Riding in Winter can be painful without the right gear. Trust me, I’ve tried a bit of everything. I am not a fan of the cold by any means and here it is just plain and simple, you need the right gear to keep you warm when riding an ebike. Because of their speed, staying warm on them is much like riding a motorcycle in winter. You need incredibly warm gear to withstand the cold, and that’s what I’m going to talk about today!
Below is a simplified list of all the gear that makes me warm during my rides. Working our way from the top of our body to bottom, here’s all of my favorite gear that I wear on a daily basis, to use during cold rides.
Head
I use a full face helmet during every ride. I have one equipped for winter and a lighter weight helmet for summer. The winter one has a full face shield and I combine it with a balaclava to keep my face nice and warm, and shielded from the wind.
Another thing that drove me nuts in winter was when my face shield would fog. You can easily fog your helmet up, especially in cold weather and that can be frustrating and a little unsafe. Anti-fog liners for your face shield work wonders and keep the moisture out of your vision. They are awesome and work really well and worth spending a little extra to make your ebike rides enjoyable.
To keep my neck warm, this Neck Gaiter/Balaclava I found has been awesome! It’s super thick and windproof. This made my riding adventure that much more tolerable and it might be my favorite piece of gear that I use.
Body
I use moisture wicking full body thermal underwear. This has been a game changer and is probably the thing that keeps me the most warm during my rides. Since they are moisture wicking, they really help you from becoming stinky from all of that sweat. It also makes it easy to put on and take off when needed, since they don’t really stick to your skin. I pair them with a nice windproof coat and windproof pants, that make this the ultimate package to keep you warm, no matter the conditions.
Hands and Feet
Working our way down to the hands and feet, the most important to me (I hate having cold hands and feet). I found some pretty nice products over the years of testing, so I’m going to share those things with you today.
My favorite gloves that I have found (that are not battery operated) are the MOREOK Winter Gloves. They have a 3M Thinsulate liner, are touchscreen capable (and they actually work well), and are super grippy for hanging on to those handlebars. They are also not overly thick, so this makes them nice to switch from brake to throttle. I have been using the pair I bought a ton, and they still look as good as new. I don’t even notice any signs of wear, so they have held up to all of my abuse! So, I can highly recommend those!
Next, for my feet, these things are amazing! They are soft, warm, and very very comfortable. I sometimes find myself just wearing them around the house, because they are THAT comfy! I’m talking about these Merino Wool socks. When I was researching for a pair of socks to wear with my winter boots, these popped up. I went and purchased a pair and never looked back! They have been keeping my feet at the perfect temperature and I absolutely love them!
As far as shoes go, it all depends on what you are comfortable with. Some people don’t like wearing boots while riding their ebikes, and I totally understand, but boots work great for me. I use two different pair of Salomon hiking boots/shoes. For their shoes, I’m using the Salomon Speedcross 5 with Gore-Tex and for my boots, I have the Salomon Men’s X Ultra Pioneer Mid Climasalomon Waterproof Boots.
If you’re planning on going out during or after a rain/snow storm, I would highly recommend getting a waterproof mid-sized boot. They are easy to clean and keep your feet dry if you happen to fall into show/puddle. Not to mention, they are rugged and will hold up to any abuse you put them through, which makes them a great choice when riding an ebike.
Battery Operated Gear
Now if you noticed, I did not include any thing that charges in the list above. I wanted a clear, non-charging list of products that anyone could pick up and use. Now as far as heated gear, these are my recommendations and I will be testing a bunch of these products over the next few months, so stay tuned to see those in my Winter Gear Video!
I’ll be testing a few things from Savior Heat. First, their lightweight heated gloves look like the perfect match for ebike riders. They can last up-to 8 hours on low, and 2 hours on high. To me, that seems like plenty, to give you the ability to still enjoy your ebikes and not have to worry about being cold. Paired with a set of their heated socks, I think these two things alone will be enough to keep you from going back inside! I would even throw on one of their heated vests/coats. I usually don’t feel the need for one of those, with my windproof jacket, but you have options now!
Winter Gear for your Ebike
As far as winter gear for the bike itself goes, here are a few things that shield you from the cold and keep you riding safe.
If you ride a lot in the snow, check out Veetireco’s line-up of winter tires. Some are heavily treaded, while other actually have metal spikes. If it ever snows/ices here, I will be testing out the set that I have!
These things are super weird looking, but they work great at keeping the wind away from your hands and going up inside your coat. The Odier Handlebar Mitts not only keep the cold away, but also allow you to have full use of your ebike! It takes some getting used to, but these have been a great addition to my winter gear setup!
More important than probably and of the gear I listed for your body, I would definitely invest in lighting. Winter days quickly turn into night and it should be a priority to have some lighting on your ebike, aside from what comes pre-installed on your bike.
I will be reviewing and showing off a couple of bike lights from Magicshine. I will be testing both the Magicshine SEEMEE DV (rear camera light) and the MJ-900S headlight, in an upcoming video. I think will pair well and keep you nice and visible, as well as the security of having your ride recorded. If you’re interested in purchasing a Magicshine light, check out their website and save 15% with code RandyRides. Stay tuned for that one, coming up in a few weeks! I’ve been wanting to test that camera light for a long time!
Conclusion
I know a lot of this gear is pricey. I have been collecting my things for many years. Testing and going over several products, to give you the best options. I hope that this list helps you out with keeping warm this winter! Keeping warm and safe while out on an ebike is a very important topic to me. I will be going over this heavily in my next video.
Let’s keep putting in them miles (and staying warm while doing it)!
