Best Winter Gloves
 

Winter is just around the corner, and I am beginning to look for a new pair of winter gloves. I am focusing on the lobster type mittens, and have looked at the Specialized, PI, Giro, & Sealskinz. Interested to hear if there is any consensus on which is the best.

What's your definition of winter temperatures, just to get an idea of what you're looking for? Some here would say 40F and others might say -50F, which is quite a spread in needs... :-)

Depends how cold it gets in your 'hood. Living in the Pac Northwest, I use a range of gloves for the winter, depending on temperature and wetness. It doesn't get much below freezing here in Vancouver, Canada, so the most extreme gloves would be thick downhill ski gloves. Cycling-specific gloves just don't go cold enough. At just above freezing and wet, the lobster gloves would likely work. Cycling gloves do "wet" better than "cold." Neoprene gloves do "wet," but they don't do "cold" so well. The Goldilocks principal also kicks in here as well. You don't want gloves that are too warm (they get wet from condensation, and they start to smell bad) or too cold. When I set off on a winter commute, I'll be wearing one pair of gloves and I'll have another in my pack, and even a third set in a back pocket, usually all different thicknesses.

As for the brands above, I've only used Specialized, and they were their thickest full-finger gloves. Not as warm as downhill ski gloves, prone to picking up odors, reasonably waterproof, reasonably durable (3 years use). You're going to be riding thru many different temperatures, so why not buy a couple brands and test them? A lot of gloves come out one year, and then they disappear the next season, so you just get what's comfortable or that you feel would do the job.

Luis

I use regular fingerless cycling gloves above 40F. Below 40F, I use ski gloves. They keep my fingers warm and toasty. Being in Florida, I only have a handful of mornings below 40F.

I use a pair of leather gloves over some basic woollen ones. The leather keeps the wind off (and gives a bit of hand protection) and the wool keeps the heat in.

The colder temperature I ride is -15 celcius ( 5 f ) and I wear mittens. Never went on a ride below 5f

Pogies are what the AK Ididabike competitors use ..
they are like a sleeping bag you put your hands into, that stays attached to your bars.
then the fingered gloves don't have to be so thick.

Pogies are (probably) a Native invention by the Inuit, to hunt seal in the winter from their Kayaks.

then they are fitted on the paddle shaft.
modern versions for sea Kayak watersports
are sold out of Seattle, likely coming thru port of Tacoma from China,
by now.


Last winter I found out here on the wet coast , the best gloves were by using a rain cape
that drapes over my hands, since none ever kept them dry
for more than a few minutes ,

best was a tight 'WPB' shell glove , and a fleece liner,
that separated, so You can dry out the liner
because waterproof-and breathable and sewn together
is wishful promotion .

Of course, the Bering sea fisheries workers use several layers of rubber gloves.

Winter already ? It is still august, and a beautiful 80 F outside ! :D

On a serious note, I use ski-quality gloves from marmot for upto 20F. Haven't commuted for anything lower than that because my previous work was 17 miles.

http://slopeskis.info/images/Marmot-...Tex-Gloves.jpg

Here in the northeast, where it gets somewhat cold but not REALLY cold, I wear my leather motorcycle gloves in the winter. When it is unusually cold I have silk liners I wear under them.

They are not this exact model, but they're an older version that's similar: http://www.alpinestars.com/shop/cate...rystar-gloves/

Rained briefly out here this past week. 80F is a scorcher on the NW coast.

Yikes, is that how much I'm supposed to spend on winter gloves?

Sometimes I feel that the cheapest part of cycling is the bike...

I am in NC, so not as cold as some others, but morning commute temps. can still be in the teens and low 20's. Use a pair of (oversized) Performance gloves last season with liners when needed. Already the seam is splitting, so looking for new warm and durable pair. One nice feature of the Specialized mittens is that they come with liner and can be worn in 3 combinations. However, as index finger is seperated (as opposed to other split mittens) it will not have the benefit of warmth from another finger. Might not be that big of deal though.

There are cheaper versions. I have pretty nice ones, but I actually use them on a motorcycle!

Ski gloves are cheap enough for most people.. , but mittens are warmer ,
but you cant use those STI buttons on some handlebars with them.

I've found that my Izumi's are good down to about mid 40s (for me, I'm a cold wimp), if it's moderate to light rain. If it's really coming down, or colder than 40, I use my winter motorcycle gloves (Olympia, leather) that are good down to probably well below freezing if I were inclined to ride when it's that cold. Oddly, the motorcycle gloves I've seen are on average cheaper than the bicycling specific winter gloves. Ski gloves would probably also work.

My best winter commuting gloves and mittens are some old leather (snowmobiling?) ones I occasionally find at yard sales for $1. They are thick padded like ski gloves. Maybe they are old ski or motorcycle gloves. They are all dark blue leather, despite that I have acquired them at different places at different times. Very windproof. Best with thumbshifters, etc.

I went through several pairs of gloves (cycling and non cycling) until I found pearl Izumi's WXB pro shell glove - waterproof, wind proof and very thin. The glove itself is good down to all but the very cold and you can simply throw on a liner to solve that problem. Pretty expensive, but well worth it. Bonus was they also come in XXL

http://crossbikereview.com/clothes/r...rier-wxb-glove

[h=1]Ultimate cycling winter glove finally found - for $15[/h]

I use winter golf gloves from 40f to about 20, then switch to PI Lobsters all the way down, although Im thinking I might try out the bar mitts this winter

This. I've got a drying rack loaded with gloves, socks, and shoe covers. I have to re-learn the optimum use matrix every year. (Actually, it varies through the winter. 40F in November I wear the same gloves as I wear at 30F in March.)

I use these:

http://www.giro.com/us_en/products/m...ooftm-new.html

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=270240

Moderator! Delete this thread! We still have almost a month of Summer left. If we don't mention The Dark Months, maybe they won't come back.....................

I couldn't find anything that worked reliably until I found the Bar Mitts. Love them!

+1