Winters coming...
Anyone tried these?
Let me know your thoughts pro/cons... My hands can never be too warm in the winter, and I'd like to avoid a hard wired option if possible... so please don't jack this thread with hard wired options, thanks.
FYI, if dry I like to ride in sub 30 temps in the winter for commuting, hence why these intrigue me...
Oh, and yes I already have heated grips and wind gaurds for the hands, but anything sub mid 30's tends to still make hands get cold after awhile...
http://coreheat.net/Products/Heated%20S2%20Gloves.html
Approximate battery capacity per charge | ||
100% | 2 hours | |
75% | 3 hours | |
50% | 5 hours | |
25% | 10 hours |
Thanks Brian, that's good info, I do appreciate it.
From the Gerbings site it list's the battery life as:
Approximate battery capacity per charge 100% 2 hours 75% 3 hours 50% 5 hours 25% 10 hours
During the winter in the sub 30 temps I'm referring to it's pretty much just being able to commute back and forth the work on dry days (which we do get some in the PNW, very nice but cold), approx 30 minutes ride to work each way, so that's why I thought these might do the trick for me.
Plus I could use them on other bikes as well, without having to hard wire setup all my bikes...
I've heard nothing but good things about Gerbings the brand, so I'd have to think that the gloves (even these rechargable ones) would be of quality though right?
Any thoughts given this info about what/how/when I'd be using them?
A better option would be the 12 volt hybrid gloves shown here: http://gerbing.com/products/Gloves/hybridGlove.php These gloves both produce more heat (given the information on that page, a 1.1 Amp-hour battery lasts one hour at full power, therefore the gloves use 12.1 watts of power) on battery power and at least you will have the option to power them from the bike if (when) the battery is dead.
One last thought Jay, have you considered looking in the children's dept. for less expensive Gerbing gloves? <ROFLMFO>
Ok guys, thanks for getting me to now entertain the idea of a wired option, much appreciated, you guys have some very valid points that I was totally overlooking... Thanks!
I looked at those hibrid ones and I agree those look like a better option for me, and the cost is the same, so I'm now honing in on those...
Questions:
So if I want to use just the gloves without a jacket liner how does that work, do you just plug them in to a routed wire someplace up by the bars? If so, wouldn't that wire somewhat be in the way if dangling cause I'm assuming you would need the wire to be long enough to still move your hand all the way up to your helmet for using Scala or opening shield etc??
So is the plug litteraly just a battery tender type plug wired to the battery? If so, I already have that, could I just use that plug?
Do the Gerbings gloves fit pretty true to size? ie if I wear a large in Alpinestars gloves would it be same for Gerbings or do their sizes run bigger/smaller than most?
I back Gerbings %100, but they don't make the battery, which is the issue. After one season or half a season, how will the batteries work? How often would you ride the Gixxer in the '30s? Me thinks not often. Do you have a battery tender lead on any of the bikes? It's that easy with the correct end. Hardwire the 14, use the BT lead on the Gixxer, and be warm all ride long. It only takes seconds to plug in (once you are in the habit of not forgetting) and will provide superior long term performance.
Just bear in mind that even the hybrid gloves are only 12 watts while the 'real' gloves are 27. Wiring them directly to the bike will eliminate the battery and associated hobby but cannot increase the power output of the gloves. In other words, if you decide those gloves are not warm enough, plugging them directly into the bike will not alter that situation.
Now for wired gloves, the 'official' solution of wiring is lousy IMO. Gerbing supplies a long 'Y' harness with the gloves and their intention is that you put one leg of each short wire down each sleeve, with the longer line coming out from the bottom of your jacket. What a PITA. As I said, wearing a heated liner or heated jacket fixes that because the clothing is pre- wired with outputs at each wrist and a common wiring block in the bottom / left of the jacket. But if using the gloves alone, I think I would run a pair of outputs on the bike up to the handlebars and leave the ends dangling there. Of course you cannot move your hands very far away from the bars if using this method. I guess both wiring methods leave something to be desired. Well, you could put the Y harness into your jacket ahead of time and stitch / Velcro the ends near the wrists and the input at the bottom of the jacket. Not elegant but it should work.
The power plug connection for Gerbing, and all the other heated clothes companies other than Tourmaster as far as I know, is a round barrel DC power plug, called a coaxial power connector. I believe it is an 'N' connector and pretty common. A battery tender usually uses an SAE connector. I do not like SAE connectors because they are hard to use but they do have an advantage in that any end will plug into any other SAE connector; the round power plugs come in male and female. Yes you could use an SAE connection on the bike to power heated clothes with an SAE to coaxial plug adapter; available from Gerbing as well as other heated clothes companies. I prefer to use the coaxial plugs and have two 'whips' (short, hanging cables used to supply power) on the bike for our heated clothing but I use them for everything that needs temporary 12 bike power like an air compressor. My whips just hand of the left side of the bike, about 8" long, and when not in use they just hang there along with the helmet audio connectors, the MP3 connector and the USB charger plug. If you paint them black they should blend right in on your bike but you can also use a power plug jack mounted somewhere on the left hand side of the bike- these are neater and do not dangle when not in use.
Gerbing gloves seem to run pretty true in my experience. Gerbing will exchange gloves with you to find the proper size; they are very good about this provided the gloves are not used of course.
One last thought- Gerbing makes a pair of heated glove liners. I bought a set this year for long distance riding to be used under a set of glove rain covers. I like them a lot and they might work for you- they are far less expensive at $80 but provide a lot of heat (still 27 watts I think). They are thin, short and will not stand much use if used without something over them but they might be a decent option for occasional use.
By the way, if you do buy a pair of heated gloves of any type / brand note that power from the bike you will also have to buy a heated clothing controller, which is usually a surprise to most people. They cost $70 and so are not insignificant when figuring out price. The controller really is needed to because you will not be able to use the gloves at full power unless extremely cold, and plugging them in / unplugging them to manage the temperature is just not practical. Some people try to use a straight switch but again my experience is that that is not practical either.
This whole thing is more complicated than it may appear at first glace. Just like almost everything else in the world….
Brian
Thanks Brian, I appreciate your help. I'm now back on the fence again though...
I didn't plan to get a vest, between my winter drystar gear and heated seat the rest of me has been fine in the sub 30's temps, only the hands it what I'm wanting just a little more warmth...
Sounds like the wired options does have some downsides, at least for me, since I'd only be using it for short commutes to work... I'm rethinking the chargeable option again... I totally hear ya on them not getting as hot, but I'm looking for short commute improvements, so am wondering if they might do the trick for me and then I don't have to deal with the Y attachment etc as it sounds like kind of a pain...
Ugh... decisions, decisions...
Another thing to consider is short time in use.... maybe just a heavier pair of gloves or mittens for winter commuting would do the trick?
I really wish I had gone the powered heated way to begin with. I could have bought more farkles. I run the jacket liner and gloves 99% of the time (Gerbings)
Hard to believe, I know....but we like ski bunnies.
I've tried all kinds of things and spent all kinds of money to stay warm on a bike. I really wish I had gone the powered heated way to begin with. I could have bought more farkles. I run the jacket liner and gloves 99% of the time (Gerbings). I have the pants and the socks as well but they're for subzero weather. The battery stuff is for ski bunnies. Power is the way to go.
I've tried all kinds of things and spent all kinds of money to stay warm on a bike. I really wish I had gone the powered heated way to begin with. I could have bought more farkles. I run the jacket liner and gloves 99% of the time (Gerbings). I have the pants and the socks as well but they're for subzero weather. The battery stuff is for ski bunnies. Power is the way to go.
...but we like ski bunnies.
Not if they look like Jay.
You will actually be riding that bike........seriously?
Which gloves and jacket liner are you using Sparky?