Buyers Guide to the Best Mountain Bike Gloves

I hate gloves. Which makes me the ideal tester for them. For a glove to stand a chance of being worn by me for more than one ride it needs to be a good one.

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By ben_haworth

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Buyers Guide to the Best Mountain Bike Gloves

Padding / gel in the glove for me, every time.

Means they transfer to the road and gravel bike too, and have more padding on my palms where inevitably I do hit the floor like a sack o’ ‘taters.

Giro DND. “the” best glove I’ve found. Better even than TLD XC and can be found for under £20 a pair if you hunt around.

+1 for Giro DND. I tend to have a few pairs in rotation and they have lasted quite a few years for me, although in fairness I’m gloveless for much of the year.

I hate gloves. Which makes me the ideal tester for them

Next issue of the mag expect guest bike tester Jeremy Clarkson – ‘I hate bikes. Which makes me the ideal tester for them’

What an odd review. I was hoping, at last, to find some wise words on the slim range of waterproof gloves available to get us through this winter…

But no, the usual “slightly warm but not very” and maybe a couple with some waterproofing claim but we don’t actually comment on that in the review .

Why, what’s the point?

As you say in your first sentence, the review as it stands is pointles. It’s January, it’s been pissing it down for months. Why not put the hours in and search out some half decent waterproof gloves and do a review on them. Tell us which ones are actually waterproof and which aren’t. Tell us which ones have those fuckstupid wide cuffs that are designed to go over a jacket sleeve. Ideal for ice climbing and next to useless for mtbing.

Rather than telling us what we’ll need for brambles when they arrive in 6 months time.

What I find strange in many videos is how there seems to be a trend amongst pro-bikers not to wear gloves at all. Obviously their skills are brilliant and they don’t crash much but when they do it must be terrible especially with rocky trails.
The human hand with all its nerve endings and functions isn’t a good thing to damage.

I’ve had/got loads of summer gloves. Tend to wear out the finger and thumb fiddling with adjusters or valves. Stitching fails on fingers and at wrist closure. Thin/mesh fabrics tear on brambles.

Endura MT500 mk2 looked are good but they rubbed (on my pair) between the thumb and first finger (so I’ve only worn them on the road and commute bikes since. Good tough fabric and a bit of neoprene across the knuckles. (all the Endura gloves I’ve had over the years have been good and lasted well)

What I’d *really* like is a hot weather glove with some thorn resistance down the outside of the third and fourth finger (glove armour is always across the knuckles). Haven’t found that yet…

Padding / gel in the glove for me, every time.

the longer I’ve been riding the less padding I’ve had in my gloves, both on and off road.

Work gloves are invariably more durable than the fancy hand socks that MTB companies try to sell you. You can get quality impact protection with D3O, even for about 25 quid.

 

I’m impressed with Endura Primaloft for this time of year and for Summer gloving it’s TLD when Merlin had them for £13 👍

Wot thegeneralist says.

I rave about Rab Infinium gloves.

Windstopper fabric so kill wind-chill. Not waterproof but they don’t need to be. Wet hands dry out in them. In heavy rain, ring them out and just keep riding. Damp hands but warm hands.

Current pair are a couple of years old but I only ride 3-4x a week and use them for dog walks, utility cycling.
#comfy

Above all though, once you find a brand that makes a glove that fit your hand like a… er, glove. Stick with ’em.

I’ll not even look at a glove if it doesn’t have a piece of leather or similar over the end of the finger from the nail to the finger tip. I always used to push the finger ends through even on gloves that fitted or were too big. The only one shown in that test wasn’t commented on, was the Dakine with wrap around finger ends.

Personally, I’ll find POC on sale and buy a couple of pairs.

Radioman
Full Member

What I find strange in many videos is how there seems to be a trend amongst pro-bikers not to wear gloves at all. Obviously their skills are brilliant and they don’t crash much but when they do it must be terrible especially with rocky trails.

Pros will usually have pretty good crash reflexes, ie, not sticking their hands out or at least not just smashing them into the ground, lots of patting out, rolling out etc. Can’t remember who it was, maybe Ben Deakin, that had as part of his training routine getting judo thrown all over the place to practice his landings.

Gloveless riders must have a different sweat reflex (or whatever you’d call it) to me – or use some kind of rubber-free grip that doesn’t result in moisture between palm and grip?? In hot weather my hands feel far less sweaty in gloves cos they absorb it. Whenever I ride without gloves it just feels horrible!
Find ION or Troy Lee best. Fox were ok, but split without much use.

100% brisker? They’re garbage I find, they do the hydromatic’s which are far better! Fully waterproof, windproof and very warm. If you want toasty hands in the winter these are a must! Once brisker’s get wet you’ve had it…

I looked at this and thought “no thanks” to any of them.

Endura singletracks are a good warm weather glove – not too pricey, no fuss. Their MT500 gloves are comfy but wear out at a rate of knots.

I’m currently on Endura D30s, they are so so, sticky bits on the fingers and palm coming off quickly. I got them because they were in the shop in my size.

I used to like the old Fox digits too, but more recent refreshes aren’t as good. Dirtpaws next time.