Doug64

My wife sears by them. We've been riding down to the gym in the mornings and the temps were at 17F.

mr_bill

Really, you are riding in the sweet spot of misery. Just above freezing, windy, damp or worse raining.

The local high school offers a survival course where kids are outside for three days in a state forest in January. If it's 0-25 degrees F outside, they are all able to keep nice and warm. The nightmare for the teacher is 34, damp or raining, and windy. Lots of students have trouble staying warm in those conditions.

Put on the baby blues. You've already bought them. You aren't a wimp. If you like them buy them in a color you'll actually use.

(Buying something super cheap that you don't use is no bargain.)

-mr. bill

qcpmsame 

Another vote to use them, regardless. Granted, I ride a baby blue and orange bicycle, and own a Belgian national jersey that is that colourway, it shows up very well, so you can just say its being safety minded on your part. Nothing wimpy about staying warm, being comfortable will keep you from being a wimp that just quits riding.

December, and all the cold months, are some good riding for me. Its nice out, lots of blue bowl sky days, just a bit chilly, ok, it can be down-right cold some days. It feels good to finish up a ride, and you have a nice sense of accomplishment from doing your ride in less than optimum conditions.

Bill

Hermes1

I wear regular ski gloves for the rare 30's early AM rides we sometimes get here in Phoenix, AZ but these look like they might be a winner.

ColaJacket

I've got some Performance Cabot Soft-shelled gloves. I've only worn them down to about 50F, but at that temperature, they're probably a little warm, as my hands are perspiring just a bit.



GH

Red Rider

I wear REI One gloves under my summer cycling gloves. They're windproof and very warm; they have padded palms but not bike-specific (thus the fingerless gloves on top). For rides <40 mi. I don't bother with the cycling gloves. That they block wind sold me on them (my husband used them for a year before I was convinced). YMMV.

bogydave

Pogies:


Stopped by the bike shop today
Owner had his bike , fat tire. Has Pogies on it. rides in below zero stuff
Was doing a Christmas parade in Palmer today, He was riding in it.
Let me take it for a spin
Didn't even need gloves & it was 20°, they are really warm. On a flatbar. easy to shift, plenty of room.
Hands slide in & out easy
He said he rides with full finger riding gloves

He says you can get pogies to fit any bike

Pogies | BikeShopHub Blog

A guy told me the original idea came from a guy that used the snap on carhart hoods
Tie wrapped them to his handle bars,
Now they're everywhere u = here, on atvs, snow machines & winter bikes.

Amazon has some called "Bar Mitts"

Many here say these are Good ones : Pogies ? Keeping the Digits Warm | FAT-BIKE.COM

doctor j

I have been using the same sort of glove made offered by Louis Garneau. When the "lobster mitts" are used the cover the fingers, there is a significant difference (improvement) in warmth.

I'm glad to know Cannondale offers the same sort of glove as it gives me two sources perchance one is not available.

JohnJ80

I ride all winter long in Minnesota.

For road biking, down to 20F or so, I'll wear these from Castelli. They're really good and have great dexterity. Below that, I go to bar mitts and a very light glove (Bar Mitts are super warm). I get the ones for external routing because they have a zipper that can be used to open them up and increase ventilation.

J.

deacon mark

I use soft wool gloves that are thinsulated on the inside and wool on the outside. I do not like gloves that restrict any finger movement and yet they must be windproof. I have two pairs I use and they are good to 25 degrees easy. My hands tend to warm up after a bit, starting out the fingers can go numb but they come back and thaw. My problem is the feet no matter what they will go numb after awhile and nothing really helps when it goes under 30 degrees.

dbg

Love these things:




"there's a lobster loose!"

Biker395 

lol.

I DO know what you mean. The coldest I've ever been was on a 40F descent in a rainy, blustery descent. All I had was a windbreaker and I was damn near hypotermic by the time I got to the bottom.

oddjob2

Fleece gloves work great, but no experience with them in a downpour.

REI ? Top-Brand Clothing, Gear, Footwear and Expert Advice for All Your Outdoor Adventures - REI.com

katzenfinch

Lobster claw gloves work well for me. I bought some Pearl Izumis last year but their large size was a little too confining, so I traded those to my wife for her old pair of Trek-branded gloves which fit me better.

qcpmsame 

Doc,
You might want to pick up some of the ones you like, things like gloves and other cycling kit, come and go. Like saddles, if you find one you really like, buy a couple, before they are phased out by the maker. Surest way to get something discontinued, is for me to like it, and try to find another on a few years later.

Bill

berner

I like shopping for bargains. With some advance shopping, that is, before you actually need something, it is easily possible to find items at half price or less. I have recently purchased insulated and windproof ski gloves at Ocean State Job Lot, an over stock discounter company here in the NE states. Yesterday I was in a Sports Authority store shopping for a soft shell jacket,which I found at nearly half price but while there, I looked at gloves even though I don't need any more gloves. I saw quite a few models of the soft shell or windblok fleece type suitable for cycling and at very good prices.

My preferred gloves, unless it is at the freezing mark, is a liner glove and a separate wind shell which combined produces two or three separate glove combinations. I like this combination because frequently it will be cold at the beginning of a ride but several hours later, if the sun is beating down and I'm thoroughly warmed up, less in the way of gloves is needed. When it is down near the freezing mark, heavier fleece cloves under the shells work well.

The main point is that everyone has to find the tactic that works for them. For me, sweaty hands means hands that will be cold later so I try to avoid that with a layering system.

practical

I bought a pair of work gloves at Kinney Drug Store for $11. They're full-fingered, padded and brightly yellow. They look kinds "freddie" but they work great.

02Giant 

I frost bit a few fingers working construction many years back, there isn't a conventional glove that will keep them warm, I have spent $$$ trying so many variations it isn't funny. I am going to look into the pogies, I hate to end up with another "glove" I cant use.

Outnumbered

I use PI Lobster Gloves keep my hands toasty down to 16 degrees which was the coldest I rode before last years snow started.

JohnJ80

The problem with these discussions the huge variance on the meaning of "cold." I live in Minnesota so for me that means cold is subzero. For someone in warmer climates, cold means 50F.

J.

BlazingPedals

Palmer, as in Hatcher Pass?

bogydave

Yea
Alaska
Hatcher Pass Epic

JohnJ80

Here's the other piece to keeping your hands warm. You need to keep your core and arms warm. Same goes with feet and legs. If you let your core get cool, you start off without warm blood going out to your extremeties. It just gets worse if your arms are cold. If that happens, your fingers don't have a chance.

So the trick comes down to covering your head and making sure you have enough layers on your core and they have to be layers that breath well enough. Then make sure you have sufficent layers on your torso but that breathe well and are not restricted by waterproofing. If it's not raining, ride with something that is a windblock fleece or equivalent.

Another really good trick to keeping your core warm but not sweaty is to get a piece of one of the highly breathable soft shell types of material - Neoshell works great, Light weight PowerShield, Scholler fabric etc... Cut a piece big enough to cover your torso from side to side and from neck to navel. Stuff it under your jersey over your base layer. This will add about 10 degrees of warmth and won't impact your ability to pass moisture and prevent sweat buildup.

If you come in from your ride and if you hop in a hot shower and feels really good, then you've let yourself get too cold. Do this and wear a decent softshell insulated glove (I like Castelli's) and you'll be plenty warm and so will your fingers.
J.