Winter Cycling - Winter Gloves

I'm looking to replace my winter gloves this year. My current pair are cheap, and not warm enough. Any suggestions of warm ones that aren't too thick? A favorite brand?

velo:D

I have a pair of Specialized gloves that I like. I can't remember the model name, except that they're black. They're good down to about freezing. My GF has a nice pair of gloves by a company called Radical that are somewhat warmer.

Geeky looking, but effective are the "pogies". See Icebike for a description or Sidetrak's site for their "Climitts" or Terry Precision Bikes for their "Bullwinkles". The idea of these is to give you a shield so you don't have to wear outragously thick gloves to keep warm. I rode with Bullwinkles and a pair of cheap stretch gloves down to temperatures of 5F last winter. My commute is 45 minutes one-way in the winter. Since your hands are more dextrous, it makes up for not being able to see your index indicators, and braking is much more efficient.

Picked up a good pair called the Wooly Mammoth by Trek. These are the below freezing temps gloves that I wear. Work great but a bit bulky. Otherwise, I use a combination of things depending on the weather. I have some silk glove liners, some heavier glove liners, a pair of wind proof Performance gloves and my regular everyday Fox gloves. I mix and match the gloves and liners to get the coverage I need for the weather conditions. Sounds like a lot of gloves, but they have been accumulated over the past 2 years and bought for cheap prices.

When I wear winter gloves, I more frequently shift gears accidentally. (My hybrid bike has the gear shifters that are used using a twist of the wrist.) Perhaps a thinner pair of gloves would help the situation. Or maybe I should go out and become one of those single-speed outlaws.... ;)

"Lobster Gloves" by Trek or Pearl Izumi are very warm
Ride Warm
Pat

This morning I had my first really cold commute to work. The temp was around 20 degrees and I put on my new Pearl Izumi gloves. I just bought these gloves this fall, hoping that they would be the answer to my cold hands. But, my hands got just as cold as last year. I own P Izumi lobster mitts and the new PI gloves, but nothing seems to keep my finger tips warm. And yes, I use liner gloves.

Is there any glove that actually works below freezing, or am I just a wimp? (Don't answer that, please.)

Chiba Drystar gloves Steele. I've had mine for the past 3 winters and they are still going strong. They keep my hands and more importantly - fingers warm in freezing temperatures. The only problem I find is that because they are also waterproof, they do get smelly after a few rides, but then I just throw them in the washing mashine with the rest of my kit. And because they are fairly cheap, I went out and bought another pair - just in case they stop making them in the future!

Try and locate some and take a look, you may not like them but I certainly do. :)

Most Pearl Izumi products are a waste of money. The only thing which really works on cold morning commutes are Wells-Lamont cowhide gloves (the unlined ones). Your fingers will still get a bit cold, but at least you will be able to operate levers.

I'm pretty heavy into winter cycling. A lot of the bike-specific winter gear is overpriced and gloves are no exception.

If you live in an area with cold winters you can get gloves as good as you'll ever need at Megalowmart. You won't have to spend even $15. I don't know what brand-- it doesn't matter. Cheap import brand.

E.g., I bought no-name gauntlet gloves with removable liners for something like $13. Those gloves with their liners are good for bike riding at least to minus -15F (that's the coldest it's gotten when I've ridden. I'd take them out in colder weather.) They're waterproof and can be used without concern in rain or snow. My decent pair of stretch fabric gloves will fit inside the gauntlet gloves. That combination would be good to who knows how cold. Way, way cold, like below minus 25F.

These gloves don't breathe all that well, admittedly. But so what? My hands are never cold even in desperately cold weather.

Other winter cycling stuff can be had at Megalowmart for dirt cheap. You can buy the cut rate poly undergarments, long tights and a jersey, in the sporting goods department when they've got all of their clothes out for hunting season. It's something like $8 for each garment-- much cheaper than the cycling-specific undergarments. Yet the Megalowmart stuff is pretty much the same material as far as I can tell. I've got a pair of Performance bike undertights and the Megalowmart stuff is just as warm, and wicks just as well.

Let's see, what else? Cheap sunglasses for snow glare. Fleece socks for $3. Knit caps and balaclavas for barely any money at all.

Other things, like outer clothes, rain gear and windbreakers, you have to spend money on at the bike shop. But you don't have to buy everything at the LBS.

Finally, if you don't want to thrash your good bike in the snow and dirt over the winter, you can even buy a disposable mountain bike for $50. If I were still living in a severe winter climate that's what I'd do. In fact, even as it was I almost bought the thing when I saw it the other day. I don't need another bike, but I couldn't help but think there must be something I can do with such a cheap bike. It wasn't even that much of a piece of junk. I wouldn't fix it, but I wouldn't have to. If it broke I could throw it away.

Yes, Megalowmart is terrible and predatory and exploitative and blah blah blah. But why spend five times the money on bike specific stuff?

All right, this Fred Sanford moment has come to a close. Cheers.

Hey Merriwether, your post reminded me alot of this article.






http://www.dirtragmag.com/articles/polyester.shtml

gloves are important in winter

I see this was started a while back, but it is getting cold here now. I was looking at winter gloves in a catalogue, are they padded like the summer gloves, or do you have to wear both a summer pair under a winter pair? I don’t need the sub-freezing lobster type. I don’t think I’d go out when it is too near freezing, (40’s are cold enough!!) I have small hands so the 2 pair thing wouldn’t work too well.

I have circulation problems due to an electrical accident years ago. I wear Performance Gore-tex/thinsulite gloves and have not had any problems down to 10F. They run about $50 (www.performance.com)

My best Fall and Winter gloves are gloves for general purpose.

My Fall gloves (temps around freezing) are sold as Winter gloves for most people: i.e. adults who don't stay outside very long. They have a synthetic wool insert and a thin leather shell. When it rains, I tried a few things and the solution is either to carry 2 pair of gloves (and use the second pair when the first one is wet), or to use extra-large surgical gloves over the other gloves.

My Winter gloves are sold for cross country skiing. They are supposed to be perfect in cold weather, but I find them great until -15 to -25°C only. The key points are: gloves that are loose enough even when fingers are around the handlebars, and gloves that aren't slippery so I don't need to grab handlebars too tightly.

BTW, I heard about Pogies. Not sure they would work with drop bars...

Regards,

I have a pair of Pearl Izumi winter gloves that work great, at least down into the low 20's. They are last years and I don't remember the name they were sold under, but the tag says that the insulation is Primaloft. They have leather palms and are pretty impervious to wind. My hands have never been cold while wearing them.