Dale
Posts:1767
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| 11/16/2014 07:26 PM |
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Couldn't feel my hands trying unsuccessfully to get the canti brakes to work on an icy/ snowy descent.
Took a rare DNF today at Jingle Cross.
Next year --> Disc brakes
Next week --> Electric heated gloves
Now back to your regularly scheduled bike talk, I've got a ton of laundry to do and a hot shower waiting, not in that order. |
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zootracer
Posts:833
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| 11/16/2014 07:35 PM |
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| they have electric heated cycling gloves, seriously? |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 11/16/2014 07:48 PM |
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But.... but.... but.... disc brakes will never take off on road / cross bikes!!!
Sorry about the DNF, dale. That sucks. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Oldfart
Posts:511
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| 11/16/2014 08:53 PM |
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| -4°C on my ride today. No snow yet but the frost heaves from the wet trails freezing makes some bits impossible to ride. But other places frozen hard hard. Super hard there. Fast. North Wave winter shoes, gore winfblocker gloves and Craft XC siing toque with a small wind blocker panel under the helmet let me be warm enough. Soup when I got home was nice. Sucks to DNF but at our age we are smart enough to know when to stop. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 11/16/2014 09:53 PM |
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aaaaahhhhh… drained the hot water heater. Life is good again 
Friday and Saturday the issue was my fingers getting so cold that I'd lose sensation and wasn't sure about where they were or how hard I was pulling on the brakes or shifters. Today it was a combination of zero brakes coming off the hill-- snow and ice on the rims kills the braking, cold fingers again and cleats that jammed up with ice and snow to the point I couldn't get clipped in. The tires (Clement PDX's) were dialed in (22psi) and I felt great on the climbs and corners but the lack of brakes and feet not being attached to the bike made a frustrating lap-and-a-half. I got in a couple good races (2/3 the way back in the 55+ fields.. about where I belonged with that group) Friday and Saturday so it wasn't a blown week-end.
I think I've pulled the plug on a race only a couple of times… hated to do it but it was just embarrassing out there.
Zoot, I saw the gloves at a motorcycle shop. Around $200.00 and not real bulky, they looked like the ideal cyclocross set-up
Old, I've just got a set of Northwave cold weather shoes (have the boots as well) that I raced in, thermal skinsuit, skull cap and a pair of tights. It was just the hands that got cold to the point of pain |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 11/16/2014 10:33 PM |
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Someone just started a thread over on ST about heated gloves.... he found some heated glove liners you may wanna check out.
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=5334879;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 11/17/2014 09:44 AM |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 11/17/2014 10:24 AM |
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Hahahaha… fine but it beats frostbite and I don't recall seeing you at Jingle Cross this weekend  |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 11/17/2014 11:13 AM |
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Oh hell no....I'm smarter than that!!
Actually, we spent Saturday afternoon / evening freezing our assos off at the HS football game. Local team won their quarterfinal game. A pair of heated gloves would have been welcome....and socks, too!
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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SideBySide
Posts:444
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| 11/17/2014 12:47 PM |
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Sorry for the result.
But I am glad for the comments and suggestions. I wore ski gloves this morning and my fingers were still numb. The rest of my body is warm to overheating, but I can't feel my fingers either. I am glad it is warmer than last week. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 11/17/2014 02:19 PM |
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A few people over on ST have suggested neoprene gloves....even ones as thin as kayak gloves.
Way back in my college team days, I recall using an old pair of neoprene dive gloves (I think with polypro glove liners for sweat) and they did work pretty damn well at keeping my hands warm.
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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longslowdistance
Posts:2881
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| 11/17/2014 05:42 PM |
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| Keeping the head and core warm also is key to keeping the hands warm. |
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jmdirt
Posts:775
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| 11/18/2014 09:05 AM |
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I won't ride below freezing anymore, but back when I used to, I tried some heated grips on my dirt rig and they worked pretty good.
Chem packs in my shoes gave me another 15 degrees of comfort. |
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THE SKINNY
Posts:506
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| 11/18/2014 09:41 AM |
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| for me the first half hour the pain increases in the fingers and toes. if i stop for a minute, i guess the blood circulates better and my hands and feet get warm. i've seen heated grips for mtb's. |
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| How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 11/18/2014 09:58 AM |
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| The ST thread has been updated with other options, if anyone is interested. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Spud
Posts:525
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| 11/18/2014 11:00 AM |
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| Hey a man has to do what a man has to do! Its all about performance, and if the canti brakes aren't cutting it, time for a change. Sucks about that DNF. |
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vtguy
Posts:298
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| 11/18/2014 11:25 AM |
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| I swapped my canti brakes for a set of TRP mini V-brakes and they work great. They don't allow as sensitive modulation as discs, but it's a heck of a lot less expensive than buying a new cross bike...not that I'd try to talk anyone out of a new ride. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 11/18/2014 12:05 PM |
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There's another approach to warm hands no one has mentioned. I guess our memories have become too short, because we all used to wear them. The "gloves" that use the warmth from one finger to warm the next.
Mittens. I know, when you were seven and dad gave you your first gloves, you vowed you would never go back. I was lucky. My dad split wood wearing "chopper mitts". Big deerskin mittens with wool liners. They double as great cycling mitts. I still wear them, In fact, I did 45 miles in them yesterday.
LL Bean has resumed carrying chopper mitts, as have many others. No surprise. They work. Buy them big for cycling. Bean's largest is XL. I am now using XXLs which are better (more hand positions). If you can find synthetic liners, go for them; they'll last longer.
For something as intense as CX, those mitts and liners should be good to 5F at least. And the rest of the time, if temps go above freezing, it is easy to pull out the liners and wear them to 60F or warmer. Yes you will lose a hand position or two, but you will also gain a few because they are so grippy, you can drape your hands fully relaxed in positions that would be asking for trouble any other time. Another plus, a real advantage on long rides, is that it is easy to pull them off and put them back on, so reaching into pockets barehanded to find that energy bar is easy. And after a flat repair, when your hands are really cold, they WILL warm up in those mitts when you get going.
I love those mitts.
Ben |
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SideBySide
Posts:444
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| 11/18/2014 02:43 PM |
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I may try some of the chemical warmers slipped into the metal grips then capped. I may try some wrap on the grips for insulation. Right now they are bare metal. I don't want to add too much thickness though.
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jmdirt
Posts:775
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| 11/18/2014 02:46 PM |
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I tried to find the grips that I used but can't find them on the www (maybe the went OoB).
AME here: http://www.amegrips.com/mountainbikeheated/heated-mtb-ergo-tri-0
I tried rigging up the heated grips from a snowmobile with a battery pack from a light system, but they only warmed for about 45 minutes (I already had the grips and bat. so it didn't cost me anything). A newer battery pack could certainly do better. |
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