WanderingAlbatr

I have been trying a number of fingerless road gloves and have not had much luck with fit, durability, and comfort. I typically ride 25 to 100 miles on an endurance bike.

The cheaper gloves do not typically fit well and have limited durability. Some have had threads coming out after a few rides. Also, I am looking for a glove with a medium to high cushion and I have found that good quality padding is not always used even on some of the higher-end gloves.

I have tried no name knock-offs, Giro, Gore, Pearl Izumi, etc. Looking for something ideally under $50 a pair.

I look forward to everyone's recommendations.

10 Wheels

I use these and just snip off the finger ends.

Mechanix Wear MG-05-009 Mechanics Gloves | Size M, L, XL New with Tags | eBay

WhyFi

Do you feel that you need the gloves for protection in the event of a fall, or something? If not, I prefer no gloves and good bar tape.

If you want gloves for the additional padding, you may be weighting your hands/arms too much.

mstateglfr 

https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/...upple-bar-tape

5mm thick bar tape, which is 2x thicker than a lot of typical bar tape.
Then whatever gloves you want. If you arent comfortable still, then you need to look at your fit on the bike.

genejockey 

I like Giro's ZeroCS, because they've got zero padding but provide a non-slip grip I don't get with sweaty hands. I absolutely cannot stand gel gloves - the padding is always too think and in the wrong places.

Ogsarg

I've got 4 summers on some Louis Garneu fingerless gloves that are still in great shape. They were relatively inexpensive as I recall but don't remember where I got them. They are padded but not real thick. Can't think of any fingerless gloves that have thick pads.
You may want to put some gel pads under your bar tape and then going with unpadded or lightly padded gloves, which will get you a bigger selection. I bought my first road bike used and it had gel pads. Similar feel to having the padding on the gloves.

GlennR

I've used pearl izumi elite gloves for years. Not cheap, $45, but i get plenty of miles on them.

cloud

I use copper fit gloves .

Carbonfiberboy 

I've been using Serfas RSM gloves for a couple years, same and only pair. I've decided I like them. So far, no obvious wear. I have many pair of various makes, but for some reason I've been using these for indoor cycling, where they've worked very well.

diphthong

double wrap the handlebars for starters. some riders prefer bigger tires to soak up the vibrations...some of us prefer the smaller tires for their nimbleness
along with double wrapped h-bars and padded gloves to soak up the road vibrations. that wrist area is a complicated one and altho i don't put a ton of pressure
on them generally, that plus heavy braking on steep slopes does a number on them. i'll spend a little extra to protect the wrists vs the feeling every bump in the
road thankyouverymuch.

i've been happy with chiba gloves for the last 5-6 years.

https://www.chiba.de/en/

Carbonfiberboy 

IMO gloves do a lot more than protect against road rash. Good ones are designed and padded to protect the ulnar nerve, which helps to protect one from cyclist's palsy. Foe me, bar wrap is for grip and warmth on cold days. My hands don't particularly notice vibration even using gloves with no padding at all, just a thin leather palm.

canklecat

All my fingerless cycling gloves developed a few loose threads the first year but overall lasted well for years. I'm still using a set of inexpensive Garneau gloves from 2015 or '16, no problems. Even a very thin set of Giro minimalist gloves are still holding up despite a couple of loose threads -- the seams didn't continue pulling apart.

These have held up much better than the old school leather and crocheted gloves I wore back in the 1970s. Those things never lasted more than a year or two.

If I had my druthers I'd get a non-existent pair of Bontrager gloves: a fingerless version of their now-discontinued cool weather full finger RXL Thermal gloves. Toughest and most comfortable unpadded gloves I've ever found. No loose threads, unraveled seams, or structural deterioration at all. Even after a few minor slips and falls there's nothing worse than minor scuffs on the leatherette palms.

mstateglfr 

I need to mention this thread to my wife- she can smell my gloves from a room away in the summer, and I wash them with regularity and only keep em for a year or two. Some here have em for 4 and 5 years!

rsbob 

Interesting how they develop their own funky smell. Like a cross between sweat, sun tan lotion and some alien roadkill. I hand wash mine but the smell returns in a week or two.

So, do folks no longer use their gloved hands to “sweep” glass and other debris from their tires while riding? I have done this on both tires for years to proactively prevent flats. Once I got the hang of it, which took a bit, it has become second nature. No gloves, thin gloves, fendered bikes certainly don’t work. But am I alone in this or are people too afraid to reach down while riding.

BTW I use Perl Izumi padded gloves which last a couple to three years, probably because of the way I use them. But see them as disposable items.

Carbonfiberboy 

I still have mine because I only use them on one hot, long event ride. They are great gloves.

Carbonfiberboy 

Mine don't smell. I machine wash them every week in a net bag, along with the rest of my bike laundry, gentle cycle, warm water, Atsko SPORT-WASH, dryer set to Low. I wash everything that way, including the stuff that says hand wash, drip dry. Never had a problem. Try that SPORT-WASH, good stuff.

Warning for the novice tire-wiper: on the rear tire, only touch it aft of the seat stays! A buddy of mine once forgot and tried it in front of the seat stays, got his hand wedged between the seat tube and tire, which locked up his rear wheel and was very painful to boot.

rsbob 

Thanks for the tip on Sport Wash.

Your phrase, “tire-wipers” made me smile, but am a bit immature for my age.

WanderingAlbatr

Thank you for all of the feedback!

I got the new bike a few months ago and I still getting the fit dialed in. At times I am getting sensitivity at the center base of my palms. I did not have this issue with my previous bike nearly as much.

I might have too much weight on my palms. I ordered a shorter stem to give that a try along with double checking the seat location. I also plan to try out some of the mentioned gloves.

The endurance bike has 28 mm tires so the ride is well cushioned. It seems that the hand issue is mainly due to too much load on my palms and not as much due to vibration.

I also like the idea of the thicker bar tape. Right now, I just have the factory bar tape. The bar diameter is larger than my previous bike so that should help a little.

Koyote

All these people reporting that their gloves last for a year, or three years, or whatever, might want to consider that chronological time is irrelevant. Mileage is all that matters.

I probably get about 5k - 6k miles from a pair of half-finger gloves before replacing them...The gel padding (I like that type) starts to break down, or the gloves are stretched out and loose from use, etc.

As for brand: Specialized.

WhyFi

Do you ride on your gloves?

Koyote

I wear my gloves while riding, which is what wears them out.

They don't wear out while sitting on my workbench.

WhyFi

If Strava tells you that this month your gloves have biked about 500 miles with 35,000 ft of elevation gain, about how many miles would that be equivalent to if the elevation gain were a few hundred feet?

Koyote

Don't be silly. Everyone knows it's the descents that wear out gloves.

WhyFi

I get the feeling that you're not treating this with the seriousness that it deserves. *sigh*

WanderingAlbatr

I ordered some Louis Garneu fingerless gloves to try out.