Winter Gloves for Scotland

eh

Anyone got any recmmendations for winter gloves for riding in the Scottish highlands this winter?

So far looked at the Sealskinz All Weather cycling and some Gore Wear Gortex ones anyone used these?

I guess around £40-50 is about my max budget, so I'm not looking at Assos or Rapha, no matter if they'll pedal the bike for me and make me the coolest person outside the M25.

giant_man

Well you can forget the Sealskinz 'all weather glove' because I'll bet you a tenner they're not waterproof!

cee

I have a pair of the Gore Bike Wear Countdown gloves...

highly recommended

cougie

I rode with Sealskins for the first time this weekend - was nice and warm on the bike and to test their waterproofness - I used them to dunk in the bucket of water as I cleaned my bike. They were pretty good ! Maybe they got slightly damp with immersion - but cant honestly say I got wet.

If you are going for cold weather protection though - I'd go for lobster mitts.

Lillywhite

eh wrote:

Anyone got any recmmendations for winter gloves for riding in the Scottish highlands this winter?

Check out this guy's clothing reviews. He lives on Islay.

http://www.thewashingmachinepost.net/

mrushton

Don't know if Islay gets the same weather as eg the Cairngorms as it's an island and there is literally nothing but sea and sky from the west coast to the Eastern Canada seaboard. So it's windy and wet. Also it's only 12 miles across so you aren't out all day

rhext

I'd never buy a pair of Sealskinz anything after investing in both gloves and socks.

Not only were the waterproof gloves not waterproof, but their construction (absorbent outer over an allegedly waterproof membrane) meant that the moment they got damp they lost any insulation properties they might have had when the were dry. I might be being a bit harsh on the socks in claiming they weren't waterproof: they certainly did a great job of keeping the icy water in. But regardless of whether the water came in through the top or the sides, they weren't warm.

I notice the construction has changed recently, so the comment above may not be relevant to this design. But I've also bought Gore products and never had anything except admiration for how well designed and constructed they are! TBH, if I were planning on cycling in the Highlands in Winter, I'd pop into one of the outdoor shops in Aviemore and buy the best pair of ski gloves I could afford.

bompington

Here on the edge of the Highlands Lidl winter cycling gloves at about a fiver do me just fine

unixnerd

I'd pop into one of the outdoor shops in Aviemore and buy the best pair of ski gloves I could afford.

That's what I did last year, on a smaller budget. I bought a set of Goretex ski gloves for 15 quid in a sale from a ski rental place, they're quite warm but if you're out in really heavy rain or sleet for a few hours they just soak it up. I had a two hour session in constant sleet last week and the gloves took two days to dry out. My Sealskinz hat was fine though. After an hour of two of cross country skiing in dry weather the sweat makes them a bit damp inside.

I'll also be after something better for this winter. I think I'll be spending at least 40 quid this time. The trouble is that if you get anything with great big thick fingers it makes changing gear a pain.

Hoopdriver

Sealskins are utter rubbish - might as well strap sponges to your hands. You could do no worse. Endura Deluge are no better - they just soak it up and freeze your hands.

I've been using Assos winter gloves - the set of three: base layer, winter glove, and lobster outer and they are great, at least down to minus-7 or so (the coldest temperatures in which I've had worn them) THey are water resistant, not waterproof, but the water resistance is at a sufficiently high level that I have no complaints.

If the Gore ones are waterproof I would be interested in getting a pair for touring. I've had great success with their Fusion jacket - wonderfully breathable and waterproof both - and if their gloves can do the same, I'll pick someup. Anybody given them a thorough try?

trailstar

assos early winter 851 gloves.. from ribble are coming in at £57.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... SSOZGLO400

use the code "TAKE10"

best winter gloves "money can buy".. even though they aren't horrificly priced.

When the proper snow hits, get some cheap merino glove liners.. and it adds some warmth on the inside

amaferanga

Best thing I've used that actually keep my hands dry in proper rain are a pair of goretex shell mitts. No liner - literally just the shell - so they don't soak up water like every pair of waterproof cycling gloves I've ever owned. So I would just wear my normal gloves under the shell and if the rain stops the shell mitts come off and I've got a pair of normal, dry (apart from a bit of sweat) gloves. Contrast to most waterproof cycling gloves that soak up the water and stay wet for days.

cougie

Hoopdriver wrote:

Sealskins are utter rubbish - might as well strap sponges to your hands. You could do no worse.

That may be their old versions ? I'm thinking if mine withstood immersion in a cold bucket of water - then they should be ok for riding in the rain ?

Full Merckx

Bought some Black Diamond ice climbing gloves from Tiso's. Cozy warm but definitely NOT waterproof as they said on the tin. My mate has a pir of lobster mitts that are completely waterproof that he got for climbing too but the useless git can't remember where from, so if anyone has any can you post up

small_bloke

I bought a pair of Gore Countdown last year £40, reasonably waterproof but wouldn't like to spend more than 1 hr in pouring rain. They will get soaked through. Outer layer is not waterproof as it has a Gore-Tex inner liner. Only warm enough down to +5 deg. No good for sub-zero. The grip is nice though as the whole palm and fingers have a synthetic leather. Last winter I packed them away and used Aldi Cycling gloves when temp dropped below +1 deg. Overall a waste of £40. Aldi £5 version will do the same job and still doing it this year - still warm at -3 deg.

For this year I may splash out. Would consider Craft Siberian Glove £23. Supposed to be good for sub-zero temps

Also heard about Specialized Sub-Zero glove at £40.

May also consider going to TK-Maxx tonight and seeing what Ski gloves they have for around £10-15. They are chunky but normally very warm.. I get cold hands very easily hence also looking to get a very warm glove. Sometimes I don't care about finger dexterity as dexterity dissapears when you hands are frozen anyway.

Hoopdriver

cougie wrote:

Hoopdriver wrote:

Sealskins are utter rubbish - might as well strap sponges to your hands. You could do no worse.

That may be their old versions ? I'm thinking if mine withstood immersion in a cold bucket of water - then they should be ok for riding in the rain ?

How long did you keep your hands in the bucket? An hour? Two? My hands stayed dry the first few minutes I was out there wearing those damn gloves - it was the remaining eight hours of the day when I was touring that were the problem.

eh

Good points about ski/outdoor gloves, and also places like TKmax and Aldi, will have to do a bit of looking. Gorewear also seem tempting. I'm not too worried about needing waterpoofing for more than an hour or so, because I'm not hardy enough to stick it out in conditions like that for much time.

Are Assos winter gloves actually any good? as I know there socks rated down to -5C leave you with cold feet even at about +7C (with overshoes fitted).

ajb72

Have a look at Castelli Diluvio gloves. They are neoprene so get very sweaty - but the wetter they get the warmer they get! They look pretty cool too.......

davic

bompington wrote:

Here on the edge of the Highlands Lidl winter cycling gloves at about a fiver do me just fine

+1 for me

blackrockracer

Boi-Racer Hurricane gloves . marvellous piece of kit.

jam5ie76

for the worst of the wet, douglas gill neoprene sailing gloves.

not even vaguely water proof but toasty when wet

fairly useless when dry and cold but cheap enough to be a wet weather winter pair.

cougie

Hoopdriver wrote:

cougie wrote:

Hoopdriver wrote:

Sealskins are utter rubbish - might as well strap sponges to your hands. You could do no worse.

That may be their old versions ? I'm thinking if mine withstood immersion in a cold bucket of water - then they should be ok for riding in the rain ?

How long did you keep your hands in the bucket? An hour? Two? My hands stayed dry the first few minutes I was out there wearing those damn gloves - it was the remaining eight hours of the day when I was touring that were the problem.

Hoopdriver - Only had the gloves in the bucket for a few mins whilst sponging the bike down - so clearly not as long as an 8 hour ride - but total immersion has got to be wetter than the equivalent time on the handlebars ?

Next time I'm out in the driving rain and cold for 8 hours - I'll be sure to test them... ;-)

amaferanga

cougie wrote:

Hoopdriver wrote:

Sealskins are utter rubbish - might as well strap sponges to your hands. You could do no worse.

That may be their old versions ? I'm thinking if mine withstood immersion in a cold bucket of water - then they should be ok for riding in the rain ?

How long did you keep your hands in the bucket? An hour? Two? My hands stayed dry the first few minutes I was out there wearing those damn gloves - it was the remaining eight hours of the day when I was touring that were the problem.

Hoopdriver - Only had the gloves in the bucket for a few mins whilst sponging the bike down - so clearly not as long as an 8 hour ride - but total immersion has got to be wetter than the equivalent time on the handlebars ?

Next time I'm out in the driving rain and cold for 8 hours - I'll be sure to test them... ;-)

If they keep your hands dry for half an hour never mind 8 then they'll be better than my Sealskinz.

White Line

Regarding the Castelli gloves - the neoprene ones - they'll keep your hands warm, but will be impossible to get back on if you take them off.

I can't remember where, but somebody posted a link to some fishing gloves a while ago. Pretty much the same as the Castelli ones, but allowed you to roll back the finger tips if you wanted to do anything fiddly. They were welll cheaper as well.

Sort of like these.

The Mechanic

I use Specialized Radiant glove in winter. The outers do get a bit wet but if the object is to keep your hands warm and dry in all conditions then these are the dogs.

bigal.

I have been using Salomon Aero GTX gloves for last 2 winters and I have to admit that they are by far the best glove that I have tried to date for warmth and waterproofing. I was out last year in temps ranging from 0 - 3 degrees for 4 hours and never once did my hands lose the nice warm feeling that I started my ride with. I have tried a wide range of winter gloves from Endura, Specialized, Sealskinz and also Lobster style gloves and cannot fault the Salomon ones.

http://www.salomon.com/uk/#/ski/ski-wea ... s/aero-gtx

Just dont look at the price of them.