Tag Archives: gloves

Product Review: Bontrager Velocis and Bellweather Windstorm winter gloves

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Dear Rouleurs,

This time it’s a proper blog…Without breaking out into GOT-mode the Melbourne winter that has been coming for a while has arrived.  Whilst this makes ski-bunnies very happy, it’s the start 3 months of of cold, wet and generally crappy weather. My wife reckoned I was as cold as an ice block after last Tuesday’s ride, the wind chill factor the westerly or northerly is pretty significant this time of year.  Its particularly tough on the hands as my old gloves just weren’t warm enough.  So a few weeks ago I bought 2 new sets of long finger ‘winter’ style gloves from local bike shops in Port Melbourne.  They are:

BONTRAGER VELOCIS WINDSHELL GLOVE

Bontrager’s blurb describes these gloves as being lightweight, windproof and water-resistant.  The main material being something called “Profila Windshell fabric” which weirdly looks a lot like vinyl but is highly wind and water resistant.

Bontrager Velocis gloves, the silicon grip is clearly evident on the fingers and thumb.

Bontrager Velocis gloves, the silicon grip is clearly evident on the fingers and thumb.

The inner glove surfaces are fleece lined which does a great job of keeping your hands warm.  Whilst they are thick and will take time to wear in, they are not really padded except for the palm. The gloves cover the wrist and have velcro clasp and elastic banding to provide a snug fit.  The silicon grip is placed on the palm side of the thumb and first two fingers.  This seems to work. Overall they are very well made and after about 20 hours of use haven’t shown any signs of splitting at the seams.  Mind you at the $70-$80 price point you would be greatly annoyed if that occurred.  Bontrager does have a 30 day unconditional warranty, provided you’ve got the receipt.

The main issue I have with these gloves is the fit.  People in the US must have long thin hands.  A medium gave me a tight fit over the back of my hand and through the the palm, but came with ridiculously long fingers.  The small size wouldn’t even fit on my hand.  I’ve been trying to mould the medium size glove into the shape of hands ever since I bought them.  I think this will come with use over time. This is one of the reasons that I don’t buy gloves online.  You really have to  try them on.  I’m giving them 3 and 1/2 Marvs.

BELLWEATHER WINDSTORM  GLOVE

Bellwether’s blurb describes the Windstorm glove as a mid-weight, full finger cycling glove, offering protection from windchill.  They are also supposed to be breathable thus preventing overheating leading to sweaty hands.

Bellweather WindStorm gloves are soft and comfortable but are not water resistant. I think the distribution of silicon grip is a bit suspect as well.

Bellweather WindStorm gloves are soft and comfortable but are not water resistant. I think the distribution of silicon grip is a bit suspect as well.

The key feature being that the gloves are predominately composed of softshell neoprene.  The inner glove is fleece lined.  This is comfortable, very warm  and stretchy but offers minimal water resistance.  I’ve worn the gloves for about 2 weeks in cold, windy conditions and they have been very effective in reducing windchill.  The gloves are also cut with a high elastic wrist and have a velcro clasp to secure them.  The big plus in these gloves is that Bellweather seems to offer a greater range of sizing.  I found the size 8 to be a perfect fit.  They were also approximately $15 cheaper than the Bontrangers.  Overall, I would say they are well made.  None of the stitching has split and the material of glove has held up well.

They are very warm, but I’ve found that I’m getting very sweaty wrists.  So I think the breathability is also limited.  They have some reflective decals on the back of the wrist.  I’m starting to this material crack and lift on the fingers. I also found the positioning of the silicon grip on exclusively on the palm a bit surprising.  I’m not sure whether the gloves would become slippy on break levels in the rain.  They do not have any padding of any kind.  I’m giving them 4 Marvs.

So hopefully that’s useful information if you are considering purchasing gloves soon. Its only a couple of weeks until Le Tour.

Until next time, safe cycling

Marv

The gloves are off…well not quite :-)

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

20141205-Fingerless-Cycling-Gloves-sml

 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 gloves20141205-Fullfinger-Cycling-Gloves-sml

 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 gloves20141205-Lobster-Cycling-Gloves-sml

 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.