# Time to get some gloves



## Cormac (Aug 6, 2011)

So I've started this little mtb venture with an extremely modest budget. Still wearing a borrowed helmet while I save for a real mountain bike. Got the chance to ride my future brother in laws bike for the second time tonight and this time I did some gymnastics on the trails. As I decided it was time to up my game and use the brakes a little less. I've never worn gloves while bike riding ever in my life. Never really saw the need for em till today. Sliding on the palms of your hands not feel so good. Something likened to sand blasting the palms of your hands. 

I've been reading the reviews here and seems the mechanix gloves have just as good of reviews as most the other brands at half the price. Thinkin I should pick up a pair of the m-pacts, for knuckle protection as well? Wear em till they wear out, then look into another pair or something else. Thought a lot of people have said they don't breath well. 

I'm open to other suggestions as well.


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## gmcttr (Oct 7, 2006)

I'm too cheap to pay the full price for biking gloves. I buy the past years (or two) models online at steep discounts. I prefer the half finger styles in warm weather.

If I ever remember, I intend to look into the mechanics gloves as well.


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## ronyc (Aug 27, 2008)

I just recently bought these,Mechanix Wear H25-05-010 Large Padded Palm Glove, they have padded palms and a nylon/cordura and padded over the knuckle area.


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## skaterqwertyuiop (Jul 22, 2010)

They rock, I got them from my LBS for $15 or 20. I had 2 bad crashes at Diablo and the gloves aren't torn or ripped at all. My hand was bruised for a few days though.
Dakine Exodus. The other glove I liked was my old super light giro, IDK what the name is.


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## laztpn0i (Apr 8, 2010)

I got a pair of Dakine Step Up gloves from Chainlove for about $15. There are some good deals on gloves that pop up once in a while.


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## tonyhuynh28 (Jul 29, 2011)

I like my Fox Digit gloves. I have the full-fingered ones, but they also come fingerless. They're Fox's number one selling glove according to the video on this page... Fox Digit Glove - Men's from Hucknroll.com


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## DavidR1 (Jul 7, 2008)

The super cheap Mechanix gloves from Lowes or HD are hard to beat for value. Skip the impact procection as the extra ventalation will be a better trade off.


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## Shalom (Nov 7, 2008)

Fox, Dakine, Specialized, Troy Lee all make good gloves IME. And there can certainly be some bargains to be had. Just hunt around and ye shall find.


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

chainlove is great for cheap gloves , i also wear cheap motocross gloves. The set i wear now were $12 at my local cycle gear, and vent very well, a realy light glove


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## limba (Jan 9, 2004)

The Specialized Ridge is a great full finger glove.


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## eatdrinkride (Jun 15, 2005)

Fox Incline are 20 bucks. Been wearing them for 6 years. No extra palm padding, just a lightweight FF glove.


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## Cormac (Aug 6, 2011)

thanks for the input guys!



DavidR1 said:


> The super cheap Mechanix gloves from Lowes or HD are hard to beat for value. Skip the impact procection as the extra ventalation will be a better trade off.


what about getting the m-pact and cutting the fingers out?


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## DH.FR.0ne (Jul 17, 2010)

Im using No Fear Rogue gloves at the moment. I got them for £12 ($16-18ish I think) and really like them. They're easily as good as my old 661 gloves.


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## She&I (Jan 4, 2010)

I'd never buy without a try-on. Many brands/models have too-short fingers/thumb for the given hand size.

Speshy Enduro is my pick


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## ZeroNine3 (May 18, 2009)

Yep, gloves are one of those things that I have to try on before I buy. Shop around, look for discounts, try on a bunch. I always look for gloves that have that really soft cloth on top of the thumb area... makes it not so rough on your face when you sweat as much as I do and are constantly wiping away sweat or boogers. lol. Also, I prefer full finger gloves... much easier to take off in my opinion. Not that you're constantly taking them on and off during the ride... but like I said, it's my preference... try on a few, see what you prefer. Can't really go wrong here.


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## estabro (Oct 9, 2009)

Cormac said:


> thanks for the input guys!
> 
> what about getting the m-pact and cutting the fingers out?


If it fits then go for it. There is nothing special about MTB specific gloves (except the high price).


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## wesleypost (Sep 4, 2011)

Any of you use half-gloves that leave fingers exposed? I think having a full glove would annoy the sh*t out of me to be honest. It's too hot in California for that!


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

wesleypost said:


> Any of you use half-gloves that leave fingers exposed? I think having a full glove would annoy the sh*t out of me to be honest. It's too hot in California for that!


O'Neal Racing Element Gloves - 2011 - Dirt Bike Motocross - Motorcycle Superstore real lightweight , great gloves. Once you wear full finger gloves you would never think about wearing half fingers. Also it has been well over 100 since i got to texas 5 weeks ago, no problem with full finger gloves, i also wear them back home in Vegas. How hot is it in Cali?


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## wesleypost (Sep 4, 2011)

Hmm I'll have to try that out then. I have some wide receiver gloves from football that I can use to test out lol.


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## BertoManfred (Jul 5, 2011)

Fox dirt paws are 20-24 dollars and come in sm m l xl xxl xxxl xxxxl super comfortable and durable mechanixx gloves are **** ive gone through two pairs of those, the dirt paws are like the day i bought them


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## Ken in KC (Jan 12, 2004)

*I wouldn't worry about it....*



Cormac said:


> thanks for the input guys!
> 
> what about getting the m-pact and cutting the fingers out?


First, having an extra knuckle of skin exposed isn't really going to cool you off more than having full fingers.

Second, the extra protection from the glued on parts are mostly crap. They'll fall off fairly quickly.

Third, your gloves won't last as long.

I'm firmly in the Home Depot/Lowes mechanics gloves camp. They will last as long as you can stand the smell. Hint: When your pets start rolling on them like a dead animal, it's time to throw them out. The price is right too. I usually buy a 2-pack for around 15-16 bucks.


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## RabEd Ewok (Jul 15, 2011)

Check ebay for any mechanix gloves. They may be last years models and all but still the same stuff. I did not want any padding and wanted a light weight glove. Got 2 pair (1 white-$9 and 1 black-$7) of the vents, for the same price as 1 would of cost me and that was with shipping (total under $20). There is a seller on there that pretty much only sells them. They post new listings every Sunday practically. They go for super cheap prices When I have some more time I will go in and check my ebay and send you a link to their store.


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## Eckstream1 (Jul 27, 2011)

I got some Carpenter Gloves from Wal-Mart for $14...
They have padded non-slip palms and the thumb, index and middle finger are half finger... Great for braking!

I had a pair of normal full finger gloves and every once in a while I would get the finger twisted around a brake lever...


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## RockyMt (Jan 29, 2011)

FYI

The mechanic's website sizing showed that I was a medium. I bought at Autozone and needed a large.
The quality seems good. I would buy again.


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## Cj923 (Sep 2, 2011)

I ordered some Pearl Izumi Select Gel Gloves for me and my girlfriend. Saw reviews on different LBS websites they were all 3 out of 5 or 4 out of 5 in the reviews, im hoping they are decent gloves i should have asked u guys opinions first. I got them on sale for 18.99 each after the sale plus a extra 20% off

Pearl Izumi Select Gel Gloves - Short Finger Gloves


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## Cormac (Aug 6, 2011)

I've looked at the mechanix gloves at lowes and they are 25 bucks? Maybe not the right ones I dunno, might just stick with a pair of cheap fingerless gloves from a LBS, I've got several in the area to look at. Priority for me is padding on the palms. I was thinking of full fingered for incase I were to wipe out in poison ivy, but then again, if I land in the stuff the gloves won't make a bit of difference.


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## BertoManfred (Jul 5, 2011)

Cormac said:


> I've looked at the mechanix gloves at lowes and they are 25 bucks? Maybe not the right ones I dunno, might just stick with a pair of cheap fingerless gloves from a LBS, I've got several in the area to look at. Priority for me is padding on the palms. I was thinking of full fingered for incase I were to wipe out in poison ivy, but then again, if I land in the stuff the gloves won't make a bit of difference.


Dont get mechanix gloves they get all hard /crunchy after they get wet, they tear easy. Go to a local motorcross store, they have many gloves and jerseys for way cheaper than lbs, i get full sleeve fly racing jerseys for 25 bucks. Not saying to abandon a lbs but jerseys and gloves are a big seller at motorcycle atv stores and the price is reflected


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

Eckstream1 said:


> I got some Carpenter Gloves from Wal-Mart for $14...
> They have padded non-slip palms and the thumb, index and middle finger are half finger... Great for braking!
> 
> I had a pair of normal full finger gloves and every once in a while I would get the finger twisted around a brake lever...


Trying to wear a glove like that doesn't fit would so piss me off. Gloves should be snug, dam near skin tight. Also proper gloves will also breath better than those.

When buying motocross gloves for mountain bike riding, the cheaper the glove is the less protection it offers. I wear the cheapist gloves from O'neal for most of my riding, but also have others depending on the terrain.


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## Birddog07 (Jul 26, 2011)

Loving my Fox Dirtpaws.


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## Cormac (Aug 6, 2011)

BertoManfred said:


> Dont get mechanix gloves they get all hard /crunchy after they get wet, they tear easy. Go to a local motorcross store, they have many gloves and jerseys for way cheaper than lbs, i get full sleeve fly racing jerseys for 25 bucks. Not saying to abandon a lbs but jerseys and gloves are a big seller at motorcycle atv stores and the price is reflected


I was planning on it based on the reviews. But after starting this thread and reading all the responses, I've decided to pass on the mechanix. I will however keep my eye out for a pair of dirt paws! Or just hit up a motorcycle shop and see what they have.


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## CarolinaLL6 (Apr 12, 2010)

I just catch some full-fingered gloves on sale. I don't think I've even paid more than $15 yet. My last set were Serfas and her's were Fox.


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## Ken in KC (Jan 12, 2004)

*Clarity...*



Cormac said:


> I was planning on it based on the reviews. But after starting this thread and reading all the responses, I've decided to pass on the mechanix. I will however keep my eye out for a pair of dirt paws! Or just hit up a motorcycle shop and see what they have.


"Mechanix" the brand and the generic mechanic's gloves from Home Depot/Lowes are different. I was in HD today and they had mechanic's gloves for $9.

Bero: My shoes also get hard and crunchy when they get wet and they soften up when I put them on and use them. To me, hard and crunchy isn't a huge deal.


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## Cormac (Aug 6, 2011)

Bought a pair of Specialized Body Geometry gloves, fingerless with gel padding. No fake hype from a website or anything. Just saw them at one of the many LBS's in my area, tried em on and loved the way they felt. $35, so a bit steep, but so far they work great. After the rides my hands aren't sore at all. Haven't wrecked with em on yet. But I imagine they'd do well to protect my palms. 

When they wear out, depending on how well they do, I might pick up another pair. Or look for something cheaper. If I can get all next season out of em, then money well spent IMO. Time will tell I guess.


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## boomn (Jul 6, 2007)

Ken in KC said:


> "Mechanix" the brand and the generic mechanic's gloves from Home Depot/Lowes are different.


True, but Lowes, at least near me, carries the "Mechanix" brand along with other cheaper generics

FWIW I accidentally convinced myself that I actually prefer no palm padding a couple years ago and I haven't looked back since. My current philosophy is that true comfort is created through proper fit, good grips, front tire pressure and fork setup. Gloves are for grip and protection. Yes, even on rigid bikes.


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