I recently decided to replace my ~6yo SealSkinz gloves, because they're
no longer completely waterproof at the point where thumb and forefinger
meet (which faces up when I'm riding my bike). When I went to do so, I
noticed that breathable, cycling specific SealSkinz gloves are now
available, so I decided to give them a go.
The new gloves have several good and bad points in comparison to the
old, all of which will correspond to the old saying about one man's meat.
The most immediately obvious difference is in the styling of the gloves.
The old style SealSkinz have plastic bobbles covering the palms and
fingers, similar to the grips on the soles of big fluffy slippers. The
new gloves /look/ like cycling gloves, with suede-effect padding on the
heels and balls of the hands, and leather-look reinforcements on the
tips of the thumb, forefinger and middle finger. They also have Terry
cloth on the thumbs, which is usually considered a good thing in cycling
gloves, but actually I found the surface material of the old SealSkinz
perfectly adequate and probably better for wiping rain off of my cycling
glasses.
The cycling-specific gloves have Velcro cuffs, while the old style ones
have elasticated cuffs. Velcro cuffs may at first seem like a good
thing, but they add seconds to the time taken to get the gloves on and
off. If, like me, you have a high-gravity mattress, anything that makes
getting dressed take longer and isn't absolutely necessary is undesirable.
One of the great things about the old style SealSkinz gloves is the
unusual amount of dexterity (for warm gloves) that they allow. I didn't
get the same amount of dexterity through the cycling-specific gloves.
This was partly because they're stiffer (which could be just because
they're new), but mostly because a lot of feel was lost through the
thumb and fingertip reinforcements. For me, I really don't think the
reinforcements are necessary. I once wore through the thumb and
forefinger of a pair of unreinforced gloves in a matter of weeks simply
by changing gear, but I've used the old style SealSkinz for years and
the fingertips still look as good as new.
I immediately encountered problems manipulating zips, drawstrings,
doorkeys and computer buttons, though I dare say I'll get used to it.
One thing that was much easier with the new gloves was flipping the lid
on my Nalgene bottle.
In their favour, the cycling specific gloves seem slightly warmer
than the old style ones (although that could just be because they're
new). The first morning that I planned to wear them, I woke up to a
thick frost. I know that the old SealSkinz aren't warm enough if
there's a frost, and usually I'd go rummaging for my Lobster Mitts.
This time, though, I decided to take a chance and give the new SealSkinz
a good test. They kept my hands toasty warm for about 5 miles, at which
point the end of my left ring finger started to feel cold.
(There were 3 frosty mornings this week, though, each colder than the
last. On the second, my fingers started to feel cold after about 3
miles. On the third they were cold after only a mile, and were starting
to hurt by 3 miles. Next week I'll be wearing the Lobsters).
Waterproofing is good, but not quite as good as the old style gloves
were when new. I haven't yet used them in the rain, but after about 15
seconds one finger failed the "dunking the gloved hand in a bucket of
water" test.
The breathability seems good. On days without a frost my hands have
started to feel clammy once I get indoors at the end of a ride, but not
as much as with the older gloves. I should mention that I always wear
silk inner gloves when cycling with full-fingered gloves, partly for the
extra warmth and partly because inner gloves are much easier to wash.
Overall I think the old style gloves have the edge for recumbent
commuting, but for an upright cyclist, or for longer rides, or for
someone prone to sweaty hands, it may be worth paying the extra for the
cycling specific gloves.
--
Danny Colyer (my reply address is valid but checked infrequently)
<URL:http://www.colyer.plus.com/danny/>
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"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine