Generate Heat and get more days to ride!

A review from Lyndon-

Having never used heated gear regularly, I may not be the most qualified to review a piece of heated gear…but since many others are in the same boat, maybe I am- you be the judge.

I was taking a 150-mile ride on a Low Rider with no windshield on a Sunday in mid-February. I wanted to arrive at my lunch stop without hypothermia, so I decided to splurge on the Gerbing battery-operated base layer hoping it would hold the key to my comfort. The base layer is a bit heavier than a long sleeve t-shirt and has a small zip pocket on the left side where the small battery connects. While I could feel some wires in the garment while looking for them while wearing it, all I felt was the battery, and it was not obtrusive.

Using the included charger, I fully charged the battery the day before departure— it took about 3 hours, and the LEDs on the batt showed the progress clearly.

The instructions aggressively warn against using the high setting for more than a few minutes, so I experimented with all the settings the night before my ride and confirmed that high gets really hot! Then I topped off the battery to make sure I had a full charge.

Although temps in the high 40s were promised for later in the day, It was still in the 30s at my departure, so Along with my leathers, I wore an H-D sleeveless performance T under the base layer followed by a wool shirt and a thin fleece mid-layer under my leather jacket and vest. I set the Gerbing to medium and rolled out. Interestingly I was only aware of warmth being generated now and then. I simply never got cold; pretty sweet! Except for my hands- they were cold, but certainly not as cold as they would have been had my torso not been warm. With heated grips, I would have been just fine!

After 2 hours of backroads, I met friends for lunch* and remembered to turn off my base layer when I landed. The conversation went much longer than planned, which meant I had spent the warmest hours inside, and it would be dark when I reached my destination- no problem! Knowing I could kick the heat back on, I discarded my fleece layer for less of the “Michelin man” feel on the second (somewhat warmer) leg of my journey.

It was more of the same with a surprisingly comfortable ride despite cool temps out, and it made me feel good about stepping into the world of heat generation. Instead of looking forward to getting to a warm house, I took a few extra turns and stretched the ride out a bit because February rides are a great treat!

Toward the end of my ride, the battery ran out, so I estimate I got about 4 hours on medium heat, which is more than enough for a commute, but if you were planning to be riding all day, you might need an extra batt unless the low setting was sufficient.

Also worth noting is that while Gerbing provides a charger with the base layer, it seems to be proprietary, and none of my other cords will work- so a road trip requires a bit more equipment be packed.

My ride home the next day was warmer (about 50), and on a bike (Pan America) that provides a bit more protection and had heated grips, so I left with no fleece but heat on medium. At a light 30 minutes into my ride, I dropped the heat to low as I was too warm and continued my ride in warm comfort.

On my next day commuting, I continued my evaluation of the Gerbing Base Layer, and it continued to impress.  I am happy I finally took the leap into heat generation!

*We are having a sale on in-stock heated gear right now (the month of March , 2023) s stop in and get with our experts and get the right gear for your ride!