I wear gloves for crash protection, short fingers in the summer and long fingers in the winter, though I tend to wear pretty thin gloves even in the winter, single layer air permeable fabric down to the low 40s and thin "windstopper" gloves below that. It's very rare that I wear insulated gloves, but I basically never ride below 32F. I only go out and ride at a pretty good clip so am generating plenty of body heat. Similar for my feet in that I'll put toe covers on in the low 40s to cover the vents in my shoes but that's about it. These are usually 1.5- 3hr non-stop rides. Longer or more casual rides may require more insulation.