Trying to preempt the upcoming cold-snap, can anyone offer any thoughts on winter gloves for road biking?

I know the default recommendation round here is Aldi gloves – I have a pair and they’re too bulky.

I’m looking at Gore WS Thermos or Endura Deluge, has anyone got any feedback or other suggestions?

Ideally something that’s going to keep me happy down to a couple of degrees below zero but still maintain enough dexterity for STI shifters.

Thanks!

G

I’ve been using a pair of Gore Tool gloves for years now. Fair to say they really need replaced now. FWIW, I also like to wear a pair of thin liner gloves as they add a huge amount to warmth and you can get away with a more flexible main/outer glove. The cheap ones from Decathlon are great.

I used the Craft lobster style gloves last winter and they were bloody brilliant. I suffer a lot from cold hands, something that is manageable on the bike but a killer when they warm up, and these gloves really helped.

Test down to minus 10 over here.

Specialized Deflect are outstanding winter gloves. Warm, non bulky, well made, wiretap and if you need to take them off mid ride you can get them back on easily.

What the Swedish Chef says. Love my Craft lobster gloves. The ones I’ve got have a removable liner so you can run them with or without depending on how cold it is. Not sure they still come with the removable liner though, which would be a shame.

I’ve tried lobsters on in a shop, and I’m not sure I could get used to them. I hadn’t considered the Spesh Deflect, might have to hunt some down and have a look…

G

If you don’t suffer from cold hands then the planet x softshell ones might be ok.

I like them for chilly rides. Warm yet not too bulky. By the time it get’s below zero I’m reaching for the lobsters. Can’t cope with cold hands.

The assos system gloves are good, I get problems at extremities in the cold, but these have been great. I did buy them before the price became stratospheric though – I got the set of 3 for less than the mid gloves cost now.
Craft gloves are also good as they have the lining sewn in at the ends of fingers so that if you need to take them off mid ride, you have a chance to put them back on again.

I’ve tried lobsters on in a shop, and I’m not sure I could get used to them.

Never really gave it a second thought, they really are good for the road.

Craft gloves are also good as they have the lining sewn in at the ends of fingers

Are they the lobster ones? Would be a shame if they now sew the lining in.

silk liners were a revelation for me – you can get them off amazon.
I wore them with a pair of long finger normal gloves and in the perishing winds they were excellent.
combined with a pair of ‘windproof’ soft shell gloves they’d be even better.
FWIW I often don’t wear gloves and really hate bulky ones.

EDIT – these ones

Assos make lovely gloves, I have some of the neoprene rain gloves and the fit/quality is excellent.

The Fugus are about 80 quid though, lot of money… 🙁

G

Don’t make the mistake of buying gloves with thick insulation between the inner and outer; they will make your hands sweat and the slippery insulation will cause them to “squirm” as the inner moves within the outer, which is very annoying. What you need to find is something that is snug fitting but not tight and is made from a single layer of dense material that is windproof without giving too much insulation.

These gloves are so good that I’ve bought a pair and put them in a drawer for when the old ones wear out. They are for women but they fit my smallish hands perfectly and even in freezing weather they are perfect; neither too hot nor too cold:

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Madison-Windshell-Womens-Long-Finger-Gloves_25438.htm

The “dotty” fabric on the backs is the same that Lusso and others use for their winter windproof jackets.

The Endura Deluge worked very well for me last winter – it’s going to be their second season of heavy and abusive use soon!

The Enduras seem remarkably good value, are they warm? Good dexterity?

G

Tried on some Pearl Izumi Pro Softshell ones in the LBS recently and was very, very tempted. Going back tomorrow, but may have a few other things to get too…

For me they are very warm – cycling in temperatures about -5° was comfortable.

Regarding dexterity: I’m able to do everything required during a winter bike ride with them (except maybe repairing a puncture LOL ). They feel good on the bike, reaching gears/brakes levers without any problems. They felt quite tight and a bit bulky at first, but the feeling disappeared after few first rides.

They are bastards to put them on when new! 😆

Thanks for that Medoramas, does the liner come out when you take them off with clammy hands?

I had some Sealskinz that did that and it took twenty minutes to get them back on! Drove me up the wall…

G

I don’t remember I’ve ever had that problem. But I tend to take them off “finger-by-finger”, instead pulling them out at one go 😉

Spesh Deflects are only down to 7degrees?

They are bastards to put them on when new!

Don’t know why more gloves don’t have removable liners. Maybe they don’t work as well with full fingered gloves? They’re great with lobsters.