[Dh builder]

It got cold here so I wore thicker riding gloves, the problem I am having is that I can't ride the bike as well as thicker riding gloves cause me to have less feel of the handlebars. I found that proper gloves really make a huge difference on how well you can ride especially if your riding on the edge all the time.

I wanted to ask if you guys have this issue and what do you do for gloves when riding in the colder weather?

Do you even change your gloves in the winter time?

I am trying to get ideas on how to ride in the winter and still have good control. Do you think using summer gloves and hand warmers in the gloves will prevent your fingers from going numb?

 

[Dirk77]

not sure on the glove sityation but I just put some odi rogues on my trailbike.. wow what a difference a thicker grip can make. They felt great, until i hit some more gnarly sections of my locals trails, then all of a sudden it felt like I was trying to hold onto two pop cans.. It took a few rides to get used to them, now I like them.

 

[jonKranked]

for winter mountain biking i use two pairs of gloves - a thin wool pair for warmth, and then a thin windproof pair over the wool gloves. i find that beating the wind is the crucial part.

 

[Bikael Molton]

^ more or less what he said.

It obviously depends on region and what level of winter-stupidity you want to get up to. Frozen drivetrains, snowbikes etc are not my thing.

 

[jonKranked]

for winter road or cx, i do have a pair of thicker bulky style gloves to keep my hands warmer, but i don't use them for MTB. i have the same experience - the extra bulk makes it more difficult to control.

 

[dan-o]

I wear the cold-weather Mechanics-style contractor gloves you find a good lumberyards.
Made for working so they're flexible with thin palms but they have a windproof layer and a little insulation on top.
Cheap too at around $30.

Manzella Ranch Hands are also good when a little more warmth is needed.

 

[StiHacka]

When the temps drop below 25F, you need some real insulation. I have an old pair of snowboarding gloves that get me through winters, but I do not ride really tech stuff most of the time because of snow/ice or weather and because I switch to SS / fixed gear for winter riding.

 

[jonKranked]

oh one thing i just remembered - sizing for winter gloves is crucial too. if they're too small/tight, they'll restrict circulation and make your hands colder quicker.

 

[mtg]

Yeah, using thicker gloves sucks, but it's better than not riding in the winter.

For dry and cold weather without a ton of wind (which makes up most of my winter riding), below are my favorite. The palm is one layer of leather with a super thin wool liner, and then two layers of wool on the sides/top. Warm, but still breathable and not terribly thick, however not much wind resistance. They're the Ibex Shak 2 layer glove.

 

[jstuhlman]

the extra bulk makes it more difficult to control.

thats what she says

 

[Jm_]

It got cold here so I wore thicker riding gloves, the problem I am having is that I can't ride the bike as well as thicker riding gloves cause me to have less feel of the handlebars. I found that proper gloves really make a huge difference on how well you can ride especially if your riding on the edge all the time.

I wanted to ask if you guys have this issue and what do you do for gloves when riding in the colder weather?

Do you even change your gloves in the winter time?

I am trying to get ideas on how to ride in the winter and still have good control. Do you think using summer gloves and hand warmers in the gloves will prevent your fingers from going numb?

Yep, the thicker the gloves, the more trouble I have. I was going to go to full winter gloves for a race a few weeks back, but I couldn't control my bike on the steep stuff or at speed. Switched to my pearl izumi windbreaker gloves (almost same as a regular glove, but wind-shell on the topside) with a boot-heater taped to the grips. Luckily it warmed up and worked fine.

For winter, we use pogies. Pogies are awesome because your hands stay so warm that you can use regular gloves inside, so it completely gets around the problem I was having above. Course, pogies would have looked dorky as hell, but when it gets cold, they are the best thing invented for winter bike IMO. We ride em when it gets cold on normal bikes, then transition to fat bikes when the snow gets on the ground. Yesterday was the first day I broke out the pogies.

Other things you can try is taping chemical boot-heaters around your bars, that helps and I do it from time to time. Thing is, with pogies, we are already slowed down due to riding on snow or a slick surface, so the "control" thing becomes less important (even though they allow for better control).

 

[Dh builder]

What about these heated grips. Just thought I would see if they made them for bikes.

http://www.amegrips.com/category/catalog/mountainbikeheated

Do you think heated grips will help?

 

[Jm_]

What about these heated grips. Just thought I would see if they made them for bikes.

http://www.amegrips.com/category/catalog/mountainbikeheated

Do you think heated grips will help?

They are $200. That will buy somewhere like almost 300 chemical foot heaters. It's not like you are going to keep heated grips on your bike all year long, right? Those mtb grips look funky too. Also, wear a light jacket with pockets and keep a chemical heater in each pocket, put your hands in there while riding up the lift or waiting for the race to start. Worked like a charm for me. Once going at race-pace during the race, your body is freaking out and operating at 110%, so there were no cold fingers, but waiting at the top can be a b*tch.

 

[jonKranked]

as long as we're on the winter riding topic... shoes... two years ago i ponied up for a pair of lake mxz303's.... my only regret is not buying them sooner.

 

[intensified]

agreed on the two pair of gloves. also, stick handwarmers inside the back of the glove on the non palm side.

 

[kidwoo]

What about these heated grips. Just thought I would see if they made them for bikes.

http://www.amegrips.com/category/catalog/mountainbikeheated

Do you think heated grips will help?

I needed a battery powered heater to keep a camera lens frost free on long cold nights shooting timelapses.

Cabelas makes some 20 dollar heated socks that run off two C batteries. Some fun with a seam ripper and I had two heating elements and a pair of socks that still work as normal socks.

I'd try something ghetto like that first.

 

[boostindoubles]

I used to ride with a pair of Giant winter gloves. They worked great for street riding in the winter. I liked the snot wiper soft spot. Like other people said it's about cutting the wind. I have a pair of handlebar sleeves that fit over my bars and I slide my bare hands in. They fit over my grips and controls. They are awesome but look retarded. It has to be cold cold to warrant them as they get hot on long climbs.