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It’s no understatement to say that the one obstacle to enjoying your cycling through the winter is cold hands. When the air is crisp with sub zero temperatures, the first part of your body to feel it is your fingers, they’re permanently out in front exposed to all the elements, and once they’re cold there’s little chance of temperature being regained until you’re holding a steaming hot mug of hot chocolate.
So, having decided to invest in some winter gloves, just where do you start? There’s a bewildering choice of options at any well stocked bike shop or online retailer, but it’s worth going shopping prepared with the knowledge of what you need to keep your fingers toasty warm.
What to look for
Gloves come in hundreds of shapes and styles designed for different environmental conditions. Some are designed for keeping you warm, some for when it’s raining, and some attempt to do both. Generally, the colder the likely conditions are that you’ll be venturing out into, the more insulation they’ll need to offer. Some boast clever materials that cut out the wind and can mean for a thinner glove, while some manage to be 100% waterproof.
With increased insulation comes extra bulkiness, and this can make holding the handlebars and operating brake and gear levers a tad more difficult than normal. And some gloves provide so much insulation that you can find your hands quickly become horribly hot and sweaty, so the glove needs to be able to quickly wick away any moisture.
For the most extreme conditions, and we’re talking 0degC or thereabouts, ‘lobster’ style gloves are the daddies. You can be safe in the knowledge that your digits will be warm as freshly cooked fish fingers but, they can make handling the bike reasonably tricky and due care needs to be instigated when wearing them. Unless it’s extremely cold, and for most UK cyclists that’ll be the case, normal fingered gloves with a good amount of insulation and either windproof or waterproofing treatment will fit the bill and see you through to spring.
Features
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Padded palms can reduce road vibrations seeping through, which is a blessed relief on those longer winter rides. Padding can come in the form of foam or, on the pricier versions, gel, which forms better to the bars and your hands and dissipates shocks well. Large areas of towelling around the thumb and other parts of the glove are handy for mopping up the runny nose you’ll experience on cold days, and silicone-type tabs on the fingers can provide a little more grip on the brake levers making up for the lack of feel that the extra padding brings.
A glove with a large, adjustable cuff can ensure that no cold air sneaks through a gap between where the gloves and jacket sleeves stop. A long cuff wants to wrap over, or under, the jackets sleeve and Velcro or other fasteners can wrap the cuff snugly around your wrist.
Fit
Try before you buy. All gloves vary largely in sizes and you want to buy a pair that fit comfortably. Avoid anything that feels tight around the fingers and could restrict blood flow.
How much to pay
The old adage, ‘the more you pay the better glove you’ll get’ is generally true here. More money will buy more advanced materials which will cope better for the more demanding riders, and remove sweat away better. One pair of gloves may be all you need, but for the high mileage riders several pairs of gloves suited to different temperatures and conditions might be a good option – it also means while one pair is in the wash you’ve got another pair to wear.
