Winter Cycling - Poor Man's Pogies

Actually, I call them 'hand fairings.'

In my quest for warmer hands, I decided my gloves need a little help when it gets cold. I really wanted to buy some Moose Mitts or something of that ilk, but didn't have the coin to spare for that (or some decent gloves, for that matter).

Gallon size plastic milk jugs to the rescue! :thumb:

I cut one milk jug in half top to bottom and fastened each half to either side of the handlebars with zip ties. I'm running trekking (butterfly) bars with some bar ends mounted inboard, which makes this installation easy. As soon as I finish my next gallon of milk, I'll try the same thing on my LHT with drop bars and I'll report back.

They work well at keeping my hands from getting too cold. They do offer some wind resistance, but it's a small price to pay given the alternative. The fairings are mounted so that there's enough space for my gloved hands in the forward position and there's no interference with other hand positions, either.

Here are the crappy cellphone pix. Keep in mind that this is purely functional - I'm not trying to impress anybody but my hands. Yes, they're ugly, but they work. I can also remove and reinstall them quickly.

Apologies if this has been covered before - just thought I'd share. Enjoy!

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Paint them with fancy designs and sell them for $19.99 !

Ha! If I had the time...

I'm open to suggestions for a design!

I certainly appreciate the think for yourself part, and the cheap part. (Both noble causes imo)

I ride in some pretty cold weather and my best equipment so far is just 2 pairs of mitts. One inside the other. Just found that one by accident when it was about -34 C, I had to go a ways, dug through my stuff until I found 2 compatible pairs.

What sort of temperatures are you riding in? If it is cold enough i suggest using a vapour barrier style setup.

Necessity is the mother of invention!

I recently used a cut up milk jug to fix my shattered plastic fender. I plan to use one to make ear fairings and attach them to my helmet.

How do you wear two pairs of mittens? I wear size large or extra large, and I can't get my be-gloved hand into another glove, even a size extra large.

I'm in the Baltimore area, so it doesn't get extremely cold. We've had early mornings in the mid 'teens and I've been experimenting with layers to find that sweet spot. Trouble is, my hands appear to be getting more susceptible to cold. I hadn't thought about a vapor barrier before - I might try putting on some exam gloves under the regular gloves. Thanks, elektrik!

Mittens are probably a better alternative to gloves, since there's less surface to lose heat around the fingers. I'm waiting for those end-of-winter sales! Either way, the fairings do a good job of reducing the wind on my hands, so I'll probably continue to use them after I find a pair of decent mittens.

Noglider, I'd like to see pictures once you perfect your ear fairings - that sounds like a great idea! I spoke with an audiologist recently, and he said that one really needs to wear hearing protection when riding a bicycle. Your ear fairings might help in that regard, also.

I appreciate the concept, I wouldn't have thought of it. I had played with the idea of either Moose mitts or pogies, but, I was concerned with how they would work/fit with trekking bars. I wasn't sure, so I didn't order them. I really like the trekking bars.

Yeah, it's really annoying how I get SO much wind noise on the bike. I turn my head just a bit, and it all goes away. But I can't see that way. I notice that when I block my ears with my hands, it goes away, so I have an idea of what the shape should be.

It's not just the wind noise, either. Add cars whooshing past, especially the 'muscle cars' that have to gun it as they pass you, trucks, etc. The combination of the tire and engine noise, plus the wind in your ears can do long-term damage to your hearing. I'm going to start wearing earplugs (not too tight so I can still hear death approach from the rear) and see if I notice a difference. I don't look forward to yet ANOTHER thing to put on before I ride, though.

Necessity is the mother of invention!

I recently used a cut up milk jug to fix my shattered plastic fender. I plan to use one to make ear fairings and attach them to my helmet.

Something like these?
http://slipstreamz.com/content.asp?subID=8
http://urbanbicycles.googlepages.com/slipstreamear.jpg/slipstreamear-full.jpg

Yeah, it's really annoying how I get SO much wind noise on the bike. I turn my head just a bit, and it all goes away. But I can't see that way. I notice that when I block my ears with my hands, it goes away, so I have an idea of what the shape should be.

If you can sew, or know someone who can, you can make your own ear covers for your helmet... they keep your ears warmer and do block a good deal of noise without muting things completely.

These may have taken me 20 minutes to make and the pattern is really simple.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/earflap1.jpg

Thanks. I can't really sew, but I've been meaning to learn. I might ask for the pattern, but it's not that cold here. I'm thinking my fairing would be open on the sides and back. It would be sort of like a sideways motorcycle fairing.

If you can sew, or know someone who can, you can make your own ear covers for your helmet... they keep your ears warmer and do block a good deal of noise without muting things completely.

These may have taken me 20 minutes to make and the pattern is really simple.

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikepics/earflap1.jpg

That looks really nifty! I imagine one could make those with an old microfiber fleece hat or some other material.

Are you willing to share the pattern with us? :)

That looks really nifty! I imagine one could make those with an old microfiber fleece hat or some other material.

Are you willing to share the pattern with us? :)

Sure...

For one earflap...

Cut two matching triangles (you will need 4 altogether) with the top edge being 5.5 inches across and with a side length of six inches where it tapers to the lower point. I am allowing 1/2 and inch per side to allow for the seam so the finished width will be 4.5 inches. Instead of a completely straight edge I have a subtle arc at the top of my ear flaps to follow the line of my helmet.

At what will be the bottom, trim the point so that you will have a 1.5 inch edge as this is where the helmet strap and clip will need to pass through.

Before sewing the sides together you need to sew some velcro to each side at a point 2 inches from the edge you just cut and at the center of the ear flap. When the ear covers goes on this velcro will secure the ear flap above the V where the front and rear straps meet and keep it from slipping down. This is critical.

Sew the sides together from the inside (the velcro pieces will be facing out when you do this, flip it inside out and voila... your ear flap is done.

Repeat for earflap 2 and it is of course best to cut the 4 pieces of fabric at the same time to make sure the finished ear flaps are the same size.

fleece is great as it does not need to have the open edges sewn as it does not fray... I have also made these with old sweaters and the open edges need to have a seam to prevent them from fraying. I have actually found the wool ear flaps to be too warm and they can also be made with felt.

One can adjust this pattern depending on your helmet and head size... my ear flaps come down fairly low and add a little padding to where my helmet strap passes under my jaw which is rather nice.