Gloves!!! - Oh and foul weather!!!!!

clarkie28
clarkie28 Posts: 134
edited February 2009 in Road beginners
Good morning everyone.

Iam going to buy a road bike very soon, and i have been making a list of goodies i will
need as well. On the subject of gloves, are they a necessity as a lot of them have gel or padded parts to aid comfort and or stress on hands and wrists or are they mainly used for better grip??

Also, for when the weather is particularly foul, to keep up fitness etc, do peeps normally go down the route of buying a turbo trainer that you attach their bike to, or is a exercise bike just as good???

Many thanks for all your help

Clarkie28

Comments

  • nferrar
    nferrar Posts: 2,511
    Gloves are a personal choice, some people don't wear them, some where unpadded ones and some where padded ones. I've always worn gloves, mostly for a bit of extra comfort but they also help if you fall off (and provide somewhere convenient to wipe your nose :p ). If you do go for padded gloves I'd take a look at the Specialized BG ones as they have specific padding to alleviate pressure on the ulnar nerve (which otherwise can cause numbness in the hands).

    As for exercise bike vs turbo, if you have neither currently then you're probably better off investing in a turbo rather than exercise bike, you keep the same position and they're generally better suited to actual training rather than just trying to lose a few calories. You'll need a different rear tyre on though really as a turbo will tend to wear a normal tyre quickly (as well as over heat it). Bear in mind as well though that most people find turbo training incredibly boring so I'd try and find a second hand one or borrow a mates for a bit before spending a lot of money on one only to have it gather dust.
  • careful
    careful Posts: 720
    IMO gloves are not totally essential but they do provide:
      a little protection if you crash (hands tend to suffer) thermal comfort/insulation in the cold weather better grip on the bars some insulation from vibration
      Because of the thermal bit you need different gloves for different times of year. As to exercise bikes, they come in as many varieties as gloves. IMO none are as good as your own bike on a turbo (or rollers) as the riding position, gears etc etc are not like a real bike. Having said that, an exercise bike is certainly better than nothing and some can be a very useful training aid.- boring though, but so are turbos!!
  • teagar
    teagar Posts: 2,100
    They're quite a nice psychological tool. I remember when I first got my road bike with all the gear in the summer, the gloves made a real difference because I could see them - I felt it necessary to live up to all the gear and cycle harder!

    And the snot thing is very true...
    Note: the above post is an opinion and not fact. It might be a lie.
  • fooshnicken
    fooshnicken Posts: 84
    I use gloves, I have a thick waterproof pair for the winter and wear some silk inner gloves undermeath which I got for a fiver off of ebay. I have some thinner gloves for autumn/spring and some fingerless gloves for the summer. All of them are padded, but that's a personal thing.

    I came off my bike a few years ago, and the tarmac ripped a hole in the gloves I was wearing, and also one of my knuckles...I still have the scar. So now I wear gloves all the time just in case.
  • phreak
    phreak Posts: 2,911
    The main benefit of gloves at the moment is they keep my hands relatively warm. Of course some of the weather we've had lately made mincemeat of my hands even with gloves on but I dread to think what they'd have been like without gloves.
  • Irish Clover
    Irish Clover Posts: 3
    I use gloves myself. I absolutely love using them. My handlebars at the moment are a little more tough than i'd like so I love being able to use the gloves. They help keep my hands from getting calloused and feeling numb. I haven't had much experience with different kinds of gloves but I like using the padded gloves, they do well for me. Definitely recommend them.

    As with the exercise bike I enjoy using them in the winter time when it's too dangerous to bike because of the weather. I'm not sure the differences of machines are but i'll tell you that I personally enjoy actually riding a bike rather than a machine. They have different feels to them, etc. Can't wait till spring when I can get back on my real bike.

    Good Luck to you and you're new biking experience. :wink:

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