Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Topic started by: Glover Fan on 21 October, 2013, 08:24:37 am
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Winter will finally get here and I'd like some gloves that do a good job of keeping the "freezing" cold off and are as waterproof as you can realistically get?
No idea on budget, will look at what is offered as option here.
Saw some SealSkinz All Weather gloves which are £25, but looking at reviews they look like they aren't very good at the dealing with cold bit.
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Layers. All in one gloves are a PITA (smelly, take ages to dry, generally not waterproof) so a three part system works best: thermal liner (silk, thin fleece, merino, etc), long finger cycling gloves with a bit of padding then a waterproof shell mitten (e.g. Extremities Tuff Bags) over the top.
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Cryo handling gloves that are waterproof.
Expect to pay over £100.
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Cryo handling gloves that are waterproof.
Expect to pay over £100.
;D so is a full-body all in one cryogenic jump suit but can you cycle in it?!
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Showers Pass have come out with a new range of gloves (http://bikeportland.org/2013/01/30/first-look-new-crosspoint-gloves-from-showers-pass-82315), which are likely to be worth a look. They were very proud of them when we visited last year. (We've not tried them, though.)
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Layers. All in one gloves are a PITA (smelly, take ages to dry, generally not waterproof) so a three part system works best: thermal liner (silk, thin fleece, merino, etc), long finger cycling gloves with a bit of padding then a waterproof shell mitten (e.g. Extremities Tuff Bags) over the top.
This.
Mountain Equipment glove liners as a base, with either regular mitts or full finger gloves over the top. If I need a vapour barrier then I'll wear a pair of nitrile1 lab gloves between the liners and the gloves - it rarely gets cold enough to warrant this, though (it did last year on the epic fat-bike commute when the air temperature was around -13C)
1 - Latex is an acceptable alternative if you're not allergic to it. I am.
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Sealskinz gloves are shite- not very waterproof and not very warm.
Chris S really suffers with cold hands, and as he controls the bike (as well as being my weathershield) it's very much in my interest for him to have functioning hands. He now uses chemical warmers, for hands and feet, and I bought him 2 pairs of Proper Hardcore Cold Wet Weather Gloves. They work. I can't, however, remember what they are, perhaps he'll pop up and let us know.
Layers. All in one gloves are a PITA (smelly, take ages to dry, generally not waterproof) so a three part system works best: thermal liner (silk, thin fleece, merino, etc), long finger cycling gloves with a bit of padding then a waterproof shell mitten (e.g. Extremities Tuff Bags) over the top.
Layers did not work as well as we'd hoped, I think this is because Chris has Big Hands, and the gloves weren't big enough to layer and trap a nice warm layer of air in. The gloves I got him dry overnight (I think), and are waterproof for long enough for most commutes, and warm all day for audaxing.
My gloves are old style Altura Night vision. The new (neoprene looking) ones are nowhere near as good, for either warmth or waterproofing. My hands don't get anywhere near as cold though- as long as I'm moving I generate enough heat, pretty much.
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Keep an eye out for Aldi skiing mitts.
I bought some last year and found them too warm for temperatures above -2. Not waterproof, but decent windproof shield, fleece lining and thick insulation over the back of hands, down the back of fingers and thumb.
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Keep an eye out for Aldi skiing mitts.
I bought some last year and found them too warm for temperatures above -2. Not waterproof, but decent windproof shield, fleece lining and thick insulation over the back of hands, down the back of fingers and thumb.
ALDI Thinsulate woolies with Marigolds over the top.
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The current (our shop still has them) Aldi cycling gloves seem good, but I haven't worn them in wet to test their, claimed, waterproofnessness. Can't really go wrong for £4.99, but worth testing them before you rely on them on a long ride - but that's the same for all gloves.
I did buy some Seal skins gloves a few years ago - probably the worst gloves I've tried. >:(
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i had good experience using proper skiing gloves on a bike, they are warm, waterproof (gore-tex) and comfy. might be too bulky to operate certain sti shifters, but i ride a bike with thumb operated mtb shifters when very cold so any type of glove works.
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I'm going to stick up for SealSkinz. Waterproofness isn't actually that important in gloves, as they get wet from the inside out. What matters is that they stay warm when wet (which means windproofing), and breathe reasonably well. SealSkinz seem to do this better than any other gloves I've tried (DHB, Aldi, various ski gloves), especially when combined with silk liners (pretty much any winter gloves can be improved with silk liners, if only for ease of taking them off without them turning inside-out).
I also rate them for fitting well (a personal thing, but I find that most gloves big enough for my hands are too long in the finger), and not disintegrating from prolonged use of trigger shifters.
I use Aldi gloves for short rides to the shops. They're cheap and fine until they get really wet.
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The current (our shop still has them) Aldi cycling gloves seem good, but I haven't worn them in wet to test their, claimed, waterproofnessness. Can't really go wrong for £4.99, but worth testing them before you rely on them on a long ride - but that's the same for all gloves.
Not very good at all. Not particularly warm and get a bit sweaty.
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Wamrest hands I had last year was when I put gore waterproof socks over my normal gloves. Assuming that this was because there was a barrier to the wind and actually waterproof. My thumb fitted nicely into the heel so changing gears and holdin gthe bars wasn't a problem.
Learning for this for this year then I've bought some overgloves....motorbike ones from ghostbike...they are large sized so I've probably bought a bit big, but they were a tenner so if they work I'll get a smaller pair but the principles are the same as for the socks...water and wind barrier even if they aren't entirerly "proof".
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I have some Gore ones. Not that cheap but had them in the Evans sale last year. They are good - not too thick and bulky, but warm and waterproof-ish - enough for commuting, anyway. I have v. small hands and they fit like, well, a glove!
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Another one against Sealskinz. The Winter Waterproof I got last year at an exorbitant price are not waterproof and get soooo (alot) soaked with water that freeze your hands, even with an underlayer waterproof liner.
Most disappointing purchase :(
These are more like ski gloves than cycling but as i suffer from very cold hands I went to town with the bulky type to allow for more warmth and undergloves (witch to date are my only solution to keep a bit warmer)
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I have a large range of gloves, some work for one type of riding, but not for others.
For really cold/wet/windy rides, I find the best are Specialized Sub-Zero. If my hands get too hot I take off the outer and just wear the inner. For Autumn/Spring rides I go with long fingered Spesh BG gloves and for summer rides, Altura or Endura mitts.
My Sealskins are great for very cold commutes, but for longer rides they get wtter inside than out.
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As fboab mentioned, we had to get serious with gloves last winter, after we had a SITUATION on the "When I'm 64" 200. It was cold (around 2C) with moderate rain and wet snow, all day. I was wearing these (Altura Nightvision windproof):
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7352/10437099413_df25620c81.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/10437099413/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/10437099413/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr
My hands got so cold I couldn't work the brakes and she had to invoke Stoker Emergency Braking Privileges to stop us. Not fun. Trust us to pick the coldest winter in 40 years to mount an Audax points chase. So fboab bought me gloves.
Specialized Radiants (The "Arctic" ones):
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7441/10436937055_e8583d3494.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/10436937055/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/10436937055/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr
Specialized Sub Zeros (The "Antarctic" ones):
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3710/10437089273_bdfa0ffbbc.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/10437089273/)
Untitled (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40735552@N05/10437089273/) by Pelotonhound (http://www.flickr.com/people/40735552@N05/), on Flickr
The Radiants are fine for most 0c conditions. It takes a goodly while for water to penetrate, but it does eventually. I wore these on the Green & Yellow Fields White & Frosty Fields 300 where it got to -5c overnight, and they weren't up to it - I had cold hands, and had to use disposable hand-warmers too. In conjunction with hand-warmers - I was fine. If I'd had these on the "When I'm 64" ride, I think I'd have been OK.
I've only used the lobsters a couple of times. Nothing gets through them - they're toasty warm. I don't think I've worn them in the wet, only cold - but they handle sub-zero without any problem, and I'm able to operate STIs just fine - something I was concerned about given the reduced fingerage. I should have worn these on the Green & Yellow Fields White & Frosty Fields 300.
Both the Radiants and the Sub Zero (liners) have conductive pads so you can operate your iStuff/GPS touch screen without removing them - useful if that's important to you.
ETA: I would disagree with Kim (which hardly ever happens). A degree of waterproofness is very important if you are riding for a long time in the wet. When your gloves become wringing wet in cold conditions, it's very bad - at least it is for me. I had to go to the docs after the When I'm 64 200 as I had some tissue damage to my fingers, which he said "Looks a lot like frostbite".
ETA 2: I wore the Specialized Radiants during the day on our Easter Arrow, and the lobsters overnight. During the day it was dry but cold, around 0c. During the night it was very cold (-5c) and snowy later. The only time I had cold hands was when getting started after a control stop - and that always happens; it's a circulation thing - I soon warmed up again.
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If Aldi gets any of the winter ski mitts in, I'm going to buy you a pair.
They were comfortable for me down to -19. I tolerate cold well, so should be good for you at warmer temps.
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i've got the pearl izumi equivalent ones of similar style to those specialized sub zero ones which are also good.
Too hot when it's more than about 5 degrees though.
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I must admit, I do like Specialized's gloves - their Body Geometry mitts worked wonders in the wake of ulnar nerve fail. I've not seen a pair of lobster mitts for years (a guy I was at university with had a pair of the Trek mitts - swore by them, especially in the depths of a Welsh winter)
I'm also thinking that a pair of Sub Zeros might be a good bet for the loftier1 bits of the Great Divide route ..
1 - ca. 11,900ft on the top of Indiana Pass, f'rinstance ..
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If Aldi gets any of the winter ski mitts in, I'm going to buy you a pair.
They were comfortable for me down to -19. I tolerate cold well, so should be good for you at warmer temps.
These are the ones I find sweaty if used in >00 C - if they are the same as I bought 2 years ago.
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Mr Smith tends to be, I hesitate to say it, a bit of a tight arse when it comes to clothing. I'm much less so. I went for those based on quality, and didn't look at the price till I 'checked out' and then grimaced somewhat.
It was worth it, though.
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Cant go wrong with army surplus extreme cold weather mitts. Love mine, toasty warm, breathable and hardwearing.
(http://www.havinitclothing.com/ebay_images/Mittens%20set/main.jpg)
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Cant go wrong with army surplus extreme cold weather mitts. Love mine, toasty warm, breathable and hardwearing.
(http://www.havinitclothing.com/ebay_images/Mittens%20set/main.jpg)
Some of the Hackney boys use something similar - some kind of snipers glove. They seemed to work very well in some of the colder rides earlier this year. Sure one of them can provide the actual model etc.
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Cant go wrong with army surplus extreme cold weather mitts. Love mine, toasty warm, breathable and hardwearing.
(http://www.havinitclothing.com/ebay_images/Mittens%20set/main.jpg)
Is that a whole system, bender? Looks good.
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I've been looking for some camouflage gloves but I haven't been able to find any.
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In traditional forum style. I asked a question. Got very helpful answers. Then did my own thing anyway.
Trying to wean myself off online purchases and supporting my LBS. They recommended some Endura Strike Waterproof gloves. £30 they were, which looking online is the going price anyway. Review all seem to be favourable and being able to try on different sizes was a bonus. I bought slightly larger than usual so that I can fit my DHB glove liners in on sub zero days.
Thanks all though for the insight.
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As others have said, layers is what you want. Whatever you go for buy a pair of these (http://www.e-outdoor.co.uk/2155872/products/Extremities_Mens_Tuff_Bag_GTX.aspx?origin=pla?kwd=&gclid=CJ7hppCPrboCFeTLtAod7zMAnA) to go over the top. Waterproof, windproof and therefore warm. Worth every penny.
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For those that do like the Sealskinz, Sportpursuit has them on offer at the moment:
http://www.sportpursuit.com/sales/sealskinz-oct
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I have so given up with lined/padded gloves. They fill up with water so you hands sit in an ice bath yet you cannot take them off, because if you do the finger linings pull out and then you cannot put the gloves because your hands are numb with cold and then it's like, "game over". For that extra frisson this mostly happens at night when you cannot see what youre doing. Mostly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsx2vdn7gpY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsx2vdn7gpY)
Assos Early Winter Gloves and liners with Tuff Bags/Trekmate paclite mitts FTW.
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I have so given up with lined/padded gloves. Once they get wetted through you cannot take them off, because if you do the finger linings pull out and then you cannot put the gloves because your hands are numb with cold and then it's like, "game over". For that extra frisson this mostly happens at night when you cannot see what youre doing. Mostly.
Silk liners prevent this from happening, even on cheap nasty gloves.
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I'm astounded that you think it's possible to operate a bike with some of these things. I ride fixed/single speed on solo bikes and I wouldn't try and ride wearing some of these gloves, let alone anything with actual gears to change.
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I'm astounded that you think it's possible to operate a bike with some of these things. I ride fixed/single speed on solo bikes and I wouldn't try and ride wearing some of these gloves, let alone anything with actual gears to change.
Never had a problem. I think it's important to get the right size thus achieving a snug fit.
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But snug fit=no air trapped=colder?
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I'm astounded that you think it's possible to operate a bike with some of these things. I ride fixed/single speed on solo bikes and I wouldn't try and ride wearing some of these gloves, let alone anything with actual gears to change.
It's a point.
My seriously-cold-weather bike is the mercian (with spiked tyres). It has bar end levers and these are easily operated even with mittens.
STI's are a pain to use with Mittens.
Loose fit mittens that are snug around the wrist are warmer than tight gloves, IME. YMMV
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Yeah, bar-ends, twist grips and MTB levers are all easy enough in thick gloves. I've not ridden a bike with STIs in winter gloves, but I imagine they're at least as fiddly as trigger shifters. Probably something worth thinking about when specifying a winter bike.
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But snug fit=no air trapped=colder?
It's a careful balance.
Good point about STIs. I don't use them so perhaps can more easily get away with bulkier gloves.
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Yeah, bar-ends, twist grips and MTB levers are all easy enough in thick gloves. I've not ridden a bike with STIs in winter gloves, but I imagine they're at least as fiddly as trigger shifters. Probably something worth thinking about when specifying a winter bike.
Like I said, single speed for the ice bike. I still like to be able to use the brakes, and for me that's not a whole hand exercise. I s'pose MTB triggers are doable- thumb & side of hand. I still wouldn't be comfortable with the level of control though, I suspect.
(I'm almost as likely to allow twist grips in my fleet as The Bars That Shall Not Be Named).
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I have skeleton fingers, so I don't find STIs an issue with lots of glovage. Negatives are that they feel the cold very quickly.
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Yeah, bar-ends, twist grips and MTB levers are all easy enough in thick gloves. I've not ridden a bike with STIs in winter gloves, but I imagine they're at least as fiddly as trigger shifters. Probably something worth thinking about when specifying a winter bike.
Like I said, single speed for the ice bike. I still like to be able to use the brakes, and for me that's not a whole hand exercise. I s'pose MTB triggers are doable- thumb & side of hand. I still wouldn't be comfortable with the level of control though, I suspect.
(I'm almost as likely to allow twist grips in my fleet as The Bars That Shall Not Be Named).
Oh, I hate twist grips too. I tolerate them merely as a Reasonable Adjustment under the 2010 Equality Act, and even then only the high-end SRAM and Rohloff versions (ie. those that actually work) are considered acceptable :)
But they do work fine in thick gloves. Indeed, it's the absence of gloves in summer that makes them tricky.
MTB triggers take a bit of getting used to with thick gloves, but do work okay. The problem is the accelerated wear on the thumb part of the glove, due to the sliding motion over the lever.
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People with arthritic fingers find twist grips easier than sti, rapid-fires or even large thumbies
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The Sub-Zero gloves look like they would be a PITA to use with STIs, but once I had them on I found that to not the case.
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The Sub-Zero gloves look like they would be a PITA to use with STIs, but once I had them on I found that to not the case.
Ditto.
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These silk liners are a really good price
http://www.absolute-snow.co.uk/V/Silking_100_PURE_SILK_Liner_Gloves_One_Size_Navy_Blue-%2814149%29?gclid=CM2bmqrJrboCFS_KtAod5wcAlA#CurrencyInfo14149
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Assos Early Winter Gloves and liners with Tuff Bags/Trekmate paclite mitts FTW.
Goretex Mitts are the one thing I haven't tried, but sound like they should work. But £40 for the Tuffs, eek.
Has anyone used the "British Army" ones (priced around a tenner in many virtual high streets)?
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Cant go wrong with army surplus extreme cold weather mitts. Love mine, toasty warm, breathable and hardwearing.
(http://www.havinitclothing.com/ebay_images/Mittens%20set/main.jpg)
Is that a whole system, bender? Looks good.
Yup, centre one is an inner fuzzy lined, leather palmed goretex which is enough on it's own on the bike, then the left hand wool 'ovenmitt' over the top, finally the righthand gore outer. I have ridden with all three but they are bulky. using them without the wool layer is great, and the outers come almost to my elbows keeping my arm warm. they're dirt cheap, and better than some very expensive stuff I see marketed as 'sports' equipment.
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But snug fit=no air trapped=colder?
Correct.
I've used a loose fit Extremites Velo (http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/clothing-accessories/all-gloves-mitts/velo-glove/) glove in -10°C without problems, despite it being a fairly thin glove.
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For really cold weather, pogies/bar mitts are great.
It means you can wear some fairly thin gloves inside, so still able to use the gears and brakes etc.
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Last winter taught me the value of a decent pair of gloves brrrrrrr.
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For really cold weather, pogies/bar mitts are great.
It means you can wear some fairly thin gloves inside, so still able to use the gears and brakes etc.
But only really usable on flatbars
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For really cold weather, pogies/bar mitts are great.
It means you can wear some fairly thin gloves inside, so still able to use the gears and brakes etc.
But only really usable on flatbars
Moose Mitts http://barmitts.com/ edited to add £40 from UK dealer http://www.ajbikeequipment.com/page5.htm
For me, I find that Assos Early Winter gloves will see me comfortable to freezing, adding the liners gets me to -5C ok. Not waterproof though.
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For really cold weather, pogies/bar mitts are great.
It means you can wear some fairly thin gloves inside, so still able to use the gears and brakes etc.
But only really usable on flatbars
Moose Mitts http://barmitts.com/ edited to add £40 from UK dealer http://www.ajbikeequipment.com/page5.htm
Ugh - that is a bodge. You can't use the drops at all.
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The gloves passed a pretty brutal test yesterday.
Dartmoor pre storm. Probably 2 of the worst rain showers I have ever rode in. Hands stayed toasty warm and didn't get wet at all.
Were a bit sweaty at the end though, but it was about 13 degrees, so probably a bit too warm for these gloves really.
Endura Strike gets a big :thumbsup: from me.
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I ve tried firs mitts then gloves, I can say that I am not a mitts person. I got my latest ones while on sales on <hopefully this link isn’t AstroTurf, but it has been removed anyway>, my fingers tend to get stiff with cold and I found the dope ones pretty ok for the price. I have tries on amazon, but i couldn't get my head around it :o
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I am tempted to give bar mitts a go versus 'gloves' i.e. neoprene jobbies that aren't snug to your hand and stay on the handlebars. They're very popular in the USA, but I've not seen them around in the UK scene.
Planet X are doing an avowedly waterproof version of their lobster glove which might be worth a crack, but fir the truly freezing cold I'd stick some bar mitts on they look about £15 off eBay.
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I am tempted to give bar mitts a go versus 'gloves' i.e. neoprene jobbies that aren't snug to your hand and stay on the handlebars. They're very popular in the USA, but I've not seen them around in the UK scene.
You could buy them direct from the USA, not cheap though, assuming for drops since flat bar ones are more common. http://barmitts.com/
I bought some in that cold winter we had about 5 years ago. I tried them once, just to try them out since my normal gloves are largeley adequate for me. They lock you into riding the hoods or just behind the hoods - fine by me. I bought ones for external cables rather than internal (Shimano clothes line versus Campag) so that I had a port hole i could open if needed. The day I used them, a couple of degrees below freezing, I wore no gloves at all. I found the trapped air and being out of the wind perfectly warm enough. But where the neoprene touched my skin I did not like the feeling at all, so if/when I use them again I will wear something like silk liner gloves just to isolate me a little.
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Love my Bar Mitts when it's properly cold - I haven't found anything else that stops my fingers going numb. Also, you can keep snacks in them. ;D
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I found that my glove liners would disintegrate within a year (maybe because they were wool and I would use them with track mitts). I'm going the route of a glove for every season and can vouch for Planet X Lobsters being waterproof and working throughout last year's snow. They *DO* have the downside of not having removable liners, so once they start stinking you will never get rid of the smell.
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I have many gloves, but the best ones I've ever bought are Sugoi SomethingOrOthers. They are pretty light weight, so fine with Ergos (or inferior equivalents) and they are super warm and waterproofing is good. They are way too toasty for anything above about 5 degrees (for me at least), but great for really cold weather.
I've had quite a few pairs of Specialized gloves in the past, but I just feel the quality has dropped in the last 10 years or so. They seem to fall apart very quickly...
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My winter gloves are old motorcycle gloves, no longer legal for the bike over here as they don't have the relevant latest EC numbers on them (either faded away or old enough not to have them). And yes this legislation is retrospective and is a regular thing to be checked in town especially coming up to Christmas when the quotas are a bit down and poor policemen need to buy christmas presents. They are very warm but the inners tend to come out if your hands get sweaty enough.
One of the big advantages of a barbag (on the bars, not on a front rack like my touring one is) is that on cold days your hands are protected by the bag. No cold windflow= no constantly chilled fingers.
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That's a very interesting snippet about the mo'bike glubs. Duly noted . . .
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That's a very interesting snippet about the mo'bike glubs. Duly noted . . .
Apparently a similar ruling applies in the UK - your motorcycle gear is now PPE and needs be CE certified
https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/features/product/motorcycle-clothing-the-ce-approval-law-explained
although unlike France there doesn't (yet) appear to be a law requiring the wearing of approved gloves by both rider and pillion.
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I'll be checking my jacket & pants as soon as I get home!
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As a former sixteen mile commuter I know that if you want to keep your arms warm keep your body warm. If you want to keep your hands warm then keep your arms warm. If you do not do this then its to late for gloves to help you. If you want to keep your fingers warm keep your hand warm. (fingerless gloves do work up to a point, you will want protection from freezing rain or your metal brake levers, bar ends etc).
So to look after your hands I am claiming gloves are less important than it first appears. So make sure you are using a decent long sleeved base layer a winter weight cycling shirt and a gilet or winter cycling jacket.
As for gloves I like Roekl because they make decent gloves and use proper gloves sizes, gloves work better when then the fit like a glove. The S-M-L_XL sizing is meaningless.
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If you want to keep your hands warm then keep your arms warm.
This was the biggest help for me - after years of cold hands and very padded gloves, I solved it by wearing long sleeve base layers under my winter jackets.
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That's a very interesting snippet about the mo'bike glubs. Duly noted . . .
Apparently a similar ruling applies in the UK - your motorcycle gear is now PPE and needs be CE certified
https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/features/product/motorcycle-clothing-the-ce-approval-law-explained
although unlike France there doesn't (yet) appear to be a law requiring the wearing of approved gloves by both rider and pillion.
Eh? The helmet is the only piece of mandatory safety equipment - that's what I was taught when I did my test a couple of years ago and I just checked the DVSA and got told the same.
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Possibly (without checking) that if you're selling gloves as (quasi-)PPE they must meet the relevant standards, but it's not mandatory to wear them?