Riding without gloves - why?
I'm seeing more and more competitive riders go without gloves, both local club riders and the pros. I'm a fan of gloves to manage sweat on my hands for better grip, plus they're great for wiping away snot. I get that gloves are not necessary for every ride, but when it's cold, I want to keep my fingers warm. While watching spring classics I'm seeing many pros riding with bare handed in cold/wet temps - :foo: Why?
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From your castle, you don't have power to command the choices of others, that is why..
they can make their own choices.. tour down under is in austral summer. ... |
They want to avoid glove tan lines?
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Weight and wind resistance.
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And, every crash, they remove a little more skin. Drops their climbing weight gram by gram. (And they can put the money saved in trashed gloves toward lighter tires.
Ben |
Originally Posted by fietsbob
(Post 20222737)
From your castle, you don't have power to command the choices of others, that is why..
they can make their own choices.. tour down under is in austral summer. ... When did the Tour Down Under get added to the Spring Classics? :rolleyes: |
Since you're mostly getting smartass answers, I'll offer a thought: perhaps the bikes (esp those used for the Spring Classics) have gotten compliant enough that padded gloves aren't necessary for comfort, at least for some riders?
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Now, they start the pro racing season in Australia.
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I'm not racing, and not crashing hard.
I seem to generally jump from winter gloves to nothing. My hands sweat when covered, not so much when not covered. I find the fingers handy... even my cell phone likes fingers better than gloves. And, while I do have fingerless gloves, they really don't do it for me either. |
Originally Posted by indyfabz
(Post 20222743)
They want to avoid glove tan lines?
The OP asked a legitimate question. That doesn't mean we can't be witty. As long as we are not mean about it. |
Originally Posted by CliffordK
(Post 20222911)
I'm not racing, and not crashing hard.
I seem to generally jump from winter gloves to nothing. My hands sweat when covered, not so much when not covered. I find the fingers handy... even my cell phone likes fingers better than gloves. And, while I do have fingerless gloves, they really don't do it for me either. |
Originally Posted by PdalPowr
(Post 20222938)
My first smile of the day. :)
The OP asked a legitimate question. That doesn't mean we can't be witty. As long as we are not mean about it. I honestly curious to hear from competitive cyclist. But mostly I'm trying to escape from my working and my over-complicated personal life (moving my house and kid getting married in few weeks). For reference, here's a clip from stage 1 of Paris-Nice: It's clearly cold, most riders are wearing arm and leg warms, but there are a fair number of bare hands ??? For reference, I LOVE winter riding, most riders coldest ride is nice day to me (see my profile, I'm in Minnesota, we do temps below 0F - I race in these conditions) |
Originally Posted by Koyote
(Post 20222885)
Since you're mostly getting smartass answers, I'll offer a thought: perhaps the bikes (esp those used for the Spring Classics) have gotten compliant enough that padded gloves aren't necessary for comfort, at least for some riders?
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Originally Posted by Hypno Toad
(Post 20222724)
I'm seeing more and more competitive riders go without gloves, both local club riders and the pros. I'm a fan of gloves to manage sweat on my hands for better grip, plus they're great for wiping away snot. I get that gloves are not necessary for every ride, but when it's cold, I want to keep my fingers warm. While watching spring classics I'm seeing many pros riding with bare handed in cold/wet temps - :foo: Why?
While asking why questions, mine would be why would anybody who's made his own personal decision about something as trivial as gloves care why someone else opts to do it differently. |
When I first started riding after a several year hiatus, I fell over and sliced the side of my palm open on a sharp metal object. Had to go to the ER and get some stitches. The Doc said I was a fraction of an inch away from severing the nerve that worked my little finger. Guess who now wears gloves? :D
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I always ride with gloves, I don't know why everyone doesn't. Never thought about it much. Insurance against lost skin in a crash at the very least
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I wear fingerless gloves all the time when riding. While it provides protection and some padding, the main reason I've worn them is for a more secure grip over what would otherwise be sweaty hands on the bars. This comes mostly from mountain biking though. Even mountain bikers go gloveless however, so I assume it depends on how much your hands sweat or the type of grips you use.
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I can't imagine riding without them!
An old fart now, I grew up on a horse farm and there you didn't do anything without gloves, let alone ride one of those things. I'd more easily take off without my necessary mirror than leave gloves behind. Wouldn't make it two revolutions of the crank without pining for my leather handwear. Yikes, no gloves? What's next? |
Originally Posted by Hypno Toad
(Post 20222980)
Please have fun, I'm loving it.
I honestly curious to hear from competitive cyclist. But mostly I'm trying to escape from my working and my over-complicated personal life (moving my house and kid getting married in few weeks). For reference, here's a clip from stage 1 of Paris-Nice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aFO5waMRB0 It's clearly cold, most riders are wearing arm and leg warms, but there are a fair number of bare hands ??? For reference, I LOVE winter riding, most riders coldest ride is nice day to me (see my profile, I'm in Minnesota, we do temps below 0F - I race in these conditions) |
The Belgian, aspiring next Merckx hardmen, in training , don't want to be mistaken for some soft bike tourists..
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
(Post 20222737)
From your castle, you don't have power to command the choices of others, that is why..
they can make their own choices.. tour down under is in austral summer. ...
Originally Posted by FBinNY
(Post 20223015)
Because they prefer to for whatever reason.
While asking why questions, mine would be why would anybody who's made his own personal decision about something as trivial as gloves care why someone else opts to do it differently. |
Personally, I prefer not to wear gloves during warm weather. I have become a fan of Fizik tape that provides a good grip and just the right amount of padding for bare hands. I will hardly ever wear gloves when commuting/training/JRA, only wearing gloves in races. And even then, I sometimes forget.
Nevada City, two years ago (?). Bare handed, probably because I forgot to throw them in my race bag. http://78.media.tumblr.com/b281f2e13...158mo1_500.jpg |
Originally Posted by FBinNY
(Post 20223015)
Because they prefer to for whatever reason.
While asking why questions, mine would be why would anybody who's made his own personal decision about something as trivial as gloves care why someone else opts to do it differently. |
Originally Posted by caloso
(Post 20223143)
Personally, I prefer not to wear gloves during warm weather. I have become a fan of Fizik tape that provides a good grip and just the right amount of padding for bare hands. I will hardly ever wear gloves when commuting/training/JRA, only wearing gloves in races. And even then, I sometimes forget.
Nevada City, two years ago (?). Bare handed, probably because I forgot to throw them in my race bag. http://78.media.tumblr.com/b281f2e13...158mo1_500.jpg Thanks for the info, I might try some Fizik tape for my road bikes. |
1 Attachment(s)
Originally Posted by caloso
(Post 20223088)
My guess is that they were wearing gloves but they were too heavy for the conditions and decided to take them off. It looks cool, not frigid cold, and they were in the break so working very hard. Hands are one of the key areas to regulate temperature so it probably just helped them maintain comfort.
I'm a competitive rider*, and I've raced in the Spring Classic kinda of conditions. The pic below was the 2017 Almanzo 100 with temps between 32 and 38F with steady rain. There was a wide range of gear on riders based on preference and needs. In this pic you'll see a rider with pogies, and I'm wear basic MTB glove (nothing thermal). My gloves were just enough to keep my hands from getting too cold in these conditions, but you need to keep moving or your fingers we go cold fast. Attachment 603319 Photo credit - David Phillips / Spring Valley Tribune (HypnoToad is the right in the black jacket on the drop-bar fatbike) *I'm using this term loosely |
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