What bike gloves to buy for the winter?

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rivers

How far can I go?
Location
Bristol
I've got these for winter commuting/club runs Bar mitts. They look ridiculous, but paired with some long fingered gloves (or a pair of wool gloves for the really cold sub zero days), will keep your hands both warm and dry.
 

DRM

Guru
Location
West Yorks
Neoprene ones keep your hands warm, they don’t look as if they will but they work very well, it’s possible to change gear with these, it’s not so easy with thick padded gloves.
https://www.aldi.co.uk/crane-black-neoprene-cycling-gloves/p/801954384782200
ignore the reviews, I have a pair in hi vis yellow, they do make your hands sweat a little, but that is what they are supposed to do, the reviewers are clueless, for £9.99 you can’t go wrong, check the price of wiggle’s DHB offering, these are considered value
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-neoprene-cycling-gloves
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
Doesn't have to be cycling specific gloves. Sometimes, just woolen gloves will keep your hands warm, but will wear quickly.
So look for gloves which have leather/suede on the palms and fingers. Make sure the gloves join up with the sleeves of your jacket and no gaps for the wind to get in. "Thinsulate" gloves are warm and can be found in lots of shops. I've picked up gloves from TK-Max, aldi/lidl etc, and National Trust shops - just got to keep your eyes open for them.

Keep warm
 
Location
Cheshire
I got some Endura thermal gloves 12 months ago, and still haven't used them! I managed to lose them until March, by which time i was on the mitts. They look well made and should get an outing soonish.
 
I am using Kalf. Not for really freezing conditions but good for most normal winter use. Good reflective bits and good finger sensitivity, not too heavily padded. Leather fingertip protectors are well positioned for wear and tear.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
I had some good FWE ones from Evans...unfortunately I lost one :rolleyes:

I have several pairs, depends how cold it is (I don't choose to cycle if it's under 5 deg though). I buy out of season when on special. Decathlon aren't bad
 

alicat

Legendary Member
Location
Staffs
Mittens are good for keeping your hands warm. Google 'lobster mitts for cycling' if you use brifters and need more dexterity than normal mitts.
 

si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
It really depends on how much wet weather riding you do. Personally I have about 5 different pairs of "winter" gloves for different conditions throughout the winter period. The best overall are the sealskin gloves as they are the most waterproof and have good insulation for most of autumn/winter/spring.

You need something that is nice and warm but that doesn't restrict blood flow through your fingers too much - otherwise they'll still get cold. Aldi's winter cycling gloves are generally OK for most conditions but don't stay dry very long I've found.

As a general rule you can't go wrong with Altura's nightvision winter gloves or Sealskin winter gloves in my experience, but the best thing to do is to try a few on and see if you like them - I really dislike lobster claw gloves for example.
 
Amateurs. I've somehow got 11 pairs of gloves as I found when I sorted out my kit selection.

Aldi Cycling gloves do seem very good. Certainly about the best value out there.

Other faves for rain are sealskins and of its just cool rather than cold some wooly gloves.

Oh - if you ride fixed or have shifter buttons I have a pair of 'fur' lined golf mittens. I took them mountain biking in the snow and had to take them off - they were that hot. No use with STI shifters mind you.
 

CanucksTraveller

Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
Location
Hertfordshire
The Decathlon / BTwin 500 winter gloves are good for really cold days, I've had mine a few years now (different colour but same design by the looks of it).
https://www.decathlon.com/collections/bike-gloves/products/biking-winter-gloves-500?
They're not fully waterproof but they keep most showers out should it get wet, and they're properly windproof.

It's funny but I find Sealskinz next to useless. Mine were expensive and leaked water despite claiming to be waterproof... the Decathlon are better at keeping water out. Maybe I had a duff pair but at that price I wasn't paying twice to find out.
 

roubaixtuesday

self serving virtue signaller
As a Reynauds sufferer, I have a proper glove fetish. The following, naturally, is all just personal opinion, but in true cyclechat tradition, is presented as immutable fact. It is based on years of commuting through winters in all weather.

For winter, waterproof gloves are essential. Not because of waterproofing, (which never really works) but because of the concomitant windproofing. Start (about now) with the lightest pairs- I have some very good Altura ones.

Armwarmers help, if worn ensuring they cover all of the wrist and upper hand, covering any gap between glove and sleeve.

Next, liner gloves. Synthetic are far superior, lasting years longer and slipping inside a waterproof glove much better than woollen. They make a far bigger difference than you'd imagine, and I always take a pair in case it turns out colder than expected. Once fingers get seriously cold and clammy, they can be essential to even get a thick glove on at all.

Once weather gets properly cold, crab claw mitts mark the next step up in defence. Planetx ones are cheap and nasty to look and feel but warmer and longer lasting than any others, highly recommended. Some folk complain about dexterity for gear changing, and ski gloves or equivalent are an alternative if so.

The final, nuclear option, is electrically heated glove liners. https://www.blazewear.com/active-glove-liners-black Need to be beneath waterproof gloves, but good down to several degrees below for a couple of hours.

Finally, a waterproof which has long enough arms and wide enough cuffs to go over thick winter gloves, to stop rain flowing straight into your gloves. When like me you're 6'4" and built like a stretched orangutan these are difficult to come by. Having discovered Showers Pass jackets, I'm now happy.

Here endeth the lesson on winter gloves.

(As an endnote, walking one snowy day a couple of years ago I came across a mountain biker in the hills entirely gloveless and obviously not suffering a bit. Merely looking at his hands made me recoil in agony. So clearly not everyone needs the same!)
 
It really depends on how much wet weather riding you do. Personally I have about 5 different pairs of "winter" gloves for different conditions throughout the winter period. The best overall are the sealskin gloves as they are the most waterproof and have good insulation for most of autumn/winter/spring.

You need something that is nice and warm but that doesn't restrict blood flow through your fingers too much - otherwise they'll still get cold. Aldi's winter cycling gloves are generally OK for most conditions but don't stay dry very long I've found.

As a general rule you can't go wrong with Altura's nightvision winter gloves or Sealskin winter gloves in my experience, but the best thing to do is to try a few on and see if you like them - I really dislike lobster claw gloves for example.
I tried sealskinz gloves but found them worse than useless. The lining makes rapid on/off impossible which makes them unusable.
Wool gloves are surprisingly good esp felted wool climbing gloves but they offer much less crash and wear protection unless you are willing to get sewing.
 
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