Glove recommendations please

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Retiredtester
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Glove recommendations please

Post by Retiredtester »

I'm after a pair of really well padded mitts for long summer rides. I suffer a bit with nerve problems (pins and needles, low grip strength etc) after repeated long days in the saddle and am keen to avoid the same for the TNR. Can anyone recommend anything? The other issue I have is that I've got hands like pat jennings, so they need to come in laaarge sizes. TIA
lune ranger
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Re: Glove recommendations please

Post by lune ranger »

I'm pretty fond of Castelli Arenberg gel mitts for summer riding. Good thick gel in the palms, not too warm.
They're a short roadie style but work well for MTB also imo.
My hands are more like a teenage girls than Pat Jennings though so can't comment on laaarge size suitability.
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Retiredtester
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Re: Glove recommendations please

Post by Retiredtester »

Thanks for that. If castelli glove sizing is anything like their jersies, I'm on the lookout for a 6xl.
lune ranger
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Re: Glove recommendations please

Post by lune ranger »

I must be a funny shape as I've got a medium Castelli jersey and XL shorts...
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redefined_cycles
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Re: Glove recommendations please

Post by redefined_cycles »

What I did to get around my hand numbness on 300 miles/3 day rides is focus on the contact points of the bars. Its the road bike so initally I popped some pressure pads under the bartape and it all worked well (fizik isnt as good as the jelly type things that come with yhe FWE/Evans fat tape)...

Aftwr deterioration of the bar tape I just rewrapped with double bar tape (the cannondale stuff is good) and whatever pressure pads I had remaining at the contact points. Works well mainly when used without gloves.

So I'd say, ditch the gloves and then just keep juggling hands about as much as poss.

On the mtb I would guess its stuff like what thwse veterans on here are using... the bars with multi hand options and potentially the thick foam pad grips (Charlie the bike monger has such stuff but its not cheap)...
redefined_cycles
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Re: Glove recommendations please

Post by redefined_cycles »

The ESI stuff...
Retiredtester
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Re: Glove recommendations please

Post by Retiredtester »

Thanks - good advice.
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Glove recommendations please

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

I assume we're talking drops? If so, are your bars set so there's lots of weight on your hands?
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Charliecres
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Re: Glove recommendations please

Post by Charliecres »

I’ve heard good things about the Specialized Grail gloves for reducing numbness, etc. Not tried them myself.
redefined_cycles
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Re: Glove recommendations please

Post by redefined_cycles »

Bearbonesnorm wrote:I assume we're talking drops? If so, are your bars set so there's lots of weight on your hands?
That too... if they are then its a never ending battle...
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Wotsits
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Re: Glove recommendations please

Post by Wotsits »

Bearbonesnorm wrote:I assume we're talking drops? If so, are your bars set so there's lots of weight on your hands?
^This..

IMO for long distance rides you really need to take the weight off your hands & this takes priority over anything else. Reducing your stem length by 5-10mm & adding a bit of rise can make a surprising amount of difference..

I've also found the opposite re padded gloves, on long rides (multi-day) the padding starts to rub & becomes more of a irritation than a help..
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BigdummySteve
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Re: Glove recommendations please

Post by BigdummySteve »

I had the same problem, within about 10miles I couldn’t feel my hands. The solution has been a combination of the following.
The first thing was switching to a dropbar mountain bike,the multiple USEABLE hand positions help.
Then I set the bars up on a short high rise stem, the drops on the woodchippers are my primary position and are level with the saddle.
Next was using old fashioned foam grips, fiver from Halfords over wrapped with normal bar tape. Look a bit special but distribute the load.
I swapped my ridged forks for a Fox 32 float, although not the primary reason it’s also helped with fatigue.
The most recent change has been to wider carbon woodchippers, the damping of the carbon is good for small chatter.
I’m now ok for 100k rides where before I thought I might have to stop riding.
I tried several gloves, some helped a little but I now ride in Endura MT500 gloves which have minimal padding.
Also gloves can be really expensive if you end up trying several pairs, most of the time it’s only partially masking another problem.
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Retiredtester
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Re: Glove recommendations please

Post by Retiredtester »

Thanks all. I'm new to the off road world, but have been riding on drops on the road for years. The problem only really happens when I over do it (L-E-L and another 1000 miler), but I'm expecting to overdo it on TNR. I've built up a gravel bike using @jameso 's frame and Genetic Digest with an inch of spacers and a 35 degree riser stem, so the bars are pretty high - drops still a bit lower than the saddle, but not by much, and certainly much higher than I'm used to. I do try to shift hand positions as much as possible, but am just looking at ways of avoiding the nerve palsy I've experienced before (struggling to tie shoe laces etc for a few months after). I'm going to experiment with some bar padding as I don't think I can get the bars any higher - exacerbated by having very long legs and a relatively short back...
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whitestone
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Re: Glove recommendations please

Post by whitestone »

In order I'd look at:

1. Bike fit
2. Core conditioning
3. Padding

The modern fashion for slammed stems is fine for a ride round a trail centre, not so for an all day or multi-day ride. Contact part of the bars at or around saddle height as a starting point. This applies even for alt bars like the Jones Loops: I had a set on my fat bike but they were too low and after the Rovaniemi 150 I had nerve damage. The steerer was already cut so I couldn't use spacers to lift things. When the SG riser bar came out I fitted a set of those and this year I had no problems. I went through a period where I was fine up to about 10 hours of riding but beyond that I'd get numb fingers. It took a long while, eighteen months or so, to sort out but it turned out to need the nose of the saddle pointing down by about 5 degrees. This forced me to recruit my core muscles more, leading to the second point.

If your core isn't strong enough you'll start to slump and put more weight on your hands. Shouldn't need much to get strong.

Finally something like ESI grips will deal with the minor pressure points, you can move back and forth along the grip thus altering the wrist angle and how you hold the bar.

Once you've done the above you don't really need cycling specific gloves or even gloves though if you are riding through summer vegetation you might want some protection for the back of your hands.
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