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Step 5You need hands
Again, as a motorcyclist I splashed out for armoured gloves because one broken knuckle is quite enough for me. However, they proved to not live up to their "winter" name by being freezing cold as soon as I rode to Cambridge at 50mph on a chilly morning. This occasion was probably the height of my winter clothing improvisational powers, by the necessity of getting there with all my fingers still attached. The problem of keeping my hands warm while cycling (so requiring dexterity to change gears but cold/wind/rain resistance) confounded me for a long time.
The problem with the misleadingly named "winter" gloves I bought was that the waterproof semipermeable layer is inside the insulation, so at any significant speed the insulation becomes more or less useless. However, as the gloves themselves are quite roomy I rectified this by buying the smallest, snuggest pair of gloves I could find (specifically, ladies 1% spandex thermal gloves) and wearing them underneath the bike gloves. This provided the magical insulation-inside-windproof layers needed.
The other alternative is to add a waterproof layer outside of the gloves, which I achieved with disposable latex gloves. Yep, the sort dentists and mechanics wear. They look seven kinds of ridiculous but work frighteningly well over the top of a pair of warm gloves at keeping the winter out. They aren't great for breathability, so might not be the best for long bike rides, though. Also, if you want to maintain a slight modicum of inconspicuousness, I suggest the translucent gloves rather than bright yellow marigolds with faux-fur cuffs, but hey- to each his own.
Proper winter gloves:
Cost: **
Weather resistance: *****
Looking stupid: *****
Thermals underneath bike gloves:
Cost: ***
Weather resistance: *****
Looking stupid: *****
Rubber gloves over normal gloves:
Cost: *****
Weather resistance: *****
Looking stupid: -
Yes, I just created a special zero-star category for that last option- but if you're blasting past bored commuters you are never going to see again at a relative speed of 115 mph, who cares how stupid they look?
The problem with the misleadingly named "winter" gloves I bought was that the waterproof semipermeable layer is inside the insulation, so at any significant speed the insulation becomes more or less useless. However, as the gloves themselves are quite roomy I rectified this by buying the smallest, snuggest pair of gloves I could find (specifically, ladies 1% spandex thermal gloves) and wearing them underneath the bike gloves. This provided the magical insulation-inside-windproof layers needed.
The other alternative is to add a waterproof layer outside of the gloves, which I achieved with disposable latex gloves. Yep, the sort dentists and mechanics wear. They look seven kinds of ridiculous but work frighteningly well over the top of a pair of warm gloves at keeping the winter out. They aren't great for breathability, so might not be the best for long bike rides, though. Also, if you want to maintain a slight modicum of inconspicuousness, I suggest the translucent gloves rather than bright yellow marigolds with faux-fur cuffs, but hey- to each his own.
Proper winter gloves:
Cost: **
Weather resistance: *****
Looking stupid: *****
Thermals underneath bike gloves:
Cost: ***
Weather resistance: *****
Looking stupid: *****
Rubber gloves over normal gloves:
Cost: *****
Weather resistance: *****
Looking stupid: -
Yes, I just created a special zero-star category for that last option- but if you're blasting past bored commuters you are never going to see again at a relative speed of 115 mph, who cares how stupid they look?
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