Without mine I would be suffering with neck aches and migraines.
I was fed-up with them so I Googled the causes and discovered that when the tendons in our necks get cold, they spasm which pulls on the ‘skin’ our brain is encased in causing pain. The discomfort leads to the brain being unable to cope and developing the migraine symptoms…
Since I started keeping my neck warm all around (No gaps to cause the problem!) I have only suffered when I left the Buff / Snood off. Magic
Tencon, same here: I get neck pain and headache in cold weather if I don’t keep my neck (and head, of course) warm. It clearly starts with the neck and then goes up to the head. Feels like bad tension.
Yeah, I have a wool buff, and it is just wonderful. It’s extremely versatile, and although it is pretty thin, it is all I need for my head and neck (usually I combine it with a cap though) unless it is well below freezing.
That doesn’t work Y… It does nothing for those annoyingly fat drops of ice cold rain that invariably go down the back of your neck, just as you’re looking down at something.
@ Pappy Al – just looked at the link. 4-way stretch? OK, I understand vertical and horizontal – but the other two? Thickness? 4th dimension so you can put it on and off without removing the helmet? Chrono-stretch so you can have it before you buy it, or maybe have it last forever?
I’ve long used the polarfleecey gaitors on my neck, sometimes two going up to meet my stormey kromer cap or helmet. Good and comfy when I’m dog skatejoring or sledding in -20F temps.
On the bicycle I’ve just been using one or two wool amana scarves. Once the internal furnace gets going..
For me its the ears. I have to keep the cold wind out of my ears or I get the worst earaches which ruins most of the day. I wear a beanie that I can pull down over my ears, which fits under my helmet pretty well. Another item I like is ear muffs called 180′s. They fit behind the head rather that over the top, so they are great with a cap or helmet. They are also thin profile so they don’t look like a big puff stuck on each ear. When its not too cold but just windy, I stuff a small peice of cotton ball in each ear to keep the wind/cold out.
Anyone from the UK here? Just saw this shocking BBC documentary about the interaction between cyclists and other road users. War on Britain’s Roads http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01p7q2l/War_on_Britains_Roads/ You won’t be able to watch it if you’re not in the UK but I’m sure it’s around somewhere. In summary there are mad drivers and mad cyclists out there, be safe everyone!
I have only once ever seen a neck gaitor for sale. I bought it and regretted buying the crap. It was sewn fleece, not stretchy, and very fuzzy. It got wet fast and left bits of fiber on my lips. I’ve got a pair (where IS the purple one?) of acrylic knit neck tubes and I wish I could find more because they’re fantastic. I roll a silk scar into a narrow band to tie across the top of my nose and across my cheeks. Then the neck gaitor pulled up over my chin with the hat finishing the whole shebang on top. Toss on a parka and my main problem is being too warm if I pedal hard. But these days my health doesn’t let me exert myself too much so that’s not an issue.
I learned a trick from the bikers (and by “biker” I mean motorcyclist, not the new meaning of the word), have a handkerchief on my neck to protect against wind. Works well and I can wrap a scarf around that if I need to as well.
I’ve seen some special motorcycle neck things, a triangle of leather with velcro on two corners to connect behind your neck. Pretty neat.
I have a couple of ‘buff’ type neck-tubes, a leather neck-wrap, a light fleece balaclava, a fleece neck-gaiter and several different bandannas. They all work well, but one of my favorite pieces of winter gear is an arab-style kufiyeh. It’s a light cotton that is surprisingly warm and wind-proof when it’s doubled over.
It also looks frikkin’ badass with the leather jacket!
It hasn’t gotten cold enough for me to wear it this year though…
My old solution was an old full-face motorcycle helmet for winter use only, but my last one fell apart 2 winters ago and I haven’t gotten a replacement yet. My current solution is to make a face mask from a Halloween mask (the Michael Myers mask) and trim it to fit under the helmet and put in baffles that keep my glasses from fogging up and a bolt to attach the front part of an old pair of glasses to the outside of the mask. I haven’t ridden with it yet but it looks super badass.
oh Yehuda, surely you can sell the man a neck gaiter, it’s not like it’s made of lycra!
He’s worried about his neck?? What about his pate? How does he keep that warm under a helmet.
Oops, sorry, helmet debate approaching.
My noggin’s too big to wear anything under a helmet. I’m lucky to be able to find one that even fits. Can even find hats in my size.
That might be a blue toque he’s pulling off in the first frame. Doesn’t look like a helmet to me.
There’s no need for a helmet debate, because a frozen brain is hard enough to abstain from wearing a helmet.
SCNR.
I have several buffs. Great piece of kit. I wear one as a ‘bandana’ under the helmet, another one round my neck.
Good Post
Without mine I would be suffering with neck aches and migraines.
I was fed-up with them so I Googled the causes and discovered that when the tendons in our necks get cold, they spasm which pulls on the ‘skin’ our brain is encased in causing pain. The discomfort leads to the brain being unable to cope and developing the migraine symptoms…
Since I started keeping my neck warm all around (No gaps to cause the problem!) I have only suffered when I left the Buff / Snood off. Magic
Tencon, same here: I get neck pain and headache in cold weather if I don’t keep my neck (and head, of course) warm. It clearly starts with the neck and then goes up to the head. Feels like bad tension.
Yeah, I have a wool buff, and it is just wonderful. It’s extremely versatile, and although it is pretty thin, it is all I need for my head and neck (usually I combine it with a cap though) unless it is well below freezing.
That doesn’t work Y… It does nothing for those annoyingly fat drops of ice cold rain that invariably go down the back of your neck, just as you’re looking down at something.
Like
Not if you grow a neck gaiter like I do…
I put a piece of cling-film held in place with clear tape over the front of my helmet to block up the vents and stop the wind chill,
I also wear a beanie hat under it.
The beanie hat is too bulky to go under my motorbike helmet so need a new plan for that!
I have another helmet for cold weather riding, with very few small vents.
I wear a stocking cap whenever it is cold
I’ve found that a skull cap works good under either the motorcycle or bicycle helmet. http://www.rei.com/product/834850/novara-thermal-tech-skull-cap
@ Pappy Al – just looked at the link. 4-way stretch? OK, I understand vertical and horizontal – but the other two? Thickness? 4th dimension so you can put it on and off without removing the helmet? Chrono-stretch so you can have it before you buy it, or maybe have it last forever?
What a wonderful piece of kit!
ummm… is that chops?!?
Once a beard ices, it goes downhill faster than a bakefitsen full of kegs…
I’ve long used the polarfleecey gaitors on my neck, sometimes two going up to meet my stormey kromer cap or helmet. Good and comfy when I’m dog skatejoring or sledding in -20F temps.
On the bicycle I’ve just been using one or two wool amana scarves. Once the internal furnace gets going..
For me its the ears. I have to keep the cold wind out of my ears or I get the worst earaches which ruins most of the day. I wear a beanie that I can pull down over my ears, which fits under my helmet pretty well. Another item I like is ear muffs called 180′s. They fit behind the head rather that over the top, so they are great with a cap or helmet. They are also thin profile so they don’t look like a big puff stuck on each ear. When its not too cold but just windy, I stuff a small peice of cotton ball in each ear to keep the wind/cold out.
Anyone from the UK here? Just saw this shocking BBC documentary about the interaction between cyclists and other road users. War on Britain’s Roads http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01p7q2l/War_on_Britains_Roads/ You won’t be able to watch it if you’re not in the UK but I’m sure it’s around somewhere. In summary there are mad drivers and mad cyclists out there, be safe everyone!
I have only once ever seen a neck gaitor for sale. I bought it and regretted buying the crap. It was sewn fleece, not stretchy, and very fuzzy. It got wet fast and left bits of fiber on my lips. I’ve got a pair (where IS the purple one?) of acrylic knit neck tubes and I wish I could find more because they’re fantastic. I roll a silk scar into a narrow band to tie across the top of my nose and across my cheeks. Then the neck gaitor pulled up over my chin with the hat finishing the whole shebang on top. Toss on a parka and my main problem is being too warm if I pedal hard. But these days my health doesn’t let me exert myself too much so that’s not an issue.
I learned a trick from the bikers (and by “biker” I mean motorcyclist, not the new meaning of the word), have a handkerchief on my neck to protect against wind. Works well and I can wrap a scarf around that if I need to as well.
I’ve seen some special motorcycle neck things, a triangle of leather with velcro on two corners to connect behind your neck. Pretty neat.
@yolanda check out http://www.planetbuff.com/ they are awesome!!
Wool scarf…
I am a year ’round motorcyclist.
I have a couple of ‘buff’ type neck-tubes, a leather neck-wrap, a light fleece balaclava, a fleece neck-gaiter and several different bandannas. They all work well, but one of my favorite pieces of winter gear is an arab-style kufiyeh. It’s a light cotton that is surprisingly warm and wind-proof when it’s doubled over.
It also looks frikkin’ badass with the leather jacket!
It hasn’t gotten cold enough for me to wear it this year though…
Beard-cycles can be used as an ice pop after a long ride… just a tad bit salty though…..
I wear my wool walz cap under my helmet when it’s cold and a very lightweight buff around my neck on the worst days (it isn’t that cold here really)
I usually go with a balaclava and my NutCase helmet.
My old solution was an old full-face motorcycle helmet for winter use only, but my last one fell apart 2 winters ago and I haven’t gotten a replacement yet. My current solution is to make a face mask from a Halloween mask (the Michael Myers mask) and trim it to fit under the helmet and put in baffles that keep my glasses from fogging up and a bolt to attach the front part of an old pair of glasses to the outside of the mask. I haven’t ridden with it yet but it looks super badass.