The Breakaway

When you think of bike gear, the first piece of equipment that comes to mind isn’t typically what you’d wear on your hands. But gloves protect your hands from cold, vibrations, blisters, and, in the case of a fall, gravel and bitumen rash.

The Leadout

Why Gloves? One of the biggest benefits of wearing biking gloves is the added grip and control you’ll achieve. Everything from sweat to rainy conditions can make your handlebars slippery, and without gloves, you’re much more likely to make an avoidable mistake while riding.

By wearing gloves, you’ll also get more protection from the constant friction between your hands and the handlebars. This rubbing can cause blisters or chafing that will quickly make your cycling a much less pleasurable experience. The padding in most bike gloves helps ward off chronic conditions that have been linked with biking, too, such as numbness or carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Peloton

Road cycling gloves have three key features that make your life as a cyclist a lot more enjoyable.

Padding – Padded road biking gloves absorb shock to keep you more comfortable on a long ride. How thick the padding is matter of personal taste, thick padding can feel cumbersome and reduce handlebar feel.

Finger-pulls – are small pieces of material located on the ends of the glove fingers to assist in removing the glove. The tighter the fit the harder it sis pull them off. I have pair which has small straps sown into the underlying of the index and ring fingers. This seems to work well.

Nose wipe – Another feature of many road biking gloves is a fleece or cloth patch on the thumb, which comes in handy if you’ve got a runny nose or sweaty brow and need to wipe it down while riding.

Styles

When looking for gloves, you’ll come across three basic styles.

Finger-less gloves	These are great when you want to feel the brakes and shifters, and they also allow more breath-ability when biking in hot temperatures. They’re more commonly used by cyclists.
Full-finger gloves	These are preferred by mountain bikers as they provide greater grip and protection. They provide extra coverage of the fingers which makes them a crucial part of cold-weather bike clothing, as slow-moving or even numb fingers can certainly put a damper on your braking and shifting abilities.
Lobster claw gloves	These are ideal for winter commutes, as these gloves group your pinkie and ring fingers together for warmth, and your index and middle fingers together for freedom to work handlebar controls.