Ride Gear - Shoes, Helmets, Gloves, Suits, etc

[Pro-pulsion]

This year up here in northern lake Ontario we get water temps that average in the mid to high 70's through the heat of the summer. That being said, I went to a Reebok factory outlet store near by and bought a pair of low cut shoes marked down from 129.99 to 39.99. They have been great, memory foam insole, good traction and comfy fit, plus, this has been season 3 for them and they still look and feel like new. In the warm water I wear shorts, helmet, shoes, pfd with a rash guard, and gloves. A suit, even shorty version is too hot in the summer. In the cold water, high 40's to mid 50's, I wear a 3/2 full suit that I picked up on clearance for 89$ marked down from 189$. That has been going strong for 3 seasons now, and my cold water race boots are Ronstan. I did pay full pop for those at 70$ but they have been the best yet going on 6 seasons with very minimal signs of fatigue. Gloves I go through a pair of every season, so any cheap mx gloves or even mechanics gloves like the bright yellow/green ones at Walmart work fine. They have nice little rubber grippy spots underneath and are reasonably durable for 10$ when on clearance at about this time every year. My helmet I paid full pop for 3 years ago? It is a Specialized brand downhill mountain bike helmet and has been holding up very well. My pfd is new as of last season, it is a nice neoprene Yamaha jacket which I bought on clearance for I believe it was about 89$.

 

[freshfit]

I ride pretty much year round in Wisconsin on the Mississippi. There is a local well they pump into the river here that keeps an area the size of a football field free of ice. I run a 5/4 O'neill wetsuit in the winter, on sunny days i sweat. Usually 1.5mm gloves are enough for me, if its really cold 3mm are a little warmer. My buddy has some 5mm gloves that I think are way too thick and make it harder to hold on. I run 3mm dive socks with Nike Freerun tennies year round.

 

[hugebass]

I ride pretty much year round in Wisconsin on the Mississippi. There is a local well they pump into the river here that keeps an area the size of a football field free of ice. I run a 5/4 O'neill wetsuit in the winter, on sunny days i sweat. Usually 1.5mm gloves are enough for me, if its really cold 3mm are a little warmer. My buddy has some 5mm gloves that I think are way too thick and make it harder to hold on. I run 3mm dive socks with Nike Freerun tennies year round.

I'd be taking the winter off for sure! Yikes that sounds like a lot of cold.

 

[freshfit]

UPDATE: Do not like. Returned. They ran much larger than what I was told by customer service. They were actually pretty uncomfortable and flexibility minimal. I ended up with some neoprene socks and Asics. Which I found extremely comfortable. Super lightweight and gave me the ankle support I was looking for without compromising comfort/flexibility.

A lot of my riding friends wear wrestling shoes. They have great ankle support and are usually cheaper than any Jet ski specific shoe and you can probably find/try them on at a local store.

 

[hugebass]

A lot of my riding friends wear wrestling shoes. They have great ankle support and are usually cheaper than any Jet ski specific shoe and you can probably find/try them on at a local store.

Yes sir. I did end up buying a pair of Asics and they work perfectly. Very comfortable and grippy.

 

[ICYBee]

would wetsuit socks under the wrestling shoes work? 4/5mm for really cold waters