Whatever leather/crocheted gloves I can find cheap. I wash them maybe 3 or 4 times a year. A pair will typically last me 2 or 3 years.
They fall apart at a speed entirely dependent on how often I wash them, so I leave them with the bike in the garage and wash them when they start tap-dancing on their own, or when I fear a bio-hazard citation, whichever comes first.
I wear gloves because in the times I've crashed, my hands have always taken the worst damage, and spending a few weeks regrowing the skin on the palms of my hands is not pleasant.
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Work: the 8 hours that separates bike rides.