“The big tension is between convenience and individuality, and we are giving up so much of our individuality and our privacy for convenience. That’s something that we have to opt into. I don’t know that there’s anything wrong with having a bit of both, but I do think that perhaps if you’re extreme one way or the other, you’re really missing out on a great deal.” – Debbie Milman, host of the podcast ‘Design Matters, on the ‘Ezra Klein Show’ podcast, October 2026 Most of us could make a similar observation about the various motorcycle sub-cultures surrounding us. How the various ADV bikes and riders all look about the same, how most of the touring bikes and riders look about the same, how most of the Harley bikes and riders look about the same, etc. This link The age of average — Alex Murrell will take you to a short and very interesting essay which extends this idea -- the utility-value of ‘sameness’ -- into every area of technology all over the world. Based on my own general life experience, one important summary idea is missing, which simply is this: there are only two core causal factors behind ’The Age of Average’: 1.) As the essay’s author notes, we humans are far more alike than different, and this is also true for all living species. When it comes to people, something we know is beneath our infinite micro-variations and micro-variables, at the emotional and psychological level, nearly every human wants to experience ‘belonging’. This is what pulls us so powerfully toward uniformity. We seek to be different in nuance, while remaining strongly bonded to being like everyone else in all the most important ways. Thus, we seek constant affirmation of this to be secure in our individualized lifestyle choices. When we look into a mirror we all tell ourselves: “I’m just another good guy (or girl) who happens to also enjoy riding motorcycles.” My favorite quote about all this came from a successful but not super well-known actor who during an interview said: “To discover what normal means, you have to surf a tide of weirdness.” – Charlotte Rampling, in The New Yorker magazine, 16 May 2021. Being a little ‘weird’ as a motorcyclist, and then a little weirder within motorcycling as a transportation motorcycle rider, and then a little more weird as maker of unusual, armored textile ‘coveralls’, maybe has been partly the result of childhood emotional and developmental experiences which were combined with what these days is known as mild autism. That all only recently became more obvious after I started riding for daily transportation during the winter months here in northern Minnesota. Motorcycling tends to ostracize one. Riding wearing an Aerostich one-piece suit takes this to a higher level because this isn’t normal motorcycle gear (like a riding jacket and jeans). Riding in bad weather and on snowy and icy streets on cold days blows the weirdness level over the top. So much so that occasionally someone in traffic will take a smartphone photo of me doing it and will later post it on social media as if it were amazing or amusing (or both). To discover what normal means, just ride somewhere in a weird suit on a freezing cold winter day. I’d always hoped the satisfying weirdness of riding for daily utility transportation would somehow catch on and become more normal in our truly wonderful American culture, but it probably won’t. At least not anytime soon. And for lots of reasons. Thus, I will continue to ride-forth happily, a publicly certifiable weirdo, surrounded by large numbers of ‘normal’ people, including some very hard-core committed motorcycle riders, all happily and uniformly enclosed within their comfortable, safe, well-sealed cars and trucks. 2.) The engineering and financial ‘logic’ of uniformity and belonging is important. Such considerations apply tremendous pressure during the development of most serially produced human-made artifacts, and all created organized systems, to be both average and uniform. Technology advances accretionarily (a made-up word meaning ‘by accretion’). For example, airplanes and autos both continue improving: A) functionally, B) economically and C) aerodynamically, as these very useful tools incrementally converge on optimal solutions based on the sum of all the knowledge accumulated through research and prior experiences. And except for the aerodynamic element, so does everything else we build, from rider suits to office buildings and houses. Lately I’ve been thinking about the impact of A.I. on this phenomenon. This offers a kind of aggregated logic and knowledge beyond human capability in most (all?) areas, and seems to be taking all of us toward an even more uniform ‘age of average’ in the future. But right now, the only thing about A.I. becoming obvious is how all the money going into its development is looking more and more like an investment bubble. Here’s a short Facebook ‘reel’ about this which is quite persuasive. We probably all should go for a ride today and surf our own little ‘tide of weirdness’ for a while, and not worry about stuff like that, at least not today. Riding motorcycles is wonderful. And very good for us. Weirdness can be both vexing and wonderful, if you are open to it. -- Mr. Subjective, Nov 2026  

The last six or seven weeks have been unusually cold across most of the Midwest, and much of the rest of the USA too. It's been about six or seven degrees below seasonal norms here in Duluth, MN. Which doesn’t sound like that much but when it comes to winter riding the difference between thirty-five and twenty-three degrees is huge. Same for +17ºF and -2ºF. What works best for winter dressing depends on the specific riding application. For all-day low temp exposures have as much electric added-in heat as possible: Heated grips, saddle, jacket liner, etc. There is no substitute for adding heat for long rides in cold conditions. (Though I have seen old men on Gold Wings happily ride all day in freezing weather wearing huge puffy arctic-looking goose down parkas and sitting behind some of the most oversized accessory windshields imaginable, without using any electrical heat supplement. YMMV.) For commuting, everything depends on distance and speed. With a short commute (three to five miles) on surface streets, one can get by with very little, using the ‘thermos bottle effect'. A nice sweater and good gloves, bundle up completely before leaving a warm building to trap heat inside your layers and that’s it. To ride farther, and at highway speeds, requires some additional strategy to stay warm and comfortable, including several layers and some electrically heated gear. Starting with a combination of Merino wool, bamboo or synthetic base and mid-layers is the foundation for keeping you insulated and comfortable. Several Aerostich associates who ride regularly in cold weather plug-in the added warmth of Kanetsu electric gear. A WarmBib is the favorite, because it does such an amazing job of heating your core, in such a small and easy-to-wear package. It takes up almost no space inside your suit or jacket (in case you, um, may not have as much room for layering as you once did…). The WarmBib does a great job of blocking the wind too, and it stashes easily in a tank bag or cargo pocket so you can always carry it with you. Keeping out drafts is an essential part of staying warm in cold temps. There are many options available, from an original Cotton Bandana to a Breathguard mask, or Shellaclava Neckwarmer to an Aerostich Fleece Windtriangle. One of our favorites is an Aerostich Silk Scarf. Worn underneath your suit or jacket it wraps around your neck for comfortable softness and effectively seals out any cold air from leaking inside, especially with your jacket collar snugged up tight and the top of the scarf tucked in-place underneath the chin-strap of your helmet. Still looking for even more ways to add or retain heat? If you want to push your riding boundaries deep into freezing territory then consider adding heated grips or even a heated seat. Several versions of battery powered gloves are also available, giving you an hour or more of added heat and comfort with just the press of a button. We've also found that Triple Digit Glove Covers work great to not only keep your hands dry when riding in the rain, but they are a great wind blocking layer and help retain heat in your hands. Check out the selection of products below to extend your riding all winter. For additional cold weather tips, gear advice and stories, ask for a copy of Zero Below Zero, our account of the first all-winter Duluth electric motorcycle commute, and see how we did it.