Link to the MTBR forum
Actually...pogies are OK...got'em - use'em occassionally...with a quality VBL mitt and some of the new windproof fabrics you can accomplish much of the same with less!
If you've biked in 'real' cold, windy conditions...a fairing is indespensible and can be the difference between riding and NOT...my old fairing, 80s vintage, is somewhat obsolete...but working on a new one for the Wildfire and Pugs layups...mostly off of Jones and Mary bars.
http://www.zzipper.com/index.html is laying them up...
ZZipp ATB
As mentioned, I haven't used a fairing for years...the one I do have experience w/ had a large fiberglass conelike front end mounted high on the fork and stabilized off of the brake levers (I was using a small profile road bar and road levers.). The plexi windshield extended up to about mid-face level when upright...it was a tank...~ 4 pounds+ with hardware...but it worked and took a beating over a few years of hard use all above the Arctic Circle. I purchased a number of them and that fairing cost me ~ 150.00 wholesale 20 years ago. Sorry for not having photos...they're lost in my storage 'black hole'!
The ZZipper fairings are WAY refined compared to my early rendition.
http://zzipper.com/Products/prod_upright.html
Karl at ZZipper has made a number of fairings for Alaskans and many for upright MTB riders. I've sent him some of the bars I'm riding and he's fit both of the upright designs. I'm looking at the Mountain88 and the ATB models. Asided from cold weather protection I feel that the aerodynamics provided and the resultant efficiencies shouldn't be overlooked.
Evidently the Plexi he's using is aerospacegrade but I'm not sure how it performs at minus temps. I will mount the fairing like a brake lever...snug, but loose enough to re-align in a crash. Karl is a good guy and ZZipper a long standing company...he stands by his product and will make what ever is called for.
The plexi fairing he markets for MTB / Uprights weigh .75lb...the hardware is custom and of high quality weighing .75 lb.
Heres Karl's ZZipper pricing:
http://zzipper.com/OrderForm.pdf
I'll take delivery soon...but not soon enough...it was frigin cold and windy this morn...
'real' cold!
Cheers
ML
Link to the MTBR forum
Karl and the ZZipp ATB
ZZipp Mounting Hardware
ZZipp Mountain88
2 comments:
So what happens when you bite it?
It happens. Perhaps not on the road, but trail crashes WILL happen.
At -50*F, most plastics, even lexan, will shatter.
Yeah well....lots of things break at -50dF....been using Zipper Fairings for many years, in Arctic and subArctic conditions, and have not had any major failures yet (knocks on the top of his head). If there were major issues, I'm sure Karl @ ZZipp will address them...until then, I'm plenty warm ourofthe wind.
Cheers
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