Commuting - Neoprene Gloves?

Anybody use neoprene gloves for commuting? I had a bit of a crash this morning and ripped one of my gloves so I need to replace them. I was in an outdoor sporting goods store a while ago and saw some fleece lined neoprene gloves that were intended for hunting/fishing. I thought that they might work well for foul weather cylcing also. I imagine that they don't breathe well but when it is freezing and wet, I'm not sweating much anyway. Anybody have any experience with gloves like these?

Hi, I have a pair of the gloves you describe, they work great in the rain, but your correct they don't breath very well so your hands sweat like crazy. I end up using them a couple of times a year but at a cost of about $10. as I recall, they were a bargain.

PLUS. wash them frequently if you don't they stink!!

'Rasher

I have a pair of neoprene gloves from Performance. They are almost as warm as my thinsulate gloves. The highs are in the upper 40s, low 50s and I have been using them for the last few days exclusively. Haven't had a chance to rain test them yet, but since they don't breathe they are pretty warm, even in the wind.

I got some from a hardware store, and basically soaked them with sweat over my 5 mile commute. I had to turn them inside out every day to dry them. Now I use snowboard gloves, and it is working much better.

I picked up a set from MEC, combo cycling/paddling gloves, unlined. They're great in rain as nothing gets through - unfortunately nothing gets out, either, so all the sweat gets trapped. I store my bike and bike gear in the dehumidified server room at work, and I turn the gloves inside out to dry off - otherwise they start to smell after a while. Best in fall and spring, in summer they're just too hot, and in winter they don't keep the fingers warm enough (I don't know if the lining would be enough). My solution for winter cycling is a set of full finger cycling gloves inside a pair of winter gloves that are a size too big for me - the winter gloves are windproof and waterproof, and the cycling gloves have padding on the palm.

Got my neoprene ice fishing gloves from Gander Mtn supply. I wear them on the colder days.

I have a pair I bought at Performance. Palm sides are made of breathable Amara, so my hands don't get sweaty like other people said. Back side of the gloves made of neoprene blocks the cold air effectively but then, it doesn't get very cold here.

I picked up a set from MEC, combo cycling/paddling gloves, unlined. They're great in rain as nothing gets through - unfortunately nothing gets out, either, so all the sweat gets trapped. I store my bike and bike gear in the dehumidified server room at work, and I turn the gloves inside out to dry off - otherwise they start to smell after a while. Best in fall and spring, in summer they're just too hot, and in winter they don't keep the fingers warm enough (I don't know if the lining would be enough). My solution for winter cycling is a set of full finger cycling gloves inside a pair of winter gloves that are a size too big for me - the winter gloves are windproof and waterproof, and the cycling gloves have padding on the palm.

Could you name the specific ones you are using?

Could you name the specific ones you are using?

They are "MEC Cycling/Paddling Gloves Unisex" as seen at http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=478515&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=676781&bmUID=1108212105032. They're unfortunately unavailable (which usually means they're going to be replaced with a better model in a few months time), but they've been on clearance (at $12, I think) for the past month or so so it might be worth trying your local MEC.

The Nootka gloves (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=732541&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=478835&bmUID=1108211357197) are still listed on clearance but I haven't tried them - they might be worth a look, though.

There's some pretty nice long sleeve cycling jerseys on clearance at $20 in Halifax, too - it might be worth checking the clearance racks if you go in.

Ive been wanting to get these ones at performance: http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?sku=19287#

Coldest it gets here is uper 30's. Im sure anything will be better than my 30gram thusulate leather gloves that have holes in them.

I have a pair of thin, grippy, rain gloves called "SealSkinz". I haven't had to use them much but when I have they seemed to work pretty well. I dunno how well they'd fare in the wet in really cold temps though, as they're pretty thin.


-Trevor

Dee vee, that's what I have. My fingers got a little cold during a ride when the temp was in the 30s, but then my hands feel cold when I am inside and the heat is set at 60.

My leather thinsulate gloves were about to get holes in them, so it's nice to be able to put off replacing them until I can find some clearanced in the spring :).

They are "MEC Cycling/Paddling Gloves Unisex" as seen at http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=478515&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=676781&bmUID=1108212105032. They're unfortunately unavailable (which usually means they're going to be replaced with a better model in a few months time), but they've been on clearance (at $12, I think) for the past month or so so it might be worth trying your local MEC.

The Nootka gloves (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=732541&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=478835&bmUID=1108211357197) are still listed on clearance but I haven't tried them - they might be worth a look, though.

There's some pretty nice long sleeve cycling jerseys on clearance at $20 in Halifax, too - it might be worth checking the clearance racks if you go in.

I've been thinking about buying those neoprene gloves at MEC for a while, and your posts have convinced me not to. Thank you. They're on the rack at my local MEC in plain plastic bags with the price marked with a felt-tipped market on the bag.

Hi rainedon,
I'm in Olympia so ride in pretty much the same weather you do. I wear a pair of Telo sailing gloves, neoprene with elkhide palms, until the temp gets down into the low 30s. Then, I switch to snowboard gloves. Have found this to be a pretty comfortable and workable solution for the Northwest, since the really wet days tend to be warmer. Bought the gloves at West Marine several years ago.

http://www.duluthtrading.com/items/98987+MED.asp
http://www.duluthtrading.com/items/58447+SM.asp

I haven't tried these yet, but they will be what I'm getting soon.

I've been thinking about buying those neoprene gloves at MEC for a while, and your posts have convinced me not to. Thank you. They're on the rack at my local MEC in plain plastic bags with the price marked with a felt-tipped market on the bag.

Well, they're great wet weather gloves - they keep your hands warm enough they don't get chilled by the rain, and your hands just get sweaty rather than soaked. If you're looking at them for winter gloves, they definitely don't cut the mustard, though (unless you're wintering in the UK or something!)

http://www.duluthtrading.com/items/98987+MED.asp
http://www.duluthtrading.com/items/58447+SM.asp

I haven't tried these yet, but they will be what I'm getting soon.

The Duluth gloves aren't very good, not very well constructed. They are waterproof because they have a plastic bag inside of the glove between the outerlayer and the insulation. So water doesn't get in but sweat doesn't get out. Most work gloves aren't constructed in the correct way for comfortable riding. In my opinion, for cold weather riding, wind resistance is the most important thing. I'd stick with gloves made specific for cycling and I think Pearl Izumi as a whole makes good stuff.

I have a pair of thin, grippy, rain gloves called "SealSkinz". I haven't had to use them much but when I have they seemed to work pretty well. I dunno how well they'd fare in the wet in really cold temps though, as they're pretty thin.


-Trevor


Trevor,

Actually, the sealskinz are the gloves that bit the dust in my crash. I was using the sealskinz chill blockers though and for the most part they were great gloves. They were a little too warm for me though and my hands were sweating quite a bit. After hearing all of these testimonies, I'm thinking about staying away from neoprene and I'm leaning toward getting a pair of the original sealskinz without the fleece lining. They are waterproof like they claim and the regular sealskinz are about 1/2 the $ of the chillblockers.

I had the nashbar neoprene gloves and now have the performance ones (the nashbar gloves disintegrated after a few years of use.)

When you need a glove, I think neoprene is the best for most conditions above about 25 deg f. Yes, your hands will get wet, but the beauty of neoprene is that it insulates when wet. so your hands will never be super duper comfy, but they will never be that bad either (unless its biting cold, since neoprene doesnt shield wind particularly well). In a heavy cold rain, the neoprene is grand - soaking wet, but quite comfortable. if cold rain gets in a "waterproof" glove, it's no fun. plus, i always sweat in waterproof gloves so I have wet hands either way. wet and warm though with the neoprene. same reason I use neoprene booties and wool socks. I give up on staying dry in really wet weather, but I stay comfortable. I love the stuff and it dries out pretty quick. I also like my wetsuit for icy water for all the same reasons.

I wear a pair of neoprene "driving" gloves with leather grips that I got for $7 at a military surplus store. Along with the wool glover liners underneath ($2 at the same store), the provide a warm, dry ride in the worst weather Oregon has to offer. Plus, the neoprene is a good soft surface for nose wiping.

I've been really happy this year with lobster-style gloves made out of thinsulate, I think $36 range on one of the online catalogues.