Winter gloves
 

Looking for a good winter riding glove that will keep the fingers warm. I currently use a heavy Thinsulate glove which I thought would be good but still the finger tips get cold in 35 degree weather. Do I need a windproof design? Thanks.

Windproof will probably help. You might what to look at mittens also (works for some people). You might also try a thinner, less heavy glove. It seems counterintuitive but a bulky glove can, sometimes, cut off circulation to the finger tips. Take note, however, that what works for some people doesn't work for others. You just have to experiment to find what works for you.

keeping the hands warm isn't just about the gloves IMO.
As cycommute mentions, everyone's different. But there are some guidelines that may help you out a bit.

-If I may suggest, you could start with bike pogies. For me, that was what solved all my problems. optimally you could find the gloves that work for you (which may require some experimentation), but in the meantime I think this is probably the safest bet, and warmest solution. This site talks about them and gives some links to them (it also contains loads of other useful information)

-Initial perspiration in a glove can cause your hands to freeze over time, so you can consider a thin wicking glove under your main pair.

-You gloves must not be tight, so that you can have a layer of air between the gloves and your hands (or between the glove liner and your outer gloves). That layer of air will keep warmth in.

-Warm your hands before getting them inside the gloves. If they already feel cold, you'll have problems.

-If possible, don't remove your gloves at all once you're outside.

-Always carry some chemical hand warmers. You never know when you'll need em. Here's an example, but there are many kinds. http://www.warmers.com/

Oh also, next time you're cold during a ride, stop on the side, and spin your arms for a while. This can help send warm blood to your hands, and make them warm again.

If that helps, it may mean that your problem is with blood flow, not gloves.

Suitable mittens ARE better than gloves almost all of the time. With that said, i use somewhat of a glove, mitten combo. For the past few winters I have been using a pair of convertible mittens that are made of thinsulate. I got them at Walmart of all places.

Under the convertible mittens i wear a lighterweight glove liner that is synthetic as well. This convertible setup allows for the use of fingers when needed. Trust me on this one, when you need to fix a flat in dangerously cold temps, the last thing you need is to try and do it with mittens on. The convertible aspect is also good for using your fingers to unzip, put on sunglasses, drink from water bottle, make cellphone calls etc., all the things we need to do with our fingers.

Just this week i did order a new pair of covertible mittens. I haven't had a chance to wear them yet because it has been too warm. My old combo is still ok but starting to show a lot of wear. These gloves were a bit more expensive but they are supposed to be windproof.

https://secure3.nexternal.com/shared...ount2=75187325

https://secure3.nexternal.com/gloves/images/659.jpg

Windproof definately helps as do grouping fingers together. I have a pair of lobster claw gloves for when it gets really cold. However at 35F I have been wearing an Under Armor glove liner under my cycling gloves for my commute. I would probably switch to my Windpro fleece gloves if I was riding longer but thats still much lighter than the ski gloves you are wearing.
Also make sure your head and core are warm enough or your feet and hands will feel cold. Your body will sacrifice extremities to maintain you core body temp if necessary.
Craig

I am a fan of neoprene cycling gloves. I think Cross country skiing gloves are the best crossover for biking, as you face similar extended exertion and grasping and sweat is the main enemy. I had some great Reusch cross country ski gloves that I would wear for riding, but I lost them when I was actually skiing last winter. They were made of neoprene laminated with a wicking fleece on the interior, thick vinyl panels sewed on the top, an extremely tack palm, velcro wrist and a thumb with a good material for wiping glasses/nose. I had been on the lookout for the same or similar gloves this season (I looked at neoprene water sports gloves, neoprene fishing gloves, neoprene utility gloves etc.) I definitely do not like mittens and like close cut gloves to allow me to do/undo zippers, adjust things, take my keyes out of my pocket, without needing to take the gloves off.

Eventually I went to a ski show and bought a pair of Spyder 'Venom' Moto gloves. I think they are designed for 'free ski' and they are essentially the same as the reusch gloves although I suspect they will be less durable. This is because they use less neoprene and the fleece liner is not laminated to the outer, meaning that while they will be warmer, I will probably get sweaty hands and rip out the lining by mistake when I take the hands off.

When it gets cold I have a variety of silk or nylon glove liners that I use, and sometimes I wear my half finger gloves underneath if I feel I need the extra palm padding. For some reason these gloves have embossed ridges on the fingers. They are kind of like an exoskeleton and they feel strange when you close your palm. I'm hoping they will soften over time. These gloves are as warm and waterproof as I need for commuting all winter in Toronto.
http://store.christysports.com/image...531_9c16c8.jpg

I've been using these either by themselves, or with a liner glove. My hands stay dry, even more so with a liner glove, and have been very comfortable down to 26F so far. I'm able to layer either a liner, lightweight fleece, or both underneath without cutting off circulation.

A cheap and good solutions is to wear a thin glove liner under a waterproof/semi-waterproof flip-top mitten glove like they sell for hunting. It is a glove with open finger and a cap over the fingers that turn them into mittens, I'm sure most people have seen them. Those kept me really warm while hunting and when I dropped the mitten top I still had gloves on.
Now-a-days I use a differant solution.

Does keeping your core (chest area) warm help at all?

Yes,
If I under dress to the point where I don't warm up then my hands are almost guarenteed to become painfully cold even if I where heavy gloves. If I dress more approiately such that I warm up nicely then my hands will often sweat with anything but the lightest gloves. This assumes your blood circulation is good. If you core is not warm then the blood going to your hands will be reduced and will not be as warm. If you are warm your blood flows more freely and more heat will be transfered. Your body will sacrifice warmth at your extremeties to keep your necessary organs at the best temperture.
Craig

I can't really say because I never have problems with my hands. But if you want to keep your core the warmest you can, use a bib tight instead of waist high tights. I wear mine over my layers (except a wind jacket) and find that I can ride 10 to 20 degrees colder then with waist high tights.

I wear thinsulate mittens with 2 sets of glove liners (silk & polypro). And when it gets really cold I put handwarmers in the mittens. On the coldest days my thumbs do get cold.