Gerbing Heated Gear

eemsreno

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I recently went full Gerbing heated gear, It's a game changer in cold weather riding. I now think that I can stay warm in about any temps.
That said I do think they could have done a better job on some of their ways.
Take the pant liners for example, they have Velcro around the ankle that is needed to hold the liner in place as I put my adventure pants on over them, the problem is that the plug in to my insoles is on the inside of the liners, And it's not even at the bottom of the liner. that forces me to undo the Velcro and dig around up under the liner to find the plug in. Why not just bring it through to the outside of the bottom of the liners? I might melt a hole in the liners to poke the plug out through.
Then there is the jacket liner, It has no heat in the bottom 1/3rd of the jacket, so there is a cold spot above the belt line up to the middle of the jacket. Why they would do that I just can't figure.
Then there is the new digital duel controller, It has 10 heat settings and works great, That is until I carry that flip phone Michelle got for our home phone. If someone calls or text while I'm ridding the heat settings go to MAX.
The solution to that might be go back to not carrying that phone.
I'm really not trying to complain it's just after thinking that I was getting the best heated gear out there, I don't think they have tested their product enough. I wander if they even ride.

Steve
 

holligl

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I recently went full Gerbing heated gear, It's a game changer in cold weather riding. I now think that I can stay warm in about any temps.
That said I do think they could have done a better job on some of their ways.
Take the pant liners for example, they have Velcro around the ankle that is needed to hold the liner in place as I put my adventure pants on over them, the problem is that the plug in to my insoles is on the inside of the liners, And it's not even at the bottom of the liner. that forces me to undo the Velcro and dig around up under the liner to find the plug in. Why not just bring it through to the outside of the bottom of the liners? I might melt a hole in the liners to poke the plug out through.
Then there is the jacket liner, It has no heat in the bottom 1/3rd of the jacket, so there is a cold spot above the belt line up to the middle of the jacket. Why they would do that I just can't figure.
Then there is the new digital duel controller, It has 10 heat settings and works great, That is until I carry that flip phone Michelle got for our home phone. If someone calls or text while I'm ridding the heat settings go to MAX.
The solution to that might be go back to not carrying that phone.
I'm really not trying to complain it's just after thinking that I was getting the best heated gear out there, I don't think they have tested their product enough. I wander if they even ride.

Steve
That's really strange with the phone. One of your grandkids can probably figure out the settings for you! I have an old fashioned dial dual controller that would be more your style!

Also strange with the lower part of the jacket. I have an older Gerbings jacket I bought used and heat goes down to the bottom of the jacket. See if you can feel the wires inside, where they are located. If there are wires there, but no heat, maybe a wire is broken and you need a warranty claim. Their phone number in my jacket is 800-646-5916. I would use that flip phone to give them a call!

Oh, and watch out for that black ice!

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holligl

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If this is the jacket you got, you can see where the heat is supposed to be which appears to be about the waistline, not down over the butt. Mine is a shorter jacket.


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holligl

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That picture matches Steve's description exactly. The bottom portion of the jacket is not heated.
But I would think the pant liners would heat the butt area.

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holligl

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Steve, do you have this remote too, or just the phone app? If not, this addition would probably be significantly better for an additional $25. The phone app appears to get terrible reviews, and is probably bad on any phone.


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Lautarooo

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I went with warm and safe, i think the price is a little more. I chose the cheaper heated long sleeve shirt rather than the jacket. It has lower amps however you can put a couple sweaters over it to trap the heat, plus the motorcycle jacket. In the case of the jacket you have to wear just a tshirt for it to work apparently, which wasnt my bag.
I really like everything about it. The whole kit gets very toasty. However, for some reason the gloves seem a bit underpowered compared to everything else for some reason. The gloves are hooked up to the heated shirt so when you crank it to warm up the hands, the shirt gets too hot. I will buy an extension i think to hook up the socks and gloves in tandem which should even things out. Very recommended. Im very very happy to extend the season.
 

eemsreno

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That's really strange with the phone. One of your grandkids can probably figure out the settings for you! I have an old fashioned dial dual controller that would be more your style!

Also strange with the lower part of the jacket. I have an older Gerbings jacket I bought used and heat goes down to the bottom of the jacket. See if you can feel the wires inside, where they are located. If there are wires there, but no heat, maybe a wire is broken and you need a warranty claim. Their phone number in my jacket is 800-646-5916. I would use that flip phone to give them a call!

Oh, and watch out for that black ice!

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I don't have that Bluetooth device that control the controller, I think you have to have a smart phone for it to work.
Michelle has a Gerbing jacket liner and hers is the same as mine, no wiring in the lower 1/3ed. It is actually my belly that feels the cold from no heat in the lower mid area, not my butt.
 

holligl

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I don't have that Bluetooth device that control the controller, I think you have to have a smart phone for it to work.
Michelle has a Gerbing jacket liner and hers is the same as mine, no wiring in the lower 1/3ed. It is actually my belly that feels the cold from no heat in the lower mid area, not my butt.
You might need the phone to setup the remote controller, but I suspect the phone is not needed during operation with the remote control, if at all. The intent of the remote control is to put it where ever it is most conveinient for you to operate. You could call Gerbings or a supplier like Revzilla to find out details. I would definitely work to get the phone out of the equation, given the low performance ratings of the app.
 

holligl

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I've been told when using heated gear you don't want "toasty" because you end up sweating, which is really bad, and will defeat the purpose. You want to use just enough heat to keep the cold at bay.

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Cycledude

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When I first bought heated gear I just bought the on-off switch figuring I didn’t need the variable controller, well it didn’t take long to learn the variable controller is a much better option because if you leave the basic on off switch on a little to long you start sweating and if you get chilled its nearly impossible to get warm again, in my opinion the variable controller is a much better option.
 

Tenman

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I got the gerbing dual controller for my warm n safe liners after having 2 warm and safe controllers croak on me. So far it’s great. The Major drawback to heated gear is you FREEZE if something goes out. I carry an xtra jacket backup if it’s really cold.
 

yoyo

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I've been told when using heated gear you don't want "toasty" because you end up sweating, which is really bad, and will defeat the purpose. You want to use just enough heat to keep the cold at bay.

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I read the same thing after I burned myself with my Gerbing jacket, I was trying to get warm rather than being not cold, I had it set too high and burned my neck lol

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Dirt_Dad

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You might find the pant liner isn't really needed. It's all personal preference. I hate being cold, but never had heated pant liners or insoles.

When I left to make the 90 minute ride to Romney to pick up DM's 2017 Tenere I think it was 18 degrees. Had no issues with just heated gloves, heated jacket liner, long john pant, and Hot Hand Toe warmers stuck to my socks. I believe the rest of my gear was the same Klim stuff you and I wear every ride.

Not claiming to be tough, I despise being cold. Just never found the need for any electric warmers below the waist.
 

yen_powell

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When I moved 50 miles away from work in 1997 in the middle of winter I decided I needed some heated clothing for the daily 100 mile round trip. I tried my friends heated vest and gloves to see how I got on, not sure of the make, but it convinced me that it was a good idea, but his vest had a heated collar which made my visor steam up when I stopped at traffic lights. I ended up buying a Widder vest (no collar) and a pair of gloves. The vest, although thin did quite a good job of stopping wind chill, even when switched off.

The vest was in use till last year when it was being used open as I could no longer get it zipped up. Who knew stuff shrunk as you get older! The gloves lasted a few years then stopped working, I bought a second pair and these lasted a few years , then they too stopped working. I gave up on the gloves and stuck with the vest. Used those 2 finger Pathan gloves on the very coldest days instead, these were even better when I finally got heated grips. I had bought a simple on off switch in the original purchase, purely because it was easy to repair and over the years all the wiring got slightly shorter as I cut and rejoined the connections many times.

I finally decided to buy a larger size in vest quite a while ago only to find out that Widder had given up, so left it until this year when I bought a Keis vest, I like that the connectors sit in a zipped pocket until I need it. Still went for an simple on-off switch, but these ones are sealed connections so less likely to get damaged or corroded.
 

lddave

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Mike Kneebone bought up all of Widders stock when they went out of business. He sells it thru the Iron Butt Association page.
 

yen_powell

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Mike Kneebone bought up all of Widders stock when they went out of business. He sells it thru the Iron Butt Association page.
I did see that advertised a few years ago, but I think that the postage problem made it unaffordable.
 
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