wow chicky, seems like you know alot of dicks.... around here we are all a great group of people... there is the occasional dick... but everyones pretty nice...

and just to comment on how male riders treat female riders... when i see one i give her mad respect. like you said, male dominated sport, and she is out there with all the guys and cagers just like everyone else. I dont look down on any rider, unless its the typical "biker" attitude. I have 2 bikes, and i see all types of bikers, and you can see who the real ones are...

 

You goddang right i do! I work with a bunch of sailors who are not forgiving at all. If you don't know your stuff they will be on you. Where I work its real cut throat and you will get yelled at for your stuff even being 2mm out of square. The motto here is "leave your feelings at the gate". Stuff in any other industry that you would be taken to HR for is overlooked here. Its whatever goes.

Even outside my job. I've never been able to slack just because I was a woman. Either I worked parallel to my male counterparts or I didnt work at all. I guess its the type lifestyle I chose for myself but if I expect to make the same money as a man I must work the same jobs a man does!

 

you got my undivided respect, chik... no doubt. thats not at all an easy job, let alone for a woman. i don't atereotype people tho because of their sex. i know plenty of girls wo will absolutely outride, outwrench and outwit 98% of the guys i know and run with.

guess you HAVE to have that mentality working with a bunch of horndogs..lol i'll agree with eric. when i see a chick rider, i'm like "hell yeah!" i love to see women riders.. for multiple reasons :P

but ya. definitely got a point about work and wages and all. i used to be a bit sexist til i got shut down a few times by chicks. thats a wake up call, and i'm a believer.. lol

 

I have a feeling she keeps those sailors in line! That's cool.

 

Isn't that exactly what you're doing? lol.

Rob

 

a wind screen properly sized for the rider (too short and you get it all in the face, too tall and it creates a bit of a vacuum that can shake your head around) makes a big difference in riding comfort. best 30$ i ever spent on the bike.

 

Nah, that only happens while I am climbing staging.

 

i started to ride with my gloves again. I only rode a few times w/o them b/c i could feel the bike better. ive been riding it a lot more. Omg i rode monday morning to work.
IT was so cold...any suggestions on how to keep warm?

 

bigger windscreen, slower speeds, and heated stuff.. thats about it.. or, move south! lol theres (sadly) only so much we can do to combat the cold..

 

How cold do you call cold?

I wear a textile jacket with armour, (wind and waterproof and more than adequate crash protection) boots, gloves and full face helmet all year round. Plus jeans and a short sleeved T-shirt. As a woman you might want to minimise the risk of scarring the legs by wearing something more substantial than jeans.

When mornings get below 5C (42F) I zip the thermal liner into the jacket. At 0 I add windproof overtrousers to keep wind chill off my knees, and a Damart balaclava under the helmet to stop wind blowing inside it. At -5C (23F) I think about taking the car. At -10C (14F) I always take the car.

If you're cold, think about outdoor activity type base layers - vest and long johns. Perhaps not what you want to wearing in the office all day though. Maintain core temperature by adding a fleece gillet under the jacket. I wear base layer stuff on the boat and it works well. I don't need it on the bike, but we're all different.


With the kind of riding gear I've described, your only other problem should be your hands. Heavy gloves limit sensitivity. Heated grips do nothing for the back of the hands or the fingertips (unless you ride with a death grip on the bars). Motorcycle couriers, who know a few things about being comfortable, swear by handlebar muffs which tie on to the bars. You can keep your light riding gloves as the hands just slip inside the muffs. Big fleece lined ones are warm as toast, but don't go with the biker chick look. Maybe a reality check here?

A screen is essential.

Being too cold or too wet, or otherwise uncomfortable increases the risk of an accident.

Rob