motopokep

why use gloves for road cycling? do some get calluses w/o them, do others wear them for better grip? do some wear for protection in case they go down and have to break the fall with their hands, to save the skin?

HTupolev

Any or all of the above. Also to keep the hands warm in cold weather. Some gloves also contain padding to cushion the hands, which some people like. It can also be less convenient to keep a good protective coat of sunscreen on the hands than on the rest of the arms, so gloves can help prevent sunburn.

Also because a well-selected pair of gloves can look very fashionable.

rubiksoval

Some types of bar tape can get very slippery from sweat. I will never ride without gloves in the summer because there's such a risk of my hands slipping off the bars. And that's a disaster at speed.

Also, I've crashed a few times without gloves in cooler weather... having your hands torn up is no good for anything.

I use very thin gloves with no padding solely for the grip and protection.

dmanders

When I switched to a carbon frame and bars I started wearing gloves to damp vibration a tad.

Ti473

Also great to wipe your snot. I'm very snotty.
but seriously, why not wear them?

MSchott

Agree. Vibration absorption and protection against falls are great benefits. I feel naked without them.

eduskator

For me it's only to keep my hands warm. I wear (or carry a pair) them when it's 10 or below (50f).

jpescatore

All of the above - last summer I drove to a ride start and forgot to bring gloves. I missed the sweat/snot wiping the most because of how hot it was, and luckily didn't need the skin protection but that's another big reason I wear them.

KLiNCK

I wear them just for the suntan lines!

WhyFi

Because I don't want to.

WhyFi

When our wheels and frames assplode, despite dire warnings against riding them, the gloves help to keep the crabon shrapnel out of our palms.

Iride01 

I use to not wear gloves while riding. I wear gloves always now while riding.

The pro side for wearing gloves is many of what was said above. Also, ever so slightly snug gloves seem to give some support to my hands so the individual pieces parts of my hands share the loads with the rest more evenly.

The only con's are trying to take them off and no matter how many pair you have they'll still be in the washer when needed at some point.

It's still a personal preference. I care not if you wear them or don't wear them.

However if I see you after a wreck and your hand is all skinned up, I might say you should'a worn gloves. So you'll just have to grin and take it.

CAT7RDR

Protect your hands at all costs. Hard to work with injured hands.
Viewer discretion advised:

ridelikeaturtle

I have a habit of cleaning off my tyres - while I'm moving - if I notice crap stuck on them, like a tiny stone or sandy grit, to prevent it from boring into my tyre and causing a flat. (Usually only happens in the summer when there can be some road tar.) Doing it without gloves is painful.

10 Wheels

They can Hold a Mirror

redcon1

Yep that vid looked familiar to me. I used to wear gloves when cold, or I felt like it. Then I went OTB and hit the pavement at 22mph-- my left hand had chunks of gravel embedded in the palm, and the skin on the back of my hand was shredded too. No Fun / Lesson learned.

smashndash

I like wearing minimal but full finger gloves for protection.

I shredded my Rivet CS gloves in my last crash. Hands didn't feel a thing.

DaveSSS 

I quit wearing gloves about 30 years ago, except for winter gloves. I have small hands. Back then, brake levers had no reach adjustment. Gloves only made the reach longer. Ifigured out a way to reduce the reach on Campy brake/shift levers about 15 years before Campy added that feature.

popeye

What's the downside, less feel?

MoAlpha

Cheapo mechanic's gloves with tacky palms for me. They preserve grip on sweaty bars and levers—major safety issue—and offer some protection in a crash. Also, with the hundreds of dollars-worth of roadie duds I ride in, it's nice to wear something slightly countercultural.

Doomrider74

Why wear gloves? Because I want to. The end.

genejockey 

Better grip on the bar when my hands are sweaty. I wear the thinnest possible gloves, because every padded glove I've tried makes my hands hurt.

NoWhammies

Crash protection for me. As someone who types on a computer for a living, I do all I can to protect my digits.

big john

Forgot my gloves on a hot, humid day and my hands were slipping so bad it was ridiculous.

caloso

I always wear them in a race or group ride. If I'm just riding by myself, probably not. I just prefer bare hands and I've found tape (Fizik) that I like.