RBR Favorites: The Gloves We Wear

Editor’s Note: Some time ago, a Premium Member wrote in to ask if we could update an article we ran in which a couple of us on the RBR Crew provided a quick rundown of our favorite tires, and why we liked them.

It was an excellent idea. So good, in fact, that I immediately decided to make it a regular feature – providing a rundown from RBR Contributors on our favorites across the spectrum of components, nutrition, clothing, accessories, you name it. Today we discuss our favorite gloves. (Here’s a link to the gamut of RBR Favorites.)

We will plan to run a different “favorite” each week for the next several.

We also want to hear from readers on your favorites! Join in the fun either by commenting below the Newsletter version of this article or using the form at Tell Us About Your: Favorites (you can always find it in the Talk to RBR section on every page of the site.) We’ll gather up your submissions and run them as a follow-up to this article (and future RBR Favorites pieces).

Enjoy, and let us hear from you about your own Favorites.

– John Marsh

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Jim Langley

I have a love/hate relationship with cycling gloves. Having large to extra-large hands, my in-between claws often end up uncomfortably tight or loose in gloves. And when I find a pair that fits, I can still bust out the seams a lot sooner than I think I should. When I finally buy a good set, I ride them into the ground. I’m doing that right now to a couple of pairs of Louis Garneau gloves, which fit and have held up, too. I like the models that are well-vented and have terry panels for face wiping. I also look for thin padding as to me, thick foam – or worse, gel, seems to get in the way of a good grip. I don’t need finger pulls for removing the gloves and can take or leave adjustable closures.

Coach John Hughes

I’ve always been an ultra racer and tourist, never a road racer. My shortest race was 300 miles. I choose equipment based on comfort, functionality and reliability.

I loved Spenco but they stopped making them. Now I just look for whatever has some padding (but is not tight). I always carry a pair of long-fingered gloves in my seatbag, too, along with a lot of other gear. (See next week’s Favorites.)

John Marsh

I have a shoebox full of gloves and various head coverings. Most of the fingerless gloves are Pearl Izumi. I’m not terribly persnickety, but I really don’t like gloves that fasten on the inside of the wrist. I prefer the velcro to fasten on the outside. And I much prefer a terry section for face wiping – which I tend to do a lot of as a serious head-sweater. My very favorite fingerless gloves were some inexpensive Louis Garneau models made for Performance Bicycle – and they have no closure at all. You just slip them on and go. Seems like the ideal solution to me, but I could not find those gloves again after that first purchase of a couple pair. As for cold-weather gloves, my go-to gloves for years were a pair of Gore gloves with wind-blocking panels and a thin fleece lining. This season, though, I’ve been using some SealSkinz and some Pearl Izumi models for different weather conditions.

 

Next Week in RBR Favorites: The Seat Bags we Use

 

Brandon Bilyeu

For summer fingerless gloves I have several different pairs, nothing special worth mentioning. For the cooler weather I have two favorites. If it’s a cool, dry day I reach for the Pearl Izumi Cyclone Gel Glove. Good warmth and protection that is not too bulky make these gloves very comfortable. For cool, wet days I go with the waterproof Pearl Izumi P.R.O. Barrier WxB gloves. I have found that these gloves can keep a solid rain out for about an hour before the wet starts to creep in. For long rides in the rain I keep a second pair sealed in a plastic bag in my jersey pocket. When the first pair becomes water logged and uncomfortable I switch to the dry pair. Both of these gloves work for me in the 40’s and 50’s Fahrenheit and adding a thin liner glove allows me to use them in the 30’s.

Coach Rick Schultz

I don’t wear gloves.

Sheri Rosenbaum

I wear a lot of different brands…Craft, Pearl Izumi, SealSkinz, Terry, Giro…depends on the temps and the type of biking I’m doing.

Coach Dan Kehlenbach

Since I am very much an everyday rider, my equipment has changed over the years to reflect my current style of riding. I’ll use Pearl Izumi AmFib gloves in the winter, and before each summer, I’ll pick up whatever is on sale at the local bike shop.

Coach David Ertl

I have a whole drawer full of gloves now. I typically buy Pearl Izumi. I have a more heavily padded pair for mountain biking, and three levels of thickness of long-fingered gloves for cold weather riding. When it gets really cold I wear ski mittens.

Paul Smith

My ongoing and perennial search for the perfect pair: In 50F weather I’m a big fan of the Defeet knitted gloves; cheap and warm, with a nice grippy texture on the fingers and palms. For colder weather I’ll work a looser fitting pair of large gloves over a glove liner, and that has worked OK. I’m still holding out for the perfect cold weather solution. In warmer weather I don’t use gloves.

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Tell us about your Favorites by commenting below the Newsletter version of this article or or using the form at Tell Us About Your: Favorites.