Neoprene Gloves

redvee
redvee Posts: 11,922
edited January 2017 in Road buying advice
Yes or No?

Was killing time today and popped into Cycle Surgery and tried on a pair of Castelli neoprene gloves, are they as good as made out to be, nit just Castelli but other neoprene gloves too?
I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.

Comments

  • meursault
    meursault Posts: 1,433
    Yep, the only all season gloves I use, not including mits. (DHB)
    Superstition sets the whole world in flames; philosophy quenches them.

    Voltaire
  • paulmon
    paulmon Posts: 315
    I personally prefer the Endura FS260 Pro (http://www.endurasport.com/products/?ProductID=180) as I found the Castelli sizing a bit weird for my small hands which caused the material to bunch near the fingers. On the whole they are superb with a couple of caveats.

    When its really cold it can take a while to get your hands warm so for the first few miles your hands can still feel the cold.

    If you stop for cake then you need to keep the gloves on because as soon as you take them off they cool down and putting cold wet neoprene back on and getting them warm again is not nice.

    Your hands will smell afterwards and so will the gloves so they’ll need to be washed on a regular basis. This issue probably means they may not be ideal for commuters.
  • laguna
    laguna Posts: 24
    Sports Direct in the swimming section, Hot Tuna or No Fear gloves, cost about £5, been using them for years, perfect for winter.
  • PaulMon wrote:
    I personally prefer the Endura FS260 Pro (http://www.endurasport.com/products/?ProductID=180) as I found the Castelli sizing a bit weird for my small hands which caused the material to bunch near the fingers. On the whole they are superb with a couple of caveats.

    Great gloves. My Assos jobs lasted a year before stretching out of shape (so I gave them to a pal who has bigger hands) but my 260's are into their third year and still going strong.
  • bristolpete
    bristolpete Posts: 2,255
    The issue I had with neoprene was the lingering smell. Dreadful and washed week in week out with sports wash, but by the time I got to work, stinky pooh pooh hands and I had to bin them in the end. What I did note with neoprene was if you warm them up before you leave they work a treat. Leave with cold hands they stay cold. Something like a wet /dry suit a diver might use evidently.
  • supermurph09
    supermurph09 Posts: 2,471
    Neoprene gloves are great IME, super warm, the only issue is if you need to take them off during your ride (cafe stop etc), they then feel awful to put back on, really wet and cold. But for nonstop rides they are great.
  • Beatmaker
    Beatmaker Posts: 1,092
    I have a set of Gil neoprene gloves that must now be 11 or 12 years old and are still going strong! They are a little pongy if not washed regularly, and if your hands do get cold they tend to stay cold but they are great in the wet, and I can't abide bulky gloves.
  • Neoprene gloves are great IME, super warm, the only issue is if you need to take them off during your ride (cafe stop etc), they then feel awful to put back on, really wet and cold. But for nonstop rides they are great.

    if you stop and take them off stick them up under your jersey/jacket and when you restart they will be nice and warm still :wink:
    i find they are no good under 6 degrees... wet or not wet. everyone is different. I have 2 pairs of Castelli ones.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Used these years ago - great for keeping out the rain, but you're bathing in your own sweat - hence they're a bit stinky. If its for wet rides go for them. If not - there are better options out there now
    .
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    Have to say that I've never found neoprene gloves that useful for anything except watersports - basically I don't find them any warmer than fingerless track mitts!
    When it's below 6º or so, or a couple more if it's raining, I use my cheap Aldi winter cycling gloves, which I keep proofed with Texnik - nothing can keep heavy rain out but I would say that's as good as it gets.
    Below -5º - only 3 times this winter so far - the ski gloves come out.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    I've been using the Aldi winter gloves all winter - three hours at zero yesterday and they were fine. Even when it hailed..
  • Fenix wrote:
    Used these years ago - great for keeping out the rain, but you're bathing in your own sweat - hence they're a bit stinky. If its for wet rides go for them. If not - there are better options out there now
    .

    They don't keep out the rain - the rain gets in and your body heats said water keeping your hands warm.
  • I have an issue with some Altura gloves I found in TK MAXX, they were reduced to a tenner so worth a punt as they are waterproof. Great I thought.

    They don't breath... At all. So my hands end up wet wih sweat and the gloves takes two or three days to dry on the radiator. They also stink so the room stinks which they're being dried in.
    Advocate of disc brakes.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Fenix wrote:
    Used these years ago - great for keeping out the rain, but you're bathing in your own sweat - hence they're a bit stinky. If its for wet rides go for them. If not - there are better options out there now
    .

    They don't keep out the rain - the rain gets in and your body heats said water keeping your hands warm.

    To all intents and porpoises - the neoprene is waterproof. Its not the rain getting in - its your sweat as its not breathable. I do Open Water Swimming and its lovely and warm until the water gets through your zip. It doesnt come through the material.

    For a wetsuit - yes water gets in and the body heats it - but that's a bit different to cycling gloves. You're immersed in water. It still lets water flow through though. Otherwise we'd all look like water balloons after a few wees....
  • I remember the first time we went diving in Anglsey, "piss in your wet suits lads..."

    Who wore this last time?
    Advocate of disc brakes.
  • redvee
    redvee Posts: 11,922
    laguna wrote:
    Sports Direct in the swimming section, Hot Tuna or No Fear gloves, cost about £5, been using them for years, perfect for winter.

    Bought a pair of theses this morning but struggled to find them as the swim section was tucked away in the Women's run section. Just need some rain to see how good they are. Got access to a hand dryer and have talc powder in my locker so they hopefully won't smell too bad.
    I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.
  • Moonbiker
    Moonbiker Posts: 1,706
    Just got some "fishermen" neoprene gloves from aldi for cycling
  • benws1
    benws1 Posts: 415
    I have a pair of Sealskinz gloves. Echo the above in that initially your hands are cold, but they do warm up after a few miles. Also, when you take your hands out at the end of the ride, they are wet with the moisture that builds up inside.

    I've only been using my pair for around a month now and I haven't had any issues with bad smells. I will get them in the wash tonight though as I haven't cleaned them yet. :)

    Also as above, great on non stop rides but wouldn't fancy stopping somewhere, taking them off then putting them back on again.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    Fenix wrote:
    Fenix wrote:
    Used these years ago - great for keeping out the rain, but you're bathing in your own sweat - hence they're a bit stinky. If its for wet rides go for them. If not - there are better options out there now
    .

    They don't keep out the rain - the rain gets in and your body heats said water keeping your hands warm.

    To all intents and porpoises - the neoprene is waterproof. Its not the rain getting in - its your sweat as its not breathable. I do Open Water Swimming and its lovely and warm until the water gets through your zip. It doesnt come through the material. .

    That's surely not the point of neoprene gloves - you would wear neoprene only when you expect to get very wet. It would avoid your hands getting cold when, in normal gloves, water running down your arms gets inside the gloves and makes them cold and miserable until you've managed to get them on a radiator for three hours to dry them.

    Unless you are expecting those conditions, I really don't understand the point of neoprene gloves. I used to go caving - if the cave was mostly dry you'd were a fleece one piece under a nylon outer which was cosy when dry and a bit miserable when wet. If the cave was going to be properly wet, you'd wear a wet suit but accept that you'd feel colder than in the dry suit until you got to the wet bit. Choose the kit for the conditions.

    Relying on sweat to make the neoprene work is just icky!
    Faster than a tent.......
  • jgsi
    jgsi Posts: 5,062
    Exactly , horrible things... but very useful to wear when washing the bike down at night time using them as mechanics gloves.
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    I have the endura ones and wear them all through winter and any othertime it's both wet and cold.
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,052
    To echo everyone else i use mine in the wet but add a strong headwind to that and they're useless, turns your fingers into ice pops
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.