Seeking out a good pair of winter cycling gloves can sometimes seem like one of the hardest challenges for cyclists. You usually end up with a pair that is too sweaty, not warm enough or one that lets so much water in you wonder why you ever put the glove on in the first place.
With this challenge in mind I though this post would be a good place to list everyone’s recommendations, some of my winter cycling glove recommendations and see also what you guys here on London Cyclist Blog had to say on the matter.
Are winter cycling gloves worth it?
As with any specialist cycling equipment the question often arises as to whether it is worth it. I’m often asked: Am I not just okay with my normal gloves? You can replace the words normal gloves with: normal shorts, normal trainers, normal jacket etc.
Usually this is absolutely fine in two situations. A) You only cycle a small distance and B) You are really not interested in any of the performance and comfort benefits.
Good winter cycling gloves should provide grip so your hands don’t end up slipping off the handlebars. They should not be too bulky so you still have a good feel of the cycle. Also they should provide a good combination between being breathable and waterproof. Finally they should look good (or at least not ugly!).
Your winter cycling glove recommendations
As always my Twitterers came to my rescue with these useful recommendations:
cg__ I’ve seen mixed reviews but personally I swear by my Seal Skinz Road cycling gloves #wintercycling
garylee007 I have a pair of assos thin inners under a pair of north face windstoppers. About £45 for both sets combined. The NF ones are excellent in themselves down to about +2 degrees. Any decent outdoor shop sells them.
HowardStredwick (Web) I use Thor Ride S9 gloves. Recommended as they are light, look, er, OK, and keep your mits warm for an hour at 0C.
suspectpackage had endura strikes for 2 years now, nice but not quite warm enough for the last couple of days though. Would recommend
grant_clark (Web) I’d be interested to hear recommendations. Not Sealskinz, wore them over the weekend and almost got frostbite.
Von_Cheam Tried Endura Strikes & Seal Skins this year. Seal Skins MUCH better! The best gloves I’ve ^ever^ seen, though, are nautical gloves – they’re insanely pricey, however! Motorcycle gloves are better at retaining warmth & offer better protection than cycle gloves – but they can be pretty bulky. I use winter cycle gloves for autumn & early spring (& for winter rides less than 1 or 2 miles) & motorcycle gloves in winter. Oh – and electrically-heated gloves are a useless, overpriced gimmick unless you get super-expensive skiers’ ones!
gavspicer All about the Seal Skinz in the winter
dangingery (Web) Sealskinz by a mile!
My recommendations
If you are looking for good value and at the same time a highly effective pair of winter cycling gloves then I would recommend the DHB Amberley which is available from Wiggle. I think they are majorly under discovered by people and come highly recommended by magazines such as Cycling Weekly. They provide a good combination of warmth and waterproofing. If I was to go out and buy a pair of winter cycling gloves then these would be at the top of my list.
The major appeal of these gloves is how thin they are meaning they don’t interfere with your cycling. They provide adequate warmth down to about 2-3 degrees but unfortunately they will leave your hands wet in all but the slightest bit of rain. For more effective use try combining them with inner gloves.
Craft Bike Siberian GloveThese gloves are built for those of us that seem to have cold hands all the time. They are extreme good at keeping hands warm and dry. At £25-£30 they offer good value for money. At any more than 6-7 degrees it’s likely hands will start getting a bit sweaty so they are only for true winter conditions.
As you can see from the comments on Twitter opinions on the Seal Skinz are really split. Overall I have heard a lot of positive opinions so I think they are worth recommending for winter cycling gloves.
Tips
This is another part of cycling where layers are really useful. If you are cold try putting an extra pair of thin inner gloves underneath. Then as you warm up you can pull them off.
A tip I once had recommended to me and that works well if you are getting wet hands is to buy some latex or non-latex gloves from the chemist and put them on underneath your cycling gloves. This keeps any water out that sneaks through.
Help me out!
I would appreciate your help in two ways. 1 – Your glove recommendations and 2 – spread this post to others who may find it useful through Facebook, Twitter, Stumbleupon etc. Thank you!
Another winter cycling glove well worth considering is Altura Night Vision. They a bit more expensive but are fully water and windproof as well as very warm. Don’t buy the matching coat though unless you’re a very slow cyclist – it’s not very breathable…
I’ve used seal skinz white-water molded gloves for the past 4 years, (the same pair) they are a bit $$ but worth it on cold wet winter days
As a matter of fact, the best gloves I have ever had are fleece gloves (the fiber name is Thinsulate) that I bought on the market for 6€ seven years ago (I check on the web and they are now at 15€)
I can use them even with 0°C on rmy road bike…
Only drawback : they are not waterproof..
Thanks for the tips. Very helpful and highly welcomed these days. I will spread the post.
I bought myself some gloves from the Chiba Wind Protection Line. I can recommend them.
Is there a good winter glove out there that has the tips of the inner liners attached to the outer so that they don’t pull out and get tangled into an impenetrable knot, preventing you getting the glove back on?
I might just not feel the cold that much, but I use the same gloves all year round. Normal full fingered gloves seem to work and in London if my hands get a bit cold I can always warm them up at the next set of traffic lights.
I did have a pair of sealskinz a few years back and they were good. Can’t find them now, as I’d like to try them out again.
While we are the subject of gloves I did hear about some good cycling gloves that had a reflective patch on the base so when you stuck your arm out to signal it was visible to vehicles behind you. Anyone know what these were?
I settled for the Pearl Izumi Women’s Softshell Winter Cycling Gloves…though I’ve yet to try them out. They seem sufficiently warm and not too bulky. I’m sure they will be much more adequate than my fluffy angora mittens (also surprisingly warm…just not practical for cycling…or the rain…and using them for cycling has actually ruined them now).
Pete – loggically there should be. Otherwise it may be worth buying some little clips from a DIY shop.
thereverent – Not sure about the ones you are referring to though I’m sure many of the glove designs feature reflective materials
Angi – Thanks for the recommendation! Those gloves seem good
BTW, I was bought a pair of gore wind stopper gloves for Christmas.
They are rubbish.
Thin and you cannot wear them by themselves as the wind stopper fabric gets really cold.
DO NOT BUY THESE unless you get inners for them.
Hey Gary, thanks for sharing your opinion on them and helping others