Commuting & Heated Gloves – December 28

My left heated glove failed and the temp was 18F. Over the last few days my left heated glove hasn’t been working consistently. It has been producing far less heat than the right. I tried swapping cables, but that didn’t seem to help.

They finally quit, and I pulled out my unheated winter riding gloves instead. My hand was cold by the time I made it to work, but not nearly as cold as it would have been wearing the failed heated glove. The Tourmaster heated gloves only have 40gm of insulation, and they get cold very quickly without heat.

From previous experience with my vest, I knew I had to return the failed item to the place of purchase to use the three year warranty. Unfortunately for me, I purchased these gloves from Motorcycle Superstore. I called them to see if we could speed up the process. Like a broken robot, they kept repeating it would be six to eight weeks -- I ship them the gloves, they ship them to Tourmaster, Tourmaster sends them back to them, and then they ship to me.

Their solution for my current needs was for me to purchase another pair of gloves. I told them I would, but it wouldn’t be from them. I had been researching other heated gloves over the weekend in preparation of the impending failure. I decided to get Gerbings this time around (lifetime warranty directly with Gerbing).

I called around and found a local place 35 miles away that had gloves in stock and in my size. The sun had finally come out by the time I left work, so I was able to enjoy the blue sky as I rode down on I35. Since the sun was low, every time the road twisted to the southwest, everyone on the road was momentarily blinded and slowed down. The frequent slow speeds helped my unheated hands make it.

I finally settled on a pair of medium G3 Gerbing gloves. They are all leather with a microwire heating element. I almost purchased a small pair of the new T5 gloves, but the G3s fit my hands better. The sizing on the Gerbing gloves is a bit off compared to other major brands (I normally wear a large), but the sizing chart is surprisingly accurate.

In the parking lot, I tried to install the battery harness in the 16F dark, but I forgot to bring my 8mm wrench for the battery posts. I tried my leatherman and some pliers, but it wasn’t working – I couldn’t properly grip the nut and the bolt separately. I rode home with the new gloves on, but without heat (my vest was on high).

My feet were more cold than my hands by the time I rode the 35 traffic-free miles. The new gloves have 100gms of insulation and seemed warmer than my regular winter riding gloves. I need to get some Nik-Wax to treat the leather of the new gloves.

I enjoyed my riding today, and am looking forward to the –6F predicted in a few days! I have added two 8mm wrenches to my on-bike tool collection.