Winter Cycling - Mittens?

I'm thinking about getting a pair of mittens to help keep my hands warm. They are the only part of me that never seems to feel warm enough.

I generally ride a Jamis Commuter 3.0 with a trigger style shifter. I am curious if anyone rides with mittens and has a problem with shifting or just not have a good feel for the grips or brake levers...

i ride with mittens in weather 25°F or lower. i have glove inserts inside. I use brifters and have zero problems with breaking or shifting; although in that kind of weather i'm rarely going so fast that i need perfect dexterity. for me this was the best solution for cold weather riding without purchasing fancy-schmancy gloves.

edit: i meant below 25°F, and not 15°F---my gloves are warm, but not that warm. the mittens are my go-to for the real cold.

I use these ... see thumbnail photo.

They work just fine. They give me the option of having my fingers available, yet still warm, if I need them, or to cover everything up. On really cold days I wear them with mini-gloves underneath.

^You must have really good circulation to your hands.
My fingers would freeze with those at 0C.
For mega warmth, I go big, and cover half my forearms.
With ones like these:
http://www.tetonvillagesports.com/images/hestra/hestra-heli-mitt-black-2.jpg

^You must have really good circulation to your hands.
My fingers would freeze with those at 0C.


Those are Thinsulate and wool fliptops ... WARM!! I've ridden in temps well below freezing with them and have had to flip the tops back now and then because they almost get too warm ... especially if I've got the minigloves underneath as well.

I've used them, and respectfully disagree.

Those are Thinsulate and wool fliptops ... WARM!! I've ridden in temps well below freezing with them and have had to flip the tops back now and then because they almost get too warm ... especially if I've got the minigloves underneath as well.

Yep, those work well. I use something similar except with full fingers and an insulated cover. Remington brand made for hunting actually.

Best product ever....

http://www.barmitts.com/

Best product ever....

http://www.barmitts.com/

But unecessary. Seriously, I rode in single digits yesterday with what I described above and had no problem whatsoever. The hands are free for whatever position I want. I'm sure they are nice though.

For someone like me who can't stand gloves, they're perfect. Plus, I have poor circulation, so my hands are always cold.

For someone like me who can't stand gloves, they're perfect. Plus, I have poor circulation, so my hands are always cold.

I understand. You have bare hands under those?

I understand. You have bare hands under those?

Normal cycling gloves; short-finger. They're actually supposed to be used either that way or with thin long-finger gloves. Me, I can't stand full-finger gloves. My fingers are short, so I always have 1/2 inch of extra finger hanging off the end.

Those are Thinsulate and wool fliptops ... WARM!!

I second the Thinsulate suggestion. I have several pairs of Walmart-type gloves... none of them cycling specific. The one with Thinsulate really seem to help fend off the cold.

Now if I could find some socks with Thinsulate... :)

Yep, those work well. I use something similar except with full fingers and an insulated cover. Remington brand made for hunting actually.

I found those flip-tops in Walmart's hunting section for $5 a pair.

Best product ever....

http://www.barmitts.com/



But unecessary. Seriously, I rode in single digits yesterday with what I described above and had no problem whatsoever. The hands are free for whatever position I want. I'm sure they are nice though.

One problem I have with cold weather riding posts in general, especially in the extremes of temperatures, is that the suscribers often don't mention how far (or long) they ride. My commute is 14 miles in slightly over an hour. At single digits, my hands will start getting cold at about 10 miles with my current thin, and thick windproof fingered gloves. I certainly am interested in alternatives, looking at mittens, but those bar mitts look especially attractive. They are also touted to protect the hands in rain for those days in the 30'-40's. I would like to check out such a novel product in person, especially to ensure fit, but the closest bike shop that sells them is in Connecticut :mad:, though they might be worth the drive from Boston.

Continuing my mini-rant about cold weather cycling reports, the best definition, or standard if you will, of a cold weather ride is one in which your water bottle freezes solid (presumably starting out at room temperature) as a function of both temperature and time. It happens to me at below about 15 degrees. My own experience riding in bad weather, be it cold or raining, no matter how well you prepare, is that the first 10 miles are tolerable and then I endure the rest.

^You must have really good circulation to your hands.
My fingers would freeze with those at 0C.
For mega warmth, I go big, and cover half my forearms.
With ones like these:
http://www.tetonvillagesports.com/images/hestra/hestra-heli-mitt-black-2.jpg

In cool but not cold temperatures, I wear knit gloves that are short at the wrist. One problem with them is that there is gap at the wrists between the gloves and the jacket arms that exposes my skin; tolerable but annoying. This fall I cut off the end of athletic socks with another hole for my thumb and made some arm warmers that cover the wrist and entire forearm. So far I have found they keep my foreams very nicely warm under my thin jacket.

This winter I am looking forward to see if wearing such arm warmers with my usual combination of thin knit gloves under my full-fingered windproof gloves will keep my hands warmer than without them, as described for the above product. My commute is 14 miles sometimes down to single digits and rarely below zero. Perhaps by the additional extra warming of the blood flow through my forearms, my hands will stay warmer. My next steps would be mittens or bar mitts.

From what I've read here a lot of people like these lobster claw mittens/gloves:
http://mos.bikeradar.com/images/bikes-and-gear/clothing/gloves/CYP203/CYP203.winkit.piglov_m-400-90.jpg
Others prefer using pogies and light gloves:
http://www.regardingjohn.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/expedition-pogies1.jpg
Both of these seem viable alternatives for those cold, cold rides.

One problem I have with cold weather riding posts in general, especially in the extremes of temperatures, is that the suscribers often don't mention how far (or long) they ride. My commute is 14 miles in slightly over an hour.

The gloves I referenced will easily get me over an hour even in single digits. That includes some stretches with a fair amount of wind chill from descending some pretty good hills I might add.

Believe it or not, they are probably less bulky than those bike specific gloves ^^^^ and the individual fingers can be free which can be helpful.

One word - choppers! Find some with removable wool liners. I have been using them to hunt, ice fish, shovel, ski and winter commute for a long time. Never have had to find anything else.

One problem I have with cold weather riding posts in general, especially in the extremes of temperatures, is that the suscribers often don't mention how far (or long) they ride.

Continuing my mini-rant about cold weather cycling reports, the best definition, or standard if you will, of a cold weather ride is one in which your water bottle freezes solid (presumably starting out at room temperature) as a function of both temperature and time. It happens to me at below about 15 degrees. My own experience riding in bad weather, be it cold or raining, no matter how well you prepare, is that the first 10 miles are tolerable and then I endure the rest.

Ah, well then ....

Those fliptops I posted earlier in this thread work for me, with minigloves underneath, for winter centuries (100 miles) which usually take me 10-11 hours to complete in the winter. I've used them in temps from about 0C down to about -20C. I've probably only worn them below -10C for 2 or 3 hours at a time.

And I haven't carried a water bottle on most of those winter centuries because they freeze up too quickly. Instead I drink lots before I head out, then do a loop route that has me coming home every couple hours for something to eat and drink.

In cool but not cold temperatures, I wear knit gloves that are short at the wrist. One problem with them is that there is gap at the wrists between the gloves and the jacket arms that exposes my skin; tolerable but annoying. This fall I cut off the end of athletic socks with another hole for my thumb and made some arm warmers that cover the wrist and entire forearm. So far I have found they keep my foreams very nicely warm under my thin jacket.


Those fliptops I posted are amply long enough so there is no gap. But I wear wrist bands, like tennis players use, anyway. A large part of keeping your hands warm is all about covering your pulse points. I learned that in a winter survival program, and it really works. I worked outside as a postal carrier for a couple years in Winnipeg where the temps would get down in the -30 to -40 range, and where I'd be outside delivering mail for several hours, and needed manual dexterity. I could work in those temps in minigloves because my wrist pulse points were well covered.

This winter I am looking forward to see if wearing such arm warmers with my usual combination of thin knit gloves under my full-fingered windproof gloves will keep my hands warmer than without them, as described for the above product. My commute is 14 miles sometimes down to single digits and rarely below zero. Perhaps by the additional extra warming of the blood flow through my forearms, my hands will stay warmer. My next steps would be mittens or bar mitts.
This sounds like a decent concept. Wrist warmth and the resultant blood flow to fingers was my rationale for the gauntlet type mitts I showed above. They often come with fleece liners which may be removed, or swapped out as conditions change during a ride, allowing for a range of temperature/exertion levels.

For the record, I have not needed them since I left Canada.;)

One word - choppers! Find some with removable wool liners. I have been using them to hunt, ice fish, shovel, ski and winter commute for a long time. Never have had to find anything else.
I just bought a pair of LL Bean choppers on sale with free shipping! I wore them today with morning temps in the 20's. My hands were nice & warm. They did feel a little bulky compared to cycling gloves, but I know my hands will be warm over the next few months.
http://cdni.llbean.com/is/image/wim/258851_0_41?wid=330&hei=295