Fingerless gloves – newish tech?

[Salted_Peanut]

I like palm padding to reduce road vibrations but dislike seams that rub. Belatedly, I spotted various gloves—including premium brands MAAP, PEdALED and Q36.5—using seamless palms with Elastic Interface padding to take the sting out of run-down roads. Elastic Interface makes the best chamois for my derrière, but how good is it for the hands?

Cycling Weekly review of one pair: Whaddya think? The review mentions cushioning around the thumb and base of the index finger—a big positive for me, as I often blister there

[Robertb]

I think you’ve got to try some really, see if they suit … the Specialised BG range are very good, done many thousands of KMs on mine.

[Salted_Peanut]

Robertb said:

I think you’ve got to try some really, see if they suit …

That’s the trouble with gear for the primary contact points (gloves, bibs, shoes) – it’s essential for comfort, but trial and error isn’t cheap!

[outnumbered]

Robertb said:

I think you’ve got to try some really, see if they suit … the Specialised BG range are very good, done many thousands of KMs on mine.

I once bought a pair of Spec BG gloves that had various padding, and were specifically advertised as designed to avoid Ulnar nerve problems (not that I had Ulnar nerve problems).

After about 3 weeks use they actually caused me Ulnar nerve pain that required weeks of physio to resolve. Threw them in the bin and haven't had any trouble since, even with cheap gloves.

So I agree with your first point, you can only really know by trying them.

[mikecassie]

As mentioned by others, only by buying and trying will you know for sure. I have tried a few different brands with varying success, the best have been Specialized Grail mitts, they had padding that filled the hollow in the palm which made the palm all one level. I find too much padding like the ones in the link cause me more trouble than no gloves. I now use Castelli mitts with minimal padding which are also pretty good, having tried MAAP thinking the Elastic Interface padding would be good. It wasn't good for me...

[oddman]

Outside of racing, a lot of pros don't use gloves at all. That said they're not training on our pot holed roads. I tend to think about gloves as a grip/safety rather than a comfort item ie. always wear full finger on MTB. It's worth thinking about your bike fit and the amount of weight that's going through your hands. Agree that more padding can be worse. Best gloves I've had are a Fox pair that have no padding as such, just a robust suede type palm. There are bar tapes and gel pads that can be applied under tape to cut down road buzz.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

Whenever possible I don't use gloves. I hate the feel of most of them and on the motorbike I use MX gloves.


Contact 'feel' is more important on many levels.

[Mutts]

Robertb said:

I think you’ve got to try some really, see if they suit … the Specialised BG range are very good, done many thousands of KMs on mine.

I've got some 20yr old BG gloves. Need XXL and Specialized at the time were the only ones to do that size.

[oddman]

Outside of racing, a lot of pros don't use gloves at all. That said they're not training on our pot holed roads. I tend to think about gloves as a grip/safety rather than a comfort item ie. always wear full finger on MTB. It's worth thinking about your bike fit and the amount of weight that's going through your hands. Agree that more padding can be worse. Best gloves I've had are a Fox pair that have no padding as such, just a robust suede type palm. There are bar tapes and gel pads that can be applied under tape to cut down road buzz.

[7Llewelyn]

Call me a cheapskate but for £12 I don't think you can beat these from Screwfix:

[oddball1313]

I do suffer from tingling fingers due to carpel/ulna nerve pressure and cycling without gloves makes it really uncomfortable really quick, these have worked as well as anything for me

https://www.castelli-cycling.com/GB/en/Men/Cycling...