Gloves rule

If you have the largest sized fingerless gloves you could find, and they're still to tight. Just take them to a tailor or seamstress, and have them professionaly altered.

I am so accustomed to wearing gloves, it feels wrong to leave my driveway bare-handed; I have the same feelings when I go bare-headed or with no eye protection... Almost as bad as pedaling while wearing blue jeans.

I have hit pavement with bare hands at walking/running speeds, and the pain memory nauseates me.

I wear gloves on my bicycle and on a motorcycle. It depends on how much you like your hands. It is more important, in my opinion, on the moto and I wear the best I can afford. I can afford Held. Good gloves make riding more pleasant -great gloves, even more so. On a bicycle I'm a fan of Spenco crochet-back fingerless. I'll often wear moto gloves on a bicycle when it gets colder as the moto gloves are just better made once you get beyond the fingerless Spencos.

I wear full-faced helmet and gloves on a motorcycle every ride. On a city bicycle I'll often go without a bicycle helmet but not without gloves. I like my hands. I like my head too. But at slower bicycle speeds I"m more concerned with the hands than the head when I crash. On a road bike I wear both.

Life is full of choices. Those are mine.

:thumb:Good point on the tan lines- My hands are usually noticeably lighter in color from wearing the gloves. People notice and ask what's wrong with my hands. :roflmao2:

Me too. I didn't wear gloves at first but after a few times riding with my palms getting sweaty and one time feeling my hand slip I got gloves. Now no issues with sweat and slipping at all. I didn't realize I was getting protection and comfort as well til I read about that here.

I hate how gloves restrict my dexterity. It just feels wrong. No gloves here unless it's 35F or below although I've never tried good cycling specific ones. I may try some later, but they're just not on my priority list at the moment.

If you wear the right color gloves to match your bike and kit you have no problems.

OP - Wear your gloves all day long when you're at home. It seems like common knowledge but they'll stretch out some. I can ride the trainer/rollers with a certain pair and my hand goes numb, hit the road and never have an issue. I have some half finger for inside the house but it's full finger outside all day. I think that half finger gloves mess with me. I might need to give them up.

First two reasons, protection in a crash, and snot control, have been covered.

Third reason is removing debris from your tires while riding.

I use gloves as part of the everyday gear. I do not use the straps on gloves as my hands used to go numb because I set the straps to tight

I always use gloves. most of my rides are long enough that my hands would start feeling uncomfortable if I didn't wear them. Also, I have a better grip on the bar. Pretty much what everyone has been saying so far.

I'm relatively new to the gloves camp, but now they are essential gear. My sentiments echo merlin's as to why.

I only wear them in races/fast group rides where the odds of going down are greatly increased...otherwise, not a fan of them.

I wear old-style gloves, with a sort of cotton mesh and leather palms. I get some very odd tan lines...like little dots and a large island of darker skin just ahead of where the velcro strap goes.

This (although mine's a Sprint :) )

I know crashes are unlikely, but in a crash the odds are good that you'll put your hands out to break your fall. If you're moving at a decent clip you will have significant abrasion, in an area with an abundance of nerves.

I quit wearing gloves out of laziness. With the helmet, sunglasses, shoes, headband, garmin, water bottles, spare tube, CO2, etc... Gloves are one thing I can easily live without. Sometimes, I just wear regular, non-cycling-specific socks too :lol:

When tactile feedback is reduced, there is a tendency to grasp with greater effort. It may be you're holding on to the bar tighter than usual.

For glove fit, you could try washing the gloves, hang drying with a clothes hanger inserted in alternate finger holes after use a few times, to see if that may stretch materials and flatten the foam. I hang dry my gloves after each use on a wire clothes hanger with the shoulders stuck through the thumb holes. I have a wide palm, Giro's Bravo Gel in XXL is the only bicycling glove that fit me off the rack, and the gel pads are in the right places.

I never wore bicycling gloves till recently when many decades of sun exposure took its toll. Limiting sun exposure is a very good reason to wear gloves (long sleeves, skull caps, etc.); start early before the damage is done.

if tom boonen rides paris-roubaix without gloves, then...
yes to gloves on longer rides, mostly for hand comfort.

Thanx to y'all for the great plethora of wisdom...I'm currently suckin' down a four pack of He'Brew Bittersweet Lenny R.I.P.A's to commiserate the passing of the late great Doc Watson. May he and Merle mix it up tonight...

I hate the "monkey hands" I get from too much sun, with gloves on. I rarely crash....so the gloves goes on every "other" ride.

I ride sometimes without gloves because I've forgotten to bring them, or put them on, or every now and then I will try to even out the tan a bit. (I actually wear sunblock on the tops of my arms, top of knee, neck, ears and face. Helps a bit.)

I'm guessing that those who wear gloves because they have poor grip with sweaty hands also sweat elsewhere and need gloves as a sweatwiper... a task they are great for, way better than your arm or bare hand. But if you just want grip, you aren't using the right bar tape: Lizardskins DSP. Outstanding grip wet or dry, barehands or gloves.

Same, same. But I still wear gloves. Lots of glass and thorns on the road, so I scrub a lot, not that it seems to help much. In the winter my hands would freeze until the sun warmed things up a bit, so I tried neoprene gloves and really took a liking to them. For the summer I took a pair and cut the fingers off, my hands sweat a bunch, but what doesn't?

I've tried a bunch of different gloves, it took me a while to find a few that I like. I think they're a good idea JIC. Whatever floats your boat.

I would never ever ride without gloves. And I really don't understand people who do.
Grip is better, you can wipe your nose or face better, you get cool tan lines :-) and most importantly, when (not "if"!) you crash your palms won't become bloody and dirt filled painful wounds.
Every single time I crashed I was really glad I had my gloves on.

I ride with gloves to help protect my ulnar nerves.