It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. But if you’re a winter rider who feels the cold, in true Christmas panto tradition, oh no it isn’t!
So we’ve come up with some winter-warmers to help keep the cold at bay.
They also provide some inspiration for Christmas gifts and stocking fillers. Why not drop a hint to your loved ones… or get them to sign up for our monthly newsletter too?
Heated grips are particularly popular so we’re doing a special offer on Oxford products for £129.99 including fitting.
Another way to keep hands happy are heated gloves. They can either be plugged into the bike’s electrical system or battery-powered.
Dave Forster, parts, clothing and accessories manager, said: “The advantage of heated gloves, over heated grips, is that gloves heat the whole of your hand, right down to the fingertips and also the backs.”
Our bike-powered heated gloves, complete with a heat control built into the cuff, are priced from £169.99.
Keeping warm is about wearing layers and under layers beneath normal clothing can help warm the cockles.
We’ve got Oxford and Knox Cold Killers tops and bottoms in stock and a new line of Rev’It base layers, for both summer and winter, will arrive soon. If you want to wait to buy those, then our gift vouchers would make an ideal Christmas gift.
More riders are getting into laminated motorbike jackets and trousers which are becoming increasingly popular to keep you warm and dry.
This laminated clothing has a waterproof membrane bonded to the inside of the thick outer material. A ‘normal’ two or three-layer jacket has a waterproof membrane inserted into the inner jacket.
When riding in heavy rain, the laminated membrane stops the outer material absorbing so much water which means the clothing does not get so wet, cold or heavy. And, because the water runs off the clothing better, the rider does not drip puddles of water when they got off their bike!
Dave said: “It keeps you warmer because you have not got that layer of cold water. And laminated clothing also dries out faster because it is not sodden with water.
Our laminated jackets are priced £340 to £679 with trousers £260 to £500.
We also have a range of unheated winter gloves, including laminated, waterproof Gore-Tex ones, with prices ranging from £30 to £130.
“A pair of good gloves are well worth investing in because they keep your hands warm and dry but Gore-Tex lets them breathe so they don’t get clammy.”
If you’re looking for affordable stocking fillers how about silk or merino undergloves, balaclavas and neck-warmers? And thermal or waterproof socks are great to keep toes toasty.
“Neck-warmers make great stocking fillers and you can never have too many of them,” said Dave.
You can see more of our winter-warmers in the clothing section of our online shop at orwell.co.uk/shop