Struggling now in the cold weather

[Steve Saunders]

I suffer from cold hands as well, and have tried all sorts of gloves ... goretex, windstopper, thermal lined etc. The windstopper/goretex ones work reasonably well but the ones I've found the best so far are the Gore Fusion, which are normal full finger gloves with a windstopper clamshell cover that covers all bar your thumb and index fingers. My index finger still gets cold, but not as much as it used to.

If my hands get really cold / numb then I just stop and blow on them a bit until they warm up again, and continue on my ride. Flapping my arms about while riding, to force the blood to flow into my hands also works, but looks odd to anyone watching ... and confuses the hell out of car drivers, so check none are about before you do this ;-)

The thing that always worries me with the cold is what I'd do if I ever had a visit from the fairy (the one that shall not be named) when out when the temperatures are below 0c. I know I can change the tyre fine normally, but with numb hands would it be possible at all ... I have a slime tube in the rear tyre to try and avoid this as much as possible

 

[tyred]

If your looking for a more extreme solution perhaps a 'bar-bra' could be worth looking at.

Sew up the leg holes in a spare pair of boxers and job done

 

[Ganymede]

Sew up the leg holes in a spare pair of boxers and job done

As long as they're neoprene boxers you'll be fine

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

I thought they looked a little like the bra of a well proportioned lady, but you could be right with boxers

 

[Keith Oates]

Hope things go well with the doc... that looks painful. I was recently looking for a solution to help with cold fingers, and my googling turned up 'Bar Mitts' – http://www.ajbikeequipment.com/page2.htm Not as extreme a solution as the bar-bra (above), but might be something worth considering? I ended up getting lobster-style gloves myself which are roomy enough to wear a thin liner if I feel the need, but thought Bar Mitts were a great idea as they offer additional protection over and above your choice of gloves.

The Bar Mitts that I bought out here are not so good as the ones from ajbike, but they work very well and the big difference is that the ones I've got cost less than US$ 2. That's a big difference in price!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fossyant]

Must be a total bummer with Reynards at this time of year, and it hasn't got cold yet.

 

[Smurfy]

The thing that always worries me with the cold is what I'd do if I ever had a visit from the fairy (the one that shall not be named) when out when the temperatures are below 0c. I know I can change the tyre fine normally, but with numb hands would it be possible at all ... I have a slime tube in the rear tyre to try and avoid this as much as possible

Some neoprene fishing gloves have flip back finger covers. Not ideal for normal riding, but better than removing the entire glove if you are forced to stop. Apparently these gloves are also favoured by snipers, as you can't get proper control of the trigger with normal gloves on.

 

[cyberknight]

Another vote for barmitts/ poggies

 

[VamP]

I use these. They're the mutt's nuts.

 

[paul04]

That for all your replies and good ideas on keeping my hands warm
I went to the hospital yesterday,They say it is Reynard's, but not sure what is causing the sores on the fingers(40 blood test over 12 months, all normal)
so now on 10mg of nifedipine tablets, and I have to go back to the hospital in a months time.

 

[DooDah]

Another suggestion, which I'd read on another forum, which sounded a little crazy at first to me: thin rubber or latex gloves, then the liner, then the gloves or mitt over that. Not the thicker rubber gloves women use to wash dishes, but the thin ones, like hospital gloves, painter gloves, etc. So I tried it one cold commute night. At first it felt a little clammy, but I really do think it took the edge off. Divers use tight rubber or synthetic wetsuits, why not the same concept for the hands? Anyway, might be an interesting experiment for you.

+1 for that, I work outside all year round and suffered with cold hands. A friend gave me some thin latex gloves and told me to put them under my work gloves. I thought he was mad, but it was the first time in years that my hands were not cold. Definitely worth a try as they are cheap as chips

 

[annedonnelly]

I used to get chilblains on my toes. The old wives remedy was to rub them with a raw onion. No idea if it worked but they stopped after a while.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I get a soybean oil preparation from Canada for my hands in cold weather, makes sort of a barrier, and moisturizes as well .

 

[Ganymede]

Hi again paul04, seriously not stalking you on this one but have just come back from cold climes and a fellow skier told me very authoritatively that the best way to keep your hands warm is to keep your wrists warm, especially the inner wrist - he suggested putting a hand-warmer over the inner wrist inside a gauntlet. The discussion reminded me of this thread so I thought I'd pass it on.