nyy

Why do road cyclists love wearing gloves so much? I've never tried it, but don't see any benefits to wearing gloves aside from maybe less road rash on a spill.

fmw

Helps keep my bar tape clean.

botto 

Answers here

NBv4

Well, I don't own gloves, but I often get knumb hands after riding for 30 minutes or more. Another benefit is some of them have a terry cloth thumb which makes wiping sweat easier. I have been meaning to get gloves for a long time, but just never have.

bbattle

Gloves protect your hands in a fall, they keep them warm in the winter. The backs are highly useful for wiping sweat in the summer and snot in the winter. I don't leave home without them.

If you are being chased by a dog, throw them one of your gloves. That's after you've blasted them with your water bottle and flailed them with a frame pump.

hmai18

Ever bail and have to end up picking gravel out of your your legs, hip, or arm? Now imagine dealing with road rash on the palms of of your hands.

mirona

bare hands + pavement = hands - skin

AGuinness

Gloves serve many purposes, not the least of which is protecting your hands. I didn't own gloves when I started riding, and seriously cut up my palms on my first serious spill. It was rather unpleasant riding back home against a strong headwind, as I had to put pressure on those areas. After I had cleaned myself up, I got on eBay and bought some Bell leather/crochet gloves with terry cloth on them. They also keep my white tape nice and clean. And they're useful in knocking debris off tires. Those are a few of the reasons we love wearing them so much, and because they also make us look cooler.

desmo13

I like the tans lines. Superficial purposes only. I wear welding gloves too, so the tan line is halfway up my forearm. When girls ask me about it, It lends credability to my story that I am a surgeon, and the lighter skin from the scrubbing I have to do before surgery.

Martinello

As a surgeon, I'm afraid to blow your cover. We scrub the entire forearm right up to the elbow - and the skin doesn't get any lighter from all that scrubbing - if anything it turns red

Anyway - I used to wear gloves only in races, but these days I'm also wearing them during training rides, as any severe cuts to the hands gets me a 1 week suspension from doing any surgery and sees me right of to doing rounds or dealing with outpatients .

Besides that, gloves give me a better grip on the hoods, especially in wet/sweaty conditions, when my porn-carbon handlebar gets just as slippery as an eel.

desmo13

Thanks for the tip. I need longer gloves, dyed red ones, so the color bleeds onto my skin.

spinnaker

Some place to wipe your nose? Instead of a snot rocket?

DataJunkie

The spiffy tan line does it for me.
Seriously, I had one wreck a few months ago. I basically flew off my bike to the left as I slammed into a curb going 15 mph. Anyhow, I had a nice streak of roadrash on my left leg and a sprained left wrist.
But no roadrash on my palms due to the fact I was wearing gloves.
Plus, I ride all year long. Cold periods require gloves of varying thickness. It is not a big deal to keep wearing a pair of gloves when it gets warm.

Surferbruce

gloves are one of the things you don't know you need till you try em, like clipless pedals and good shoes, quality cycling clothes, chamois creme, what else am i forgetting?

baj32161

I just started wearing half-finger gloves and while they are a bit cooler< I am not quite useed to them yet. But I have never ridden my current bike(s) without gloves. I like the extra padding and the ability to wipe the sweat off of my brow.

Cheers,

Brian

mrchristian

A nice little bit of protection for your hands, and the padding takes the edge out of road vibration (especially if you ride aluminum like I do)

PrfectHair4ever

IM DISCUSSING GLOVES

RiPHRaPH

when you ride through schmutz, you can clean your wheel of debris while rolling.

hmai18

In a pinch, they'll all serve as a makeshift gauntlet to throw down in case some other rider in a wifebeater, cut off jeans and flip flops damages your ego by out-riding you.

TheKillerPenguin

Gloves when it's warm out? No thanks.

cyclebutt

I used them in the begining but found no real benefit. My hands tingle with or without them and I've been working on moving my hands around the bar more to avoid this. The one time I wiped out I didn't even have time to put my hands out (which was probably a good thing considering I most likely would have broken a bone). When you fall you'll have road rash on those parts that make contact, it could be anywhere but I'm not rushing to the bike shop to buy full body armour (ala mountain bikers).

caloso

I only wear them in races. It's just extra stuff.

mister

I wear gloves in case I bail. The extra padding also helps out too. After years of motocross, it's as natural to wear gloves as it is shoes.

superslomo

I don't know about anyone else, but on longer days (3 plus hours) I get numb fingers, and blisters without gloves, even if I'm moving my hands around. Lucky not to have had a fall in a while, but if I do then the gloves protect the palms as a bonus.

DataJunkie

My max temp has been 102F so far this year. No problems with my hands and the fingerless gloves. My feet on the other hand....