Best Cycling Gloves For Cold Rain

In a past issue of RBR Newsletter, we asked for recommendations on gloves that will keep hands dry enough and warm enough for comfort in cold rain. Here are the real-world responses that poured in.

• Use large rubber dishwashing gloves over your normal winter cycling gloves. Secure them around your wrist with an elastic band or duct tape. — John R.
• The Assos Isotex winter gloves are good for me down to 45F degrees, rain or dry. Below that, I add polypro glove liners. — Dave K.
• SealSkinz work for me in Seattle down to about 30F degrees. — Reid W.
• SealSkinz keep my hands almost too warm. They are waterproof. I got mine through REI’s Internet site. — Terry M.
• Wear latex surgical gloves inside full-finger winter gloves. The latex doesn’t breathe, but it does save your hands from getting cold. — Mark O., Frank G., Carl K.
• Try Sharkskins gloves used by kayakers. — Ron K.
• For cold and wet commuting, I wear neoprene gloves with silk glove liners. Silk insulates well even when damp. — Bob E.
• Fleece gloves from Manzella keep my hands reasonably comfortable down to about 45F degrees in wet Pacific Northwest weather. — Terry Z.
• Three-pocket “lobster” mitts work well in temps in the low 20s. Even if hands get wet with sweat, they remain warm. But these mitts are actually too warm when it’s warm enough to rain. — Steve W.
• Outdoor Research makes a Gore-Tex lobster shell that weighs about 50 grams per pair. — Kevin H.
• I wear Gore-Tex Windstopper overmitts over regular cycling gloves in cool weather, over the cycling gloves with polypro glove liners in cooler weather, and over winter gloves in cold weather. The mitts are so light you don’t notice them, and I don’t have any problem gripping anything. — Mary Lynn M.
• The Performance “Legend” gloves were a great solution, but they aren’t offered anymore. They had Thinsulate lined with Gore-Tex under a nylon shell. They even had padded palms and terry on the back for wiping nose drip. — Rich H.
• Cannondale’s Gore-Tex gloves keep hands warm and dry for at least an hour in Seattle’s wet winter. — D.V.
• Pearl Izumi’s polyester winter gloves have leather palms and list polyurethane as one of the components. I’ve had to wring them out because they were soaked, but my hands stayed warm, though wet. They seem to have some property akin to wool that keeps you warm even when wet. — Mike I.
• For warm hands in the rain, wool will retain heat when wet. You can usually buy good wool gloves with rubber or leather grippers on the fingers and palm at hardware stores, western wear stores, camping stores, surplus stores and some bike shops. In fact, if you aren’t wearing wool socks, gloves and jersey in the rainy months, you are going to get chilled quite fast. — Aaro H.