The gloves I currently have (which weren’t very expensive to begin with) don’t do much to protect the space between my thumb and index finger, and in fact rub a bit when I am holding onto the hoods.

Can you suggest a not-too-expensive pair that offers decent protection there?

(Not my hand)

I’ve had some Gill (definitely cycling not sailing) ones since the year dot which have been great, I guess the leather used for the palms is much tougher from sailing gloves!

I bought some Endura Aerogel gloves, but they’re rubbish, like trying to ride with a load of 2P’s taped to the gloves.

Tried bare hands?

Planet-X have a few styles for £5 ish each, I’ve used their classic mitts and their ulner mitts, both of which have worked well.

Saying that, my wife struggles with pain in this very area and I’m fast coming to the conclusion it’s no the gloves that cause it, it’s her bike set up and/or the STI’s she has on their.

Tried bare hands?

No, I actually haven’t. Do you suggest it?

I’ll give it a whirl this evening.

Definitely bare hands. Always used to use mitts, then stopped, vastly better. Except for racing when there’s a higher chance of going down the road, then Spesh Gel. Without vastly better though.

No, I actually haven’t. Do you suggest it?

Yes (unless it’s a bit too chilly and then I use DeFeet DuraGloves.) Choice of bar tape becomes a bit more important. Only downside is cleaning up after launching a stringy snot rocket 🙂

Really hot days I often go gloveless. The rest of the time I have a couple of pairs of castelli gloves. I do have some rapha ones for this summer but not tried them yet.

I very rarely wear gloves on the bike unless its to keep my hands warm. On the road they’re just another accessory that ‘serious cyclists’ think they need, a bit like sunglasses.

Riding home last night with bare hands, for the first time this year, was great.

+1 for bareback riding.. Just have to be a bit careful incase you lose the front end

love spesh bg for both off and on road

Have to agree on bare hands being best when weather permits. I do have some Scott mitts which are not bad, but I do prefer gloveless for summer road/gravelcore riding…

I got some sportful giro mitts from halfords for £5, they’re thin but are very comfortable. The other pair are full on waterproof windproof sealskinz. 🙂

The way I see gloves is that it maintains grip when/if your palms get sweaty and prevents calluses.

I also wear clear/sun glasses as cars etc do kick up stones/dust and then there’s insects, so I’m not sure how you can’t class them as essential items @gary M??

I prefer to wear gloves. I just find it more comfortable. Spesh and Gore are my normal brands.

Hated bare hands!

Used Gore mitts for a few years without issue, they finally fell apart and now using Assos S7…pretty good so far…

so good – a proper one piece of material that stretches all over the palm and over the thumb wrap without a seam. I’ve had a few pairs and worn them out, the last ones I now save for long rides
prendas summer gloves

Prendas! £30 ones, though the £20 ones are good enough.

With bare hands I think a lot of it comes down to choice of bar tape. The medium thickness lizard skin DSP works well for me.

The Prendas look worth a shout, their stuff always seems to work out well…

a bit like sunglasses

You mean the things that protect your very sensitive and precious “you only get one pair” eyes, from grit and whatnot flying into your face at 20mph? Yes, just another accessory. 🙄

Well, I did it. Rode 32 kms tonight with bare hands. It wasn’t too bad, but I do think that if I was to have ridden much longer, I might have developed blisters in the specified area.

I am using a medium to heavy thickness Easton tape, but it is really the quite sticky hoods that cause the most friction. They are comfortable; they just tend to be ‘sticky’ enough that where I grip them starts to hurt.

Ah well. I press on, but will try one of your suggestions above.

These seem alright….

I’ve always liked Specialized road mitts. I’ve only worn these once so far but they felt good – and at this price you can’t really complain.

https://www.evanscycles.com/specialized-sl-comp-mitt-EV180269

After coming off and losing the skin off both palms, I now always wear gloves.
The best that i’ve found are Specialized BG Gel. They’re quite expensive (£20-£25) but last well and the padding makes them very comfortable.