PBP - Gloves for extreme distances

[AndyH]

£100

Just so I am 100% clear, are you still talking about mitts here ?

[Feline]

£100

Just so I am 100% clear, are you still talking about mitts here ?

Yes

[Sergeant Pluck]

Do you think the white ones will start to look tatty and stained with age or would they be wipeable with baby wipes or similar to get oil off?

Mine are black, but going on the type of leather I'd say that they'll eventually go grey at the creases and generally get grotty - but it would take a full season of use to get them looking well worn. Mine are in their second year.

[Feline]

Do you think the white ones will start to look tatty and stained with age or would they be wipeable with baby wipes or similar to get oil off?

Mine are black, but going on the type of leather I'd say that they'll eventually go grey at the creases and generally get grotty - but it would take a full season of use to get them looking well worn. Mine are in their second year.

Thanks. Since they are something that's supposed to get better with age I reckon in that case I would be better off with the black ones. It would be a shame to ruin them with one Schleck-chain episode too wouldn't it!

[Sergeant Pluck]

A wet PBP, from what I've read here, could destroy them in one ride.

They are very nice though, I am sure I'll get another pair, but they are for shorter rides (and even on a 200 I'd have something else in the saddle bag) and rides when you'll have time to do things like take them off before tackling any mechanicals.

[MSeries]

get your set up right, get fit enough so you don't put much weight on your hands. You should be just resting your hands on the bars, not leaning on them. YOur ride will be much better if you are fit enough for it.

[Feline]

A wet PBP, from what I've read here, could destroy them in one ride.

They are very nice though, I am sure I'll get another pair, but they are for shorter rides (and even on a 200 I'd have something else in the saddle bag) and rides when you'll have time to do things like take them off before tackling any mechanicals.

I carry disposable latex gloves for roadside fettling. I find I can usually get these on ontop of mits. the trick though is remembering to do this before touching anything filthy or getting the wheel off  

[AndyH]

I can thoroughly recommend the KNOG Orca mitts for long distances. I've had Spesh BGs and various other brands, but the Knogs have gel which protects the central base part of the palm.

These do look like they have addressed the area of concern in the OP, although at £14 they are expensive for track mitts  Black & Ti coloured though. I might try some of these.

I tend to consider mitts as semi disposable - they get so much abuse that I don't want to wear the same pair for too long, so at least 2 pairs for PBP. Threw a BBB pair away last week which were cheap, but had given excellent service for over a year.

Postie's advice looks good as well 

[Greenbank]

get your set up right, get fit enough so you don't put much weight on your hands. You should be just resting your hands on the bars, not leaning on them. YOur ride will be much better if you are fit enough for it.

+1

I used a different pair of gloves each day of LEL with no problems, different brands. The flatlands of the final day's ride from Thorne meant little need to get out of the saddle and so the contact points suffered even more, I wore two pairs of shorts and two pairs of gloves for that final day.

Now that I've taken the tri-bars off the bike (not allowed on PBP) I've been suffering from painful hands as the bars are now 1" lower than they were before (I used to hold on to the elbow pads). I'll be raising the bars by 1" when I get round to putting on the new forks.

[STMS]

get your set up right, get fit enough so you don't put much weight on your hands. You should be just resting your hands on the bars, not leaning on them. YOur ride will be much better if you are fit enough for it.

+1

I used a different pair of gloves each day of LEL with no problems, different brands. The flatlands of the final day's ride from Thorne meant little need to get out of the saddle and so the contact points suffered even more, I wore two pairs of shorts and two pairs of gloves for that final day.



Now that I've taken the tri-bars off the bike (not allowed on PBP) I've been suffering from painful hands as the bars are now 1" lower than they were before (I used to hold on to the elbow pads). I'll be raising the bars by 1" when I get round to putting on the new forks.

There's no chance of me getting fit    , and i'm worried about raising the bars too much because of the extra seating area discomfort. The resting on the armrest was utilized often on my old bike, are you allowed to have the armrests on without the bars? for PBP

[arabella]

I think you are worrying too much.  For a long time I didn't bother with gloves in the summer.

For LEL I darned the pair I found in the dressing up box (they were a bit big but hey, never mind, I'll look the part).  The gloves ripped again next to the darning and my wrists were a bit sore at the end.  I can't remember if I added gel inserts to my bars befors or after LEL.  Damon recommended pumping up my front tyre somewhat less for greateer writs-comfiness.
I then splashed out (hah) on some brand new gloves. They aren't particularly comfy which means I move my  hands around a lot: result being that wrists were fine after the Gt Eastern last year.  So I'll stick with these gloves.

[STMS]

I think you are worrying too much. 

It's not a case of worrying too much, but it is a slight problem when it is too painful to control your bike.

I just wondered if there were any gloves out there that i had missed 

[AndyH]

Surely if it's too painful to control the bike the problem is more fundamental than a glove issue ?

[STMS]

Surely if it's too painful to control the bike the problem is more fundamental than a glove issue ?

You're right, i am a heavy leaner on the bars. Just hoping to make the longer rides a little more bearable.

[lantern rouge]

Iam prone to lean heavily on the bars and suffer from some arthritis in the hands. I double tape my bars or fit MarSAS tape. I use Endura and Specialized BG mitts. In the wet I don't wear mitts, after keeping wet mitts on for a long distance I peeled a large lump of skin off each palm when I took my mitts off. Not good.
M Series is right about set up. I am still perfecting mine as it seems to alter with age and injury. The closer I get to the correct position the less weight I seem to bear on my hands.

[PloddinPedro]

I too suffer from hand/nerve problems. After PBP '07 my nerves were tingling for weeks. It has been moderated somewhat (quite a lot really) with new bike with much higher front end and better overall position. I use Fizik gel strips under the bar tape and gel padded mitts (usually Specialized Body Geometry) but I find that as I tire on a ride, I slump ever more heavily onto the 'bars and no amount of padding prevents problems since it all "bottoms out" and goes solid eventually.

Remembering to move your hands and weight around frequently helps but gets harder as I tire. I've fitted clip-on aerobars not for speed but for comfort and I find they help a great deal. The ban on using them for PBP will be a big issue for me and if I can't find a way around this issue, I may have to forego the ride.

[mattc]

Remembering to move your hands and weight around frequently helps but gets harder as I tire. I've fitted clip-on aerobars not for speed but for comfort and I find they help a great deal.

I think the answer to things like this is mental training - on shorter rides (even 20 minuites!) practice moving your hands frequently. It will eventually become a habit, so you won't have to think so much after 1100k.

Do you use the drops much? They're a valuable extra position even when you're not fighting wind resistance. I'm pretty sure this also helps with non-hand-related aches-n-pains.

It's not 'difficult' to move your hands around when tired - it's just one more thing to think about when your brain is fried. Make it automatic - you don't forget how to pedal, do you?

[PloddinPedro]

Remembering to move your hands and weight around frequently helps but gets harder as I tire. I've fitted clip-on aerobars not for speed but for comfort and I find they help a great deal.

I think the answer to things like this is mental training - on shorter rides (even 20 minuites!) practice moving your hands frequently. It will eventually become a habit, so you won't have to think so much after 1100k.

Do you use the drops much? They're a valuable extra position even when you're not fighting wind resistance. I'm pretty sure this also helps with non-hand-related aches-n-pains.

It's not 'difficult' to move your hands around when tired - it's just one more thing to think about when your brain is fried. Make it automatic - you don't forget how to pedal, do you?

Your point about the drops is well made and falls within the "optimise your bike position" issue. On the new, more upright bike, I changed my drops for a shallow drop model and now find I do use the drops as an alternative position far more often. So I now have the benefit of the several options on the tops, brakehoods and drops plus the tri-bars and it's all more upright at the front which has helped a lot.

I accept and agree with everything you say Matt and none of it contradicts my point, which is really that it all gets harder as fatigue sets in and eventually the weight on your hands tells, however much you stave off the moment by moving frequently, changing position, etc.

[Redlight]

I've fitted clip-on aerobars not for speed but for comfort and I find they help a great deal. The ban on using them for PBP will be a big issue for me and if I can't find a way around this issue, I may have to forego the ride.

I don't know how strict the rules are but might it be possible for you to have the armrests on the handlebars but not the aero bars themselves?  I seem to recall seeing photos of people in the RAAM with that set up. Not sure how it would affect your steering though 

[Exit Stage Left]

I've fitted clip-on aerobars not for speed but for comfort and I find they help a great deal. The ban on using them for PBP will be a big issue for me and if I can't find a way around this issue, I may have to forego the ride.

I don't know how strict the rules are but might it be possible for you to have the armrests on the handlebars but not the aero bars themselves?  I seem to recall seeing photos of people in the RAAM with that set up. Not sure how it would affect your steering though 

Pro riders tended to use the gear cables on Shimano STIs as makeshift aero-bars. Most of the hand problems can be traced back to lack of core strength. The best exercise would be to spend a lot of time bent over, try mowing your lawn with nail scissors without bending your knees. Failing that, some Swiss ball exercises might help. Meanwhile ditch the tri-bars on qualifiers, it only delays the inevitable.

[Feline]

I am going to try a pair od Knog Orca's since they are so cheap 
I've also ordered some Specialized competition ones because I like the look of them too.
Sounds like one solution for uber-long rides is to have more than 1 pair with me so I can change if anything gets uncomfortable! I would never have thought of this, so thanks for the advice 

[Ian H]

... try mowing your lawn with nail scissors without bending your knees...

I think I just found the perfect training advice.

[PloddinPedro]

I've fitted clip-on aerobars not for speed but for comfort and I find they help a great deal. The ban on using them for PBP will be a big issue for me and if I can't find a way around this issue, I may have to forego the ride.

I don't know how strict the rules are but might it be possible for you to have the armrests on the handlebars but not the aero bars themselves?  I seem to recall seeing photos of people in the RAAM with that set up. Not sure how it would affect your steering though 

Yes, I'm musing over the possibility of this but it would be dangerous to try to steer with only the forearms. I have however, wondered if I could fit a barbag in such a way as to give adequate forward purchase to redress this - ?

I don't use Shimano so the "grip the washing-line" method suggested by Exit SL doesn't work for me.

[Ian H]

Can you set up to achieve this? Forearm resting on the bar.

[marcusjb]

Can you set up to achieve this? Forearm resting on the bar.

This is a good position for me - I use it quite a lot to change position and hardly use my hands (I sort of just about put my hands around the top of the hood, or even just resting flatish on the hood without gripping at all).  All right, a big bump or a sudden need to brake very urgently could be my undoing - but, touch wood, not happenned yet!  Tend to use it on smoother, flatter roads (which, admittedly, are rare!).