GravelMN

My wife gave me Bar Mitts for Christmas and today was my first chance to try them out. The XL size MTB mitts fit over my bar ends perfectly with plenty of room for even heavy gloves. Today I went out in a slightly below zero F windchill wearing only light fall gloves that I would normally wear at maybe 35-50F. I was out for an hour before my fingers even started to get cold. I really recommend these for winter riders. Normally I'd be wearing heavy Ice Armor snowmobile gloves or mittens in this weather.

While I was out, I was wondering, has anyone tried just dropping chemical hand warmers into the bottom of the Bar Mitts? I was thinking of maybe adding an elastic loop inside the mitts near my fingertips to keep a hand warmer in place. I've tried the small warmers, but in water/windproof gloves, they don't get enough O2 and quit working after 30-60 minutes and they tend to heat the back of my hand instead of the fingertips. The medium sized warmers claim to last 8 to 10 hours and with the slight ventilation from the gaps where the cables go through the mitts and the openings at the rear, I was thinking they'd get more O2 than they would inside a glove. There is also a fair amount of air space around your fingers inside the mitts.

noglider 

I like that idea.

I'm thinking of getting bar mitts. I wish they weren't so expensive.

bruised

I bought a pair of these for $16 and they work just fine

https://www.amazon.com/ScootR-Logic-S...r+hand+warmers

Yeah they don't look fancy but they keep the wind off.
Now if only I could find a pair for my feet.

GravelMN

Just a quick check on Amazon has them at about $40 which is pretty close to what you'd pay for Ice Armor or other extreme weather gloves. Not cheap but not much different than a pair of good cycling shorts, a helmet or many bike accessories.

chandltp

I have those on 2 of my flat bar winter bikes as well. They work good for me too. I modified them by putting a hole in them and using a bar end plug (or bar end mirror) to hold them in place on the handlebars.

For my feet, I found some low top insulated hunting shoes on clearance. But if you use clipless, that won't help much.

Leebo

How about those toe heaters that have an adhesive? Just stick them to the bar.

GravelMN

That's a good thought. If they don't leave residue, I could even stick them inside the mitts.

modernjess

I too just bought a christmas present for myself, a pair of 45NRTH Cobrafists for the Fat bike. Just installed them last night, haven't gotten out with them yet.

They have a little mesh pouch in the bottom of them for chemical hand warmers, but honestly these things are so well insulated I don't know that I'd use that feature very often, but it's good to have the option. As far as air flow you can open vent zippers from the inside or outside to let air in if it they get too warm.

I'll report back after a few rides.

Daniel4

I'm assuming the brake levers are also inside the bar mitts. But how about the bell? Who can hear a bike bell if it's ringing inside the mitts?

chandltp

I've never needed a bell on a winter bike. But no, I can't see how it would work. Maybe one of those battery operated horns with a remote (if they exists).

modernjess

Yeah, everything is inside the pogies. Shifters, brakes, lockouts, bells, hand warmers, lunch, a family of racoons, whatever. A bell will still work fine however it'll have a warmer more muffled tone.

No bell for me in the winter, voice commands are fine.

at_hiker59

I love my BarMitts! A couple of handwarmers thrown in and my hands are toasty warm. I have enough room on my flat bar to have my bell outside the BarMitt. But pulling my hand out to use it is too late.

nkfrench 

I like my BarMitts for rides too cold for my mid-weight gloves (PI Cyclone gloves).
I have a road bike but I almost always am riding on the hoods not in the bar top or drops. The limited hand positions isn't a problem.
I got a size XL to give my hands a little more room to work the brifters. It's still a little cramped in there for shifting and braking, but livable.

I used to commute on cold mornings, then in the afternoon it was too hot for all the cold weather outer layers. Pannier space was limited.
BarMitts fold up flat and fit nicely into a pannier, unlike bulky thick gloves.
BarMitts don't need to be laundered (I wash my gloves after every few rides).
BarMitts allow more dexterity than thick gloves, both on the brifters and also to work a zipper, adjust glasses, drink from bottle.

As far as the bell - I have a nice brass headstem spacer bell. On cold days there aren't many people I need to ring it for, so either way it's not an issue.

timtak

The sleeves off an old 5mm wetsuit work as bar mitts.

Bar Sleeves by Timothy Takemoto, on Flickr
I didn't used them much but they worked, on the hoods.