Commuting - Kinda neat handlebar covers for winter riding

Have any of you ever seen these handlebar covers for winter riding? They are not uncommon in Japan.

I used them and found that they can keep my hands warm -without gloves- even with temperatures below freezing.

A bigger, beefier version is commonly used by motorcyclists and motorcycle delivery people.

The pic makes them look bigger than they really are - it's an optical illusion.

What do you think?

i've seen something similar quite often on motorcycles and mopeds and briefly considered, but never really thought about for bike commuting.

where can you get them, how much do they cost and how do they attach to the bike/bars?

do they work if you have bar-ends?

anything special with brake-levers and shifters?

for really cold weather riding it seems like a great idea! as wind is the main thing that chills your hands.

Pogies!!!

Kayakers use them all the time.

Dave

This mornings commute consisted of a brisk headwind that had my fingers freezing. The wind seems to blow right through my over-priced Pearl Izumi gloves. But, if I would have had wind guards for my handlebars, I would have arrived toasty warm. I am going to have to look into some of those.

Originally posted by nathank
i've seen something similar quite often on motorcycles and mopeds and briefly considered, but never really thought about for bike commuting.

where can you get them, how much do they cost and how do they attach to the bike/bars?

do they work if you have bar-ends?

anything special with brake-levers and shifters?

for really cold weather riding it seems like a great idea! as wind is the main thing that chills your hands.

I got these in Japan. They are pretty common there. I like the elastic cuff on the inside that wraps around your wrist to keep the cold out. It really is impressive how warm they keep your hands.

OF COURSE, if you leave your bicycle outside all night, the grips and brake levers get awful cold, so that is a shock when you first grab the grips ::eek:

Now, I am not posting here to draw your attention, but if you want some, see the Buy, Sell, Trade topic of BikeForums.com. See http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?threadid=18808

For a girl's pair, see http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?threadid=18810

These are the only two I have. The black Maruto are more sturdy and block the wind better.

The covers fit over the brakes and the handlebar grips. I had trouble mounting them on my MTNbike because the trigger shifter + the brakes are a massive combination and would not fit through the hole in the covers. Previously, I had grip shifters and that worke well.

They do work slick; especially against the wind.

Here is a pic of the girl's pairhttp://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?postid=150086