Lobster gloves
#26
The Wheezing Geezer
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I have the Pearl Izumi lobster gloves and love them. They are substantially warmer than single-finger gloves. They work fine for downtube and stem shifters. I don't have any brifters, so I can't say how they work with those. But people who can't see how they would be warmer should try a pair.
#27
Member
I have Shimano 105 11-speed and SRAM Force 10-speed brifters and my Pearl Izumi lobster gloves work great with both.
#28
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Surprised no one has suggested Bar Mitts yet. I've been struggling the last few winters with keeping my hands warm, and now it's worse that we've moved from SC to VA. Went out for a ride that was in the low 30s, with feels like in the low 20s, had wool liners, lightweight gloves, and then "windproof" Pearl Izumi gloves over those, so three pairs of gloves, and my hands were still cold, not to mention I had no dexterity. Put on a set of Bar Mitts and went riding in the same exact conditions, with just the liners and lightweight gloves, and my hands were hot. I had to stop and take the wool liners out. lol They do restrict you to just the hoods position, but I'm not doing any racing in the winter, so that's fine for me if it keeps my hands warm and keeps me riding outdoors.
#29
Senior Member
Surprised no one has suggested Bar Mitts yet. I've been struggling the last few winters with keeping my hands warm, and now it's worse that we've moved from SC to VA. Went out for a ride that was in the low 30s, with feels like in the low 20s, had wool liners, lightweight gloves, and then "windproof" Pearl Izumi gloves over those, so three pairs of gloves, and my hands were still cold, not to mention I had no dexterity. Put on a set of Bar Mitts and went riding in the same exact conditions, with just the liners and lightweight gloves, and my hands were hot. I had to stop and take the wool liners out. lol They do restrict you to just the hoods position, but I'm not doing any racing in the winter, so that's fine for me if it keeps my hands warm and keeps me riding outdoors.
J.
#30
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IMO, the problem with PI winter gloves is that they fit small. I do not have large hands, but the PI Amfib 5 finger gloves in size L are a little small on me (I wear size M in their summer, fingerless, gloves). If I'm not careful when I start out, my fingers are too tight into the fingertips of the gloves, and my fingers get cold. If that happens, I sit up and pull the fingertips of the gloves away from my fingertips, and that helps a bunch. The PI lobster claw gloves I have are XL, and they are definitely a lot warmer, though I can't say if that's because the design is inherently warmer or if it's because they're larger, therefore more warm air around my fingers, therefore warmer.
I can shift my Ergo paddles (for big-ring shifts it may take more than one push on the lever), but the problem is that, since the gloves are a bit big (as stated above), the extra bits tend to get caught between the paddle and the brake lever when the paddle returns to the neutral position. This isn't a huge deal, but it can be distracting, I need to pull the paddle away from the lever a bit to free the material caught in the lever. For cog shifts, if I stick to changing one gear at a time I can avoid that issue. With my touring bike with bar end shifters, I have no problem.
My other gripe with the PI lobster claw gloves is that the seam joining the thumb of the glove to the palm runs right down the channel between the thumb muscle pad and the pinky muscle pad on my hands (at least on the pair that I have). The seam, therefore, often ends up where I'm resting my hands on the bar. This can get annoying on a longish ride. They are warm, though. They're good down into the high single digits (around 8 - 9°F, depending on wind, of course) for me. That's if I keep my head and core warm, I find that in cool or just a little cold weather, I can go pretty light on my core as long as my hands, head and feet are warm. When it starts to get seriously cold (mid-20's and below), then I need to start layering up my core or my fingers and toes get cold.
For me with the Campag Ergo it isn't the size of the paddle - I can find the paddle when I'm wearing lobster gloves - it's the bulk of the glove and space needed for 2 fingers that is the problem. I find that there isn't enough room for the 2 fingers in the glove to slide between the handlebar and the brake lever. The glove tends to "hangs up" on the handlebars when I try to push the downshift paddle and I can't get enough motion to shift a gear.
My other gripe with the PI lobster claw gloves is that the seam joining the thumb of the glove to the palm runs right down the channel between the thumb muscle pad and the pinky muscle pad on my hands (at least on the pair that I have). The seam, therefore, often ends up where I'm resting my hands on the bar. This can get annoying on a longish ride. They are warm, though. They're good down into the high single digits (around 8 - 9°F, depending on wind, of course) for me. That's if I keep my head and core warm, I find that in cool or just a little cold weather, I can go pretty light on my core as long as my hands, head and feet are warm. When it starts to get seriously cold (mid-20's and below), then I need to start layering up my core or my fingers and toes get cold.