Gerbing Heated Gear

[Joe85]

Thought i'd throw togehter a review of the Gerbing Heated Gear that i donated my left leg for in Decemeber ahead of a 4 day trip to France.

 

The Gear

 

Gloves: Gerbing Xtreme EVO Heated Motorcycle Gloves

 

Jacket: Gerbing Premium Heated Jacket Liner with MicroWirePRO®

Socks: Gerbing 12 Volt Heated Socks

 

So, going by past experience of winter riding, my legs never seem to get cold, so opted not to purchase the heated trouser liner too. All in I think i weighed out around £450 with promotional discounts of 10%.

 

Firstly, the gloves -

 

Build: 8/10. They have the option to be powered both by batteries that insert into the cuff or by a 12V Y-cable wired to the bike’s battery. The gloves are a standalone item, and the temperature controller is built into the cuff of each jacket, so no additional controller required (for the gloves). They have 3 temperature settings: Low, Medium and Hot. Very well, padded and suitably thick for winter riding, although that comes at a cost of less feedback and tactility in the hands. The temperature button is rather small, and so adjusting on the go is somewhat risky as you'll need to look at the wrist to press the button (loss of tactile response doesn’t help, either). They're advertised as compatible with smartphone screens, but unless you're rocking a full sized iPad, this feature is pretty useless and really works. There's also a small squeegee on the each index finger. It has a strap for tightening at the wrist and a Velcro strap for adjusting the cuff (along with a bungie cord).

 

Performance: 9.5/10. I road in temperatures that ranged between 10Deg-C and -5Deg-C for periods of 3-4 hours at a time. The gloves performed brilliantly and a no time did my hands feel cold. I fluctuated between the low and medium setting and, in combination with the heated grips on medium this was perfect. I’ve marked it down by .5 for two reasons, one, at medium the top of the hand can become uncomfortably warm after long periods, and also because the thumb doesn't seem to warm as well as the fingers - but this may be because the thumb is more exposed to the wind. Not cold, by any means - just an observation. I didn’t get an opportunity to test performance in the rain, however, as you may know, I did get caught in the snow storm the greeted our return to the UK. For the most part they kept the moisture out, however, after around 5 hours of constant snow they did begin to become soggy. By the time I got home they were pretty sodden.

 

Overall 9/10: Good value, perform exceptionally well in extreme conditions. Would recommend. 

 

The Jacket -

 

Build: 7/10. Like the gloves, the jacket has the option of being bowered directly from the bike via a 12v cable or via an optional battery. It does, however, require a sold separately temp controller. I ordered the pro digital temperature controller which only controls the temperature of the jacket and accessory (Socks or trousers). It comes with an inbuilt cable for the gloves that itself connects directly to the battery of the bike. Essentially the controller has one input and two outputs - one for the jacket and one for the gloves. If you buy this jacket and already own gloves that require a controller, they sell a dual temperature controller that has two outputs both of which are separately controllable (I hope that makes sense). As I’ve mentioned on another threat, the glove cable built into the arms is rather short. IT extends about an inch passed the cuff of the jacket which is just far to fiddly to connect to the gloves without stressing the aux plug when you connect/disconnect. In terms of fitment, i'm size small mens in t-shirts, jackets, jumpers etc so ordered a size small. The fit was pretty tight, but not uncomfortable. I will say that the neck is ridiculously small, however, and i couldn't zip the jacket up all the way because of it.   Overall the jacket quality is great, it’s very comfortable and looks pretty good too. All of the cables can be tucked away into hidden compartments, and when done it just looks like a normal jacket. It is not bulky at all and fits well under a textile jacket with the thermal liner removed.

 

Performance: 8/10. The jacket itself was excellent. The pro-controller provides 5 levels of heat. I found myself very comfortable between levels 2 and 3 (and very occasionally 4). The micro wires are spread generously throughout, so you feel the warmth all over you arms, chest, back and up to the neck (if I could close it all the way). At no point did I feel cold, and it remained comfortable through our 4-5 riding stints. I will recommend ordering a size up from your clothing wear. I'm built like an Olympian, so naturally, my 6 pack wasn't trouble by the tightness. You lads with the bellies may find it uncomfortable, however ;). I've marked it down purely because after 4 days of use, the right arm glove cable failed from the minimal amount of strain placed on the aux socket. This is a common issue with this type of joint, and whilst normally you can just purchase a new cable for less than a tenner, this one is built into the jacket. I've since returned it to Gerbing for repair. They are currently replacing the joint, although I’ve also asked them to extend the cable by and inch to alleviate the issue in the future (which they agreed to). Ultimately, it’s a very easy fix if it were to fail outside of warranty (4 days is worrying, though).

 

Overall, 7.5/10. It's brilliant bit of kit, let down only by the lack of cable slack in the arms for the cable. These joints are notorious for failing, so I’m surprised Gerbing didn’t account for that. Thoroughly recommend, however; It will change your perspective on winter riding.

 

Socks:

Build: 9.5/10. Not much to say really, just a pair of long socks (like football socks) with micro wires built into the foot area. The wires are provided in a 2" wide tape like material in the sock that starts at the top of the foot and runs over the toes and round underneath the foot, finishing at the heel. Also provided with the heated socks are some inner ankle socks for comfort (the tape is quite uncomfortable, so inner socks are required). The Aux socket sites at the top of the sock (one for each leg). The only mark down for the build quality is that the socket faces upwards, which is a design oversight imo, because it makes it a faff to pull your trousers on and stop the cable pulling out. The cable also has a tendency to pull out if you flex your leg and you haven't left enough cable slack in the trouser. This could have been eliminated entirely if the socket were inverted on each leg to stop it just pulling out. The socks come supplied with a long Y-Cable to enable connection to a temperature controller. In this instance i connected it to the accessory output on the jacket (which is controlled by the pro digital temp controller).    

 

Performance: 10/10. Not much to say here other than just superb. Warm feet, happy riding. The temperature adjustment is done on the digital temp controller so if you want to adjust feet temp, you have to adjust jacket too. This was never an issue. Level 2 or 3 on the controller was more than adequate for both the jacket and the socks. I thoroughly recommended heated socks for witner riding it really is a game changer. Not too difficult to get on, although do leave some slack in the toes before sliding the boot on as it will get pulled tight around the foot as you put on your boots.

 

Overall 9.75/10. Brilliant, let down ever so slightly by the faffery of the lead pulling out of the socket. I eventually solved this by just folding the sock over the socket (and by leaving some cable slack in the trouser.

 

As a combination, it's quite a bit of faffing around every morning to get all the gear on. Mainly the socks and trousers. The jacket with integrated cable works well. Previously where i just used heated gloves, the cable would often just disappear into the sleeve, meaning taking the jacket off, fishing it back through again etc. This is solved by the cable in the sleeve and is very convenient. The way all the gear connects together works well, and once you're set up, it’s very, very comfortable.

 

Overall, i remain pleased with my purchase. -5Deg-C riding never felt so good. I'm not exaggerating when i say that, with exception to my nose leaking all over my balaclava, it felt like spring in the French countryside!

 

9/10. 

 

*Fixed the spellings errors.

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by Joe85

[Mickly]

I was given a pair of Gerbing heated gloves for Xmas, but I’m yet to try them out.

I was very pleased with the present, less than impressed at the price of the 2Ah batteries and charger which  cost almost as much as the gloves.

[Joe85]

1 hour ago, Mickly said:

I was given a pair of Gerbing heated gloves for Xmas, but I’m yet to try them out.

I was very pleased with the present, less than impressed at the price of the 2Ah batteries and charger which  cost almost as much as the gloves.

Yeh, thats why i never bothered with them. Gerbing do include a battery cable in the box though, so i currently have 3

Edited January 2, 2023 by Joe85

[RigsVille]

I treated myself to the Gerbing gloves and jacket while I was at the NEC and completely agree with your thoughts, I went out last weekend to use them for the first time (to get some of the 2023 challenge locations) and found that heated kit is a game changer! 

[manxie49]

Really good review.  I also have the Gerbing heated gloves and have recently had the same experience as you in heavy rain.  They do have a tendency to become sodden after a prolonged riding in constant wet weather.  I was recommended Ducks wax, they sell it on the SBS site.  Well worth the money and time taken to treat the gloves, this stuff really does work 

 

[Joe85]

4 hours ago, manxie49 said:

Really good review.  I also have the Gerbing heated gloves and have recently had the same experience as you in heavy rain.  They do have a tendency to become sodden after a prolonged riding in constant wet weather.  I was recommended Ducks wax, they sell it on the SBS site.  Well worth the money and time taken to treat the gloves, this stuff really does work 

 

Awesome, thanks. Will give it a go.

[Joe85]

Updated to include that Gerbing agreed to replace the Aux socket joint in both arms AND extend the cabels by a few inches to give more slack. Been impressed with their warranty service thus far. I also corrected the SPaG (as best as i can) since i type too fast and can't spell for shit.

Edited January 3, 2023 by Joe85

[Joe85]

One more endorsement for the gloves. I rode for 9 hours straight in pouring rain (before coming off) and they remained dry in the palm and fingers the whole time. The GS handguards probably helped, but i thought they held up excellently. The socks, on the other hand (or foot!) started to really hurt my toes after 9 hours. It has this tape that acts as an element, and it wraps over the toes. As you squeeze your foot into the boot, it pushes your toes right up against it, almost like a trainer that's slightly too small. Minor, since you can give yourself some slack before putting the boot on, but i thought it was worth mentioning.

Edited March 31, 2023 by Joe85

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I have the gloves with 3Ah battery packs. I didn't install the cable supplied with them as I ride more than one bike. I generally get a couple of hours out of the batteries and that does me for my winter journeys.  I am very pleased with them. 

[Grumpy Old Git]

wrong thread

Edited June 19, 2023 by Grumpy Old Git