My name is Nick and I am a Cruiser Customizing employee. I have been riding bikes since I was 18 and will probably keep riding as long as I am physically able. My first bike was a 2002 Triumph TT600 which I loved to death... literally. I put over 30,000 miles on that bike in the first 2 years that I had it, apparently they dont last much longer than that. Since then my arsenal of bikes has extended to 2 Vulcan 1500's, a Suzuki Bandit 1200, a Virago 750 and a Honda Magna. I love to work on bikes almost as much as I love to ride them. I am currently a senior working on my engineering degree and I am loving every second of it.

If riding has taught me one thing, its that each day brings you a little more experience for the next one.

Ride Hard and Ride Safe

    So I just turned 21, so I am not the most experienced biker in the world but I have rode through a few winters.  Where I live it doesnt get too cold, it never snows, but it does get wet through the winter months and into spring.  Through those winters I have tried everything to keep warm and dry.  A nice jacket, some light rain gear and you should be good to go.  But once it starts getting real cold and the frost starts coming in there is nothing you can do to keep your hands warm enough.  Even the biggest, bulkiest gloves you can find will only delay the numbness and eventual stiffening of your hands.  I mean you might be okay for the first 5 or 10 or 15 miles but its really only a matter of time before your hands stop working.  This can be a real problem sometimes, and its just not fun.

    The answer is heated gear.  If you ride when its cold, go get some right now.  Even if you dont ride when it cold, if you got some heated gear you proabably would.  I got a nice pair of heated gloves and a heated vest and the difference is amazing.  Not only do your hands not go numb, they stay toasty warm.  Now I can focus on the road and just enjoy the ride.  Plus heated glove can have a lot thinner palms, so you dont feel like your wearing huge gloves that you cant move your hands in.  It hasnt really got cold just yet but I can tell Im really going to enjoy riding through the winter months. 

    Now I know what some of my buddies were talking about when they told me about what a difference heated gear makes.  You really cant grasp how much better it makes riding until you try it.  So go try it.  Widder makes some nice heated gear, but also First Gear does and it has a nice heat controller so your hands or vest dont get too hot.

If you have any experiences or preferences toward wearing heated gear or not I would love to hear them.  However I cant imagine any biker not using heated gear after trying it.