Your turn to help me –
My hands freeze when I bike, so I need cycling gloves. But which ones to get?!
Basically, I want gloves that keep my hands warm and don’t look ugly. Ideally, I’d like gloves that don’t look too incongruous with the outfits I generally wear — which are not the spandex glowy cycling clothes, but normal everyday clothes. But I think there are just basic features of biking gloves I don’t understand.
For ex, what’s up with the gloves that don’t have fingertips? (right) Is that simply an aesthetic thing? What is the actual purpose of the tip-less-ness? And will those keep my hands warm enough?
And why do the pics of the full-fingered gloves look so scary? (left) Is it just me, or do they look way too much like disembodied hands? Non-biking gloves aren’t sold in such creepy severed-hand-like fashion….
Lastly, I’m not even sure if cycling-specific gloves are necessary. Can I just buy better-looking “regular” gloves and wear them for biking? Because I think I have a better chance of finding used, eco-friendly, or fair trade gloves that are not cycling-specific….
Anyone own biking gloves they’re in love with? Do share –
March 11th, 2008 at 9:56 am
Good question about the fingerless cycling gloves. I’ve been cycling for 3 years now and I have no idea why they’re fingerless, all I know is that the full fingered ones are for cooler weather. Anyways, DeFeet makes “normal looking” cycling gloves with rubberized “grip treads” on the palms and insides of your fingers. http://www.defeet.com/products/productsport.php?sport=bike#duraglove
These are the the closest to normal I’ve ever seen.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Just read the great glove mission. Tough call with stuff like this, right? — sometimes I think, can’t it just be good enough to either
A) Buy something new that is of high quality and will therefore last a long time, ridding oneself of the possibility of having to prematurely replace said product
or
B) Buy something used, putting into play the practice of re-using
?
Have you done a post on something like this with leather jackets? That’s an item I always wonder about. Mine’s probably 30 years old, but would upset an animal rights activist. Always a conundrum. Longevity versus the politics.
Thanks,
matty
March 11th, 2008 at 10:24 am
My admittedly non-expert opinion of the fingerless biking gloves is that they are not intended for warmth, but to reduce the vibration etc. that your hands go through when biking. Probably they don’t have fingers so you can keep cool. If your hands don’t bother you when you’re riding (except for the cold) it should be perfectly fine to buy non-biking gloves to wear - as long as they aren’t super slippery.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:50 am
I don’t know about biking, but I can vouch for the warmth of fingerless gloves in a drafty office. And, in LA, fingerless gloves usually fit the bill for keeping me toasty warm outside in the coldest weather Southern California has to offer, unless I go to Big Bear or otherwise seek snow.
March 11th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
Siel, I will email you some pictures of my cycling gloves and I love them. I bought them at Dick’s Sporting goods here in Alabama. They are fingerless.
By the way I added your website to mine at www.caddystage.com…Hope you don’t mind. If you would like for me to take it off don’t hesitate to say. Just got acquainted with you site last week and I love it.. Thought I would try blogging myself.
Thanks
Cindy Martin
March 11th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
The fingerless gloves are for vibration and crash protection. Riders wear them even on the hottest summer days. Vibration isn’t as much of a problem with mountain bikes because they have softer tires and well padded grips. Road racing bikes have narrow, hard tires and handlebars wrapped with thin foam or cork tape.
March 11th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
For any rides I’ve done in cooler to cold weather these last few months I’ve been using a simple pair of full-fingered wool manzanella gloves that I picked up at a local military surplus store for like $6. The cool part is the palms and fingers are sprinkled with these rubbery like dots that aid in grip and traction.
Since I’m a bit of a biking nut I even went in one winter for a pair of neoprene full-fingered gloves. They seemed like a good idea for added warmth at the time but the trouble with those is I sweat like crazy in them and any additional warmth provided quickly disappears.
In warmer weather I wear the fingerless variety. I try not to go in for fancy ones that are loaded up with all sorts of silly “gel” padding. Too much and they inhibit my grip, so I prefer instead basic ones that dampen the vibration be it on or off road.
In my experience, don’t be put off if they’re a little tight when you first put them on. Odds are they’ll stretch a bit as you go. It’s definitely better if they’re a touch small new rather than a touch big.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Craft (mostly a runnig brand) makes the best simple multi sport full hand gloves, no cushion at all, but very comfy and warm.
Also there is the brand Icebreaker, that makes merino wool inserts, kinda on the fancier side, but you can use them to hop around and stuff (LA cold???) and if you ever need a stink-free non-fleece (eeek for sweaty pedalers) top or tights, their stuff is just awesome.
I live in SFran and commute 8-10 miles everyday. I certainly dont look like a lycra bandit, but it is nice to layer up without sweating a ton.
Talk about fashion statements the best gloves I had (sadly lost) were scored in a consignment store and were like tap-dancer type gloves, just awesome.
If you definetly need the cushion, I’d go with Louis Garneau, the only brand in my opinion, that considers more breathing space (mesh material and not plastic mesh, like pearl izumi often does) in the space between your palm. enables you to breathe while you are eagerly holding on to the handlebar, brakin, shifting, greetings fellow riders etc.
March 12th, 2008 at 8:28 am
Hey Siel…..hope you are well! I’d ditch the ‘pro’ glove - for the riding you do, you don’t need them. Of the two, the fingerless are more comfortable, provide good traction and have extra padding to prevent callouses caused by gripping.
Go with something comfy, organic and fashionable!
Best, Paula D
March 12th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
I find that fingerless gloves are more comfortable and allows me more control of fingers. Either gloves helped soak up bumps if traveling off road without suspensions. Gloves with fingers hand and fingers from getting all scraped up when you fall.
When I used to ride a motorcycle, fingered gloves was a requirement, which primarily protects your hands or fingers.
March 26th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I have the pearl izumi tour gloves (fingerless) for summer riding. For cold days, I’ve been using these Isotoner spandex gloves I bought a long time ago at Mervyn’s. I like these, because you can use them with street wear and they don’t look like cycling gloves. It has this grippy material on the fingers so you can still do some fine manipulation while keeping the gloves on. It looks like you can get them lined with knit, fleece, or thinsulate as well.
http://www.totes-isotoner.com/product/isotoner/women/gloves/stretch+/isotoner+spandex+gloves+-+unlined.do