Winter gloves - gloves for *REAL* winter
 

I've enjoyed a pair of Pearl Izumi Pro winter gloves for many years. It appears I lost them at The Filthy 50

Do I replacing them with another pair of PI gloves or 45NRTH?

45NRTH Sturfist 4 are $130 - I'm leaning this way since 45NRTH is a hometown brand

Pearl Izumi P.R.O. AmFIB Super Glove are $120 - Can't discount the many happy winter miles with PI gloves

Please let me know if you're riding with either of these glove - I'd like to hear your cheers and jeers.

I'll share my personal history with the PI gloves. I've used them through four Minnesota winters. I find them warm enough that I don't need pogies, even in sub-zero temps (plus I can't use average pogies on the drop-bar Pug). I like that the insulation in these gloves, it keeps hands warm when wet with sweat or what ever you see in the pic below. They've held up in the worst conditions (again, reference below).

The PI glove on their last ride (keeping my hands warm) at the 2019 Filthy 50

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2c14c17af3.jpg
Photo credit Markman Outdoor Photography

Footnote - I have a message out to the lost and found, the race organizer (riding buddy). He's is out of town and will let me know if he has them when he's back home.

I use merino wool liner gloves and a pair of softshell/fleece mittens that are actually meant for cross-country skiing. I've found most of the cycling specific gloves and mitts don't have enough insulation for Calgary temperatures, and the ones meant for ice climbing and whatnot are not breathable enough. I haven't tried the 45NRTH gloves, though; they look really good. I know the boots and pogies from that brand are very good.

I have Raynauds syndrome in my hands so once they get cold, that's it, I can't move them at all and it takes hours to warm back up.

I am fortunate to have a hot engine and good circulation. I'm able to dress lighter than most while riding and be comfortable. Referencing the photo above, with temps around freezing, I rode glove free after the first major climb (mile 5) and put them back on when we turned into the wind (mile 25). The snow was falling around mile 20 and other riders kept commenting on my bare hands ... but I was too hot to put them back on.

I should have said that I've been through many gloves over the years. I started with snowboard mittens, they are OK with flat-bars on my old SS winter-commuter, but with drop-bars on my Pugsley I need at least some fingers separated. I've had some Bontrager winter gloves - I'd expect the Wisconsin brand to be good with cold gear, but these are never warm once wet with sweat or rain/sleet.

I made the leap to Pearl Izumi, getting them with year-end discount. I wasn't sure how good PI would be for deep cold, and have been very impressed! The only thing that'd make them better is a GPS tracker to find them when I can't find them :innocent:

I really like the 45NRTH merino wool liner gloves, and I've loved other 45NRTH products like their Wölvhammer boots; and wool items, like the Toaster Fork and Greazy.

I think I'll end up going to the local shop and trying both options on for fit/comfort and let that make the decision ... I don't think I can go wrong with either option.

The PI gloves look like my <25F gloves, although I don't recognize all the typing at the end of the name. (Did a cat get loose and walk across a keyboard sometime in the last few years?) I haven't used those below 7F, but they've been good enough down to that low.

If you do go with the 45Nrth, how about a report next spring?

I have a cool engine and very ling, skinny limbs. In real winters, gloves, for me, suck. That simple. (I say "real winters" because you can see I live in Portland, OR where the winters aren't. But I grew up outside Boston and spent 6 winters in Ann Arbor, bicycle commuting both places year 'round.

I am a huge fan of mittens, especially "chopper mitts', those big deerskin mittens intended for chopping ans splitting wood. I wear inner mittens of wool or synthetic under them. (Finding good inner mittens is a challenge. I want mittens that DO NOT HAVE leather palms, optional fingers or any other gadget features, just simple mittens like mom made us as kids. Mittens you could get from places like LL Bean for decades.

That combo works really, really well for winter cycling - as long as you do not need finger dexterity to operate fancy shifters and the like. Four huge pluses is that you can pull them off easily while riding to access pockets and get them back on quickly still riding. With your fingers together, your hands warm quite fast after you've handled cold metal to fix a mechanical or tire. They are very versatle temperature wise. The outer and inner mittens that work well below 20F work nearly as well at 60F with the inners in your pocket. The grip on the handlebars is excellent; so good you have hand positions you don't have in summer that makes up for the ones you lose not being able to separate your fingers. (Hint - get your chopper mitts really big! I order XXL if I can find them. And the 5th advantage - they will outlast any "cycling" mitt or glove with minimal leather care. (SnowSeal once or twice a year.)

Edit: another plus - drying them out after sweaty rides is never an issue since pulling out the inner mitts is so easy. (And you probably already did while riding so you may not have sweated much. My experience with lined near waterproof mittens or gloves is that they become interesting experiments in the microscopic flora and fauna of damp places and pick up equally interesting aromas. That they dry quite slowly after washing.

Ben

I found silk liners keep your hands warm and dry- you can use one pair our and another pair home

+1 on the silk liners!

Just ordered another pair as I've worn a hole through several of the fingertips on the pair I used all of last winter. I get a bit more use out of them by darning the holes but after the second time holes develop, I just toss the glove.

Rather than spending $130 on some very nice gloves, may I suggest Bar Mitts?

Seriously, they are nice. I used to ride with snowboarding gloves when the weather turned sour. Now there isn't hardly any need for gloves at all.

There is a few different kinds of Bar Mitts, so be sure to choose the kind that fits your bar/cable arrangement.

I've got a local buddy that makes pogies and he'd be happy to help with custom pogies to fit my Woodchippers. I have a set his pogies for Lisa's Pugsley and used them happily before converting to drop-bars. They are a good solutions! When I set up a flat-bar fatbike (N+1), this will be the solution.

OTOH - For the drop-bar set up, I've had great experience with my PI gloves and will want that option available.

As another data point about this Toad, I'm planning to ride the Arrowhead 135. I will need both pogies and warm gloves for this ride.

Most of the time I just ride with insulated leather palm ragg wool gloves.

When it gets windy I wear a shell over them. The shells I'm using are from a pair of Black Diamond Soloist Alpine climbing gloves. The BD gloves are so far the only glove I've found so far where the shell part is just a shell so they work great for layering over my wool gloves when the inner glove is removed. If my hands do manage to sweat on a ride I can just switch wool gloves and move the shells over. https://www.blackdiamondequipment.co...01691_cfg.html

Personally one piece gloves with synthetic insulation never seem to work for me. The light weight high loft insulation on the palm side goes flat when gripping the handlebars. At least wool has the bulk to avoid being squished completely flat.

I don't ride in the winter any more, but I DID deliver mail as a walking mail carrier for 33 years. My gloves had to be thin enough to have dexterity when handling mail, block wind/water and keep my fingers warm. The best I found for my winter outdoor use have been https://www.sealskinzusa.com/gloves. They have several varieties made for winter cycling.

Arrowhead
 

Will be curious to see your arrowhead setup. I see they require a qualifier, or I should say request that you have completed something similar before doing the arrowhead...what similar ride have your tried? I think I might like to try this, but would definitely want to try a much shorter...less harsh beginner race, lol.

I'm no help on the gloves. I use a lobster claw mitten intended for equestrian sports. I have no trouble shifting a road bike with them, but when it gets seriously cold, there's usually snow on the ground, so then I'm on Pugs, which is flat bar with pogies....hardly need gloves with those, which solves the cold hands for the first 3 miles of my ride problem, lol.

I've completed The DAMn twice (240-mile one-day race) - I believe this is qualifying. I've done some 35 to 45 mile races in sub-zero temps; however, I will definitely find a winter endurance race prior to my AH135 attempt. I'm lucky to have a group friends that have completed of AH135.... I have a lot of knowledge and encouragement.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b623fefcfd.jpg

2018 Fatbike Loppet (same day as we set the record for coldest host city for the Super Bowl) - I rode the race and rode home from the finish for a total of 33 miles when temps barely reached 0F


My biggest challenge with the AH135, getting life to calm down enough to allow me the time and budget to set up for the race.

I splurged on the Perl Izumi winter biking gloves, now going in their fourth season of heavy winter riding - they work very well for my conditions (0-32F)

Plus they are neon-victory yellow, so they are highly visible.

The Tuscobia is an 80 miler that I believe serves as a qualifier.

I've been using IceArmor gloves and mittens for about everything. Built for ice fishing they are wind and water resistant and come in different styles.

One thing I've found is wearing my Windstopper spring/fall non-insulated gloves as liners, with the insulation OVER the shell, works better than the insulation/liner next to skin. My hands get cold and anything under 40 has been a challenge for me. I've had issues with wetting out liners/insulation too. The WS layer gives you a smaller micro-climate to warm, manages moisture better than insulation, and doesn't compress/bunch keeping circulation going. The insulation doesn't work as well, but it doesn't get as bunched up under your hand allowing it to work and the air keeps the insulation dry.
Doesn't seem like the right idea, but it's easy to try. I'd suggest doing the Pepsi challenge.

One problem I've found with dedicated winder gloves is that they don't have much palm-side insulation. This is OK for foam MTB grips, but on road bars, the bars transmit a lot of cold to your hands through the tape - another area where liners/dedicated insulation helps.

+ 3 on 100% SILK Glove Liners!!!!!!!!!!
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https://www.landsend.com/products/me...iner/id_187942

Ah135
 

Very lucky to have folks to ride with that have done AH135 before. I'm sure your DAM ride is a qualifier, lol. Believe someone else mentioned the race over in WI that is similar to AH, though shorter. I'd need to collect all of the gear that they want you to have for survival...-50 sleeping bag, holy cats! Too bad (this is only from what I've read) that the AH course isn't entirely rideable during the non-frozen season. I would imagine that it would be a pretty ride...probably pretty in winter too, lol.

Perhaps the race in WI is the Birkie? Though that's in March, when the temps aren't that extreme (usually),

BTW, @Hypno Toad. I know a group that does an urban century in the Twin Cities on New Years Day, no matter what the weather. PM me if you are interested.

Midtown? They are a great crew, many good friends that ride with that club ... and they are super open to have anybody join their rides (none of that exclusive team crap). I'd love to join them on NYD, but I always have family commitments during New Years. (stupid family gets in the way of biking :p )

Yes, Midtown. And of course, rides 3 days a week, year round.

That's funny, I was recently joking with my wife about Pearl Izumi's naming conventions. They decided to go extremely verbose with the product names, while the boutique clothing makers give their items cool one word names. It's good stuff though.

I have frozen fingers in 30 degree weather, so I'll definitely try out one of the gloves in this thread.

AH Qualifier
 

tuscobia is the WI qualifier I was thinking of. I don’t think it is quite as brutal as AH.

I understand that the OP wants gloves, not bar mitts, but for the record, there are bar mitts available for drop bar bikes. For example Maybe I'm not understanding, Hypno Toad, but the way you've described the pros and cons, it sounds like you're thinking that bar mitts are not available for drop bars.