Hot Head

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From the title of this posting, you might think this is a tome about road rage. 

It isn't.

Instead, it is about a way to get a good warm start on a cold day.

Recall that I ride year around here in South Carolina, so I need to keep warm as I sally forth on my cool-season adventures. 

It dawned on me the other day when the outside temperature was hovering at the freezing mark, and I had not brought my helmet in from the garage to warm it up the evening before, to heat it up some before donning. 

My solution:

High tech, huh?

I found that the heat from the furnace warmed it up nicely, and it felt quite cozy when I put it on.  The feeling lasted for a surprisingly long time after I got out into the cold and wind of the ride. 

Now, it doesn't substitute for bundling up to preserve your body heat, but it helps get a good start on staying warm.  I have written several times before about Dressing for Cold Weather Riding: Here, here, and here.  I still use those techniques to keep comfortable, even on long rides in the winter.

In fact, I just reinstalled my pair of Hippo Hands over the heated grips last week, and rode in toasty comfort for several hours on Saturday, in temperatures under 45 degrees. 

The helmet on the register trick also works in the summer, when a sweaty helmet needs to be dried out -- and aired out.  The cool, dry air from the air conditioner does the trick nicely. 

How do you keep warm when its cool? 
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