I am a fan of neoprene cycling gloves. I think Cross country skiing gloves are the best crossover for biking, as you face similar extended exertion and grasping and sweat is the main enemy. I had some great Reusch cross country ski gloves that I would wear for riding, but I lost them when I was actually skiing last winter. They were made of neoprene laminated with a wicking fleece on the interior, thick vinyl panels sewed on the top, an extremely tack palm, velcro wrist and a thumb with a good material for wiping glasses/nose. I had been on the lookout for the same or similar gloves this season (I looked at neoprene water sports gloves, neoprene fishing gloves, neoprene utility gloves etc.) I definitely do not like mittens and like close cut gloves to allow me to do/undo zippers, adjust things, take my keyes out of my pocket, without needing to take the gloves off.
Eventually I went to a ski show and bought a pair of Spyder 'Venom' Moto gloves. I think they are designed for 'free ski' and they are essentially the same as the reusch gloves although I suspect they will be less durable. This is because they use less neoprene and the fleece liner is not laminated to the outer, meaning that while they will be warmer, I will probably get sweaty hands and rip out the lining by mistake when I take the hands off.
When it gets cold I have a variety of silk or nylon glove liners that I use, and sometimes I wear my half finger gloves underneath if I feel I need the extra palm padding. For some reason these gloves have embossed ridges on the fingers. They are kind of like an exoskeleton and they feel strange when you close your palm. I'm hoping they will soften over time. These gloves are as warm and waterproof as I need for commuting all winter in Toronto.
