Real world rides, real world riders

Three-quarters of Brit bikers brave winter

More than three-quarters of those who took part in the Cold Killers Winter Riding Survey said they ride all year round; but a clear majority (65%) reported that they became so cold on occasion that they had to stop and warm up. A similar number (60%) experienced physical pain caused by cold and struggled to operate their machine’s controls.

In spite of the wide choice of heated kit and technical clothing available, less than half of those questioned (45%) choose to use it. Thicker/more insulated motorcycle jackets, trousers and gloves proved the most popular solution, with nearly 40% choosing them. A similar number complained that dressing for the cold was uncomfortable and made it difficult to move around on or off the bike.

“We’re really surprised by the number of riders who are braving the conditions to ride through the winter months,” comments Geoff Travell, managing director of Cold Killers. “It's no wonder they're struggling to cope if they're relying on thicker clothing to beat the cold. On a bike wind chill soon blasts out any warm air trapped inside thick winter clothing; you need a technical windproof layer, like Cold Killers, to form a protective barrier against wind chill.”

Key findings

• 74.8% ride during winter (December-February).
• 34.3% limit journey time/distance in cold conditions.
• 65.1% have had to break their journey to warm up.
• 60.4% have experienced physical pain and struggled to operate machine controls due to the cold.
• Only 29% use thermal base layers.
• 37.4% rely on thicker/more insulated motorcycle jacket/trousers/gloves.
• 38.1% find winter clothing bulky and uncomfortable, making it difficult to move around on or off the bike.