Winter Cycling - How do I keep my thumb tips warm??

After a smooth entry into a cold canadian prairie winter, I ponder how I will keep my thumb tips warm during my 30-40 minute commute? I am adverse to the idea of using pogies, and my mitts are quite warm otherwise, but those thumb tips just aren't listening. Does anyone have an idea? As well, the cayenne pepper experiment didn't work.

Thanks.

I like my Joe Rocket motorcycle gloves. They keep my hands roasty-toasty, all the way to the tips.

Make sure the gloves/mittens are long and wide enough so there is no constriction, even when you hold the handlebars.

Apart from that, my best combo is with relatively thin knitted gloves (the $3 kind at an el-cheapo store) inside wide, thick "-30 C" gloves. An additional benefit of that technique is that when I remove the outside gloves to lock the bike, I still have a layer to protect my hands.

Sewing thimbles on each? Just thinking laterally. :D

Liners, even really thin ones, can do wonders. Fortunately, I haven't had too much a problem with cold thumb tips. When I start out on a ride, my thumb tip and the tip of my index fingers will be quite cold, but they do warm up after about 10 minutes. If only my feet would do the same.

Thanks for the tips folks. If lining the inside of my mitt shell thumb slot with emergency blanket material doesn't work, I may try an overmitt (if I can find one)(no room for another liner), or just go for the pogies. I'm going to try the thimble idea too if this next step doesn't work. Thanks.

Why dont you try the gloves they use at food stalls and wat not. My cycling team use them when it gets cold and we have team time trials to do.

Just cut off a piece of a sandwich bag and put it over your thumbs. It works amazingly well sometimes. It's cheap to try. Ot's one of the best things for cold toes.

Or the little latex finger thingies/socks that are used to protect finger bandages from getting wet. Or condoms marked XXXSmall.

Could you get a pair of wool gloves and cut out the fingertips?

Koffee

After a smooth entry into a cold canadian prairie winter, I ponder how I will keep my thumb tips warm during my 30-40 minute commute? I am adverse to the idea of using pogies, and my mitts are quite warm otherwise, but those thumb tips just aren't listening. Does anyone have an idea? As well, the cayenne pepper experiment didn't work.

Thanks.

I have been using some of the Fox snowboarding gloves. $30 a pair and as good as or better than the PI lobster.

After a smooth entry into a cold canadian prairie winter, I ponder how I will keep my thumb tips warm during my 30-40 minute commute? I am adverse to the idea of using pogies, and my mitts are quite warm otherwise, but those thumb tips just aren't listening. Does anyone have an idea? As well, the cayenne pepper experiment didn't work.

Thanks.
Try loosening up, maybe you have a death grip. Move your fingers around or change hand positions if possible.

I wear Descente Weather Warriors with a good, thin wool liner.
Sometimes my thumbs and finger tips become agonizingly cold and at other times they don't.
I think it has something to do with how my body manages its blood flow in cold conditions.
My son has suggested I put my gloves in the dryer on low setting prior to starting out in the morning.
On the few days I have tried that it has worked.
Hardly scientific, though, since I have had cold days and warm hands without pre-warming my gloves.
Next winter, I may go to pogies.
I have also seen an ad for something that goes on the wrist and supposedly tricks the body into sending blood to the finger tips, but I don't know enough about it.

I have also seen an ad for something that goes on the wrist and supposedly tricks the body into sending blood to the finger tips, but I don't know enough about it.

There's warmers you can get that strap onto your wrists and warm the blood that flows through your arteries to your hands. I haven't tried them, but it seems like they should work.

THanks, JJakucyk.
I did a search and found them.
The little warmer thingies that go inside the wrist bands cost money! :)

I did some more searching and founds some bogus stuff and something that made sense.
I'll share it here:

"After you have been riding for a while and are generating body heat, start by rolling your shoulders in large round movements. Almost immediately, you should start to feel the warm blood moving to the joint. Next take one hand off the handle bar, straighten the arm and twist it backwards and forwards vigorously a few times. Then bend the elbow in sharp vigorous pumping actions The warm blood should now start moving down the upper arm to the elbow joint. Next a vigorous rolling wrist action in needed to get the blood into the forearm. Now is the time to repeat the exercise with the other arm if you are still riding. When the blood has reached both wrists. further vigorous wrist shaking is needed, plus excessive wriggling of the fingers. The next stage is shear bliss. You will feel with great clarity, the warm blood working its way down and along to each joint in each finger, right down to the very tips, and then your hands will be glowing with heat to the surprise of everybody when you reach your destination. Keeping up a little exercise will keep your hands from losing their heat for the duration of your journey."

http://www.moultoneers.net/themoultoneer/no34/winter.html

Also, has anyone tried silk liners in their gloves?
Did it help?

Silk isn't too bad, I use polypropolene or fakefleece liners under a lined, windresistant glove for three layer total.
Thing is if it gets really cold like it does there in the flatlands then comfort is secondary. When I have to ride in the supercold like that yall get there more often (-30 to -40 and below) I only concern myself with avoiding frostbite which I only got the once (Not My Fault! errr not entirely, ..ok entirely). A little chill or pain in the tip is a solid indicator that you're good to go just keep moving & stretching and keep your heartrate strong. Very few arrangements will keep you feeling toasty warm when you add a bikes windchill to -20c through -40c. Any that did would be too warm standing still after exercising, you don't want to sweat.