Glove questions round 2

rlb

Well-Known Member
What are the advantages to bike specific gloves? I was at sports authority today and snagged a pair of decent looking wind proof insulated gloves that aren't too thick. Will I lose anything by using these over a bike specific glove?
 

al415

Banned
The short answer is...

it depends. Some non-cycling specific gloves have too much, not enough or poorly placed padding in the palm area. If you are concerned mostly with keeping your hands warm, your gloves will probably be as effective as any "cycling specific" wind-proof glove, short of a full lobster mitten. The real culprit, when it comes to making hands cold on a bicycle, is wind. If you take wind out of the equation you're going to be fine, until the temperature drops so low you won't be riding anyway.

I went for a short road ride today and just wore the fleece liners that came out of my lobster gloves. I was fine. In the woods at this time of year I'll wear anything from an all leather motorcycle glove to my old woolen, green, army gloves. I have not bought cycling specific gloves for years. You'll know after one cold ride wether you got a good deal...
 

BiknBen

Well-Known Member
Cycling gloves do have some features that you will not find elsewhere. These include a thinner palm so it does not hinder bar feel and control. Rubber finger-tips for gripping brakes and shifter. A softer nose-wipe area on the thumb and pointer finger.
 

Cyclopath

Shop Owner / Employee
Shop Keep
Last year I wore a simple pair of fleece gloves over my riding gloves.
I was very satisfied with the set up. I had the padding and the glove I like and soft fleece to be gentle on the nose and to keep me warm until I got so toasty I had to take them off.

About a month ago I found a pair of 180's convertible gloves at Sports Authority, left over from last year, 40% off clearance. I paid @ $9.
They're soft gloves with little grippy o's on the fingers. They have a windstop mitten like cover for the fingers and there's gripp things on that too.

As I rode around the reservoir today I really got to appreciate these gloves and would grab another two or three pair if I could. My regular cycling gloves fit snug underneath, the grip was more than adequate, the fleece patch on the back was much appreciated by my nose, and I loved the convertibility of the windstop cover that I could put one a few or all of my fingers under. I played around with a bunch of options and all were just great.

They also saved me from getting into trouble for signaling back at the idiot who let out a high pitched whistle as he passed. :mad: The only single digit available was my thumb, so I gave him that. He couldn't hear my words though...:rolleyes:

The closest I can come to it is:
http://www.rei.com/product/772484 but these appear to be mesh.

Anyway, I find winter cycling gloves to be too specific and never ideal. They're too warm or not warm enough, overly bulky or not properly padded. I recommend trying fleece gloves over your regular cycling gloves and see how it works out.
 
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Fogerson

Former Resident Nerd
Cycling gloves do have some features that you will not find elsewhere. These include a thinner palm so it does not hinder bar feel and control. Rubber finger-tips for gripping brakes and shifter. A softer nose-wipe area on the thumb and pointer finger.

Sans the softer nose-wipe area, MX gloves offer the same features.
 

743power

Shop: Bicycle Pro
Shop Keep
I have 5 or 6 pairs of riding gloves, 3 pairs of winter gloves and I use them all at some point in the winter. I have the hardest time getting my hands to be just the right temp, which basically makes or breaks the whole ride for me.

My advice, after being steered in this direction last winter is to get gloves that are a little looser than you would think is ideal, so that your warm body heat can actually circulate around your frozen digits.

As for cycling v non cycling gloves, try them on. If you try on non cycling gloves, grab a ski pole or something and make sure the fingers are articulate enough for riding.
 

rlb

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the suggestions, I think these gloves will work out for me.

They are Seirus all weather gloves http://www.rei.com/product/745947

I rode 6 mile today, I hit the trails around 9 am. The forecast was about 25 degrees, I don't know the actual temp. For the first 20 minutes or so my fingers were absolutely frozen but they got warmed up which surprised me (either that or they went totally numb...) My hands were sweating after a while, which concerned me at first but they never got cold again so I guess the gloves did their job. They have grip material on them and they didn't interfere with my ride, though they could use a nose wipe. I was wearing a face mask though, so nose drip was barely an issue which was a surprise since I have a faucet for a nose when its below 40. The only thing I noticed about the gloves was I couldn't feel the feedback from my shifter when down shifting, so I kept over shooting the gear I wanted by 1/2 a shift but I adjusted eventually.

On a side note, I was surprised at how easy it was to keep warm (this is my first winter). I wore a cheapo dualfield base layer (shirt and pants) with mesh shorts and a t-shirt, and a combo face mask/fleece hat. I had to stop and cool down a few times to avoid sweating. I hammered a bit for the last mile and had a decent sweat going when I got to the car.
 

rlb

Well-Known Member
Hmm maybe I should expect better? These gloves got trashed on the REI review...

Edit: I should add to this, I'm not going to dislike them just because of bad reviews. They worked well for me, aside from the first 20 mins which BTW is the experience I always have with this type of winter glove, though I've never spent more than $30 on a pair either. Does anyone else have cold fingers at first? I feel like a crazy drunk...Thinking out loud haha
 
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PTB66

New Member
Does anyone else have cold fingers at first?

I have cold everything at first......first 10 to 15 minutes my fingers are cold...
Found a great glove (so far). PI Gavia glove. Has grip but no extra padding (that's what i like, anything with padding ends up hurting my hands.
nice soft fleece nose wipe.
finger tips have grip thingy's too...prevents fingers from sliding off shifters and brakes.
Used them today for the second time out....Temp today was about 35 and hands warmed up nice and stayed warm.

pearl_8759_bk_06_m.jpg
 

jimjo

New Member
i said it before and here it is again

I rode 2 hours today with these puppies worked perfect... and for $35 its a WAY cheaper alternative to cycling specific winter gloves....

no only if they made these for my feet!

they are heavy duty work gloves with thinsulate i bought them at home depot for working in the yard and used them to ride with last week. my hands were sweating by the end of the ride.

http://www.gemplers.com/product/1357...-Exhale-Gloves
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Interesting.

$65, and you know they'll work. I guess you need to weight form versus function. As in, will you be the laughingstock of the neighborhood? At the same time, when it gets really cold people will be laughing from inside because it's too cold to ride.

agreed. interesting. anyone have an old wet suit laying around? i have a business i'd like to start.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I really wish I could see these first. This is the kind of thing you ask for as a Christmas gift. This gives you plausable deniability if someone calls you out on it.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
For those of you just getting into this "riding all winter" thing, don't forget that your core temperature has a pretty notable effect on the comfort of your extremities. Your body's natural thermostat will seek to keep your organs warm first and foremost, and then shunt heat off to less vital areas next. If your core is under-insulated, your fingers and toes will never warm up.

Granted, this is not an issue for most people, who tend to overdress up top, but it is something to be aware of.

Same thing applies to keeping your head warm. Your body is much more concerned with keeping your brain healthy than it is with your toes, so wear something warm under your helmet.
 
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