Welcome to my winter apparel list. Here you will find a list of things that I am already wearing as a commuter. I commute on my ONYX RCR about 30 miles a day to and from work. The New York weather has recently dropped to below 30° and with daylight savings time recently kicked in, we are battling both colder temperatures and less sunlight.
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In my experience, the first two things that have a tendency of going numb from the cold are my hands and feet so I’ll start off with those two items and then talk about the thermal layers that I’m wearing underneath my clothing.
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I just recently picked up a pair of electrical gloves by Akaso -the model type is HG10.
My experience so far with the gloves is that they are warm 3M Thinsulate with a thermal insulation carbon fiber heating system that’s waterproof and breathable. They definitely work. Additionally, they are water-resistant and have a non-slip surface grip which is downright awesome. I really like the wrist strap and the bungee for the forearm. The only thing that I’m having trouble with is the touchscreen capable finger pointer. It does not work as well as one would hope. Lastly, that small zipper pocket that holds the battery can definitely hold other things so that’s a benefit even though I don’t believe that’s what it’s meant for.
The gloves are super comfortable and true to size. I picked up a pair in a medium. To charge the lithium-ion batteries, they provide a wall charger that splits so you can charge both batteries at once. The batteries take six hours to fully charge when completely depleted. There are three modes: low heat is the blue light which is anywhere from 6 to 8 hours; medium heat is the green light which is 4 to 5 hours; high heat is the red light which is 2 to 3 hours. The user’s discretion is advised. It clearly states you shouldn’t have high heat on at high temperatures because that will create more heat which is not good for the batteries.
I have ridden over 100 miles in a day and love my AKASO GLOVES they are incredible 28 degrees at 60mph with heavy head wind, they managed to keep my hands warm and comfortable.
If you are curious or plan to truly commit to riding at higher speeds or lower temperatures and do not wish to risk it. Here is an option it’s an upgrade. Click the image below
Jumping straight down to the feet we have Socks by Global Vasion
These socks are more than just socks — it comes with a heat mesh and a small side pocket that holds the batteries in place. Global Vasion Socks managed to keep my feet warm in yesterday’s bitter cold night ride reaching lows of 20° with the headwind at higher speeds. In regular sneakers those conditions would cause anyone’s toes to freeze so this is a good way to test out the socks’ ability to keep my feet warm. They are not water-resistant. I repeat, they are not water resistance, feeling more like thick wool socks designed for winter apparel except for one major note which is that they have an electrical wire running through them. The power source is supplied by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
They provide a charger almost identical to the gloves. The charger has indicators: a red light means 3 1/2 hours of high heat; orange means 4 1/2 to 5 hours of medium heat; and green means 6 1/2 hours of low heat. I found green to be more than enough warmth for me. They state to hand wash or soft wash the socks, obviously removing the batteries first. A little hack that I’m doing at the moment is that I’m wearing really thin low cut summer socks underneath. Overall they made a significant difference in riding when the sun goes down, which with daylight savings time, means around 4:30 pm. Even with these frosty conditions, this kept me comfortable into the late hours of the night.
Back up to the Chest, I have no issues with a simple shirt or two underneath because of the jacket I have been wearing for 5 years now. It retains the heat your body produces and does it effortlessly. This is the latest version of it called Arc’teryx Atom LT Jacket Men’s – Redesign
This should be no surprise here if you know the brand Arc’teryx, you would know that it’s designed to take on the worst conditions while you move. It is very light, packable and proven that the Atom LT is a performance warming layer for backcountry adventures, alpine ascents/descents, and downtown commutes, this jacket handles it all. I have taken on heavy headwinds on my way to Canada with 80 mph headwinds on my motorcycle hitting the highway during occasional blizzards. For me this is my permanent second layer where I wear a T-shirt underneath.
A windbreaker can be worn over or at times the windbreaker turns into a leather jacket. I rarely need to wear something that has electrical mesh. My hands and feet are the only limbs that get cold and numb way before my chest even feels a draft of wind.
Yes, I do have a heated vest when absolutely necessary. I will make a post about the vest, yet this Arc’teryx does it for me in 10° weather. The heated vest is designed for my Vanson leather jacket that I bought over 12 years ago.
Under Armour Men’s ColdGear Armour Compression Leggings
Well now, onto the last category, my brother always stated your legs don’t have organs so they don’t matter. The reality is I come from a cycling community and if your legs are cold and numb, then that means that you don’t have the power to pedal so here’s where I decided to take a different approach and use athletic apparel that you would naturally find for runners instead of cyclists. These are under armour leggings — 87% polyester, 13% elastane. It’s a dual-layer of fabric with an ultra-warm brush interior and a fast-drying exterior. It stretches four-ways with the material sweat wicking and fast drying. This anti-odor athletic apparel is light years ahead of the competition being something that you can wear under your regular attire, which is the way I like it.
I do hope this brought some insight in my sharing of how I personally plan to take on the 2020 winter season. The next post will share what I carry for rainy rides. Let me know your thoughts below.
check out the video where I talk specifically about the Akaso Gloves and Global Vasion Socks
Till next time stay warm.
Awesome article! Thank you
Thank you for taking the time to read it. I appreciate the feedback.
Good stuff