ER: Cold Weather Gloves

Paladin said:

Like some of you fools, I like to ride year round, and here in Idaho,
that can get a little cold if you're not prepared. Last year, I
commuted down to 5 degf, and did fairly well. But for my longer GR
rides, [Father forgive me] where you're just sitting there watching
the pavement go by, I needed something better.

So, I did some research, talked to my ice-climbing friends, etc., and
picked these up:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/224,57284_Outdoor-Research-Couloir-Gloves-Waterproof-For-Men-and-Women.html

So, on to the report:

They are a little bulky, but are made very well, on-sale very cheap,
with articulated fingers and rugged construction and attention to
detail. The gore-tex is seam-sealed, and I have heard you can hold
your hand under water and never get wet, but the wicking works to
take your sweat away.

The one handed cinching worked great. The sleeve gauntlet chords work
fine. The gloves in xl are a bit bulky for riding, but that's the
price for warmth and wind resistance, I guess.

I was out yesterday for over 2hrs riding pretty hard in 20 to 15degf,
got up to 30mph, and generally loved the gloves. Towards the end of
the ride, 3 fingers on my left hand got cold, then that resolved
after 10 minutes. Strange.

Complaints: No pocket for chemical hand warmers; a bit bulky for my
likes
Praise: Serious, heavy duty protection that looks to be made very
well.

I'd trust them on half-day snow rides, but I'll still pack a few hand
warmers to be on the safe side.

btw, I forgot how quick it gets dark after the sun goes down. I had
to kick it in to turbo drive to avoid being stranded out in the cold
with no lights. Yeehah!

I'm kind of a gear fanatic, so I'd love to hear what other winter
gloves or items others are using to keep rockin around the clock...

On my ride with Miles Thursday ("Brokebike Mountain" -- the Switchblade had
issues leaving me howling in the rear {hub}, sagging in the middle {shock}
and too compressed in front {fork}), it got a little chilly for sleeveless
jerseys.

We persevered, overcoming the hardship.

Bill "neener, neener" S.

Paladin said:

Like some of you fools, I like to ride year round, and here in Idaho,
that can get a little cold if you're not prepared. Last year, I
commuted down to 5 degf, and did fairly well. But for my longer GR
rides, [Father forgive me] where you're just sitting there watching the
pavement go by, I needed something better.

So, I did some research, talked to my ice-climbing friends, etc., and
picked these up:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/224,57284_Outdoor-Research-Couloir-Gloves-Waterproof-For-Men-and-Women.html

So, on to the report:

They are a little bulky, but are made very well, on-sale very cheap,
with articulated fingers and rugged construction and attention to
detail. The gore-tex is seam-sealed, and I have heard you can hold your
hand under water and never get wet, but the wicking works to take your
sweat away.

The one handed cinching worked great. The sleeve gauntlet chords work
fine. The gloves in xl are a bit bulky for riding, but that's the
price for warmth and wind resistance, I guess.

I was out yesterday for over 2hrs riding pretty hard in 20 to 15degf,
got up to 30mph, and generally loved the gloves. Towards the end of the
ride, 3 fingers on my left hand got cold, then that resolved after 10
minutes. Strange.

Complaints: No pocket for chemical hand warmers; a bit bulky for my
likes
Praise: Serious, heavy duty protection that looks to be made very
well.

I'd trust them on half-day snow rides, but I'll still pack a few hand
warmers to be on the safe side.

btw, I forgot how quick it gets dark after the sun goes down. I had to
kick it in to turbo drive to avoid being stranded out in the cold with
no lights. Yeehah!

I'm kind of a gear fanatic, so I'd love to hear what other winter
gloves or items others are using to keep rockin around the clock...

CDB

The sort of look like the Lake Winter Gloves I got a few weeks ago on
sale at Universal Cycle for $20. I haven't used them yet. I've been OK
with my regular gloves and a liner.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

Paladin said:

Like some of you fools, I like to ride year round, and here in Idaho,
that can get a little cold if you're not prepared. Last year, I
commuted down to 5 degf, and did fairly well. But for my longer GR
rides, [Father forgive me] where you're just sitting there watching the
pavement go by, I needed something better.

So, I did some research, talked to my ice-climbing friends, etc., and
picked these up:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/224,57284_Outdoor-Research-Couloir-Gloves-Waterproof-For-Men-and-Women.html

So, on to the report:

They are a little bulky, but are made very well, on-sale very cheap,
with articulated fingers and rugged construction and attention to
detail. The gore-tex is seam-sealed, and I have heard you can hold your
hand under water and never get wet, but the wicking works to take your
sweat away.

The one handed cinching worked great. The sleeve gauntlet chords work
fine. The gloves in xl are a bit bulky for riding, but that's the
price for warmth and wind resistance, I guess.

I was out yesterday for over 2hrs riding pretty hard in 20 to 15degf,
got up to 30mph, and generally loved the gloves. Towards the end of the
ride, 3 fingers on my left hand got cold, then that resolved after 10
minutes. Strange.

Complaints: No pocket for chemical hand warmers; a bit bulky for my
likes
Praise: Serious, heavy duty protection that looks to be made very
well.

I'd trust them on half-day snow rides, but I'll still pack a few hand
warmers to be on the safe side.

btw, I forgot how quick it gets dark after the sun goes down. I had to
kick it in to turbo drive to avoid being stranded out in the cold with
no lights. Yeehah!

I'm kind of a gear fanatic, so I'd love to hear what other winter
gloves or items others are using to keep rockin around the clock...

CDB

Your fingers got cold before your tootsies? What kinda kicks are you
rolling with?

It's kinda interesting how booties seem to be slimming down from big
neoprene jobbers to lighter Windstopper stuff. (I haven't tried the
Windstopper version, but they're pretty tempting as my neoprene Pearl
Izumi's are a wrestling match to get on.) I haven't been looking much,
but gloves are probably following suit, no? I'm sure somebody's making
them, and even in the coldest temps I've ridden in it always seems to
be more about wind-blocking and wicking as long as you're pedalling....

/s

Bill Sornson said:

On my ride with Miles Thursday ("Brokebike Mountain" -- the Switchblade

You actually rode a mountain bike?

JD

"Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On my ride with Miles Thursday ("Brokebike Mountain" -- the Switchblade
had issues leaving me howling in the rear {hub}, sagging in the middle
{shock} and too compressed in front {fork}), it got a little chilly for
sleeveless jerseys.

We persevered, overcoming the hardship.

Bill "neener, neener" S.

funny, I had problems with my Switchblade this weekend, too. Mental
note......don't go down 6 miles of steep fire road with the rear shock
locked out.

Had to bail on Sunday's ride (walk) and drive back to Phoenix in the Santa
Anna winds.

Gary

Scott Gordo said:

Paladin said:

Like some of you fools, I like to ride year round, and here in Idaho,
that can get a little cold if you're not prepared. Last year, I
commuted down to 5 degf, and did fairly well. But for my longer GR
rides, [Father forgive me] where you're just sitting there watching the
pavement go by, I needed something better.

So, I did some research, talked to my ice-climbing friends, etc., and
picked these up:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/224,57284_Outdoor-Research-Couloir-Gloves-Waterproof-For-Men-and-Women.html

So, on to the report:

They are a little bulky, but are made very well, on-sale very cheap,
with articulated fingers and rugged construction and attention to
detail. The gore-tex is seam-sealed, and I have heard you can hold your
hand under water and never get wet, but the wicking works to take your
sweat away.

The one handed cinching worked great. The sleeve gauntlet chords work
fine. The gloves in xl are a bit bulky for riding, but that's the
price for warmth and wind resistance, I guess.

I was out yesterday for over 2hrs riding pretty hard in 20 to 15degf,
got up to 30mph, and generally loved the gloves. Towards the end of the
ride, 3 fingers on my left hand got cold, then that resolved after 10
minutes. Strange.

Complaints: No pocket for chemical hand warmers; a bit bulky for my
likes
Praise: Serious, heavy duty protection that looks to be made very
well.

I'd trust them on half-day snow rides, but I'll still pack a few hand
warmers to be on the safe side.

btw, I forgot how quick it gets dark after the sun goes down. I had to
kick it in to turbo drive to avoid being stranded out in the cold with
no lights. Yeehah!

I'm kind of a gear fanatic, so I'd love to hear what other winter
gloves or items others are using to keep rockin around the clock...

CDB

Your fingers got cold before your tootsies? What kinda kicks are you
rolling with?

It's kinda interesting how booties seem to be slimming down from big
neoprene jobbers to lighter Windstopper stuff. (I haven't tried the
Windstopper version, but they're pretty tempting as my neoprene Pearl
Izumi's are a wrestling match to get on.) I haven't been looking much,
but gloves are probably following suit, no? I'm sure somebody's making
them, and even in the coldest temps I've ridden in it always seems to
be more about wind-blocking and wicking as long as you're pedalling....

/s

My toes were cold, but not too bad. I stupidly thought I didn't need
my neopreme booties, so I suffered for it with just wool socks and
regular riding shoes. My booties are tough to get on, too, and a
trick to make sure the hole on the bottom lines up with the cleats, but
I've got the process down fairly smoothly after several wrestling
mathces last winter.

Might go to Lake or Answer winter shoes instead.

CDB

GeeDubb said:

"Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On my ride with Miles Thursday ("Brokebike Mountain" -- the Switchblade
had issues leaving me howling in the rear {hub}, sagging in the middle
{shock} and too compressed in front {fork}), it got a little chilly for
sleeveless jerseys.

We persevered, overcoming the hardship.

Bill "neener, neener" S.

funny, I had problems with my Switchblade this weekend, too. Mental
note......don't go down 6 miles of steep fire road with the rear shock
locked out.

Had to bail on Sunday's ride (walk) and drive back to Phoenix in the Santa
Anna winds.

Gary

I didn't have problems with my Switchblade. (But I wasn't riding it,
either)

CDB

"Paladin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was out yesterday for over 2hrs riding pretty hard in 20 to 15degf,
got up to 30mph, and generally loved the gloves. Towards the end of the
ride, 3 fingers on my left hand got cold, then that resolved after 10
minutes. Strange.

I often get the numbness in a few fingers when riding on cold winter days.
For me, it's a circulation problem caused by either vibrations or hand
position. Sometimes just a slight tweak to the angle of the bars (if they
aren't flat), height of the bars, or brake/shifter position, will alleviate
the problem.

BTW, nice gloves, and a very good price too.

JD said:

Bill Sornson said:

On my ride with Miles Thursday ("Brokebike Mountain" -- the
Switchblade

You actually rode a mountain bike?

Once a season whether it needs it or not.

GeeDubb said:

"Bill Sornson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On my ride with Miles Thursday ("Brokebike Mountain" -- the
Switchblade had issues leaving me howling in the rear {hub}, sagging
in the middle {shock} and too compressed in front {fork}), it got a
little chilly for sleeveless jerseys.

We persevered, overcoming the hardship.

Bill "neener, neener" S.

Quoted message said:

funny, I had problems with my Switchblade this weekend, too. Mental
note......don't go down 6 miles of steep fire road with the rear shock
locked out.

Can't tell you how many times I've done that -- only usually on steep rocky
singletrack! I lock it out to climb some long fireroad, and then forget to
flip the lever until the END of the descent. (Usually the front shock will
let you know pretty quickly if you left IT locked down 🙂 )

Quoted message said:

Had to bail on Sunday's ride (walk) and drive back to Phoenix in the Santa
Anna winds.

Bummer. My rear shock is fine (just didn't think I needed to pump it up),
but the Marathon SL is in pretty bad shape. I'm going to try to pull the
valve and replace it, but it might be too gummed up in there. The Mavic
rear hub just plain sucks goats. Worst purchase ever...

B

Paladin said:

Might go to Lake or Answer winter shoes instead.

Lake shoes! Best winter riding investment I ever made. Soooo toasty!
You can walk through icy streams and not feel cold. You can usually
find them at a significant discount throughout the year on Pricepoint.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

Paladin said:

Like some of you fools, I like to ride year round, and here in Idaho,
that can get a little cold if you're not prepared. Last year, I
commuted down to 5 degf, and did fairly well. But for my longer GR
rides, [Father forgive me] where you're just sitting there watching the
pavement go by, I needed something better.

So, I did some research, talked to my ice-climbing friends, etc., and
picked these up:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/224,57284_Outdoor-Research-Couloir-Gloves-Waterproof-For-Men-and-Women.html

So, on to the report:

They are a little bulky, but are made very well, on-sale very cheap,
with articulated fingers and rugged construction and attention to
detail. The gore-tex is seam-sealed, and I have heard you can hold your
hand under water and never get wet, but the wicking works to take your
sweat away.

The one handed cinching worked great. The sleeve gauntlet chords work
fine. The gloves in xl are a bit bulky for riding, but that's the
price for warmth and wind resistance, I guess.

I was out yesterday for over 2hrs riding pretty hard in 20 to 15degf,
got up to 30mph, and generally loved the gloves. Towards the end of the
ride, 3 fingers on my left hand got cold, then that resolved after 10
minutes. Strange.

Complaints: No pocket for chemical hand warmers; a bit bulky for my
likes
Praise: Serious, heavy duty protection that looks to be made very
well.

I'd trust them on half-day snow rides, but I'll still pack a few hand
warmers to be on the safe side.

btw, I forgot how quick it gets dark after the sun goes down. I had to
kick it in to turbo drive to avoid being stranded out in the cold with
no lights. Yeehah!

I'm kind of a gear fanatic, so I'd love to hear what other winter
gloves or items others are using to keep rockin around the clock...

CDB

Nice ER. I wound up skiing in the dark a little last night because it
got dark so fast.
I have some very similar gloves made by Granite Gear, and before that I
had similar Chouinard ice climbing gloves. I love them for skiing but
find them too bulky for riding.
I have a pair of Pearl Izumi winter cycling gloves that are less bulky
and have a cuff that goes inside the sleeve. They work well for cold
cycling and I prefer the reduced bulk. They are very toasty!

Matt

45 degrees? I'm jealous! If I even wear gloves at that point, it's
just a normal pair of riding gloves. Enjoy that weather for me, it's
snowing here right now.

Out here in NH/MA, our winters get a bit colder than you're talking
about, and I find my motorcycle gloves to be worth the bulk. They are
sensitive & pliable enough, but as warm as I could ask for. I don't
think I could submerge my hand & stay dry, but they've been fine in the
snow so far. They are made by HJC, but I can't recall the model. I'll
check if anybody mentions that they cares. I've also got a
motorcycle/snowmobile jacket that has a double-folding button-up wind
blocker outside of the zipper, and some reflective parts on the back.
It's kept the wind out riding my Ninja, out on the ocean, and on the
pedal bikes. I wish my armored jacket had this type of system, it's
great. Again, I forget the make but could check. So far I've stuck
with thick socks & my answer shoes, but I'm about ready to try out a
set of booties.

I can't wait to see how they plow the roads around the new place. I
think studs & fenders are in my future.

Dan

Paladin said:

Like some of you fools, I like to ride year round, and here in Idaho,
that can get a little cold if you're not prepared. Last year, I
commuted down to 5 degf, and did fairly well. But for my longer GR
rides, [Father forgive me] where you're just sitting there watching the
pavement go by, I needed something better.

So, I did some research, talked to my ice-climbing friends, etc., and
picked these up:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/224,57284_Outdoor-Research-Couloir...

So, on to the report:

They are a little bulky, but are made very well, on-sale very cheap,
with articulated fingers and rugged construction and attention to
detail. The gore-tex is seam-sealed, and I have heard you can hold your
hand under water and never get wet, but the wicking works to take your
sweat away.

The one handed cinching worked great. The sleeve gauntlet chords work
fine. The gloves in xl are a bit bulky for riding, but that's the
price for warmth and wind resistance, I guess.

I was out yesterday for over 2hrs riding pretty hard in 20 to 15degf,
got up to 30mph, and generally loved the gloves. Towards the end of the
ride, 3 fingers on my left hand got cold, then that resolved after 10
minutes. Strange.

Complaints: No pocket for chemical hand warmers; a bit bulky for my
likes
Praise: Serious, heavy duty protection that looks to be made very
well.

I'd trust them on half-day snow rides, but I'll still pack a few hand
warmers to be on the safe side.

btw, I forgot how quick it gets dark after the sun goes down. I had to
kick it in to turbo drive to avoid being stranded out in the cold with
no lights. Yeehah!

I'm kind of a gear fanatic, so I'd love to hear what other winter
gloves or items others are using to keep rockin around the clock...

CDB

Ride-A-Lot said:

Paladin said:

Might go to Lake or Answer winter shoes instead.

Lake shoes! Best winter riding investment I ever made. Soooo toasty!
You can walk through icy streams and not feel cold. You can usually
find them at a significant discount throughout the year on Pricepoint.

--
o-o-o-o Ride-A-Lot o-o-o-o
www.schnauzers.ws

If there's a good thing about my Pearl Izumi booties (the older version
with lots of rubber, suitable for deep sea diving), it gives me a full
body workout putting those [censored] on and pulling them off. It's that
frustrating, potentially aneurism-inducing kind of struggle though.

/s

Quoted message said:

45 degrees? I'm jealous! If I even wear gloves at that point, it's
just a normal pair of riding gloves. Enjoy that weather for me, it's
snowing here right now.

Dan

??????
I doubt we'll see 45 degrees again for about 4 months. When its 45,
its still full-fingered riding gloves. 40 down to 30 I use these old
thin Cabela's goretex units with a thin liner that work fine. Below
30, I want something stouter, like these OR's.

CDB

My mistake. I was reading this
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.mountain-bike/browse_thread/thread/0eeb90d0e2e3ff14/#
RR by Beej which referred to 45 as "biting cold" right before I read
this one, and I somehow confused the two. My apologies, and props for
riding year round in Idaho.

The gloves I refer to are an under 30 kind of thing, and though a touch
bulky I don't mind. Plenty of padding for when the ice gets the better
of me as well.

Dan

Paladin said:

Quoted message said:

45 degrees? I'm jealous! If I even wear gloves at that point, it's
just a normal pair of riding gloves. Enjoy that weather for me, it's
snowing here right now.

Quoted message said:

Dan??????

I doubt we'll see 45 degrees again for about 4 months. When its 45,
its still full-fingered riding gloves. 40 down to 30 I use these old
thin Cabela's goretex units with a thin liner that work fine. Below
30, I want something stouter, like these OR's.

CDB

JD said:

So, no bootie duty for you, eh Corvus?

I'm not touching that one.

Quoted message said:

Try a set of these:
http://www.chippewaboots.com/boots/searchdefault.asp?id=25945

But do they come in SPD models?

CC