When its less than about 7 degrees outside I find during the first 25 mins my hands get colder and colder untill they're numb, then start to warm up. The rest of me is fine. Once they are warm, they stay warm. I can stop on the trail/road, take my gloves off and have a snack for 10 mins and be fine for the rest of the ride. Its just the start of a ride I struggle with.
Any tips on improving hand warmth at the start of a ride?
Dress warmer on your upper body at the start as it sounds like your core is too cold, which means porrrer circulation at your extremeties & pre-warm your gloves too.
I carry extra gloves for multi hour rides, so I can put on a warm, dry pair once the first pair get damp. I’ve found fingerless gloves great(cheap, knitted, outdoor type) £6 ish from Mountain Warehouse or similar, with windstopper gloves over the top (sized up to allow for gloves underneath). Powerstretch gloves also work for me. I find most cycling specific gloves a bit rubbish & restrict blood flow, which makes my hands feel colder.
I learned when I did a lot of winter windsurfing (bare handed, because only 5% of windsurfers have hands that don't get cramp wearing waterproof gloves in the cold) that if you carry on till they hurt and stop gripping right and you get bad hot aches on the shore, then once you've sworn and cried a bit and shaken your hands till the pain stops your hands will be ok for the rest of the day.
If, however, you stop too soon so there's only a bit of pain and hardly any tears, then when you go back out it starts all over again.
Conversely, if you leave it too long the experience is so traumatic you'll never want to sail in less than 15C which is a shame because you'll miss the best winds
But either way you run the risk of getting arthritis and a big swollen painful knuckle through gout as all the uric acid crystallises in the cold extremities. I shan't post a picture of my finger as it would probably make the swear filter confused.
So in answer, wear thicker gloves for the first half hour of the ride till you're warmed up then switch to thinner ones.
My commutes used to start with a quiet non-traffic road. I used to ride no-hands, and clap my hands in front of me, then behind me, continually, with a few claps above my head for good measure. Might have tried a some alternating arm punches out in front too, but I think it was tricky in combination with pedal motion and balance. Not sure it actually warmed my hands as much as my upper body, definitely got the blood pumping though.
Two pairs of gloves is the best way.
Winter for the warm up - the minute they get sweaty move across to more general riding gloves.
Gloves on radiators before you start.Chemical hand warmer jobbies between two sets of gloves
I ride in ski gloves and carry a thinner pair, on my 30 min commute the ski gloves usually stay on.
Another vote for pre warming gloves (&socks) on the radiator.
^And hat and jacket and boots.
When it's really cold I start with an overly warm pair of gloves and change into something thinner after I warm up.
this is supposed to be a trick from avalanche training to warm up your hands if they're cold
havent tried it yet.
Yes to pre-warmed gloves and cheapy second pair, I find stretchy 'magic' gloves or cheapy wool gloves are ideal.
Thin glove liners to start with that you can take off, but definitely warm kit up on the radaitor before you get ready.
If I've driven somewhere to ride (e.g. Hamsterley with my son), I stick my gloves down my trousers during the pre-ride faff when checking pressures etc (and I also try to do as much of that pre-ride checking as possible at home before leaving, as that also helps reduce the grumpiness levels of my teenager).
I commute most days. It's only 4 miles.
I hate starting cold. It's either start hot and arrive sweaty or start cold and arrive a bit sweaty.
Below 8 I have gloves and jacket on the radiator.
Below 5 my shoes are on there as well.
When it's been 0 wet and slushy I've never been sad to stuff a chemical hand warmer into the back of my gloves mid ride.
I've carried hand warmers on 2 days winter bikepacking rides to warm wet boots and gloves up at the start of day 2. I've resented alot of extra junk I've carried, but not hand warmers 🙂
I sit on my gloves while driving to meet my buddies which warms them up
I've got a big thick pair of lobster 🦞 gloves which are great for warmth. The compromise is bar grip so I have to take it easier when wearing them. If it's even colder I use a pair of glove liners too and I tried those chemical hand warmers which also worked great.
I view the cold stage at the start of the ride as a worthwhile price to pay for having warm hands the rest of the ride ( provided no long stop when the process needs to repeat itself).
As above I make sure my gloves are warm before I put them on and stay warm if I have to take them off (I stick them under my jacket).
I aim to get (uncomfortably) hot at the start of a ride until my hands have fully warmed up, only then delayer.
I swear by 3-finger gloves (Giro 100) that are wide enough for my index finger to go in with the other 3 until my hands are warm enough and if and when that finger gets cold. They also still (just) allow braking when all 4 fingers are together. (Avoid 3-finger gloves with individual finger compartments, it is having the fingers togerher that makes the difference).
The gloves also have enough space for handwarmers to sit over or under my fingers for really cold days. Allow for enough time for the handwarmers to heat up before the start.
Thin windproof overmittens can also help (Omm, Decathlon).
The link below sheds a little bit of light on the underlying physiology and the 'Hunting' or 'Lewis' reaction.
https://taylorandfrancis.com/knowledge/Medicine_and_healthcare/Sports_medicine/Hunting_reaction