Cycle Gear "Hot Wired" Heated gear review

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I needed (wanted) a heated vest for a ride the next day. Previously I had decided warm n safe was the way to go from some reviews but I wanted the vest for the next day so my options were limited to cycle gear. So I rode down to the local Cycle Gear and tried the vest, then went for the jacket liner. It seemed fine in the store. They had a battery on the counter to plug in. Worked fine. I also tried on the gloves. The gloves felt bulky but warmed up nicely. I bought and left. Next day was rainy and cold and windy so our ride was cancelled.
Anyway..I like the gear. The jacket liner works great. I like the controller hanging off the port side. Very easy to deal, with and came bundled with the jacket liner. Somewhere around $180.00 Not bad.
The gloves are still bulky but ARE breaking in SLOWLY. There is no extra controller needed for the gloves as they are built in to each glove. Both the jacket liner and the glove controllers are push button electronic with 4 or so heat settings. Both very easy to use even with bulky gloves on.
The glove gauntlets fit very tight OVER my jacket cuffs and MAYBE under the cuffs, but it's bloody hard to manipulate the second glove with an already gloved hand.
I have ridden down to 30 degrees so far and all is toasty and well. These pieces may crap out tomorrow for all I know, but I hope they last a while. There is either a lifetime warranty or a 2 year warranty on them depending on who you talk to!
I don't go on long trips but mostly commuting to work and weekend rides. I do commute all winter in new england as long as the roads are clear and somewhat salt free.
If I was a distance rider I would probably consider more tried and tested (expensive) gear. Oh the gloves are NOT cheap but the do have the built in controller, so a good deal I guess. FOR ME, if the gear fails I will only be a little cold for a little while. But meanwhile I REALLY like the instant cozy warmth. Your mileage may vary.
Questions?
 

John OoSTerhuis

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This must be the stuff you bought: https://www.cyclegear.com/heated-gear

Thanks for poSTing. Always good to know about all the available options. Hope to read some long-term useage and customer service reviews.

I started with an Eclipse vest 28 years ago and wore it out. Current gear: Warm&Safe jacket, glove liners and wireless dual controller. It's onboard the ST almoST year-round. Heated gear rocks... can be a safety issue.

John
 
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JimGregory
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So, how did you ride for so many years without heated gear?:)
Most riders are heard to say, " Why did it take so long to finally buy heated gear?
Congrats on your purchase.
Good question! For me it's a luxury not a necessity. I just don't ride that long at one time. I still don't NEED it but I sure do LIKE it. If I rode like I would like to ride, cross country etc..It would be a lot more important to me. And I would have a spare vest packed away in case the original crapped out.
 

T_C

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Cycle Gear used to carry Warm 'n Safe under the First Gear brand name.
First gear is made by Warm-n-Safe, but it does not have the same warranty.

One year for First Gear
Lifetime on electrics for Warm-n-Safe
 
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JimGregory
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This must be the stuff you bought: https://www.cyclegear.com/heated-gear

Thanks for poSTing. Always good to know about all the available options. Hope to read some long-term useage and customer service reviews.

I started with an Eclipse vest 28 years ago and wore it out. Current gear: Warm&Safe jacket, glove liners and wireless dual controller. It's onboard the ST almoST year-round. Heated gear rocks... can be a safety issue.

John

Yes just the jacket liner and the gloves. There are a LOT more in depth reviews at that link as well.
 
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This must be the stuff you bought: https://www.cyclegear.com/heated-gear

Current gear: Warm&Safe jacket, glove liners and wireless dual controller. It's onboard the ST almoST year-round. Heated gear rocks... can be a safety issue.

John
John,
Not to hijack this thread, but can you talk about the wireless dual controller a bit? If you carry this in your pocket, how do you adjust the temp of the jacket? I opted for the wired controller and leave it on the handlebar on a custom bracket because I thought adjusting the heat level on a controller in my pocket would be difficult (esp. w/ gloves on). And I find I fine tune the temp setting as needed - high speed riding needs more heat than puttering through a small town.

Peter
 

T_C

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John,
Not to hijack this thread, but can you talk about the wireless dual controller a bit? If you carry this in your pocket, how do you adjust the temp of the jacket? I opted for the wired controller and leave it on the handlebar on a custom bracket because I thought adjusting the heat level on a controller in my pocket would be difficult (esp. w/ gloves on).

Peter
Just velcro the controller somewhere convenient. No wires to run. On the dash, the brake reservoir, tank bag, etc...

Passengers can keep it in their pocket. I used one like this for my pillion seat heater.
 

John OoSTerhuis

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Peter, my wireless Dual Remote Control Heat-Troller (jacket and glove liners) is velcroed to the brake reservoir with a tether to a brake hose. Both knobs are easy to use. linky I got a great discount from W&S as a STOC member, they may STill offer it.
John
 
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John:
I also had an Eclipse vest til I lost it this Summer...the barn swallowed it up ! This time a jacket to get...looking at the Hotwired at Cycle Gear...no more chilly arms.
 

Dale_I

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My riding buddy Jeff (JRob) has had a Hotwired jacket liner and glove liner for at least one year, if not two. He LOVES it! He rides with it all the time and he's a commuter when we don't have snow/ice on the street. I pulled the trigger and decided to buy, but have been waiting for a coupon or percentage off deal (I'm cheap... some say thrifty.. OK, only I say that). The selling point to me was that the liner comes WITH a controller. Most of the other jackets you will have to purchase this separately. The First Gear (Warm-n-Safe) is generally $199, but even the least expensive controller will add another $60 and for the dual or remote, much more.

That said, the Hot Wired controller is a simple controller with a low, medium, high, max setting. It is push button to go to the next level. A lot of the other controllers will allow incremental dial settings. However, not a deal breaker for me at all.

For the $179 and tax... I haven't been able to come close to finding anything better. Even if it doesn't last forever... I can buy 2 of these for the cost of 1 from another brand. I've even been trolling eBay and can't get a used Gerbing for what the Hot Wired is new. Our local Cycle Gear is having a winter event this Tuesday. I might pop in and see if they are discounted.
 
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I considered the Cycle Gear Hotwired jacket liner, but could not be happier with the Warm & Safe and remote controller that I decided on.
 

pumper316

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My riding buddy Jeff (JRob) has had a Hotwired jacket liner and glove liner for at least one year, if not two. He LOVES it! He rides with it all the time and he's a commuter when we don't have snow/ice on the street. I pulled the trigger and decided to buy, but have been waiting for a coupon or percentage off deal (I'm cheap... some say thrifty.. OK, only I say that). The selling point to me was that the liner comes WITH a controller. Most of the other jackets you will have to purchase this separately. The First Gear (Warm-n-Safe) is generally $199, but even the least expensive controller will add another $60 and for the dual or remote, much more.

That said, the Hot Wired controller is a simple controller with a low, medium, high, max setting. It is push button to go to the next level. A lot of the other controllers will allow incremental dial settings. However, not a deal breaker for me at all.

For the $179 and tax... I haven't been able to come close to finding anything better. Even if it doesn't last forever... I can buy 2 of these for the cost of 1 from another brand. I've even been trolling eBay and can't get a used Gerbing for what the Hot Wired is new. Our local Cycle Gear is having a winter event this Tuesday. I might pop in and see if they are discounted.
Our local cycle gear gives a 10% discount if you are affiliated with a local motorcycle riding group. I've saved quite a bit of money using this perk. So, you might want to inquire about similar benefits offered at your local store. Additionally, all their heated products come with a lifetime warranty.
 
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I have run my cycle gear hot wired electric jacket now for three seasons could not be happier plenty of warm smiles. sabrekip.
 
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Back in June '14 when a few of us took the Himalayan Tour I bought from Cycle Gear the Sedeci branded jacket liner and controller on sale for for somewhere around $150, to give to Tashi our tour operator/owner. He used it on the tour connected to his Royal Enfield. George and I had the warm n safe stuff. So far so good! He tells me it works very well and has not given him any problems.
 

SteveST1300

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Well for now you can still get 18% off any warm n safe gear using my code Steve capital S not sure how much long I will be with them but use it for now. Its great gear.
 
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