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Great CHEAP winter gloves (AKA This one hack...)
#1
In episode 32 of Cade Media's The Wild Ones podcast, they discussed winter riding gloves that are both super effective and amazingly cheap.

So, I started researching the subject of "waterproof thermal work gloves." I was trying to figure out which unknown brand to go for on Amazon. I was actually looking at the GAVOROHANS listing on Amazon UK which looked like they might be the gloves referred to in the podcast, when my window cleaner arrived and started cleaning my windows.

As he's a veteran of the old Northern soul scene and is always playing bangin' choons, we always have a good natter about music. And what did I find? He was wearing a pair of the GAVOROHANS gloves. Turns out, they're every bit as good as claimed. He has a pair of Sealskinz gloves, but they're 4x the price of the GAVOROHANS and he found they wore out faster when he used them for his work.

In terms of size across the palm, my hands are midway between medium and large, but I have relatively long fingers. I was humming and hawing about whether to get medium or large but his were medium and they fit my hands beautifully, so I ordered two pairs of GAVOROHANS in size medium.

First assessment: they're quite snug. If I want to wear a thin thermal glove inside them, I'll probably need to order a pair of large. However, I'm assuming they'll relax a bit, given how nicely his mediums fit my hands.

Did a nine-mile ride today, the return leg into a steady 25mph headwind. The air temp was 4C. At no time did my hands feel cold. As they're quite a snug fit, I could feel that the tips of my fingers would likely start to get a little chilly on a much longer ride, so I'll either need to wait for them to relax a bit or get size Large. The collars of the gloves aren't short, but they're not very long either. My sleeves on my new Proviz winter jacket aren't what you would call long, either, so I might need to don arm warmers just cover the tiny gap that inevitably appears between the gloves and the jacket sleeves. Again, wearing these gloves in size Large with my thin thermal gloves underneath would also solve that problem.

The gloves are supposed to be fully waterproof, and they certainly feel like they will be, but I have yet to test this. They have a thick rubber coating that provide excellent grip without impeding braking function. I went out on my single-speed today so I've not tested operating shift levers but I doubt there would be a problem.

The bottom line is that for less than £13 pounds delivered for two pairs in the UK, you really can't go wrong with these gloves. I couldn't find GAVOROHANS on Amazon USA, but there are products that look identical, other than the color.
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#2
(01-20-2024, 01:14 PM)enkei Wrote:  In episode 32 of Cade Media's The Wild Ones podcast, they discussed winter riding gloves that are both super effective and amazingly cheap.

So, I started researching the subject of "waterproof thermal work gloves." I was trying to figure out which unknown brand to go for on Amazon. I was actually looking at the GAVOROHANS listing on Amazon UK which looked like they might be the gloves referred to in the podcast, when my window cleaner arrived and started cleaning my windows.

As he's a veteran of the old Northern soul scene and is always playing bangin' choons, we always have a good natter about music. And what did I find? He was wearing a pair of the GAVOROHANS gloves. Turns out, they're every bit as good as claimed. He has a pair of Sealskinz gloves, but they're 4x the price of the GAVOROHANS and he found they wore out faster when he used them for his work.

In terms of size across the palm, my hands are midway between medium and large, but I have relatively long fingers. I was humming and hawing about whether to get medium or large but his were medium and they fit my hands beautifully, so I ordered two pairs of GAVOROHANS in size medium.

First assessment: they're quite snug. If I want to wear a thin thermal glove inside them, I'll probably need to order a pair of large. However, I'm assuming they'll relax a bit, given how nicely his mediums fit my hands.

Did a nine-mile ride today, the return leg into a steady 25mph headwind. The air temp was 4C. At no time did my hands feel cold. As they're quite a snug fit, I could feel that the tips of my fingers would likely start to get a little chilly on a much longer ride, so I'll either need to wait for them to relax a bit or get size Large. The collars of the gloves aren't short, but they're not very long either. My sleeves on my new Proviz winter jacket aren't what you would call long, either, so I might need to don arm warmers just cover the tiny gap that inevitably appears between the gloves and the jacket sleeves. Again, wearing these gloves in size Large with my thin thermal gloves underneath would also solve that problem.

The gloves are supposed to be fully waterproof, and they certainly feel like they will be, but I have yet to test this. They have a thick rubber coating that provide excellent grip without impeding braking function. I went out on my single-speed today so I've not tested operating shift levers but I doubt there would be a problem.

The bottom line is that for less than £13 pounds delivered for two pairs in the UK, you really can't go wrong with these gloves. I couldn't find GAVOROHANS on Amazon USA, but there are products that look identical, other than the color.

I've just been using my "cheap" ski gloves; still able to wear full finger cycling gloves under them if needed. No issues when I rode in 35°F last week (I have down tube friction shifting).
Take care,
Jesper

"I am become Death, the destroyer of bicycles." NJS
  Reply
#3
That's so interesting. Like Jesper, i started using my winter hiking gloves (specifically mittens) to ride bike during Boston winters.

Once during my morning commute, i was forced to give middle finger to a motorist who cut me really close. i ended up giving him 4 fingers..:-(

Unfortunately, i didn't carry those mittens to South américa. So, there i bought a pair of construction gloves similar to what enkei and his windown cleaner used..:-)

I just layered those along with my winter base layers and they served the purpose even when we rodé to the base of and spent the night by Mount Chimbarazo..:-)
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#4
I use Mechanix MPact Cold Work gloves, they're 3M insulated but I still need to wear magic gloves underneath for the really cold days.

They have heated ones now. They look so lux. I can't afford them though sadly.
  Reply
#5
A few friends recommended these heated gloves/jackets for my winter rides and hiking/backpacking..

My biggest gripe is that I know I will start sweating after the first 5-10 minutes. So I could not justify getting these heated gear for those 5-10 minutes..:-(

Even my winter mittens would come off after those first few minutes of riding/hiking. So I had to find a way to easily take off the gloves and not be forced to stop to put them away into my pack. This would stop my rhythm and I might get cold again.

So, I ended up tying a lace to both mittens and wearing the mittens with that lanyard around my neck. When not required I could just take them off and they would hang around my neck safely. Putting them into jacket pocket wasn't an option as they are too big and I have seen too many lost/lonely gloves during my ride days..:-(



(01-28-2024, 09:15 PM)ReapThaWhirlwind Wrote:  I use Mechanix MPact Cold Work gloves, they're 3M insulated but I still need to wear magic gloves underneath for the really cold days.

They have heated ones now. They look so lux. I can't afford them though sadly.
  Reply


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