Hi there !
i suffer from poor circulation - I live in SoCal - so not super chilly but as it cools am loosing sensation in fingers descending
Reviews online are neer as good as the forum here -
Just looking for something MTB/XC specific in terms of good protection and ability to modulate brakes with 1 finger…
As mentioned nothing super thick as its California after all!
Thank you in advance for any recommendations!
Alex
I like the Handup Cold Weather gloves for mild winter riding, they aren’t super-insulated so they feel too warm and bulky but they block wind really well. They are my go-to for road rides on a cool fall morning, and any mountain biking down to near freezing. They aren’t quite as spectacular a fit as the everyday Handups but no complaints.
I’m a fan of 100% Briskar gloves. Leather palm with good grip and an insulated back.
I fight with gloves constantly. A problem with cardio is that you sweat, the gloves “breathe” but they really don’t clear the sweat, and then you just wet-out all your insulation. I’ve had good luck with unlined windstopper gloves between 50-65f-ish. Beyond that oversized shell gloves over textured fleece liners
A few solutions here:
In some cases, a non-wind blocking glove with a tight weave works well.
Gloves fit super tight, you lose a lot of heat with the conductive chilling. Getting something that can just push the wind layer off your skin, it helps a lot. Don’t be afraid to buy gloves that are too large. Think of them as wearable bar mitts.
Insulation wets out. We insulation has zero R factor. Wear layers. Separate wind blocking from insulation. Similarly, crushed insulation has zero R factor. What I’ve been doing is buying fleece gloves and them buying a shellglove 2 sizes bigger (XC skiing gloves).
there are meaty parts of your hands and bony/tendon parts of your hand. Bone and tendons don’t get much blood and are usually sitting in compressed insulation. You need to get the hot parts to the heat the cold parts. Most insulation prevents the hot from heating the cool. Some air movement inside the glove is good. Buying bigger helps here, but textured fleece like Polartec Grid helps here (specifically Black Diamond Grid fleece).
Another strategy that works here is putting the insulation OVER your wind layer. The fleece stays dry, the wind hitting the wind layer is reduced, you can sweat your hands off. Same with neoprene gloves, just cover your hands with foam insulation.
thank you so much
i really struggle even in mild temps with loss of feeling and have never found a. solution!
Loss of feeling where exactly? This can also be an upstream issue. Keep your elbow and wrists warm. These are also areas lacking meat to maintain the heat. They have a lot blood vessels and nerves, which might be impacting your fingers. Maybe try dressing with arm and chest wind protection, less protected backs and belly.
thank you - it was 50’s today really quite sunny - after 10mins descending i had lost all sensation in my hands! quite terrifying
Unique glove recommendation was in this article.
I also suffer from poor circulation in my hands and feet (I ski with heated mittens and toe warmers basically all season because it’s that bad) and really struggle with gloves that keep my hands warm for rides in the upper 30s up to about 50 (I don’t bike if it’s near or below freezing). Although not bike-specific, I’ve found that the Outdoor Research StormTracker gloves work great for biking and also keep my hands reasonably warm at those temps (better than anything else I’ve tried). They have good windproofing and are reasonably warm while still being pretty breathable (that said, I don’t think I’ve had an issue with my hands sweating when it’s cold ever so YMMV). They might be a little warm for CA though depending on how cold your rides typically are and how cold your hands get.
thank you ! i am on a mission and am going to A-B as many products as i can to find a solution !