Hot Chillys
by Brian Agron
No, this is not another grub review that got misplaced, besides,
I would not knowingly eat at Chili's anyway. This is actually a
product review and we are not talking food or hot sauces either. Spring
is just around the corner, but it is quite cold and for riding the iron
horse on cold winter days (and not freezing your cojones) we all have to
dress extra careful. Even so, becoming chilled is not that difficult if
one is going to ride long enough to satisfy ‘the urge’.
I have a friend (Ryder... it’ the tall feisty redhead) who recently
took a long stroll up Mt. Kilimanjaro to watch the sunrise from the
summit. We are talking a four day hike up and a three day hike
down. The summit, by the way, is over 19,000 feet up and it does get cold
at night at that altitude. She wore a product that she ranted about as
to its ability to keep her warm, so I took note and thought that perhaps
gear suited for crazy hikers who do such things would work for
aging bikers who cruise near the ocean on winter days. Geez... would our
bikes even run at that altitude? Can your fuel injection even compensate
for that height? I wonder. But I digress.
So
I figured if there is something that could keep her warm under those conditions,
perhaps it could have a use for us down here at sea level. Had to check
it out. So what are we talking here? There is a line of light thermal ‘undergarments’ called
Hot Chillys that can be found for sale in ‘outdoor recreation’ stores
such as Sports Basement in San Francisco, which is where I went. Located
in the Presidio of San Francisco in the old PX building, this place is
sort of a cross between WalMart and REI. You got to wander around awhile
and check it out. I soon found the Hot Chillys I was looking for. I bought
a men's long sleeve turtle neck and pants. They are called ‘PeachSkins’ because
of the smooth and soft finish and the name is quite appropriate for the
tactile sensation of their surface finish. The fabric itself is 100% polyester
and quite sheer and light and my impression is that nothing this
silky could possibly work. I put on the turtleneck top in my cold room
and was quite surprised at how warm it felt against my skin. I was warmer
than if I had on a cotton turtleneck and a heavy cotton t-shirt with some
sort of Harley-Davidson logo on it. The pants reminded me of the sheerness
and lightness of pantyhose (Hey! These have a fly!) and quite warmer than
pantyhose. Please don’t ask me why I know they are warmer than pantyhose...
it is a long story, but I suspect most of you graying perverts know
what I mean (Ryder's note: Brian, remind me to ask you about those
pantyhose? Sounds like another thrilling story for the BCMCT website. It
might even do irreparable harm to your Harleyesque image....<grin>....).
But I digress.
I decided to try them out by going for a mountain bike ride in the
damp chilly air on a late January afternoon, in waning sunlight with
a temperature measuring 58 degrees and dropping rapidly. I put on the Hot
Chillys and did not put on the cotton turtleneck and Lycra bicyclists
shirt that I would normally wear, figuring one layer of Hot Chillys was
worth two heavy layers of something else. There was two layers on top of
this however. I felt too hot as I drove out to my usual parking area. Temperatures
were now measuring 48 degrees and damp, a good test for its thermal
properties. As I pedaled along, making my way slowly up Mt. Tam, I was
writing this article in my head, making note of the great job it was doing
of keeping me warm, with a lot less weight of clothing. My mind soon wandered
off to other things, and frankly I forgot about the Hot Chillys, the temperature,
all that stuff.
This is significant! I did not notice that it was dark, cold and
damp... totally forgot about it. Did not even notice that temperature
was an ‘issue’ whereas in the past, I sure would have been cognizant
of the dropping temperature. I always yearn for a really hot shower as
I pedal my frozen butt back to the car, only today, wearing the Hot Chillys,
that was not the case. There is no doubt in my mind now that when I wear
the turtle neck top (and a t-shirt with a Harley-Davidson logo on it) under
my goose down vest and leathers and wear the Hot Chillys under my Levis,
I will be toasty warm all day astride The Beast. I wholeheartedly recommend
them for cold weather motorcycling as a protective thermal undergarment.
At this point I would like to have included a representative and flattering
photo of the Hot Chillys on a suitable model, say Michelle of ‘The
Worlds Best Burrito’ fame (read the article under ‘Grub’),
but I doubt she would agree to pose in just the Hot Chillys. Besides,
oil stained grungy burlap would look good on Michelle...On the web,
you can find the Sports Basement at http://www.sportsbasement.com
You can get the map to the Sports Basement in San Francisco at http://www.mapquest.com
For internet sites that sell Hot Chillys, I suggest you just Google
it and take your pick of the multiple sites. For some strange reason,
the Sports Basement does not sell Hot Chillys on the internet. Go figure.
RED WING MOTORCYCLE BOOTS
by Brian Agron
Normally the first thing I think of when the subject of shoes comes up
is a pair of red or black pumps with about 4 inch heels, ankle straps optional...
However such C.F.M. shoes are not the subject of this article. This is
a family sort of web site devoted to the love of motorcycles, so onto something
a little more relevant. If you do not know what C.F.M. means, do NOT ask
your mother.
More to the point is what we wear on our feet when we ride
our beloved iron horses. I used to wear a pair of engineer boots
that I first purchased several decades ago. They had been resoled
several times, restitched once about 15 years ago and served as my
tourney boots (ask Ryder about that) and were even used during my
Renaissance Faire performance days. They had a smooth sole and tended
to cause me to slip when I stopped my bike at an intersection that had
those white slick arrows that point the drivers in the proper direction.
You know what I mean, we have all slipped on them from time to time. These
boots were uncomfortable to walk in, having no cushioning at all,
were too old and cracked to hold a polish for any length of time and frankly
needed to be retired, but I loved them as we had had shared many
an adventure in our lifetime, besides they looked like something a Harley
rider would wear and they made me appear like I had been riding Harleys
for a long time. Cool. Look closely at that sepia toned photo of me elsewhere
on this website.
But alas, one day I pulled them onto my feet and the stitching
gave way and all I had was a leather cuff around my calf and a floppy slipper
on my foot. The time had come. So I took a hike out onto one of my favorite
trails here in Marin and left them behind a tree that was off trail
and gave them a proper burial. I had not the heart to just dump them in
the trash. I intend to visit their grave site from time to time. I hope
you understand.
Time to get new boots.
I have a friend who rides a HD Fat boy who had just had several thousand
dollars of custom paint done to his fenders and tank. Last October, while
out on an informal ride one evening AND NOT WEARING PROPER BOOTS, he slipped
and rolled his Fat boy and in the process momentarily had his foot trapped
between his footboard and the pavement. The Harley did a complete roll,
landed upright on its tires, dropped the kick stand and shut itself off.
My friend was left face down on Highway 1 with his foot almost completely
severed from his ankle. Trashed his custom paint job too. That was last
October and now eight months later, he has just started to ride again.
It has been a long and difficult rehabilitation. What is noteworthy about
this story is that (according to the orthopedic surgeon, (who meticulously
reconnected all his arteries, veins, nerves, tendons and ligaments back
together) if he had been wearing proper motorcycle boots, he would have
just had his ankle broken and it would have been a simple matter of bolting
and screwing the bones back together and he would have been back riding
much sooner with a shorter recovery time.
So off I went in search of a new pair of boots that would be appropriate
for motorcycle use. Now as most of you know, The Motor Company (Harley
Davidson to you greenhorns) is set up to provide (make that sell and make
a profit) its customers with any and all the accouterments necessary to
enjoy the biker lifestyle. I did not want an HD logo on my boots thank
you... Shopping around Marin (an upper middle class Yuppie hell) there
was only one place that probably had the product I was seeking, and that
was the Red Wing shoe store in the Northgate Mall. So off I went in that
direction.
I have a hard to fit 9EEEE foot and my wife (now long gone EX-wife) said
I looked like a duck when I walked. So I did not have high expectations
when I walked into the store. I announced to the two guys there (who were
probably wanting to close up early) that I needed a pair of motorcycle
boots that would fit my 9EEEE foot and after a short trip into the back
room he brought out a pair of 970 boots for me to try on.
It was a perfect fit and it did not feel as if I was slipping
my foot onto a piece of leather lined concrete either. These boots
had their own gel padding built in and they felt like I was putting
on soft fuzzy slippers. A perfect fit too. Nice deep Vibram sole
so I would not slip on those annoying white road markers (and heaven
forbid, drop my bike at a stop sign!). The leather is heavy and well
oiled to provide water resistance (Ryder, are you reading this? they
may not need Mink Oil) and they even have some tacky aluminum metal
logos on the heel that give it a biker look without the Bar and Shield
logo. What is equally important I discovered is that they do not
scuff my hardwood floors and leave impossible to clean black streaks.
Slam-bam thank you mam, I'm outta here. When the shoe fits, you
know it! My wallet was lighter by less than $200 but not by much.
So after wearing them for several months, I have a great pair of boots
designed and appropriate for riding motorcycles that fit and feel great.
My feet no longer get achy and tired either if I wear them for long periods
of time (and walk around in search of food and drink as often happens when
we stop during our rides), like they used to do with that pair of decidedly
archaic and ratty engineer boots.
There is a Red Wing Shoe store at 2200 cleveland ave in Santa Rosa and
if my memory serves me, they even had a booth at the recent Sonoma County
motorcycle show. You can check out the Red Wings line of motorcycle boots
at http://www.redwingshoes.com/motorcycle/ if you are so inspired.
Brian Agron enjoys setting
off car alarms
in Kaiser's garage when he rides his
motorcycle to work and knows first hand
that chrome is a very addicting drug....
