Seems the older I get the colder my hands get!
Went for a ride at the weekend using 100% Brisker and my hands were so cold. Next day I used my winter horse riding gloves and much better but they have seen better days.
Any cold hand riders have recommendations?
Seems the older I get the colder my hands get!
Aint that a fact.
Got bought some (expensive!) Castelli Rosso Corsa (oh they're called ESTREMO) for Christmas and they are fab. I never would've paid that much for gloves, but more fool me I guess! I was using snowboard gloves last winter.
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/gloves-for-minus-temperatures/
Some ideas in here
https://www.planetx.co.uk/products/carnac-waterproof-crab-hand-winter-gloves aren't bad if same design as a few years ago.
If you have £175 down the back of the sofa you could try these and let us know how they are.
https://www.sealskinz.com/products/waterproof-heated-cycle-glove
I've said it before, Briskers are not a winter glove. I've never felt discomfort like it with those on cold days.
I recently bought a set of these: https://www.galibier.cc/product/barrier-deep-winter-cycling-gloves/
They are ok, but once they get damp, I find the cold starts to bite my fingers still. Maybe they'll do better in proper cold with a liner glove.
I’ve got some of those Sealskinz (they’re cheaper elsewhere. Mine were under £100, last year sometime.) They’re OK but not amazing. Hands don’t seem to get cold but they are definitely not warm warm. TBH the Snow Deer brand are just as well made and use the exact same electronics at half the price so I would get those in preference to the Sealskinz. <br /><br />
Also, the battery in the cuff is awkward to get under a jacket sleeve if you chose the non gauntlet version. If I bought again I would get Snow Deer ones.
Rab Infinium windproof gloves.
Toasty pinkies last night at -4C. Best gloves I've used for British winter riding.
I've been using thinsulate fleece gloves. Not very waterproof but on a freezing dry day keeps my hands more than warm enough.
Not the best feel on the brakes but adequate, you can pick them up for less tan a tenner.
I'm currently enjoying Endura Pro SL made with Primaloft 👍👍
Decathlon glove liners under Briskers seem to work best for me in really cold conditions. Gives you the option to take the liners out too if you get too hot. I also have a set of the plant x lobster gloves but even in the snow, I find them too hot.
looking forward to my heated gloves tomorrow morning - no cold hands here .
Just been looking at the Rapha ones.... Not in the sale fortunately - £150 for the gloves plus £45 for the liner...
I recently bought a set of these: https://www.galibier.cc/product/barrier-deep-winter-cycling-gloves/
They are ok, but once they get damp, I find the cold starts to bite my fingers still. Maybe they’ll do better in proper cold with a liner glove.
Similar experience, I recommend them in most UK winter conditions, but they're not a substitute for a heavy duty sub-zero glove.
Chiba ones have done me well for the past few years, I can’t recommend a particular model as they look like they have changed design since I got mine.
Lobsters!
I don’t think it’s you OP. As begbie says, they ain’t proper winter gloves.
I am using an extra liner glove which is just about seeing me through, and is certainly a cheap option to try.
Love my Aldi specials! After a couple of years the palms wearing through though. Should've bought two pairs!
I’ve had Rapha (two types) Galibier, Seal Skins, Pedal Mafia. In the end £7 of silk liners made each of the above a whole load better.
Love my Aldi specials! After a couple of years the palms wearing through though. Should’ve bought two pairs!
I did!!
Gloves are perhaps one of the most subjective pieces of riding kit out there. I have a couple of pairs of Aldi/Lidl cycling gloves and a pair of lobster claws gloves from one or the other which have been fairly consistent doing a pretty good job. On the back of a stack of recommendations here I got a pair of Galibier barrier gloves which have to say have been fairly disappointed with as the cold goes straight through to my fingers and thumbs within minutes of riding.
Lobsters are great til you want to single finger brake. Used to love em on the motorbike though, Pathans ftw.
I know the Rapha ones are expensive but their kit is mostly excellent so I wonder if, worn with their liner, they are any good compared to say, heated Sealskinz? Or there are the Outdoor Research heated gloves….
I really suffer with cold hands versus dexterity.
Still not cracked it myself but have found a pair or two of liner gloves help as others mentioned as long as you can fit them in and gives you some variation if weather flips when you're out.
James
I have a pair of Endura insulated gloves - I think the Strike Gloves. They don't look massive but are warm enough for everything I have needed to do this winter.
Only issue is they are not super breathable. Don't notice the dampness riding and the wind doesn't seem to get to it, however they can be annoying to take on and off when it is like that.
i got got cold enough on a ride, years ago that i resolved to buy some warm gloves as soon as i got home, which i did.
Went and spent "far too much"(im cheap), on some Endura Waterproof winter jobbies (i think they were about £70)
Theyve still got 4 fingers, no lobster mits, but they are fleece lined and waterproof. Being Endura, cycling specific, they are comfortable on the bike, got a snot terry section, shaped correctly to handlebars, etc.
Bloody brilliant things, and when they do wear out ill replace them in a heartbeat.
Went for a ride at the weekend using 100% Brisker and my hands were so cold
as above, the normal briskers don't cut it in winter for me, more of an autumn / spring glove. Been using the new Brisker Xtreme's recently though in minus temperatures and they've been great. anything above 3-4 degrees and i find them too warm, and have been good to -3 so far. worth a punt for £35
Hydro briskers in winter
Been using the new Brisker Xtreme’s recently though in minus temperatures and they’ve been great.
Just received a pair in the post; my first reaction was that they feel thinner than the standard Briskers. First ride tomorrow so we'll see if first impressions are (hopefully) wrong.
new Brisker Xtreme’
I thought these felt like a decent improvement over the warmth of standard 100% Briskers..
Unfortunately, the stitching on the thumb/palm fell apart halfway through the very first ride...sent back for a refund.
Skytech Argon thermal builders gloves - under £10 and better than the majority of cycling specific gloves I've ever tried. They wash OK. Thermal lining doesn't bunch up. Fingers never leak. Surprisingly waterproof and not sweaty.
Decathlon Inovik XC ski lobster gloves. Great for when we went fatbiking in Finland but usually too warm in UK (much warmer than the Planet X / Carnac ones).
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/adult-warm-cross-country-ski-glove-500/_/R-p-334110?mc=8648162
Was cold today, briskers but inside pogies was perfection. Still can't feel my big toes though!
(literally the only time i've ever ridden thunderstruck at glentress and had it be dry. But only because it was frozen solid and the eternal puddles were all sheet ice instead. Bit of extra mid-berm peril!)
Ordered a set of those Skytec. Got to be worth a punt at £6.99 delivered.
On drop bars yesterday so couldn't use pogies. These ME gloves (an older version) did the job.
Coping strategies are important. If you take your gloves off for any reason, put them immediately inside your clothing so they don't cool down. I also carry spare gloves (Buffalo DP pile mitts) which pack down small and are insanely warm for little bulk; you can put them on to warm your hands back up.
Years ago I contacted Buffalo about making a lobster version with some kind of friction surface on the palm, but they have an odd attitude to product development.
The more I read these 'what glove ?' threads, I think that gloves are the same as helmets and saddles, a very personal thing . Some of the suggestions above just wouldn't work for me yet they clearly keep some people warm. Like the helmet and saddle analogy you can't really test them out. They might fit nicely in the shop but you can't tell if they will work when the temperature drops.
However it still doesn't explain how you see so many people out with no gloves at all on very cold days.
Do those Decathlon trigger-finger mitts have a glove type inner which separates the fingers or is the 3-finger section more like a mitt? Every similar mitt i've seen including my otherwise very nice Reusch ones have a glove inner which means it's difficult to put all 4 fingers in the 3-finger section when it's really cold and your solo index finger is starting to freeze up.
Equally the very warm Aldi lobsters also have the fingers separated which in turn increases the difficulty of getting damp/sweaty fingers in and out and not pulling out the inner with you.
I wear aquatec thermo gloves for work but wouldn't wear them on the bike, they're not close fitting enough for technical riding. And I find they do get quite sweaty, which is fine when the sweat is warm but then they get cold and they stink when you put them on a radiator to dry. I have some very old Sealskinz which get worn a handful of times a year, like yesterday when it was -6°c. I swapped them when it got a wee bit warmer and put on a pair of Ejendral 517 work gloves. I want to try some of their 297 gloves as a replacement for the Sealskinz. The Sealskinz have too many seams and too much padding on the palm for my liking but I can live with them as they are so rarely used. But yeah gloves are very personal and depend on how hot or cold you run and what type of riding you do.
Those PX lobsters come up blimin small though! tried some on a PSA from here i think and noted the sizes, bought the biggest XL.
i dont have massive hands, but they were very short in the 'claw' and put pressure on the tips of the longest fingers, which ended up bloody painful after a few miles.
Mrs_OAB and I wear more and more walking gloves in proper cold. And there is no substitute for a thin liner with a bigger, windproof outer in our experience.
Edit: and keep your arms properly warm. I worked out that on a bike my arms are much colder than when walking - so now have tried an extra layer of arm warmers and it really helps.
Although I am tempted by pogies...
I've been converted to Pogies and its been a game changer for me. Used to suffer terribly getting sweaty hands which would then freeze. With Pogies I don't need gloves at all from 3c to 10c (sometimes use summer gloves for 'feel') and just 100% briskers for 3c down to minus 5c (so far).
Having air around my hands stops the sweating, but no chill breeze makes a huge difference. Just a perfect microclimate around your fingers and upto your wrists (I think this helps too as keeps warmer further up your arm a bit).
Wouldn't recommend for gnarly stuff as getting hands on/off bars isnt as instantaneous, but for xc and especially longer winter rides theyre amazing!
I got the Hotpogs Classic (UK made too) which are perfect for British winter conditions - although I'll be using them fatbiking in the alps next week. And less than £30 delivered.
@Chaos - I'm pretty sure the Decathlon lobsters are 3 fingers together like a mitt with no inner liner. I'll be home in a few hours and will check. You never see the XC ski stuff in UK shops but it comes quickly by mail order (my Mrs has some of the XC ski waterproof trousers and uses the poles for roller ski things). They certainly aren't a faff to get on and off but have only had a week of use so don't know how they end up after a number of washes.
Yup can confirm the Decathlon "warm series" xc ski lobsters don't have individual finger liners so they are very easy to get on and off. Also they easily have enough room to get all four fingers in the mitt to occasionally defrost your index finger (but they aren't too bulky to bike in).
Don't know what size they are, but we followed the Decathlon sizing / measuring advice and they fitted first time for both of us.
FOG
Full MemberThe more I read these ‘what glove ?’ threads, I think that gloves are the same as helmets and saddles, a very personal thing . Some of the suggestions above just wouldn’t work for me yet they clearly keep some people warm. Like the helmet and saddle analogy you can’t really test them out. They might fit nicely in the shop but you can’t tell if they will work when the temperature drops.
However it still doesn’t explain how you see so many people out with no gloves at all on very cold days.
Absolutely (and no gloves is just the same only more so). People have different tolerances for cold, different amounts of body fat, different metabolisms and circulation levels, it's just how it is. I'm a very skinny guy with a decent amount of fitness and bad hand circulation so I run <cold>, my recommendations would be too hot for most folks.
