I was struggling this morning with cold hands on my 35 minute commute. I'm currently using a pair of Endura Strike gloves but they just don't seem to cut the mustard.
Any recommendations for gloves that will keep me warm but still allow me to control my bike ? Anyone use the Sealskinz Handlebar Mitten lobster style gloves ? If so, are they any good ?
Aldi Winter gloves, they have none on sale at the moment but search for Crane Winter cycling gloves on ebay.
Kept my fingers warm through the coldest days last year
i wore merino liners with snowboarding mitts this morning. i was pretty warm.
Been using Fox Antifreeze gloves for a couple of years now. If your hands get too warm, pull out the liners.
I quite like my Pearl Izumi Select Shoftshell gloves that I've been given. Kept my hands warm down to a few degrees below. Also, your normal gloves plus a set of these (or a version knocked up from old socks) can be surprisingly warm.
ive had my spesh bg deflect gloves a year now - they are bloody mint! i wore them with a thin merino wool liner glove last night in -4..hands were absolutly toasty - soon as i got to the car and took them off i was freezing cold, so they did a great job!
no rain mind - so i guess if it was belting it down then something a bit more waterproof/thicker might be needed
Something realtively loose with a silk liner glover underneath. You need to keep your arms and wrists warm as well so try and find some with a good long cuff and a jersey/baselater that is nice and long.
Liners came rom decathlon and my gloves are either some sealkin things or altura nightvision.
If you can manage with lobster gloves then i can recommend the Craft Thermal Lobsters. Very toasty with a removable thermal liner, so quite versatile too.
I found Fox Antifreeze not upto the job at all. They are lovely looking gloves, and very nice to wear/good grip and feel, but they dont keep your fingers warm below 5 deg (my hands anyway). They also wear quickly, mine developed holes in teh palm after 1 winter.
I've recently got some [url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=52516 ]Neoprene Answer Strike gloves[/url]
These held up nicely over the weekend in LongMynd were it was very cold and wet. My Fox's certainly would not have. They did eventually leak cold water, but that probably seeped down my arm and into the glove. I'm really impressed with these.
For a commute I would wear silk liners with them
Anything is better than the Endura Strike gloves in my experience. Without a doubt the most useless "winter" gloves I've ever owned. Currently, I'm quite liking my Glacier Gloves.
i got given these by my work colleagues a few years ago as a leaving present
they're quite bulky and you don't get the same amount of feel as a regular glove but they sure keep your hands warm and dry...
[url= http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/bikes-and-gear/clothing/gloves/WMB90.gear.g_sealskin-399-75.jp g" target="_blank">http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/bikes-and-gear/clothing/gloves/WMB90.gear.g_sealskin-399-75.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
i've also got a pair of endura strike waterproof gloves which feel better on the bike but endura's claim they are waterproof is a bit ambitious IMO...water resistant at the most but still a good glove
[url= http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/legacy/bikeradar/categories/clothing/cycling-clothing/gloves/images/endurastrikegloveswhitebkgrd-399-75.jp g" target="_blank">http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/legacy/bikeradar/categories/clothing/cycling-clothing/gloves/images/endurastrikegloveswhitebkgrd-399-75.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
I have a pair of the seal skin triple layered cycle gloves. Generally keep my hands warm and dry.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll have a look around at the gloves mentioned.
Pedalhead, I definitely agree with your 'appraisal' of the Strikes !
I've got some Gore something-or-others, fingers were a little cold to start this morning but after 5 minutes or so they were fine. If/when it gets much colder I'll probably add some thin liners.
Remember to pack a spare pair because you will have trouble getting most 'waterproof' gloves back on after riding an hour.
Most turn iside out when removed or are just too wet to refit.
I dry mine in the airing cupboard with a kitchen roll card centre inserted to remove the water/sweat.
PaulD
Counter intuitive but one of the best ways to keep your hands and feet warm is to get your core right. If your core is not cold your body will stop holding blood flow around the vital organs, more goes to the extremities and viola - warm hands!
I got some silk liners from The Mountain Warehouse for a tenner. Could probably get something even cheaper on line. Work a treat under my regular gloves.
Not counter intuitive to me, makes perfect sense. Everything originates from the core. That is one of the fundamentals of Tai Chi right there!Counter intuitive but one of the best ways to keep your hands and feet warm is to get your core right. If your core is not cold your body will stop holding blood flow around the vital organs, more goes to the extremities and viola - warm hands!
last 2 posts are arse gravy, can't be arsed to write a long boring essay on why, but its just wrong. I suppose all those mountaineers lost fingers and toes due to frostbite cos their cores weren't warm enough...
Just got some Craft Lobster gloves and they seem very good. Not really any padding on the palms but so far warm
Sugoi Firewall Z Waterproof Thermal Split Finger Gloves. Best i've found and i have rubbish circulation. Rode in this morning....as warm as toast! When it gets like -10c then i have a really good liner glove inside......so get them big enough to accomadate them.
Recently got some 661 Storm winter gloves. Can't say I'm particularly liking them.
Not quite sure I'd go as far as arse gravy, but I would question the core thing too. My core was toasty this morning, as were most parts, but my toes were numb.
I think the key is to be warm in general anyway (esp core) and to encourage blood flow by movement - pretty much everything was moving around this morning to some degree so blood flow was good. Toes being toes and probably not wiggled enough got less blood/warmth so went numb.
Note - after locking my bike away I walk ~300m to my office building in flip flops, by the time I got there my toes were OK yet my core would have cooled a little.
I went out wearing a pair of Mavic infernos lastnight - they were very warm
Haven't received them yet but I just ordered a set of Perfect Curve Glaciers, which are supposed to be waterproof and toasty. I've got slightly ropey circulation so it's hard to keep the ends warm, been getting good results from Fox Antifreeze but still not perfect
(the nice thing about the Antifreezes is that they're well shaped and don't have stupid pads or overthick palms- for some reason loads of winter gloves are covered in gel things. These are just like normal gloves, a wee bit bulkier and stiffer but not so as to be a thing)
Trent Steel - Memberlast 2 posts are arse gravy, can't be arsed to write a long boring essay on why, but its just wrong. I suppose all those mountaineers lost fingers and toes due to frostbite cos their cores weren't warm enough...
Don't think anyone's saying "Keep your core warm and your extremities will always be fine". But if your core's freezing, then the best gloves in thr world won't keep your hands toasty. It's a joint effort. Hot boiler for hot radiators.
I wear Oxford Chill-out gloves and they're brilliant... They're techincally motorbike 'inners' but work as a loose fitting and un-restrictive MTB glove really well.
Rewski - haha! not sure what a hamsters cage smells like but i'll take your word for it...but actually you're right they get get a bit sweaty...
pedalhead - actually you're right...the endura strikes are a bit shit...i dont even use them on the bike any more 😆
I use the same as Gonzy & Rewski. My hands are really quite bad at getting cold, so these work well.
last 2 posts are arse gravy, can't be arsed to write a long boring essay on why, but its just wrong. [b]I suppose all those mountaineers lost fingers and toes due to frostbite cos their cores weren't warm enough... [/b]
Well, my mountaineering texts are all at home so I'll make do with a wiki quote for now :-
Causes - Inadequate blood circulation when the ambient temperature is below freezing leads to frostbite. This can be [b]because the body is constricting circulation to extremities on its own to preserve core temperature[/b] and fight hypothermia.
So yes, that's exactly what I'm stating - low core temperature is often a substantial reason for frostbitten fingers! 🙄
As Northwind states above - not trying to say that you could prance about all day with bare hands in sub zero riding a bike with lots of wind chill just because you've got a toasty gillet on but keeping your core warm is a key aspect to maintaining warm hands.
Who's got the arse gravy dribbling out the corner of their mouth now 😉
Got some Endura gloves at home that got reviews.... rubbish! Bought some Aldi gloves and they are the best ones I've ever used.
+1 for a warm core.
And warm arms/legs. I can wear my waterproof winter boots on a wet summers day if I'm wearing shorts as long as it's not too hot. Conversely if I wear long socks and roubaix longs keeping my legs warm then they're toasty right down to -10.
All to do with getting the blood nice and hot in your core, then insulating it on the way down your arms/legs to your fingers/toes. Letting your forearms or claves get cold means the bood vessels constrict and stop the warm blood from reaching your extremities. If you're wearing shorts (or short sleves) in winter your far more likley to end up with cold toes 9or hands) regardless of how good your socks/boots are.
Another tip is keeping your hadns bone dry, I've been out in -10 with summer gloves on, they were fine for an hour untill i mpped some sweat off my brow, they then froze and took 20min to warm up again!
Not bike gloves but should do the job and cheap. Ski gloves, £4.99 on Sunday
http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_28016.htm
Received a pair of Gore Countdown gloves this morning, on afters today so will be cycling home at midnight. Will let you know.
It's true - best way to warm your extremities is to wear a hat
I have ended up with inner liners and either Montane Extreme gloves or an old pair of pile lined (double on back of hands) winter mountaineering mitts (like Tough Bags). That works down to about -10 for me.
Oh and I wholeheartedly agree with this:
Anything is better than the Endura Strike gloves in my experience. Without a doubt the most useless "winter" gloves I've ever owned.
I even called Endura an pointed out some issues with them - they agreed with the issues.
Specialized Sub Zero.
TK Maxx have some some Drop snowboard gloves in at the moment. Neoprene outer, grippy rubber plan and fingers, bendable and waterproof. 12 quid and they're ace.
I use Mammut work gloves. Good for sub zero, more of a mountainering glove.
These are really good - especially for the price. I've had warm hands on my sub zero 14 mile commute but they aren't too sweaty
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CLPXWINGL/planet_x_wind_block_gloves
Haha matt i did that too - even better were my deluge gloves that fitted fine..... Fell apart , took 3 months for warrenty and came back marked up as the same size but my hand was going no where near getting inside them.
Also suggested stealth shorts - might phone up and ask for my royalties now its been 3 years and they seem to have a form of stealth short 🙂
Another vote for Aldi ones
. Cheap but fantastic in the cold
Also as i keep replying to these threads - www.hotpog.co.uk
Im riding with barmits fleece lined neoprene pogies on my commuter - hardly even have to wear gloves , tis quick a shock to the hands to take them out to wipe your nose or something.
[url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/psa-cold-hands-try-these-gloves ]my thread on gloves[/url]
I have some Strikes. Terrible in winter unless you add a pair of merino liners - then they're good for proper bastard cold temperatures.
I wear 2 pairs my summer full finger gel padded alturas and some cheap karrimor thermal gloves that stretch over the top and keep my normally cold hands toasty
Another Pearl Izumi P.R.O. Softshell user here. As they are down to zero, with silk liners (£4 in Decathlon) for proper cold. Amazingly good considering how light/thin they are.
The aldi gloves are good especially for commuting. They have a bit less feel than normal mtb gloves, but really arent that bad esp once worn in.
The other option I found that has worked is a pair of under gloves with some thinner winter mtb gloves.
This way I get good feel/grip and but you can still get a bit of warmth.
Not too sure I about keeping the core warm, but I find if you keep your wrists warm this helps with you hands.
If you have any arm warmers these can help keep your hands warm.
Get some neoprene ones, they're really warm and your hands don't move around in them on the bars like they can do in padded gloves. They're also great in the wet as well.
I use some gul windsurfing ones but castelli and endura do cycling specific ones.
Another vote for Aldis here, not at all fashionable but seriously good value for the £5 asking!
I find the SealSkinz big thick gloves to be too warm; my hands get sweaty and then cool as a result! Plus they're way too thick to have proper feel for the controls.
Recently got some 661 Storm gloves and they seem pretty good so far. Not used them in proper cold conditions yet though.
Another vote for Aldi here, not breathable, not pretty but very functional. I bought a couple of pairs, 1 of which was a size to big and on the really cold days wear the big pair with a silk liner underneath
I have 2 pairs of Endura Strikes replaced under warranty as the liners got detached from the mebrane and i simply couldn't getthem on. stil wear them from time to time, but useless in the cold as they don't breathe very well.
Specialized sub-zeros for me, for proper cold riding. Removable shell if it warms up, and fully washable inner. Or can wear the shell on its own if its wet, but not too cold.
I did find myself looking at horse-riding gloves the other day. Surely they must work...
I have a pair of marigold thermal gloves (£4.25 on ARCO - they are the ones people wear in supermarket cold stores) and stick a pair of Planet X windproof gloves over the top.
Cheap and toasty, plus you can ditch the marigolds if it warms up.
Well I'm going against the pack and sticking up for the Endura strikes. Just got back from the Chase - hovering around zero when I left, 4 degrees when I got back - hands warm the whole ride through.
Me soddin' feet, however..... 🙁
hovering around zero when I left, 4 degrees when I got back
yep, thats fine for Strikes, but that's not "proper" winter conditions, is it?
When the mercury dips below freezing out come the Aldi bike gloves....any warmer and your hands sweat but when its biting cold they're spot on!
+1 for Aldi gloves, got 2 pairs.
Agree not great if the weather is just low temps rather than zero or below, and they ain't waterproof, they'll keep the rain out for maybe an hour and a half but once they saturate that's it... Still incredible VFM...
I have the old version of these [url= http://www.groundeffect.co.nz/product-detail-CHI-ACC.htm ]Ground Effect gloves[/url]. They work well. For real winter warmth it's hard to beat [url= http://www.cactusequipment.co.nz/online-shop/hats,-gloves-etc/spg-gloves/77-35 ]these[/url]
i like my sealskinz winter gloves with liners
Just got in from a 3hour night ride frost and ice all over the place..
Aldi gloves did the job again,,nice and warm all the way not even a hint of cold
I took some glove liners but they stayed in my pocket all the time
Buy Some.
I have found over the years that ensuring your arms are kept warm and especially the cuff area makes a huge difference no matter what gloves you wear. It's all about blood circulation.
Fox antifreeze for the last two winters, same pair still going strong. I like these the most because they don't feel stupid thick like others.
It might not be 'proper' winter conditions but it was still bloody cold 😆
I have'nt been out in 'proper' winter yet but it seems like it's my feet that'll freeze before my hands according to Friday.
Specialized Sub Zero.
Specialized sub-zeros for me, for proper cold riding. Removable shell if it warms up, and fully washable inner. Or can wear the shell on its own if its wet, but not too cold.
got an old pair of these which looks slightly different to stuff on google image search (mine are more neopreney, but with a fleecy lining) and with the vulcan 2 finger design it has to be a chunk [i]below[/i] zero or they are too warm (bought them in the states where -5C was typical rather than notable). The new ones sound more adaptable.
Today i wore no gloves .... Pogies rule 🙂
motorbike gloves for me...4hrs today and warm hands.
Argh pogies, I've tried using them for kayaking, They work brilliantly, but I hate em, preferred having cold hands (expect I'd be the same on the bike)
They work excellently though, but you either love them or hate em
Those [s]Endura[/s] *edit*Sealskin (argh ffs)*edit* gloves are excellent, a bit bulky, but not too bad, very warm though, I just wear the defeet woolly gloves most of the time, which are really good.
they are just woolly gloves with rubber grippy things on the palm though, so you can probably get something just as good for about £2 in the local market
I am in Bristol though, so it's not exactly arctic most of the time
The Gore ones have served me well so far, can't remember which model they are, they look a bit like slimmed down ski gloves.
lazybike makes a good point - motorbike gloves. I use some old mb gloves which I discarded as they werent protective enough for the mb, but are fine for the pushbike on the road. They are IXS double gloves or something like that - they have an inner and outer and are very warm, but not so much feel, hence I use them on the road and easy offroad only.
[url= http://www.jsaccessories.co.uk/ixs-two-in-one-glove-in-black.html ]These[/url], but in medium
How waterproof is waterproof? I bought some Sealskinz waterproof winter gloves last winter but didn't really get chance to properly test them til today. After 3 hours of heavy rain they were waterlogged and so heavy they were making the bike handle funny.
Lol. Those HotPogs are hilarious, never seen those before. Give me [url= http://www.aboveandbeyond.co.uk/Sealskinz/list/f4 ]Sealskinz gloves[/url] any day. I got a pair of the ultragrip gloves last year and honestly they have been brill. I'm surprised at Bob's comment. I'd be interested to know whether your hands were still dry at least? I'd be surprised if they weren't as I have had no probs. Still laughing at those HotPogs, it would be like having oven gloves strapped to your bike. 🙂


