pants & long sleeve under non vented riding gear, hands need to start out warm to stay warm. I winter down in Florida now, so anything below 50 …. Im out😂 I can remember picking up brand new yz250”s and breaking them in on the ice! Some great memories of serpentine tracks on the ice with a bunch of guys bouncing off each other, fire going and drinking beers afterwards….
I put latex gloves under my regular gloves. I do the same under my hockey gloves in cold arenas.
I bought some off brand under armor from kohls after winter , it was 70% off. The stuff works good. Cross country thin pants work good to. My disk in my neck r blown out. The cold really locks the neck up. Neck into back of shoulder has a nerve pinched , my rt arm is messed up. Any ideas of how to keep your neck warm ? Not sure if I,ll hv time to get my race cylinder & Reed block , shock spring change, change tires b4 Fri. It’s so dam cold out . But I would like to ride once this yr. Sunset ridge has a sat practice sun race same as Millville. Sunset is only a couple degrees warmer. In the morning 41-45 degrees . What’s the best way to get the body warmed up ? Run in place or ?
After you run in place to get warmed up, make sure you lock yourself in the porta john until a few seconds before the race starts. That'll keep you nice and warm. Everyone does it, that's why no matter how many porta johns are on site there's always a line.
MSR makes some decent insulated jerseys and Rocky Mountain MC has a sale right now on winter gloves that strike a good balance between warm/not too bulky.
Get some foam and plug the holes in your helmet. Fly sells cold weather kits for a couple of their helmets including the Formula Carbon. You may be able to wear a barclava or at least something to cover your neck. I don't find the 100% Brisker gloves to be a problem at all. I would use them in warm weather if they didn't get hot. My hands still get cold below 50f or so even with those on. Make sure and test with whatever fleece undergarments you try. It doesn't take much to get too hot. I wear the thinnest you can buy for 50f riding.
I used to start a fire using newspaper, brush and dead twigs on a job site in the go huts. The track should hv a warming hut by the start. With track officials scraping the frost off our levers at the gate.
We are lucky on the Texas coast, we don't get all that cold here in the winter. When it does cool off non vented gear and a hoodie is all you need. The few times it does feeeze or near a lot of us stay home. I may have grown up in Oklahoma where it does get cold. I’ve been on the coast long enough I can’t handle the cold weather like I used too.
Then you have your answer right there, just drink more alcohol 😅
in 2009 Andrew Short and a couple of other Americans went over here to ride a SX race in the fall. I remember it as a warm night where we could sit on the stands in just a T-shirt, but i also remembering all the americans running around in winter hats and hoodies.
I just thought that you might be aclimated if you live at a place in the US where it gets cold at the winter.
Look into Fly and FXR snocross stuff. I have a pair of thin Klim wind stopper goretex gloves I wear on cold days. Like said above usually just wear a hoodie. The other day I put a clear Leatt rain jacket over my jersey in the morning when it was cold. Worked well and is vented under the sleeves.
I picked up some MSR Legend gear and the 100% Brisker gloves. I think this will work well, and we can layer under and over with the right stuff for cold, or cold and soaking wet. The Thor gear looks really good too but more $$$ than I want to spend.
After so many people have been talking about the 100% Brisker gloves I looked them up. And it looks like they have a bunch on closeout if anybody on here is a Parts Unlimited dealer. They can get them at what might be a discounted price. I'm not familiar with the regular price though so it might be similar. Just thought I would post about them. I might grab a pair or 2 for myself. Waterproof and regular.
I've been using the Alpinstars cold weather gloves and I like them. The 100% brisker gloves look like they might be more insulated than the Alpinestars I prefer a super thing palm area and hate wearing gloves with padded or insulated palms . They have been good for me , but I only am out an hour at a time in them. I worse them all last year mostly riding my EMTB. They only have them in Black. But this is what they look like. The top is made of neoprene wetsuit/material and the palm is more like a regular MX glove with light padding.
Post a reply to: Winter moto gear sets?