Winter Glove Recommendations Please

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Witterings
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Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by Witterings »

I bought a pair of Ridge Winter Cycling Gloves last year and made the mistake of trying them on in a hurry and not trying the next size up and they're snug to say the least.

BUT ... The bit I really don't like about them is you go for a ride (20 miles) ... stop at the pub and have a beer ... or 17 :D ... when you go to get ready for falling off on the way home :o the inside of the gloves is soaking wet and apart from it feeling cold and horrible makes then really hard to get back on and then also off again when you get home as it wants to drag the lining out.

I have another pair that are good down to about 7 degrees so looking for something from there and colder, we get quite a bit of wind here as well so must be windproof as that can be a real killer.

Whilst I'll spend what needs be to get something good I don't particularly want to spend an extra £30 just to buy "a label" .... I'm just after something that works well and personally I'm not a huge fan of the mitt style ones.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated :)
mrtrip
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by mrtrip »

Bought these Scott enduro gloves around 15 years ago. Toasty warm and obviously super hard wearing. Not really a cycling glove but great for off-road and road cycling in the winter Image


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mjr
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by mjr »

I use decathlon ski mittens. They will let water in eventually but so do most things. They let your fingers keep each other warm and are easy to pop a reusable hand warmer in. Just make sure your winter bike has easy levers not triggers that will pinch and puncture the mittens.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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The utility cyclist
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by The utility cyclist »

If the gloves are wet inside then that's usually because the glove you're using is too 'warm' insulated for the temperature you're riding in or to look at it another way it's too high a temp for the range of the glove.
I'd suggest something thinner or even doing a double skin job with a thin liner glove for really cold temps.
If you've already sorted to mid to high single digit temps then really depends on how low you're going to ride in, also taking into account wind chill factor, I've ridden in -6 but at 25-30mph that brings the effective temp down to the -20s (IIRC).

The liner gloves I have (Altura) are fine for 12-15C if I put them with the Altura Night Vision gloves but I've been using a pair of Carnac gloves the last two winters and only crack out the Polaris Extreme (they have a Hypora liner stitched in) when it's a longer ride and around zero or lower.

I prefer really snug fitting gloves so getting the right glove for the conditions is really important, hence why I have about 6 long fingered gloves of varying thickness/insulation/rain proofness
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TrevA
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by TrevA »

I’ve found Aldi cycling gloves to be as good as any others unless you are willing to pay megabucks. They cost £7.99 and may only last one or two winters but for that price, you just buy a new pair. They are prone to the lining pulling out but just hold the end of one of the fingers when taking them off. You could even buy 2 pairs and swap over at the pub/tea stop.
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mjr
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by mjr »

The utility cyclist wrote:If the gloves are wet inside then that's usually because the glove you're using is too 'warm' insulated for the temperature you're riding in [...]

I think it's usually because the jacket cuff is no longer over the glove and the water has run down your wrist into the glove. Sometimes it's because the glove's lining has failed somehow (such as at the stitching that attaches waterproof layer to outer) and is letting water in from the outside, but that tends to be a much slower fill.

I use the ski mittens only below 5°c. I have some sealskinz mittens for 5-12°c and above that I'm probably wearing mitts which dry out quicker.
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The utility cyclist
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by The utility cyclist »

mjr wrote:
The utility cyclist wrote:If the gloves are wet inside then that's usually because the glove you're using is too 'warm' insulated for the temperature you're riding in [...]

I think it's usually because the jacket cuff is no longer over the glove and the water has run down your wrist into the glove. Sometimes it's because the glove's lining has failed somehow (such as at the stitching that attaches waterproof layer to outer) and is letting water in from the outside, but that tends to be a much slower fill.

I use the ski mittens only below 5°c. I have some sealskinz mittens for 5-12°c and above that I'm probably wearing mitts which dry out quicker.
really? I'd say it's far more likely from what the OP said it's my suggestion as it wasn't raining and is temperaturerelated from how I understood it.
Certainly my experience wearing gloves that are too hot for the conditions.
Witterings
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by Witterings »

The utility cyclist wrote:If the gloves are wet inside then that's usually because the glove you're using is too 'warm' insulated for the temperature you're riding in or to look at it another way it's too high a temp for the range of the glove.


I honestly don't think this is the case ... I just think they're rubbish gloves that can't breath much like a coat that can't breath and builds up moisture within, the only times I really wore these was when it was like 2 degrees and having thought much the same as yourself kept them for only the coldest days.

Quite interested in the Scott Enduro's ... if I bought a pair of them I'd then need a bike to go with them :) :) Haven't done that since my 1st was born and he's now 21 and must admit have been thinking about getting a crosser again very recently.
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The utility cyclist
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by The utility cyclist »

Witterings wrote:
The utility cyclist wrote:If the gloves are wet inside then that's usually because the glove you're using is too 'warm' insulated for the temperature you're riding in or to look at it another way it's too high a temp for the range of the glove.


I honestly don't think this is the case ... I just think they're rubbish gloves that can't breath much like a coat that can't breath and builds up moisture within, the only times I really wore these was when it was like 2 degrees and having thought much the same as yourself kept them for only the coldest days.

Quite interested in the Scott Enduro's ... if I bought a pair of them I'd then need a bike to go with them :) :) Haven't done that since my 1st was born and he's now 21 and must admit have been thinking about getting a crosser again very recently.

Which means the gloves are too insulating or weather too warm as I said.
How were they in really cold rides
Witterings
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by Witterings »

The utility cyclist wrote:Which means the gloves are too insulating or weather too warm as I said.
How were they in really cold rides


That's what I was trying to say before ... Because of what they were like I only used them in really cold ride i.e. 2 degrees and they were exactly the same, they're these
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/cyclin ... oves-fluro

I just saw the size graph as well and measured my hands and theoretically I'm well within the size I should be of medium my hand measuring right at the bottom end of the range.

I honestly think they're just not great gloves and don't breath ... fine for cycling a mile to the pub but not for a 20 mile hack.

EDIT: Just started reading the reviews on them and 2 out of the 1st 5 reviews I've read have said have said go for the next size up ...
Garry Booth
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by Garry Booth »

I too find that it has been worth buying liner gloves. It gives you the flexibility of using medium weight gloves when it's not that cold or wearing with the liners when it is brass monkeys. Plus, if you or the weather warms up, just take the liner pair off and pop them in your pocket...
Jamesh
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by Jamesh »

I've used Screwfix thermal rubber gloves last winter dirt cheap at £2 a pair which is good as I tend to loose them! and super warm and obviously water proof.

Ideal for the obligatory sledging trips with the kids too!!

Perhaps not the best if you sweat alot.

Cheers James
PH
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by PH »

I did Deliveroo through last winter and what I thought I'd learnt over twenty years cycling went out of the window. After much trial and error, here's what worked for me:
Work gloves, the rubber face and woven back type, £1.20 a pair
https://www.workwearexpress.com/ppe/p-4 ... ge-gloves/
Cycling mitts over them - these are a size up from what I'd normally wear
And/or a pair of cheap ski mitts (I'm on straight bars with easy to operate controls)
If it's raining hard, Spada motorcycle overmitts on top of the lot, these are just like big plastic bags for your hands, I wouldn't want to ride all day in them, but they're easy on/off and baggy enough that the lack of breathability isn't really a problem. I wouldn't use these with anything other than straight bars and simple controls.
https://www.ghostbikes.com/4888-spada-o ... loves.html

For shorter rides, like the OP's pub trips, I have a pair of non cycling Aldi gloves, possible the only Aldi impulse buy I haven't regretted and the only item I've never seen in there again...
Whippet
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by Whippet »

I think Endura are pretty good for the money.
djnotts
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Re: Winter Glove Recommendations Please

Post by djnotts »

I avoid below freezing riding these days, but when I was younger/harder/stupider for winter m'cycling 2 layers always seemed to work better. Thin leather racing gloves with waxed cotton over-mitts. Probably adaptable to cycling.
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