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Whilst Snoods and Turtlenecks are fine for ''chilly ish'' days, they are no use for proper winter riding. (in my opinion)

They keep the gap between yer neck and jacket nice and snug, that's granted, but if it's over your nose, you will be breathing into it all the time.

Combine this with even a short 30 mile run, and the front around yer nose and mouth will soon be soaking wet from the condensation from expired breaths.

Now you are riding in the cold with a wet bit of material on your face! NOT good. You end up (after a while) with a nose bleed (as I sometimes get when out in the cold on the bike. And blood is worse than snot inside a helmet.

Picture riding along, getting a bleeding nose cos it's THAT cold, and then the blood runs down yer throat and you have no option but to swallow it.

You give a bit of a baulk / cough. THAT'S where the fun kicks in, as you panic and apply an emergency stop - you've coughed, and now there is blood splattered on the inside of yer visor.

By all means wear a snood / turtle / balcalava, but keep it off your nose. I wear a very thin Lidls Balaclava (from their bike range), and it acts as a helmet liner, and keeps the chill off my neck. I can also recommend a NEOPRENE mask, as that won't absorb moisture as quick.

For COLD days, I wear a big/old scarf, that I can cross over my chest and tuck under my armpits, then put my jacket on. I can't afford heated grips or any of that fancy heated gear, and I'm STILL using some bike clothing I wore over 20 years ago. Hell! - I still have been known to put newspapers down the front of me jacket!

Your face will get used to the extreme cold if you ride a lot of the time. The bad thing is (like me), if riding in all weathers, you end up with a face like a road map, weather-beaten, full of lines and resembling an old bit of leather.

With never wearing shorts or a t shirt, my milky-white-never-seen-sun Scottish body looks like it belongs to a 20 year old. From the neck up though, I look about 90.

have you tried a flip front helmet
i have one and really like it for every day riding

macdee wrote:have you tried a flip front helmet
i have one and really like it for every day riding

First helmet was a flip front. It did have a few odd advantages...
1. When commuting in town there were a few hills which in autumn time would get direct sunlight that no dark (drop down) visor would fix. I found flipping the helmet acted as a good shade for a short stretch of road as an alternative to being blinded.
2. When you just need to spit (I know, I know..) and do not want to stop and take your helmet off.

But, the extra weight and usually reduced integrity of the helmet aren't worth the advantages to me.

TheGingerBeardMan wrote:Whilst Snoods and Turtlenecks are fine for ''chilly ish'' days, they are no use for proper winter riding. (in my opinion)

They keep the gap between yer neck and jacket nice and snug, that's granted, but if it's over your nose, you will be breathing into it all the time.

I remember riding with longer turtlenecks and that is what happens. You breath into it for too long, becomes damp and awkward. I will at some point fit heated grips to the bike. I will also check out the anti-fog spray.

VTRDark wrote:If you ride a motorcycle through the winter months then your just have to accept the fact you gonna get cold and get a runny nose etc. Otherwise don't ride a bike...better still get out of the country and move somewhere with a better climate . . .

That is true, however, there is no need to torture yourself if there is an easy solution to the problem which will allow you to enjoy those winter months a little bit more. Also, the runny nose isn't just a winter problem.

and oh... sadly I have poor circulation in my hands which makes them very susceptible to cold. Seeing that I can't buy an improved body, I'll just have to find alternatives

Loo Kahs wrote: the runny nose isn't just a winter problem

That's a it of a bugger....especially if it drips on it's own accord in sunny weather too, and it's not associated with hayfever (or any other allergy?)

Have you spoken to your doc? You may be allergic to something you are eating or drinking on a regular basis. It may be a certain material in your clothing, or even the washing powder? (pulling on a jumper over her face when biological washing power was used, would set my ex gf into fits of sneezing).

They can do a skin test to see what may be setting the nose off. Or, they can maybe refer you to an ENT (Ear, nose and throat) clinic to get yer sinuses or Thyroid checked out? Might be worth a mention to them the next time yer up at the quacks.



Edit -I too have a bit of a numb time in the fingers. Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy. Nerve damage in the fingers from the Type 1 Diabetes. Heated grips would be a godsend to me, and I've even asked the Oxford peoples if I could have a set, free gratis. Alas, the answer was no. Well, you don't ask, you don't get!

TheGingerBeardMan wrote:

Loo Kahs wrote: the runny nose isn't just a winter problem

That's a it of a bugger....especially if it drips on it's own accord in sunny weather too, and it's not associated with hayfever (or any other allergy?)

Have you spoken to your doc? You may be allergic to something you are eating or drinking on a regular basis. It may be a certain material in your clothing, or even the washing powder? (pulling on a jumper over her face when biological washing power was used, would set my ex gf into fits of sneezing).

They can do a skin test to see what may be setting the nose off. Or, they can maybe refer you to an ENT (Ear, nose and throat) clinic to get yer sinuses or Thyroid checked out? Might be worth a mention to them the next time yer up at the quacks.



Edit -I too have a bit of a numb time in the fingers. Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy. Nerve damage in the fingers from the Type 1 Diabetes. Heated grips would be a godsend to me, and I've even asked the Oxford peoples if I could have a set, free gratis. Alas, the answer was no. Well, you don't ask, you don't get!

Could you not .... fuel the storm for a few unnecessary trips and get yourself the grips?

It's mostly sniffles rather than actual dripping, but the main issue being that it makes it harder to breath through the nose. But, yes I should probably see someone. I am still registered with my doctor in Aberdeen........