A lot of nothing and my cold hand theory

A lot of nothing and my cold hand theory.

Well the last few weeks I’ve done no riding what so ever.  No trails, no trials and no road riding.  This can be put down to several factors, personal, professional and the bloody lousy weather we’ve been having.  Call me a tart, I don’t really care, but I see no fun in riding when it’s freezing cold and pouring with rain.  Cold and wet equals misery and I also don’t want to cover the Triumph in crap and road salt.  As for the other reasons, I’ve just started a new job and knowing my history off road riding, I thought it would be wise if I gave it a miss for a while.  The last thing I wanted was to start my new career then have an accident and need time off; I really don’t think they’d appreciate it.

So what have I been up too?  Well spending money is the simple answer.  As I’ve said, I think, in previous stories is that I go to many shows with lists of things I’d like to buy, but never end up doing so.  I want to be comfortable in my riding, warm when it’s cold, cool when it’s hot but most of all just comfortable.  A few years ago I brought a Knox cold killers neck tube. The maxi one.  I think that it’s been one of the best things I’ve ever bought for my biking travels clothes wise.  It’s light and comfortable, I have asthma and can’t bare anything tight around my throat so normal snoods are generally too tight and therefore out of the question.  The Knox is also windproof and as far as I have found waterproof.  One of the things I find that makes me uncomfortable when winter riding is the cold.  Plain and simple.  Once riding the cold seems to find its way in through all the little gaps, like the cuffs, waist, neck, the zipper at the front of the jacket and even around the ankles.

We’re all different but once I start getting cold it’s my hands that suffer.  I have tried many things to try and keep my hands warm from glove liners to big thermal winter gloves, I even have heated grips.  The problem is that when you have thick gloves on you lose your feel for the throttle and levers, if you don’t wear them then your hands get cold creating the same effect.  The heated grips are great for warming the palms of your hands, but if your hands get cold they don’t really warm them up.  So I now have a new theory, which is; the reason my hands get cold is because my core is getting cold.  Therefore the body starts drawing all the blood away from the extremities.  If I can keep my core warm then in theory my hands will remain warm.  Well that’s the theory.

The first thing then was to stop the drafts getting in.  The theory and key behind this insulating practice is layers.  From what I can understand, in my limited knowledge of this subject, is to wear lots of thin layers, which are not meant to be too tight as each layer is supposed to trap and warm air between them.  Apparently you have three layers a base layer, a mid layer, then to top it off an outer layer.

Starting from the top, the neck is the first place the drafts get in, but the Knox neck tube had already eliminated this, as I said earlier I have the maxi tube which covers the shoulders and chest.  It also covers the nose and around the ears, so once the helmet is on you’re all snug and sealed in.

Next was the trunk, body or whatever else you’d like to call it. I have recently brought a nice leather Triumph jacket and although it has a zip flap, whilst riding in the colder weather the first thing I feel is the cold coming through and chilling my chest. Of course in really bad weather I wouldn’t bother venturing out and if I did have to I would wear a touring type jacket with many flaps to stop this.  However I digress. I think this is where I probably lose the most of my body core heat.  I was so impressed with the Knox neck tube that I have now brought a Knox top it has been designed to keep the frontal wind blast out by using the same material as the neck tube it is also micro fleeced to keep you warm and comfortable the back of the top is breathable so you don’t get too hot. It’s important not to get too hot because it you sweat the moisture will cause you to get cold and all this would have gone to waste.

The cuffs are eliminated as the Knox top base layer has good arm length and it also has elasticated cuffs these can be over lapped with glove liners and summer gloves and, or decent winter gloves that cover the cuff and overlaps by a few inch’s

The mid drift is the next big area where the cold can get in, I have also recently brought the Knox leggings these come with a good sized elasticated waste, the top has plenty of length so it’s just a simple procedure of making sure you have tucked the top in properly.  I would also recommend zipping the Jacket to the trousers if it is at all possible.

I have also been fortunate to have been able to get some nice Triumph leather jeans.  I have yet to wear them in the summer and I expect when I do I won’t need the leggings but for now in these cold winter months the leggings are on.  Once again I chose the ones made by Knox only really because I was so impressed by the neck tube. In keeping with the top the leggings have the windproof top to help them to protect the top and front of the legs from wind blast whilst the back is breathable. It has also been made for the biker in mind and has a flexible knee area.  I do however have a problem with the leggings.  When walking around they’re fine, once on the bike they’re fine, it’s the bit in between that’s the problem.  You see when you walk about the leggings move, so when you go to get back on the bike everything is out of line and you stand there or sit on the bike adjusting everything for a minute or so just to get comfortable.

The ankles are the last piece to the puzzle, my old Kevlar lined denim jeans used to bunch at the bottom and eventually after a long ride come out of the boot, the new leather jeans are tapered so I can’t see that happening now, but in keeping with the rest of what I have written the Knox leggings have a nice elasticated ankle.  Some of the most comfortable bike socks I have found are the Fox thick motocross socks. They are shaped around the foot and have a padded shin and are long.  In the winter there thickness keeps the winter chills away and in the summer they are meant to wick the moisture away from your feet keeping the cool and comfortable.  I do like them very much, but on the down side don’t find them to last very long.  The sock covers the leggings considerably that combine with the new jeans tucked securely into the boot should now mean warm comfortable riding.

So the next time there is a nice sunny but cold day that I can venture out on bike, I will be putting my theory to the test.

On the theme buying things I also treated myself to a new helmet as the one I have was getting old.  I currently have a Shoei and love the fit and the helmet, but ever since I started riding I’ve always fancied a Roof Boxer which has gone through several different changes and has now become the Roof Boxer V8.  I remember when I tried on the original Roof helmet for the first time, my brother was buying a ZX9R and the shop had the helmets on display.  I picked a medium off of the shelf and put it on, so far so good.  It felt comfortable and snug I then continued to pull down the chin bar and clicked it into place.  I was pleased with the fit but this is when my troubles started, I hadn’t looked to see how to release the chin bar.  My brother and I struggled for a minute or so trying to un-pop the poppers but to no avail.  Frustrated that I couldn’t get the chin bar up I decided to take it off the conventional way, but that wasn’t going to happen as the chin bar fit’s under the chin so it wasn’t coming off.  Then to add more embarrassment to an already awkward situation a female sales assistant came over and asked if I needed any help.  I had to admit my predicament, but my entrapment wasn’t over as the sales assistant didn’t have a clue how to realise the chin bar either.  What seemed like an age later the chin bar was finally released and up and I was out of the helmet. Any way I have now purchased the new Boxer V8 and so far I’m happy with it, I have however not used it in anger and one of the things I am concerned about which I like about the Shoei is that it has no pin lock, and I’m worried that the visor will fog up.  I will however write a full report on the helmet once I’ve given it a fair trial.

 

Sunday 17th Ace Cafe

Sunday 17^th Feb

Ace Café bike day

It was a heavily frosted morning that greeted me as I pulled back the curtains.  It had been forecast and expected.  I was glad that I had decided not to commit to the early morning ride out that was advertised for this morning.  I had some work to do so a full day’s riding was really out of the question and I was content that I had just decided to go to the Ace Café for their bike day.

 

As I looked out of the window on to the frosty waking morning a distant aeroplane blazed across a very pale blue cloudless sky leaving a pure white vapour trail, this single thin white line soon however dissipated and the effect it left was like a very thin white feather like cloud hanging in the morning sky.

 

As the orangey glow of the lazy spring sun began warming the earth it was as though someone was pulling back a soft white blanket, the frost now only hiding in those shady places where the gentle rays of sunlight couldn’t reach.

I started to get myself ready for the morning’s foray, and after some consideration during the previous week I had arranged to ride down to the Ace Cafe with my brother, I had also suggested it on a forum that we would be there by around about 10am, so if anyone fancied to ride down, meet up, and have a chat we’d be glad to see them.  I had chosen the Ace Café because today was their official bike Sunday.  Although the Ace Café is known as a biker’s café it also holds various meets for all sorts of bikes and cars.

The ride wouldn’t take long around twenty to thirty minutes depending on the traffic and the route I might take.  By nine o’clock I was ready to roll but there was no sign of my brother.  I waited for a while but as the time ticked by I started to wonder if my brother was coming, after checking the bike over and letting it run for a while to warm up I called Ian to see where he was.  He had decided to stay indoors until the last moment before braving the cold, which was in fact quite a good idea.  He gave me an ETA of round 9.30am.  After my previous ride a week or so ago I made sure that I had the right clothing on, I don’t think my hands would take another freezing.  So the summer gloves were swapped for some nice thick and padded winter ones.  Ian arrived on time and we set off.  Due to the time factor I had decided to take the direct and most boring route straight down the motorway.

 

The ride started nicely the sun had risen into the pale blue sky its warmth had taken away the early morning chill.  This continued as we headed south along the M1 until we passed Watford.  Then the pale blue sky turned white, the sun now hidden behind a thin blanket of cloud this was joined with a slight drop in temperature.  As we continued on our way the thin white blanket had turned grey the sun now hanging in the sky like a white orb trying to burn its way through cold grey shroud and now fog was lying in patches across the countryside like fallen clouds.

We pushed on and by the time we had reach junction two of the M1 the sun once again had burnt through and the sky was now a lovely cloudless winter blue.  The ride around the north circular went without a hitch apart from the fact I had lost sight of Ian at the end of the M1 on the Brent Cross roundabout and the nightmare of a white van man who decided to tailgate me for a mile or so.  By the time we had gotten to the traffic lights by the Ace Café Ian had once again caught up and we finished the ride together.

At the Ace we parked up and walked around looking at the bikes that had gathered, it wasn’t heaving but there was a nice diversity of bikes to see and as I walked I looked to see if anyone from the forum was about.  I was also hoping that they might recognise me, as my avatar on my account is a picture of me where as others tend to put either pictures of their bikes or part of their bikes on, or simple cartoons.  We mooched for ten or so minutes then wondered into the café where we ordered a cup of tea and a nice bacon sandwich.  Whilst we were sat chatting a young lady walking in, I thought I recognised her and introduced myself.  She was from the forum, a lovely young bubbly person that put a smile on my face with her antics and stories, then another forum member arrived and we sat chatting and enjoying each-others company.  Although we had gone to the Ace for a simple chat and met, the others wanted to ride.  A third forum member turned up a while later and plans were drawn up for a last minute ride.

It was now time for my brother and I to leave, we had stayed longer than original planned, this added to the fact that we were now holding up the planned ride signalled it was time to go.  We said our good byes and went our separate ways. The trip back up along the M1 was uneventful so I decided to pull off and take a detour.  To add some spice to our return journey I took in some A and B roads to spare us from the monotony of the motorway.  The day was now glorious for the time of year with blue skies, warm temperatures and to cap it off open roads.