Winter Glove Survey

[Tommasini53]

Winter has started here in the midwest. I'm shopping for new winter gloves for temps between 25 to 45 degrees.

Do you have favorite??? OR A brand and model you'd never purchase again??

I'm tossing out a pair of Pearlizumi Inferno Gloves that were AWFUL...My hands froze in them. :beer:

[nahtnoj]

This is one area where Assos is absolutely without question worth the money.

The early winter gloves are good down to about 30 degrees, lobster shells down to the point where your face starts to freeze.

[paulrad9]

I keep things simple and go with a regular pair of PI long-fingered gloves until ~ freezing. If it gets windy or wet, I put on a nylon shell.
Below that I pull out an old pair of skiing/winter gloves and they are good down to 0F-10For so.

[Dekonick]

I gotta go with the ski gloves... If it is that cold, they work.

[stephenmarklay]

For "real" winter I had good luck with PI lobster gloves.

[Johny]

45 - don't need gloves. keep your head and body warm with wool hat and windproof jacket.

25 - wool gloves from Ibexwear.com. these are the best: warm, light, durable and do not stink.

minus15 - ski gloves

[Blue Jays]

I've had excellent results using Salsa lobster claws.
They would be great towards the lower side of your temperature range.
Reasonable pricetag, dry, and toasty.

[markie]

For "real" winter I had good luck with PI lobster gloves.


I second that vote.

I am in the Mid-West and I use them down to about 15F or so. Below that and the ski mitts and wool glove liners come out.

The lobster gloves are too warm above 32F or so...

[rwsaunders]

I have some unpadded Windfront 7G404L gloves by Cannondale that I use for temps down to about 35 degrees. They are superb. Beyond 35 degrees, some ski gloves for me.

[xjoex]

For the lower end of your range, I love the Craft Thermal Split Finger glove:
http://www.bikeman.com/store/graphics/00000001/Alt-imageB/GL/GL5507B.jpg

The liner comes out to make it easier to wash and easier to wear in warmer temps.

http://www.bikeman.com/GL5507.html

-Joe

[dekindy]

I have some unpadded Windfront 7G404L gloves by Cannondale that I use for temps down to about 35 degrees. They are superb. Beyond 35 degrees, some ski gloves for me.

I have a pair of Cannondale gloves also. I am not sure of the model but they were purchased in 2006 at my LBS. They have fleece on the inside and windblocking material and keep my hands warm down to 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

I knew nothing about gloves when I purchased these so I guess I lucked out because there are a lot of bicycling specific gloves that don't do the job.

Keeping my hands warm has never been a problem and I typically wear a layer less than everyone else but I think anyone would find these gloves warm and they are not very bulky either. I looked at the Cannondale gloves in the LBS last year and they looked similar.

If you want versatility you might consider some DeFeet wool gloves and a Sugoi Wind Mitt. This would give you versatility. Wear the wind mitt when you just need to keep the wind off. Switch to the DeFeet wool glove (I wear mine under my cycling gloves) when it gets colder. When it gets really cold wear the wind mitt over the wool gloves. I was considering this option last year but I do winter night riding and have Glo Gloves that cannot be worn over a mitt.

http://www.sugoi.com/usa/usaeng/Products/Bike/Men/Accessories/Details/1498-91911U-Wind-Mitt

http://defeet.com/product.php?id=161

There are also gloves that come with liners for versatility and gloves that have built-in wind covers that fold into a storage pouch on the gloves when not needed.

If you are going to ride in very cold weather and have a problem with keeping your hands warm, some gloves are designed with a pocket to hold disposable chemical packets.

http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/clothing/gloves/performance-inc/PRD_110990_1631crx.aspx
These gloves get a good review. You might be able to use these at a wide temperature range and purchase the wind mitt if you need more warmth.

Or how about this concept.
http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/clothing/gloves/bar-mitts/PRD_426287_1631crx.aspx

[CNY rider]

45 - don't need gloves. keep your head and body warm with wool hat and windproof jacket.

25 - wool gloves from Ibexwear.com. these are the best: warm, light, durable and do not stink.

minus15 - ski gloves

Wuss! You getting soft up there in Rochester?
The Otsego County hardmen don't even think about wearing gloves until it's -20 or colder, and then we wear them only on century rides. ;)
And to the OP, I have a pair of gloves from Vulpine that look like gorilla arms and are warm down to way below zero but I don't think they make them any more

[Johny]

Wuss! You getting soft up there in Rochester?
The Otsego County hardmen don't even think about wearing gloves until it's -20 or colder, and then we wear them only on century rides. ;)

This is my new winter resolution.
Chicks dig bare hands.

[Kevan]

I have a combination of thin full-finger, liners, ski, and lobster gloves. I would say the most critical item are the liners. I use them for early starts with short-finger gloves and can shed them when the sun has had a chance to do its voodoo. When it gets spankin' cold the liners work nicely with the ski or lobsters. That's my winter arsenal.

[OtayBW]

Anothr vote for PI lobstah gloves. Mine are ~14 yo and good to the low 30's easy. Kind of a pain to wear them as you cannot easily blow snot out of one side of your nose, but they do work.

[salem]

This might not be enough for the low end of your range, but I like the wool gloves that can be found in army surplus stores (ambidextrous an usually basic olive) inside a thin leather (deerskin is nice) work glove. The leather really cuts the wind, and the wool has long cuff and a good temperature range. For colder, I switch to ski gloves.

[caleb]

I gotta go with the ski gloves... If it is that cold, they work.

Agreed. I like the Swix and Toko pairs I'm using right now.

[Likes2ridefar]

adding a liner glove beneath what you have is worth trying. I do that with all my winter gloves and it noticeably reduces clammy, wet, cold hands and keeps them warmer.

I've both wool liners and synthetic and find the wool to function much better.

[ClutchCargo]

I like the Assos Early Winter until temps get to 40 or so. They are pretty versatile, also, in terms of being comfortable up to low-mid 50's for me. One minor complaint is they have this mesh style backing and no soft snot-rub piece ( :( ); guess if you're Assos worthy, you've found a way to keep your nose from running in 40 degree weather!

I also have a pair of Etxe Ondo windstopper gloves that are good from around 30 to high 40's. Had 'em about 6 years now and they've been real good.

Below 30*, I'll use a pair of ski gloves.

One thing you might try is a pair of Marmot's softshell gloves. They are windproof, water resistant and are not bike specific and can be used for various non-bike activities. They are pretty low profile and so have pretty good sensitivity so you don't have to take them off for every little thing.

Oh, one other thing: about 10 years ago I bought a pair of Pearl Izumi winter gloves that were so bad in terms of fit, comfort and so poorly designed that I will not go to that company again for any winter or other long fingered gloves.

Good luck!

[Ozz]

I use some Gore brand Windstopper gloves that are pretty good down to about freezing....only complaint is the velcro wrist closure snags long sleeve jerseys and jackets. I think I paid about $30 for them about 5+ years ago. They have held up well.

[EDS]

I like the Assos Early Winter until temps get to 40 or so. They are pretty versatile, also, in terms of being comfortable up to low-mid 50's for me. One minor complaint is they have this mesh style backing and no soft snot-rub piece ( :( ); guess if you're Assos worthy, you've found a way to keep your nose from running in 40 degree weather!

I also have a pair of Etxe Ondo windstopper gloves that are good from around 30 to high 40's. Had 'em about 6 years now and they've been real good.

Below 30*, I'll use a pair of ski gloves.

One thing you might try is a pair of Marmot's softshell gloves. They are windproof, water resistant and are not bike specific and can be used for various non-bike activities. They are pretty low profile and so have pretty good sensitivity so you don't have to take them off for every little thing.

Oh, one other thing: about 10 years ago I bought a pair of Pearl Izumi winter gloves that were so bad in terms of fit, comfort and so poorly designed that I will not go to that company again for any winter or other long fingered gloves.

Good luck!

I have some PI lobster style gloves of fairly recent vintage that keep my hands toasty into the low 20s for 3+ hour rides. My toes are my limiter for cycling in colder weather so I am not sure how well the gloves work in colder temps.

[fiamme red]

45 - don't need gloves. keep your head and body warm with wool hat and windproof jacket.In my experience, keeping my head and body warm doesn't do much for my hands.

[Johny]

In my experience, keeping my head and body warm doesn't do much for my hands.

Ride harder and suffer any way. ;)

I rode back home from work last evening, in an attempt to emulate CNY rider's tough mentality (-20 without gloves): I took off my gloves for about 40 minutes. It was 35 and cloudy, and my hands hurt...you know Rochester can be quite windy...windchill at least about 20.... Now I suspect CNY rider must drink vodka before/when he rides.

[Dekonick]

As far as gloves go, I wore head ski gloves tonight - it was raining (not too hard, but constant steady rain) and 40 degrees. They failed the test. After approximately an hour and a half of riding, my hands were cold, and fingers were wet. Nasty night ride, but it was fun to get out regardless... would have been better with gloves that keep you warm and dry.

[merlincustom1]

Good question. As I've gotten older (I'm 52 now), my hands have become more cold sensitive. Last year I bought the Assos 3 glove system, which is a fine product, but for me it's not much help after about 30 minutes below 35 degrees. Because of that, I bought the Zanier electric ski gloves here:

http://cozywinters.com/shop/zs-hgx.html

$250.00, but worth it. Three heat settings. I use high when it's below 32 and it lasts up to 3 hours. The lower settings extend the heat life. My friend has Raynaud's and these gloves keep him reasonably comfortable on winter rides.

[JMerring]

a little ot but at least somewhat marginally, tangentially related - if you want to see one crazy bad-ass mofo who would likely espouse wearing nothing but your regular summer gear no matter the temp, check this out: • http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/lewis_pugh_swims_the_north_pole.html. interesting fella.

[trophyoftexas]

For the lower end of your range, I love the Craft Thermal Split Finger glove:
http://www.bikeman.com/store/graphics/00000001/Alt-imageB/GL/GL5507B.jpg

The liner comes out to make it easier to wash and easier to wear in warmer temps.

http://www.bikeman.com/GL5507.html

-Joe

I've got so much bike crap that I'm really hard to buy for but last year my son found these and gave me some for Christmas....I really like them! Funny thing is that they just happened to be Craft, a company that I can't often find locally but have always been happy with their products.

[whforrest]

Get the 3 glove layer system from assos. innner, outer, lobster shell. it's the most thought out system that you can layer throughout the 3 seasons. i love them and you will not be disappointed. (that's if you ride enough the make the return on your investment)

if it gets warmer or colder on a long ride you can quickly adjust the layers.

bill

[93legendti]

I bought some North Face Vortex II gloves yesterday at the NF store. It was frigid this morning and they worked very nice. Also a 3 in 1 system.

[Monthly Payment]

Best gloves I have used are the Nike Windtex gloves. They are now made as Giordana Corsa. These gloves work in a wide range of temps so they are extremely versatile gloves. Won't work as well when the temp dips super low but I like the low bulk profile and that they provide such great warmth.

Review of them: http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-1-7-15760-1,00.html

They are sold at Comp Cyclist:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/road-bikes/product-apparel/2009-giordana-windtex-corsa-gloves-581.12.1.html

Good luck finding the right gloves.

[lhuerta]

I bought a pair of Pearl Izumi Barrier gloves last year for cold weather and was not satisfied. They are VERY warm (even down to 15-20 degrees, and there is no need for additional liner) and the build quality is very dependable Pearl Izumi. However, they simply do not breath and after about half an hour my hands were wet and sweaty.

I am going to try something with a windstopper or windtex membrane this winter.
Lou