If I don’t have to use my heated grips in the morning then it is just too darn hot for biking. What possesses these fair weather bikers to dust off their machines just in time to roast in the heat wave?
I’ve seen varied summer fashions, from the Ducati guy with shorts and t-shirt to the Vespa lady with flimsy beach flip flops. I’m sure they are cooler than me but as I followed the Vespa lady into London all I could think about was bone deep scrapes as she put her foot out at each traffic light. I think I’m rather too fond of my skin for summer biking.
I’ve trimmed down for the summer by removing the thermal lining from my jacket and discarding the leggings from under my cordura trousers. It’s still too hot though.
The motorbike sunglasses have helped. I was sent this pair of Neue glasses to try out recently. Well actually not that recently but it’s been wet and overcast for about 8 months solid and I have been mocked on previous attempts to wear them.
I was a little wary about wearing motorbike sunglasses as they steam up very quickly when the helmet goes on top of them. Fortunately with a tiny breeze these seem to remain clear and only fogged up while I was stationary and struggling to squeeze my sweaty hands into my gloves.
I usually look like a prize tool in shades but I think these are fairly stylish, I got a few admiring looks, although that could be down to the gorgeous bike. They curve around the face like the more space age sports sunglasses but look sufficiently understated for a Bonneville rider.
They obviously shade your eyes from the glare but they also provide a reasonable level of protection from the road shrapnel meaning you can leave the visor up and feel the full refreshing effects of the wind in your face.
I like getting free motorbike things, it makes me feel better about unexpected bike related expenses, like this one.
Why do they exclude motorbikes from some stretches of bus lane and how come they only caught me once when I’ve been zipping along this same stretch almost everyday since March? I’m not complaining about the latter bit obviously.
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