This is my first winter biking outdoors in Ohio. I've been using Bar Mitts, riding in temps down to 30 degrees (20s with wind chill) and they work great. I'm curious to know what you guys use when temps get to around 45-50. I've found those temps to be too warm for the Bar Mitts, but I had trouble in the fall finding gloves that provided coverage but didn't make my hands too hot. Any suggestions? Are there gloves that are semi-warm but breathable? Thanks

I have a few different types as its a never ending search for something that is warm but not sweaty.

these have been nice as they are 5 finger for grip but can convert to a lobster style with a windproof shell for added coverage
the only negative is that it doesn't extend high up my wrist/arm.
https://www.competitivecyclist.com/l...xoCE7kQAvD_BwE


gloves are something I've accepted will just always be imperfect in some way and the search will never end.

I find that basic fleece gloves are best in the 38-55f range. look for a dense, moderately thick fleece. Fleece gloves are machine washable, an added feature that's needed by cyclist. I have a pair of "lobster" cycling gloves. Fleece is nearly as warm and doesn't trap moisture to the same extent.

https://www.kohls.com/product/prd-3257350/mens-columbia-thermal-coil-fleece-gloves.jsp?skuid=63618784&ci_mcc=ci&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=connexity&utm_product={P roduct_ID**&utm_campaignid={campaignid**&CID=shopping34utm_product=58700000748252854&utm_campaignid= 71700000012072753<2>&utm_content=15528959921258570173910090302008005&gclid=CKCylbCci-ECFU8RgQodeg8B8Q&gclsrc=ds

Mini gloves under short-finger cycling gloves.

Lightweight full fingered cycling gloves.

Gore Bike wear windstopper gloves. Use them all winter for commuting daily. The best Ive ever had. Period.

NEVER had cold hands, and they work well up to temperatures in the upper 50s, hands don't get sweaty. I wore them this weekend on a windy 56F ride, perfect.

https://www.gorewear.com/us/en-us/go...lothing_gloves

I just wear some cheap thin knit gloves over my regular cycling gloves. I used to overthink it, looking for a specific, single glove to wear for cooler temps, but it's much simpler to just throw on a pair of thin gloves over regular gloves. If I take them off when it gets hot, they don't take much room in a jersey pocket because they are thin and lightweight. Obviously, these are for COOL weather, not downright cold, but I find it works fine down to about 45 degrees. I don't have great circulation in my fingers (always have cold hands), but thin knit gloves are still good enough for me.

I'm a fan of thin, lightly insulated (40g Thinsulate) handyman gloves from the home improvement store (think Ansell, Mechanix, etc.)

The padding placement is comfortable on long rides, they store easily in a jersey pocket, and they come in exciting colors like hi-viz yellow, blaze orange, and sometimes camo. I use them for slightly cooler temperatures with a pair of thin silk liner gloves.

I have some Campmor mittens with a foldable flap to either cover or expose your fingers. I wear a knit glove under the mittens. If/when my fingers get too wark, I open the flap and let them cool down.

Go to Wal-Mart to the work clothing section - you should be able to find a pair of medium weight full- fingered gloves that will block the wind and provide a bit of insulation. Bring your short-fingered bike gloves to make sure they fit underneath.

I got a nice pair of Wells-Lamont hi-viz work gloves from Wal-Mart last year - good for in-between temps. - $15.

Castelli Scalda

REI Co-Op Powerwool


-Tim-

Historically, I've not been a fan of Windstopper.

However, I agree with this assessment and find these gloves to be ideal for the application at hand. As an additional plus, I find the gloves to be quite durable.

We've been using Craft gloves. There are at least a couple of different weights that'll take you down to 35° in the dry and up to fingerless territory (50°). In a cold rain, nothing I've used beats Giro 100 Plus gloves.

My favorites for years - deerskin chopper mitts with REI inner mittens. I get the largest chopper mitts I can (XL or XXL). Treat the leather once or twice a year with SnowSeal or Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP. The combination is comfortable and warm down to 30F or colder. As I warm up, I often pull the inner mitts out and just use the leather outers up to 70F plus.

I don't know how mittens play with brifters. Shifting DTs is easy. I lose some hand positions but gain some others because the leather (properly treated) is so soft and grippy that handholds that would be very tiring with regular gloves are easy and relaxing with the mitts. Another plus - they are easy to get on and off so riding along and getting into jersey pockets and opening wrappers is not hard. And after a mechanical leading to very cold hands from handling cold aluminum, fingers together warm like isolated glove fingers don't.

Google chopper mitts. As far as I can see, there is one or two companies making them and many marketing the same mitts for radically different prices.

Ben

Great feedback , everyone. Really appreciate the links I hadn't thought to consider work gloves so will check them out too. Thanks!

Currently using this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Firm-Gri...185L/204223069
I just happened to notice them as I was walking through the local store.
I rate them as excellent!

Bontrager RXL Thermal gloves. By themselves down into the 50s, with glove liners below that.

I don't know of that particular model is still available but there's probably some unsold old stock around. These are soft, flexible gloves, with a tough palm protector but no padding. Now that I have my bikes set up properly and am accustomed to riding I find my gel pad short finger gloves more annoying than helpful. The RXL Thermal gloves are comfortable even in summer, and reasonably wind resistant and comfortable with good liners down into the 40s, without sacrificing dexterity. I have long thumbs and little fingers and most rigid shell gloves don't fit me properly -- binding the thumb causes pain and numbness after a while. No problems with softer gloves like the RXL Thermal.

I've tried similar gloves from Pearl Izumi but the thumbs/little fingers didn't fit my hands properly. Other than that the material and construction appeared to be very similar.

I've had these for more than 3 years, lots of use, lots of washing, a few falls that saved my palms and knuckles from scrapes. The gloves are still in great shape.

I bought the Bontrager gloves in size large to leave room for the liners without compromising air space that makes the liners effective without compressing skin circulation. I had some old poly ski glove liners from the 1980s but the microfiber liners/gloves I bought for $5 at Walgreens last winter are much better quality.

Light merino glove liners (on their own). Not from SmartWool, just about anybody else though. The Ibex ones are great.

Trust me on this.

I've been using these Pactimo Vertex gloves, bought them on "clothes out" sale a couple of months ago
https://www.pactimo.com/collections/...-cycling-glove

My hands can feel slightly clammy, but not as bad as the gloves I had before.

eric/fresno, ca.

I use full-finger unpadded MTB gloves most of the time. Something like a Bontrager Rhythm glove. Just a thin protective layer, blocking wind chill but not offering any real insulation.

We're all so used to looking for "cycling specific" products, that sometimes the simplest solution really is simple. Trying to find the right thickness, while still having all the bells and whistles of a true cycling glove can be expensive, and time consuming, but in this case, wearing your normal cycling gloves, and throwing something on top of them is the simplest solution I've found. I would caution though about work/gardening gloves...if they are not well fitted, your hands can slosh around inside the gloves, making them less comfortable to use on the bike. Another reason why I use simple (fitted) knit gloves, they stay in place well enough, and aren't too loose.

I like that so many posters on this thread are on the lookout and finding alternate sources for biking gloves. I use light glove liners that can be worn with shells for colder temps. The shells are an old pair of ski gloves where the insulation packed out enough to no longer insulate. I turned those gloves inside out and cut away the insulation and was left with thin and light shells that fit in a pocket to be used if temps drop. I also have several pairs of fleece gloves for colder temps that can be used with the shells. For temps down to the freezing mark or a bit below I use insulated ski gloves.