hhnngg1

Rainy up here this past weekend. Rode conservatively on all descents, but then in the final miles back home, I lost my mind in trying to catch a right turn stoplight before it changed, and took a low-speed spill (braked pretty well in the midst of the skid, fortunately).

Managed to have my full-finger glove take the brunt of the skid. My hand was completely unscathed, albeit sore for a day. I also somehow managed to give myself a small patch of thigh road rash without tearing the bib, but that's already healing well.

Without the glove, that would have been a pretty nasty road rash burn on my palm. These gloves were pretty thick, good, newish gloves and the skid put a small rip right through the padding on the landing spot.

I also managed to motivate and bought a small sewing kit and sewed the hole up nice and good with black thread. I'd recommend it if you tear your glove - if you put enough passes into the repair, it seems very strong, and was a good rescue of an otherwise fairly new $70 bike glove that's now back in functioning order.

Thumbs up for gloves for skin protection.

waynesworld

That is the real reason to wear gloves. Not comfort while riding, but in case of a crash. Same thing with motorcycles.

BoomMcNasty

I like these and you can't beat the price.

https://www.mechanix.com/the-original-vent-covert-glove

Rimmer

I'm not convinced the glove saved your hand from a rash. Just like when a cracked helmet makes people think it saved their life when it probably didn't do anything.

10 Wheels

Gloves and helmets work.

I was riding behind a motorcycle when the bike went down.

The rider slid on the asphalt at 45 mph on his hands and knees.

Loaned him my gloves for his trip home.

waynesworld

And this is based on what? You really believe that scraping your hands across asphalt and gravel without gloves is just the same as with gloves? Same thing for the helmet.

hhnngg1

Yeah, odds are my hand would have come out unscathed when it took the brunt of the blow and tore a hole in the friggin' thick padded part. Right.

merlinextraligh

Were you wearing a base layer?

Rimmer

That's what I said.

I'm not convinced a little hole in the gloves saved his hands from getting hurt. You can't prove it did. If his hands did get hurt then boo hoo hoo. I've scraped my hands on asphalt plenty of times as a kid from running.

hhnngg1

Do you know how much force it takes to tear the padded section of a cycling glove? This isn't some tiny tear in the thin section - this is a rip through the padded section of the faux-leather reinforced part of good, $70 Gore bike gloves.

Given that my thigh was scraped and that took much less impact than my hand, I estimate I'd have shredded most of my palm if I wasn't wearing gloves. It wasn't a high speed slideout, but it was at least 15mph. You DEFINITELY want gloves for anything like that.

I never go riding outdoors without gloves anymore for this reason - although this is the first time I've actually fallen mainly on my hand hard enough to tear the palm section.

Nagrom_

Just let him think what he wants.

Hopefully he doesn't wear helmets or gloves.

waynesworld

You're right. I know better than to feed the trolls, but sometimes I do it anyway

Rimmer

I'm more concerned about fractures and torn ligaments and such than a little baby boo boo on my hand. I feel gloves reduce my hand coordination thus puts me at higher risk for accidents. Quite funny you now think they're a miracle item just because of a tear lol.

hhnngg1

Yeah, tough guys like you don't mind when you lose the entire layer of skin off most of your palm because it's a little baby boo boo. Methinks you haven't even ridden enough to really know what a real spill feels like.

Yet despite your toughness, you somehow have 'reduced coordination' because of several mm of fabric between you and the bar?? How uncoordinated are you?

(I do enjoy the trolls at times.)

TheOtherBob

Watch out, guys, this dude looks tough.

carpediemracing 

I wear long finger gloves, even in the summer. Skin the tips of your fingers once and you'll realize just how often something contacts your fingertips. Typing is also difficult with either bandaged or raw fingertips. On the plus side if you do skin the tips of your fingers you can commit a crime or two and not leave fingerprints behind.

Doohickie

I did something similar Saturday morning, and I think my gloves helped (although they weren't full finger. I actually pulled off a full belly flop onto the blacktop and apparently hydroplaned a bit, because despite hitting the ground with my chest, belly, both arms and both legs, I ended up with almost no road rash... just a sprained thumb, bent shifter and bent pedal.

escarpment

gloves work, The last time i rode without gloves involved me sliding out on gravel and loosing a big chunk of my palm, still have scars and a slight dent 4 months later. I have a feeling had gloves been on my hand, my hand would have been in much better shape.

Taipei325

OP...thanks for sharing your story. It's a situation we've all been in, especially on the way home. Where I ride, I climb up 1100 meters over a mountain and go back down the other side...ride a coastal area for a while, then back over the mountain. That means the last portion of my ride, when I'm tired, is all downhill, and very often wet. It's easy to get going at little too fast for the conditions and have something like you experienced. I agree, the gloves certainly helped a lot. I can't see the downside of gloves, other than my tan lines, and certainly if I go down, they can help protect a very sensitive part of the body!

Carbonfiberboy 

Went down in the wet a few weeks ago. Managed to do what I preach, which is hold onto the bars and go down with the bike. Hands on hoods, so lost a little material off the back of the glove, a little tearing of the outer clothing, some road rash under. Shorts and jersey weren't torn, though. It's amazing how one can get road rash under untorn clothing. We were only doing about 15 mph on our tandem. Stoker had about the same damage. Tegaderm fixed everything.

But the reason I bother to post this comment is that my most serious injury was from my wedding ring. It was trapped between the asphalt and brifter for a moment and made a deep cut in my finger, plus squashed the ring some. Luckily, not too bad, was able to get the ring off, not a lot of blood. Finished the ride. Probably should have had a stitch or two, but made do with butterflies. Anyway, I put it on my pre-ride list to leave the wedding ring at home. Could have lost my finger or had it become unusable. So, yes gloves, no rings.

Dunbar

The 41 has reached a new level of stupidity.

Nagrom_

No, it's just him.

Looigi

I'm guessing you probably hit your head on on asphalt a number of times too...

miwoodar

Me too. I'm happy to shred those rather than my fingers/palms.

Jandro 

This.

Rimmer, please continue to not wear a helmet or gloves. Be sure to flex at people as you pass them on the MUP, just so they know how tough you are.