Recreational & Family - Gloves

So, for the same reason as wearing gloves on my motorcycle (protection) as well for some additional comfort, figured some gloves might be in order. That said, would gel gloves be the route to go, or padded gloves?

Have to try them and see. I personally don't care for gel and have found that I don't like real thick padding either. It's as much of a personal choice as a helmet or seat.

I agree with regarding personal choice.

For me the gel feels squishy and makes my hand feel likes it is slipping/floating over the bars.

Padded and cork tape are just right for me. I have never had a pair of padded gloves I hated. The ones I liked the least were due to the gloves being too large.

Summer - lightly padded with mesh back.
Winter - lightly padded with solid back.

Summer - Padded with no fingers.
Winter - Padded with full fingers.

I've tried both gel and padding, and have found that the less there is, the better I feel about them. I'm currently using Gel Lite's, which I picked out specifically because there wasn't much in the palms. The main reason I even wear gloves is to protect my hands if I go down.

No or very little padding, sometimes no gloves, when I feel like getting some sun on my hands for a change. Padded gloves bother me and even cause numbness in my hands...my theory is that it has to do with the size of my hands - anyone else with large hands not like padded gloves?

I'm pretty old school. I like palm pads, with just a loop of elastic over each finger.
Don't even know if they're made any more.
Top

No gloves for me. I would rather not get my hands extra warm in the summer. My hands never bother me even on +50mile rides.

I watched a kid take a 10' skid, using his hands to save his face the whole way, this past Friday. At the end, not only were his palms the consistency of ground meat, but he had uncontrollable shakes from the elbows (apparently there are a lot of nerves in that palm/wrist area) for at least 20 min after. It was an enactment of the scenario that's had me wearing gloves every ride of my adult life.

No gloves for me. I would rather not get my hands extra warm in the summer. My hands never bother me even on +50mile rides.

You can get gloves that are like 85% palm, just a crocheted back to keep them on your hands, temp-wise.

I just wish somebody made some good gloves. I am sick of spending 20-30 bucks on them and having all the padding go to heck after a week or two of rides. They still look new but looks arn't everything. I have got mild-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome so gloves are a necessity. Anybody found anything really durable?

Fingerless leather motorcycle gloves with gel palm pads (right now $5.00):
http://www.leatherup.com/product.asp?pf_id=SH355

Full fingered: Mechanix gloves. The padded palm ones are the "Series 3.0 Gloves". Lot of MTB riders I've seen wear the M-PACT or M-PACT 2 gloves. I like the Series 2.3 Gloves.

Specialized makes a great line of gloves. :beer:
My personal favorites.

I use padded gloves, mainly for safety. I have padded handlebar tape. For a first purchase I would suggest padding and if you aren't happy with them try gel.

I was having a lot of pain in my hands after 20 minutes of riding and so picked up a cheap pair with padded palms and open mesh backs. They really helped. I'd rather not wear them, but riding is more pleasurable with them.

Mine only cost me $12, pretty cheap experiment.