I'm looking for recommendations on pair of cycling gloves for commuting. I live in San Diego BUT I will be riding early in the morning when temperatures can dip into the low 40's and even high 30's. In addition, I have very poor circulation in my hands. Everyone who has shook my hand can testify to how cold it is. Thus, the gloves need to be WARM.
I'm a big fan of simple natural materials like wool and I did see a few merino wool cycling gloves (Ibex, Hincapie) but I'm not certain if they would be warm enough for me. Does anyone have experience with these?
Lastly, the gloves really have to be durable. I tend to put a lot of force on the handlebars at times and I would hate to have to replace them after a year of moderate-high usage.
I cheat when it comes to winter gloves. I don't use "bicycling" gloves, I use regular Thinsulate gloves and they keep my hands fairly warm. Granted they aren't natural but they work for me. The palms are rubberized for gripping a snow shovel and work very well gripping handlebars. The insulation gives me all the padding that I need.
Unfortunately it is going to be difficult to find natural material gloves that are going to be as warm as the synthetic material gloves. I only had one pair of natural material gloves that came anywhere near to what I wear now and they were rabbit fur lined leather gloves. Unfortunately about the only way to get a pair of them these days is to make your own.
I am a big fan of the Pearli Izumi Cyclone gloves for a little warmer temps. I have tried their thicker gloves and the problems is that any thick glove - although warm - seems to be a little unmanageable on the bike. They also tend to be pricey. If you have poor circulation just look for any winter ski glove. They should be pretty cheap and if you can Ski at 60mph down a hill in 0 degrees then you should be just fine using them on your bike.
