Author Topic: Gloves  (Read 4302 times)

legitlee

Gloves
« on: 10 March, 2012, 04:13:43 pm »
Hi all, I'm struggling to find a pair of gloves the Gloves I have used in the past I borrowed from work impact gloves, they have had it now, and the Cycling Gloves I have used since are fine for a while but then they do nothing. I have heard of Gel tape for handle bars, doest this work? or any suggestions for a good padded cycling glove. Your help is appreciated thank you.  Lee

Re: Gloves
« Reply #1 on: 10 March, 2012, 04:27:33 pm »
A cheaper alternative to gel tape is to just put a second layer of regular stuff over the top of your current bars tape.

I quite like my altura gloves, but its fairly personal thing and might be worth going to a shop to try some on.

Re: Gloves
« Reply #2 on: 10 March, 2012, 06:12:28 pm »
It might be worthing considering your fit on the bike, you might be putting too much weight on your hands

Re: Gloves
« Reply #3 on: 10 March, 2012, 07:17:18 pm »
I have hand problems and bought some gel inserts that go under the tape (when you retape your bars next).  Not a massive improvement, but significant enough to be worth it.

valkyrie

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Re: Gloves
« Reply #4 on: 10 March, 2012, 07:58:43 pm »
I get numb hands after very long rides (1200s and above) so use gel under my bar tape. It does help but doesn't cure the problem entirely.
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slohill

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Re: Gloves
« Reply #5 on: 10 March, 2012, 08:58:57 pm »
Gloves with gel inserts work well.  Amazingly, some of the best gloves out there, if you can get them, are the Aldi cycling gloves.  Both fingerless and full gloves are well made, well fitting and long lasting.  The last fingerless pair that I bought at least 2 years ago are still in good conditio and cost about £4-.   :thumbsup:
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Re: Gloves
« Reply #6 on: 10 March, 2012, 09:27:41 pm »
They are very small; I need a large. Hard wearing, bout I wouldn't really rate the padding
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Re: Gloves
« Reply #7 on: 10 March, 2012, 10:12:11 pm »
Specialized Bar Phat tape with the thick 4.5mm gel pads is the dog's whatsits! Personally I put extra gel underneath the hood rubbers since that's where my hands spend a fair bit of time. http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-BG-Bar-Phat-Tape_17439.htm

The Specialized BG gel mits are not bad either!

Hummers

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Re: Gloves
« Reply #8 on: 11 March, 2012, 09:12:03 am »
I have not used padded gloves for over two years now and only had problems with numb fingers after PBP last year.
I have concluded that it's the setup of the bike is the most important aspect of avoiding pressure related problems and takes a fair bit of trial and error to work out.

H

Nonsteeler

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Re: Gloves
« Reply #9 on: 11 March, 2012, 09:27:30 am »
I don't have numb fingers/hands/arms elbows any more. In the beginning I was big fan of gel padded mitts (Spezialised BG, Pearl Izumi Select were my favourite). Interestingly, only after I tried unpadded/ thinly padded mitts/gloves the numbness disappeared completely, which led me to believe that on long rides (300km+) padding may be part of the problem. MTB-type gloves are great on the road too - unpadded and often cheaply available at CRC - and my favourite mitts at the moment are Mavic's Echappé (part of my - almost- pain free PBP ride last year).
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Hummers

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Re: Gloves
« Reply #10 on: 11 March, 2012, 09:37:10 am »
I don't have numb fingers/hands/arms elbows any more. In the beginning I was big fan gel padded mitts (Spezialised BG, Pearl Izumi Select were my favourite). Interestingly, only after I tried unpadded/ thinly padded mitts/gloves the numbness disappeared completely, which led me to believe that on long rides (300km+) padding may be part of the problem. MTB-type gloves are great on the road too - unpadded and often cheaply available at CRC - and my favourite mitts at the moment are Mavic's Echappé (part of my - almost- pain free PBP ride last year).

That was my experience and summation of overly padded mits but I also believe the saddle and handle bar angles/heights are also very important. The challnge is to get these right in the mix of going at a reasonable pace vs being more upright.

H

hellymedic

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Re: Gloves
« Reply #11 on: 11 March, 2012, 10:02:17 am »
Padding may be helpful but it encourages bad habits.
You WILL have pressure problems in your hands/bum/feet until you learn you MUST take pressure off them from time to time when you ride very long distances.

jogler

  • mojo operandi
Re: Gloves
« Reply #12 on: 11 March, 2012, 10:10:35 am »
wrt no padding.I've used thin fleece gloves during the winter with no padding & not had any numb hands.The longest ride has only been 100km but nevertheless I have been pleasantly suprised. I do have bar-phat under the top tape.

Re: Gloves
« Reply #13 on: 11 March, 2012, 10:22:41 am »
Tribars are excellent for this. I really missed them last year, riding without as they are banned on PBP. Just being able to get a different position that completely removes any pressure from the hands and wrists is excellent.

Otherwise I also use bar phat gel pads and lightly padded gloves. I used to swear by Specialized ones, but the recent models rub me between my thumb and forefinger, where the gloves have a seam. I have some Altura long fingered ones that have got more comfortable as the pad has flattened slightly, in winter I use almost unpadded Sealskinz or Columbia skiing gloves with no problems up to 400km.

frankly frankie

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Re: Gloves
« Reply #14 on: 11 March, 2012, 10:23:43 am »
Only wusses use gloves.

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Re: Gloves
« Reply #15 on: 11 March, 2012, 10:24:08 am »
I am seriously considering buying a pair of Specialized BG track mitts shortly.  They have plenty of gel inserts all in the right places and together with Lizard Skins handlebar tape (rubber) will hopefully set me up nicely.

Re: Gloves
« Reply #16 on: 11 March, 2012, 11:32:14 am »
I wear long fingered gloves in Winter but don't bother with track mitts.I like Fizik or Bontrager bar tape because it feels nice and Brooks leather tape because,I am a retro nerd,it feels nice too.Like others have already said get your bike set up to take a bit of weight of your hands and wrists.Think of gell mitts as the cure and think of the bike set up as prevention.

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: Gloves
« Reply #17 on: 11 March, 2012, 12:20:08 pm »
Track mitts can protect the skin of your palms should you have an 'off'. I would never ride without for this reason.

Re: Gloves
« Reply #18 on: 11 March, 2012, 01:25:57 pm »
Gloves with gel inserts work well.  Amazingly, some of the best gloves out there, if you can get them, are the Aldi cycling gloves.  Both fingerless and full gloves are well made, well fitting and long lasting.  The last fingerless pair that I bought at least 2 years ago are still in good conditio and cost about £4-.   :thumbsup:

these are even better if you use a pair of silk inners (I picked up a fairly cheap pair at Mountain Warehouse)

Kim

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Re: Gloves
« Reply #19 on: 11 March, 2012, 02:48:52 pm »
+1 for Aldi mitts.  They're cheap enough that you can wash them to death so they don't stink.  The winter gloves are okay, though I prefer something a bit more technical for longer rides.

I've never really found glove padding made much of a difference to hand numbness, though.  Maybe puts it off for slightly longer, but it's still going to happen after a few hours on the bike.  More important is the compromise between hand numbness and sore bits determined by bar and saddle positions (you can only break even - the only way to win is to go darkside), and specifically the angle of the wrist as you hold the bars.  If you're going off-road, suspension forks are an utterly wonderful thing, and I can't recommend them highly enough.

Silk glove liners can be had cheaply on ebay.  I especially recommend them if you're of the sweaty disposition.

Unless you're riding a recumbent trike or something similarly stable, I recommend a minimum of cheapo mitts in case of an off - I have some Tesco Value cycling gloves that I bought on a cold day when I forgot to bring any, which are a fairly naff example of the species, but nevertheless provided excellent sacrificial protection when I had a run-in with some loose gravel.  I wouldn't be without some form of hand protection.

Re: Gloves
« Reply #20 on: 11 March, 2012, 03:42:18 pm »
I'm not sure that gel in a glove has much of an impact on numb hands unless it is caused by road chatter/vibration.  Of more or at least equal impact might be numbness caused by nerve constriction at the wrist(s) (carpal tunnel) because of maintaining the same hand position for too long.  Constantly changing hand position to address this and allow blood flow seems more important to me.
I have some gel gloves and really dislike the 'squidgy' feel when trying to grip the bars at important times.

Grandad

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Re: Gloves
« Reply #21 on: 11 March, 2012, 10:15:54 pm »
I use foam sleeving - bike specific version of pipe lagging. Slight downside is that it holds the water when it rains but I've never had any problem with numb hands. Admittedly my longest rides were only 600s.

Kim

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Re: Gloves
« Reply #22 on: 12 March, 2012, 12:55:27 am »
I use foam sleeving - bike specific version of pipe lagging. Slight downside is that it holds the water when it rains but I've never had any problem with numb hands.

+1 for that, too, if only for being less faff and more aesthetically pleasing than bar tape.  I find that if it's wet enough for the foam to hold significant water, my hands would be soaked anyway, which reduces it to a cold-weather glove problem.

Top tip: don't use fairy liquid or similar as a lubricant to apply the foam, as it'll become slippery again on contact with water.  Plain water or something alcohol-based is better.

Re: Gloves
« Reply #23 on: 12 March, 2012, 07:14:23 am »
I do have the Specialized padded tape on my bike but wouldn't rush to recommend it.

The point that Hummers and others make above is the most important; it's mostly about getting the position right and giving your hands a say in the various trade-offs that have to be made.

For example, last year I was getting a fair bit of numbness on long rides.  I found that the main cause was that my wrist joints, when riding on the tops, were too extended.  ie my wrists were bent back.  This stretched the nerves on the underside of my wrist and I was getting carpal tunnel syndrome.   

Dropping the bars down a bit meant my wrist angle changed.  I've only ridden a 200km since, but it seemed to work. 

Re: Gloves
« Reply #24 on: 12 March, 2012, 07:56:47 am »
A cheaper alternative to gel tape is to just put a second layer of regular stuff over the top of your current bars tape.

and

The Specialized BG gel mits are not bad either!

and

Padding may be helpful but it encourages bad habits.
You WILL have pressure problems in your hands/bum/feet until you learn you MUST take pressure off them from time to time when you ride very long distances.

sums it up for me. I was getting pins and needles after 20 miles. No problems since. The fit of the BG gel gloves is perfect for me, but it's definitely worth a trip to the shop to check fit