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Riding without gloves - why?

Old 03-14-18, 11:32 AM
  #1  
Hypno Toad
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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 - Why?

Last edited by Hypno Toad; 03-14-18 at 12:24 PM. Reason: fixing the ubiquitous typo
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Old 03-14-18, 11:37 AM
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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.





...
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Old 03-14-18, 11:39 AM
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They want to avoid glove tan lines?
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Old 03-14-18, 12:10 PM
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Weight and wind resistance.
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Old 03-14-18, 12:14 PM
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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
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Old 03-14-18, 12:23 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
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?
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Old 03-14-18, 12:30 PM
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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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Old 03-14-18, 12:44 PM
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Now, they start the pro racing season in Australia.
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Old 03-14-18, 12:44 PM
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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.
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Old 03-14-18, 12:53 PM
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
They want to avoid glove tan lines?
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.
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Old 03-14-18, 01:04 PM
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
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.
If I'm riding to the store or other casual riding, I don't wear gloves. But if I'm gonna ride hard and get hot, my hands get sweaty making my grip less secure. Maybe I have the wrong bartape??
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Old 03-14-18, 01:09 PM
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Originally Posted by PdalPowr
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.
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:


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)
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Old 03-14-18, 01:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Koyote
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?
I think the right bartape would help, and I know many riders will double wrap the bars for cobble races. But I feel there's more to this glove-less trend than the grip, padding, or vibration. Seeing riders in cold/wet days with bare hands but full coverage on their legs and arms, I'm kinda confused. (but that doesn't take much).
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Old 03-14-18, 01:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Hypno Toad
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 - Why?
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.
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Old 03-14-18, 01:28 PM
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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?
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Old 03-14-18, 01:34 PM
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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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Old 03-14-18, 01:35 PM
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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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Old 03-14-18, 01:50 PM
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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?
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Old 03-14-18, 01:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Hypno Toad
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)
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.
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Old 03-14-18, 01:58 PM
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The Belgian, aspiring next Merckx hardmen, in training , don't want to be mistaken for some soft bike tourists..
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Old 03-14-18, 02:06 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
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
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.
The OP didn't suggest that anyone should change anything he or she was doing, but rather asked the reasoning behind it. Perhaps, the answer might make a lot of sense to him and he'd start riding without gloves. If we're not here to ask, answer, and learn, then what are we here for?
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Old 03-14-18, 02:11 PM
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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.

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Old 03-14-18, 02:42 PM
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Originally Posted by FBinNY
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.
Now that's the humor that gets me to come to BF! If we applied this criteria to everything on BF, we'd be left with Introductions and Foo
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Old 03-14-18, 02:47 PM
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Originally Posted by caloso
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.

That looks like one hell of a hill!

Thanks for the info, I might try some Fizik tape for my road bikes.
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Old 03-14-18, 02:57 PM
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Originally Posted by caloso
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.
Interesting thought.

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.

18699370_10213181149386033_223983825322108508_o.jpg
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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