I used regular tire warmers as blankets this past weekend at Barber after each session (i.e., not plugged in). they seemed to retain a tremendous amount of heat. the Q: if you were to make some blankets, what material would you use? so far, the best idea i have is a space blanket (mylar). it's flexible, light, and goes with my purse. I'm thinking a couple of layers of that, some creative velcro and Viola!! the cheapskate's tire warmers. any ideas? btw- I'm riding on 2CT's, and people on here said non-race compound tires don't need (or would even be hurt by) the heat of tire warmers. Go.
If I were to do this, I'd scrounge around for someones tire warmers that are broken for whatever reason (electronics damaged etc...) I bet you could get them cheap and you dont have to design and build anything... But if you were to make your own, I'd go for something that insulates well and blocks the wind from blowing across the rim (ex. Woodcraft warmers). If you're going to use mylar, would you want to make a layered blanket with some other material? I'd be afraid of the mylar tearing...
Chickenhawk makes theirs out of neoprene http://www.chickenhawkracing.com/productDetail.php?m=0&i=21 Though the idea of buying broken warmers is a great idea. If I were to just make warmers out of things I could get my hands on...Neoprene? lol. Something that can take the heat but be insulating at the same time. Obviously any sort of wrap will add SOME benefit, but it'd be best to get the most benefit.
you'd need something that won't get dirty on the inside layer something puffy that traps air for the middle layer something that blocks wind on the outer layer. while you're at it...put a heating element in there and a chord.
Most tire warmers have a kevlar outter and inner lining this is mostly to avoid letting the heated core wire touch the tire however acts as a good insulator also!
I finished the blankets. someone called it hillbilly engineering, but i think they'll work AND I used stuff that I already had. i.e., money out = $0. i ended up using visqueen, metal tape, and some velcro straps. I don't know how they'll hold up, but they seem fairly robust. either way, I enjoyed making them instead of buying them. it seems like riders who don't use race compound tires could benefit. ----- I'm happy to send anyone the plans for only $59.99. Plus shipping, bitches.