Is there such a thing as an actually waterproof cycling glove?

No, there are lots made from waterproof materials, but they all suffer from having a great big hole in the top!

Anything properly waterproof would be too bulky to be useable sadly. I go with the principle of accepting that my hands will be wet so just try to keep them warm when they are.

I've had a few pairs. Arguably wet hands are fine, it's only if wet --> cold that it becomes a problem. I don't really mind the rain too much right now.

Anyway, the best gloves I've had as far as waterproofing are the 100% Hydromatic Brisker. They're also not horribly thick so you can maintain a bit of control. Not quite warm enough for truly miserable winter days, of which there were none last winter around here. I wouldn't wear them in this weather though.

Gore make a heavyweight winter glove that is just about the most reliably waterproof thing I own. I’ve only ever had wet hands when wearing them after a couple hours of sopping wet has soaked in from my sleeves (or from misjudging the temperature and sweating into them, but I don’t think it’s entirely fair to judge them on that).

They’re bulky, although not unreasonably cumbersome with it, but the joy of warm dry hands is largely worth it.

In summer weight I’ve given up on waterproof and settled for ‘gets damp gracefully’- Macwet gloves don’t seem to hold too much water and therefore feel less horrible. In comparison to (non hydromatic) briskers which, while some of my favourite things in the dry, are sopping and miserable in the wet.

For me Sealskins have been the best trade off between keeping my hands dry and staying warm when wet (they also dry out pretty quickly). They are far warmer than significantly bulkier gloves I’ve tried before but the fitting is a bit mean (unless you have super circulation to your hands or have a confinement fetish go a size up from what their size chart advises)

I’ve also got a less recognisably branded pair which were designed for making winter cycling ascents of the Eiger, which are super warm but because the liners are isolated from the outers take half an hour to put on.  When they do get wet they stay wet even when left the fire guard for a week.

Have a look at the Sealskinz Ultra Grip gloves.

I've found them the best mix of waterproof, warmth & bar feel that I've tried.

These work great for me:

https://www.bikester.co.uk/100-hydromatic-waterproof-bike-gloves-black-911190.html?_cid=21_1_-1_9_2377_911190_474936040695_pla&ef_id=CjwKCAjwtJ2FBhAuEiwAIKu19gyafy4xkJs9gJizM5qdPXqvKsI58W278RLuoMFqXVp2zPGhzcCO5xoCxiQQAvD_BwE:G:s&campaign_detail=shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjwtJ2FBhAuEiwAIKu19gyafy4xkJs9gJizM5qdPXqvKsI58W278RLuoMFqXVp2zPGhzcCO5xoCxiQQAvD_BwE

Yes, neoprene gloves keep all the rain out and keep you warm.

You didn't mention needing to be breathable though 😉 If you can cope with that then they are hard to beat

Neoprene gloves.

Its not that they keep water out, thats not how they work. Like a wetsuit - they keep you warm and wet.

Honestly, it works.

I have some Endura FS260 for the really persistent days.

Nothing that doesn’t remove all feel for what you are trying to do.

Solve it by wearing workshop latex gloves under normal MTB gloves. Have seen people wear silk glove liners under the latex gloves too to help with warmth. 3 layers & they are still significantly thinner than waterproofs. With the bonus your hands actually stay dry.

I may look at some neoprene ones then. I remember some from back in the day that got good reviews too, Perfect Curve I think?

I went on a wet ride with a mate who had some new neoprene gloves and he could barely ride his bike because he couldn't hold the bars. Something to consider.

As for me, I just use warmer gloves than I'd normally bring and accept a bit of wetness whilst being toasty warm. 100% waterproofness is less important than appropriate insulation, for me at least.

I just have gloves I can swap through the ride.

Same as winter walking.

Hint; don't rely on neoprene gloves if you're out bivvying in temperatures at or around freezing. Putting them on in the morning is a challenge..

Marigolds are pretty good or as hob-nob wrote latex gloves work as a vapour barrier to stop the insulation in your gloves getting wet from the inside, hands sweat a lot.

Skin is waterproof, waterproof gloves are not about keeping your hands dry but about keeping the insulation dry to reduce heat-loss by conduction (soaking wet insulation conducts heat quite well) and evaporation (wind chill). If your gloves are too well insulated you'll wet them out from the inside with sweat.

Gloves should be worn in layers just like we do for our bodies, baselayer, insulation, shells etc. When I go out in the cold and wet I don't expect to be able to wear the same amount of layers for my whole ride and remain dry and comfortable during the warm up, while ring hard up hill and while stopped on top of a hill in the howling wind.

Go big,go natural.:-)

Talking of layering, has anyone tried the Dissent 133 gloves?

Waterproof they are,Endura fs260 too sweaty for me but my Mrs loves them, or check out Rooster for gloves

Almost all waterproof gloves use a floating glove shaped membrane in the midst of the glove contraction. Once the DWR coating/seams are overcome by water, the outer insulation material gets waterlogged and the gloves lose their thermal insulation and feel wet and cold (much like a wetted out jacket). Worth trying Outdry gloves where the membrane is bonded directly to the shell fabric which should prevent the above.

Pearl Izumi used to do some which were relatively thin, but sized big so you could layer up with suitable liner gloves underneath. Might still be available?

@momo - I tried the Dissent system. I get really cold hands and have tried what seems like hundreds of gloves over the years. I sent the Dissent gloves back - they were nowhere near as good as the Galibier winter gloves, for nearly 4 times the price. Some people swear by them, though.

I tried :

goretex ones- not waterproof

Neoprene from aldi- my hands stink. As in offensively from a distance. Good for actual warmth in heavy rain.

Sealskins knitted gloves. So good I'm on my third pair. The previous ones have eventually lost waterproofing after exposure to brambles.

They are not perfect, but I've got happy hands down to -temps and happy hands in 5 degree rain which is more relevant for me.

another vote for neoprene ones. your hands get wet and turn into very smelly prunes, but they stay warm and neoprene is also very windproof so no freezing digits on the descents, only use them in the coldest / worst of the weather mind. as soon as you take them off to fettle with something on your bike they turn into blocks of ice, so stick them down your jersey to keep them warm! rest of the time the 100% hydro briskers are the best compromise i've found

Not had any bother holding onto bars in my FS260 neoprene gloves- in fact they are really grippy with a rubbery palm!

As for stink - I'd rather have stinky wet but warm hands then freezing cold dry ones!

Go big,go natural.:-)

Sealskins knitted gloves.

These are the Ultra Grip ones that I recommended.

I have a set of the dissents. Only one winter on them, not particularly representative of normal use, so take this as an initial view. I like the outer fit and feel and the thin liners are nice- I use them with other gloves too. I found the cuffs on the warm liners crimped the blood flow at my wrists and my hands subsequently got very cold. I haven’t got them stretched out enough yet. Nice fit though.

I expect to use them for most winter riding with my big gore gloves saved for absolutely foul days.

Worth trying Outdry gloves where the membrane is bonded directly to the shell fabric which should prevent the above.

Really good, but really hard to find. I have a pair of Mountain Hardwear all-round outdoor gloves that are basically non insulated. Work really well on a glove worn over a liner glove. Also have a pair of the Pearl Izumi ones, which are great in winter. Plus Rapha's Deep Winter glove used to use OutDry as well, no idea if they still do.

I have a pair of Gore Bike Wear Gpre-Tex gloves that have so much movement between the floating liner and the outer glove that they slide over the grips like a motorcycle throttle. Just horrible.

The irony is that Gore has a technology used mostly in ski gloves called Grip or something which bonds the liner to the outer and inner lining so there's no slip in the system, but I've never seen it used on bike gloves.

But anyway, OutDry works for me.

I find neoprene useless against wind-chill but that is more of a problem on the road.

Never understood the waterproof glove next to the skin arguement either. Doesn't work for me and would always be limited by laws of physics.

Never found a good solution. Multiple pairs of gloves is one option. I have some thick black marigolds I can pull on for really wet conditions. Make sure you use something like nixwax regularly so the gloves don't get saturated. The less water they absorb the less insulation they will provide.

snotrag
Full Member

Neoprene gloves.

Its not that they keep water out, thats not how they work. Like a wetsuit – they keep you warm and wet.

OK that's half true, but there are different types of neoprene- some are exactly like wetsuits, others like Glacier Gloves are like drysuits and completely waterproof. Like any glove, construction varies as does grip (I have a couple of pairs and they grip fine in the wet, just not a problem but I'm sure that's not always the case)

I love my Glacier Perfect Curves, they are the drysuit type, perfectly waterproof, extremely warm... The only gloves that keep me warm in fact in proper winter. They are amazing. But, they're made of 3mm thick rubber so they're squishy and some people would hate that feel on the bike (I don't like it, but I like it a lot more than "my hands are frozen", it's not a choice between "good riding feel or not". I've raced dh and mental kinlochleven winter enduros in em, put it that way)

And as mentioned, they're completely waterproof, not breathable at all so if you wear them and it's not proper cold, you don't just get uncomfortably hot, your gloves fill with sweat and it's pretty nasty. Also, they're kind of hard to clean and dry for hte same reason and your hands come out of them smelling like horror.

I'm not sure they're right for you- if I was riding today I'd probably wear them but a) I get cold hands and it's horrible and b) I'm not riding today, it's horrible. In spring/summer they basically only work at all on days that are so ugly that who wants to ride regardless of gloves?

100% Brisker Hydromatic are good for a summer "waterproof". They're not really waterproof but they do a decent impression, takes a good while to wet through. They do get a bit chilly though before that. Probably a spare pair in my bag would be a good solution? I have a set of Endura Nemas but I've still not actually worn them in proper wet.

I've got these, and they are the absolute most amazeballs gloves I've ever had. Just superb.

https://www.marmot.com/men/accessories/gloves-and-mitts/unisex-xt-gloves/AFS_889169166327.html

Mine let in a bit of water now as I've been doing things like undoing presets valves with them in which has damaged the finger tips, but they are still warm as toast. They get used for everything on and off bike.

They are just one layer all bonded together.

The only waterproof things I have found are military goretex overmitts but they're massive.

Tried loads of gloves and they're all crap in a downpour, and in many cases make your hands colder than without.

Other options include spare gloves or quick drying gloves.

My sealskins climashield ones are excellent. Dry and warm (unless it's REALLY cold) hands for 2 winters of commuting.

I have a set of the dissents. Only one winter on them

Me too. I'm fairly impressed. The showerproof outers are good for most conditions and the waterproof outers have been warm and dry in rain. The knitted inners and silk liners are warm though the silk liners are worn out in one winter (not unlike my experience with silk liners for skiing or mountaineering so I'm not too upset and they're pretty cheap).

The full set is expensive but it does give many alternative layering options to suit a wide range of conditions.

I bought some Showers Pass waterproof gloves using the discount code from the Members Section.

On Sunday, when my two riding companions had to ring their gloves out, my hands were still warm and dry.

It was the first time I’ve put them to the test though, so I don’t know whether they will remain as effective.

I have the Gore Tex-1 renamed C5. Fine for 1/2 hr on commutes in heavy rain; rated them highly for years until I did a 5hr ride. After an hour they became completely overwhelmed and held the water next to my skin for the next 4hrs of wet riding. It was 5°C. Take a few pairs with you if you can. Neoprene works well at 5°C and raining. Shame about spending a lot on GTX gloves. My GTX Oxygen 2.0 jacket worked well; I couldn't figure out whether it too was overwhelmed by the rain or I was marinating in my own juices- but I was comfortable! That's the key, being comfortable, whether you're wet or dry. The merino liners did nothing under my GTX gloves once saturated. So merino wool being warm when wet didn't work when my hand were swimming in the GTX gloves.

If you really want waterproof, then wear the cycling gloves of your choice, plus a oversized pair of marigolds. Pull your jacket sleeve over the marigold cuff for complete rainproofing

I have a set of Endura Nemas

Well I completely misread that at first glance

Properly waterproof, warm, not too bulky, enough grip and more breathable than you might think. I use them for winter climbing as well as on the bike and they're excellent.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pair-Showa-282-TEMRES-Gloves/dp/B00LUP9Z00

I have given up buying so-called waterproof gloves. Now it's merino gloves , your hand get wet but are warm. Just buy 100% woollen ones not the cheap ones with a mix of wool and other stuff.

Bookmarked

Ejendals Tegera 517 for normal wet winter riding (£10 a pair) or Tegera 295 if it's cold and wet. They do a mega insulated version as well.

They're nice gloves but sold as workwear so great value and hard wearing.

Ooh nice tip. Got to be worth a go at that price.

Looks like these cover your wrist a bit too.
https://www.workgloves.co.uk/ejendals-tegera-296-thermal-waterproof-outdoor-work-gloves.html