# Do you wear gloves?



## bwheelin (Apr 4, 2008)

Do you wear gloves when you ride?


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## Jiffycake (Sep 22, 2005)

I wear open finger gloves sometimes, Mostly on longer rides.


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## gettnback (Jun 16, 2008)

Yes, because of past motorcycle trail riding I figured the protection to the outer hands and for grip when the sweat starts a rollin.


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## BoomingSooner (May 13, 2008)

Dude, you have to wear gloves. I wear Mechanix that rock. There could be branches you have to push out of your way, your hands will wear blisters on long rides, and if you ever....when you bite it, they will save both sides of your hands.

Unless you are just riding on simple trails for 30 minutes or less, get some. 

Is there a reason not to might be the better question.

All is IMHO.


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## InvictaS1 (Mar 19, 2005)

i always wear gloves when i ride. i like full finger gloves.


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## Idriver (Nov 14, 2007)

Gloves are a neccesity item. I agree with the above posters if you dont wear them now you will after your first good crash. The walk or ride back to your car after a hard crash can seem like an eternity when you are trying to carry or ride your bike with raw and bleeding hands.

Bottom line 25 or 30 bucks saves allot of pain down the trail.


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## Slimpee (Oct 3, 2007)

I wear full-finger gloves whenever I get on my bike. I'm so used to it now I don't like riding w/out...


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## boomn (Jul 6, 2007)

I would never ride without gloves. I have crashed onto rocks before and torn up the palm of my gloves without a scratch to my hands. I also prefer the feeling of most grips with gloves on, especially when you add sweat to the equation.

They also protect your hands from sunburn in the summer and frostbite in the winter


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## G4VNJ (Jun 3, 2008)

I wear alpinestar summer motocross gloves, basically because my mate gave them to me so they were free and they are probably exactly the same as mtb gloves, my hands dont sweat in them even on hot day, so they must be very breathable... I think you have to wear gloves when riding, if you come off, they will stop a nasty cut to your hand, particuarly your palm, probably first point of contact with gravel or rocks..

something like this, https://www.madgear.com.au/images/alpinestar-gloves.jpg


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## emtnate (Feb 9, 2008)

I wear gloves. The padding is comfy on the grips, helps with sweaty hands, and I like the protection during a crash. There's actually some nerves fairly close to the skin on the palms of your hands near your wrists that you would not want damaged. More a roadie problem with roadside glass, but I don't want to take chances of paralyzed hands.


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## BoomingSooner (May 13, 2008)

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mechanix+gloves&x=19&y=22
Amazon search for Mechanix. Cheaper than "bike" gloves and RAVE reviews from this site.
Love em.


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## scoutcat (Mar 30, 2008)

not wearing gloves is asking for trouble. its amazing how much protection they can provide. torn up palms seriously sucks, ALWAYS wear gloves or you will live to regret it.


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## spazzy (Aug 15, 2004)

i always wear my gloves, i use full fingered ones with some knuckle protection because i tend to slam my hands into trees when i bail


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## bwheelin (Apr 4, 2008)

Is there any disadvantage to wearing the gloves with 1/2 the fingers cut off compared to the full glove?


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## Linga115 (Mar 23, 2008)

gloves come 2nd to helmet as things you must/should wear when you ride. i wear full fingered gloves to prevent bush whack, blisters and a bunch of other crap. i use gloves to work on my bike, trail side or in my garage. not only to keep them clean but it protects you hand from pointy and stuff that could smash your fingers. 

i took my friend riding this weekend and he didnt bring gloves. went down on the rocks. lets just say now that he wishes he bought a pair while we were at the LBS picking up his rental.


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## bwheelin (Apr 4, 2008)

I'm definitely buying a pair my next trip to the LBS.


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## matt1976 (Sep 9, 2007)

bwheelin said:


> Is there any disadvantage to wearing the gloves with 1/2 the fingers cut off compared to the full glove?


Yes, your sweat can cause your fingers to slip off the brake levers creating a very dangerous situation. I use full finger.


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## tomsmoto (Oct 6, 2007)

matt1976 said:


> Yes, your sweat can cause your fingers to slip off the brake levers creating a very dangerous situation. I use full finger.


im a big sweaty guy and ride frequently when its 100 degrees. thats never even been remotely an issue what so ever. dont eat fried chicken before riding and you'll be fine :lol:

full fingered gloves protect your hands when you crash. half fingered gloves are much cooler in summer, but only really protect your palms.


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## Blaineikans (Apr 7, 2008)

I forgot mine last week and my hands kept slipping. I hate riding without them.


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## Linga115 (Mar 23, 2008)

bwheelin said:


> I'm definitely buying a pair my next trip the LBS.


:thumbsup: great idea... i was staring at the gloves while he was picking up his rental too. wondered if i should tell him to buy a pair or not. a nice shiny new bicycle caught my eye instead. shouldve insisted on him buying some :madman:


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## 22b22 (May 27, 2008)

I always wear gloves and have 2 pair in case I forget the new pair, the pair I just rotated out live in the trunk of my car, so I'll have a pair to loan or to use if I forget/lose mine.

I use full finger just because of my Motocross/ATV past, but always wear gloves to prevent blisters (one trip out without confirmed that) and to keep a good "feel" for the grips/brake levers. It's consistent with gloves no matter the conditions.


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## Timon (May 11, 2008)

wouldn't ride without them.


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## Killswitch021 (Jun 1, 2007)

Definitely wouldn't ride without them. I wear the full fingered gloves because of the protection they offer on the fingers from blackberry bushes and such. Also I have padding on the inside of palm of the hand because last time I crashes with just baseball batting gloves on the the gloves were fine but i ripped open the palm of my and hand bruised it to so now will never go riding without them. :thumbsup:


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## matt1976 (Sep 9, 2007)

tomsmoto said:


> im a big sweaty guy and ride frequently when its 100 degrees. thats never even been remotely an issue what so ever. dont eat fried chicken before riding and you'll be fine :lol:
> 
> full fingered gloves protect your hands when you crash. half fingered gloves are much cooler in summer, but only really protect your palms.


I guess it depends how hot it is, how much you sweat, and how technical your descents are. I wish I could use those roadie half finger gloves here in Phoenix, I've tried and they sure are cooler.


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## Guest (Jul 9, 2008)

i have some fox dirtpaws i really like


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## VTSession (Aug 18, 2005)

yeah, not to sound redundent, but your gotta wear full finger gloves.


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## PscyclePath (Aug 29, 2007)

Every cyclist falls at sometime or other. Mountain bikers, because of the places we ride, and maybe a little too much foolhardiness, tend to fall a little more often than the average. It's no fun to have to go back to work after an epic ride with the skin power-sanded off your palms.

Three things you ought to wear any time you're out on your bike:

1. a bike helmet -- helps reduce the chance of brain injury when you "touch the floor..."

2. Glasses or protective lenses -- helps keep road & trail debris out of your eyes, lmbs and twigs, etc. A pair of glasses can actually prevent your crashing this way, rather than simply mitigating the degree of injury when you go down.

3. Gloves. As before, it's a good thing to keep as much skin as you can securely attached to your palms ;-)


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## docweedon (May 14, 2008)

Because I ride motocross, I use my motocross gloves when I ride my mtn bike. I have a pair of vented "air" gloves from Answer. Wouldn't ride my bikes(both motocross and mtn) without gloves. It's just one of those things. I've had my fingers knarled up too many times in the past.


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## Treknology (Jul 4, 2008)

I think the majority has the rule here: gloves are a MUST when riding. I'll add one more vote to the tally though. I ALWAYS wear full-fingered gloves no matter whether it's cold or hot out. Also, since I work on a computer all day on the job, I can't afford to risk getting my hands chewed up.

I buy "Firm Grip" brand gloves from Home Depot. They come in many different varieties for different tasks (carpentry, masonry, gardening, etc.) but I always get the "All Purpose" gloves. If you want to find them next time you're at HD, they're black and grey on the back with lightly padded dark blue imitation leather palms. They're machine washable and the stretchy backs help make a snug fit and ventilate pretty nicely. They close at the wrist with a Velcro strap and at only $10 a pair, it sure beats paying $25+ for full-finger gloves at the bike shop when these accomplish the same task. I always have at least two pair: one for riding and one for working on the bike.


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## marzjennings (Jan 3, 2008)

I wear fingerless gloves all the time, it's too hot for full finger gloves here in Texas.


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## 22b22 (May 27, 2008)

no glove - no love.


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## OldNick (Aug 7, 2006)

BoomingSooner said:


> Is there a reason not to might be the better question.


+1 from me.

Also, I thought IMHO had lost the "H" these days <G>

Nick


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## Gatorback (Oct 9, 2007)

I learned the hard way with a nice crash into some rocks. That big gouge of skin out of one of my fingers assured that I would never ride without them. That would took forever to heal and left a nice scar. 

My experience is that most people who initially choose to not wear cycling specific gear eventually move toward wearing all the stuff you think you don't need in the beginning if you end up riding a lot.

Jerseys? I didn't get them in the beginning. When my big cotton t-shirt started acting as a parachute, then I got the jerseys.

Padded bike shorts? I went for about a month without them and then did a two hour ride. After that near horrific experience, cycling specific shorts were added to my list.

Glasses? I still struggle with this one because they get fogged up all the time, but it took one close call with a branch hitting me in the eye (fortunately no serious damage, just a close call with a scratched eye brow and eye lid) and I now have several pair of relatively cheap riding glasses with interchangeable lenses. 

Good shoes? That took a little longer. My first pair were the type that you could walk in really well and had very flexible soles. After getting tired of getting foot cramps on longer rides, I got with the program and got a pair of stiff soled mountain biking shoes. No more foot cramps.

Hydration Pack? At first I laughed when the shop tried to sell me one. I was used to doing hour long runs without water. Well riding in the Florida heat quickly turned me into a camelback/hydration pack fan for mountain bike rides. There aren't any gas stations or 7-elevens out there on the trail.


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## fop1 (May 5, 2008)

i never ride without full fingered gloves. i bought myself a pair of fox sidewinder gloveshttps://www.sicklines.com/interbike2006pics/bigpictures/fox4.jpg, which have a good amount of protection, saved me from loosing a few layers of skin more than a few times.


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## Qatarbhoy (Jun 13, 2008)

i can second just about the entire story told by gatorback about gradually getting the cycling stuff you thought was OTT when you get your first mtn bike.

i got gloves after my first ride on my shiny new bike (riding to work, a five minute commute) which ended up with me endoing when i found out how good the brakes were. i jarred my wrists so badly i was sure they were broken but the X-ray said otherwise. i couldn't write for a while because i couldn't hold a pen and my palms had a bad case of roadrash.

i now have 3 pairs, 2 fingerless and one with a full thumb, but next time i'll go full finger based on the advice above, despite the 100+ temps we get here over the summer.


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## BoomingSooner (May 13, 2008)

Did an endo this AM on some rocks. If I had no gloves, I would have torn my hands to sh*t.


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## garrett1478 (Apr 14, 2008)

What about if you're riding naked? Still wear gloves?


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## G4VNJ (Jun 3, 2008)

bwheelin said:


> Is there any disadvantage to wearing the gloves with 1/2 the fingers cut off compared to the full glove?


yeh..... your finger tips may get cold and u look like a gay lol! (joking)


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## tlg (May 21, 2004)

I like to use gloves with Terry Cloth backs. Great for wipeing sweat off your face.


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## h.eye (Nov 23, 2007)

I always wear full finger gloves - check out Fox Unabombers - I love 'em. Extra protection in the right places - for me anyways - they saved me a few times.


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## bstyle74 (May 8, 2005)

Full fingered gloves year 'round.


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## urnotfast (Dec 31, 2007)

full fingers for me too


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## perttime (Aug 26, 2005)

nomit said:


> wouldn't ride without them.


I need my hands at work and on my own time.

Typing would be painful if my hands were in the same shape as my knee now :eekster:


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## markowe (Feb 1, 2007)

bwheelin said:


> Do you wear gloves when you ride?


Yes, there are a million-and-one reasons to wear gloves when you are riding, people have mentioned most of them. Every now and then I forget to put them on and set out and then go "D'OH!" because gloves give you a much more secure feeling of a firmer grip, less slippage and less blisters and callouses in the long run. Essential gear, even if you buy some cheap ones they are better than nothing, and if they have those little gel pads in them all the better.


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## Roswell (Apr 4, 2006)

I use half-finger but I'm doing more flat rides lately with gas prices going up it's hard to get to any decent trails. Curse you Glaciers!!!!


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## towers07 (Dec 15, 2007)

i use full finger ones (661 comp)

you get more grip than not wearing gloves 
i would say its comfier 
and it protects your hands if u fall


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## CoreyVisto (Jun 27, 2008)

I have a pair of fingerless fox's. Got them for for 13 bucks on clearance. Really glad I did because I took a spill into a huge hole of blackberry bushes while riding the other day. My hands would be torn up from trying to get out of it.


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## Blaineikans (Apr 7, 2008)

CoreyVisto said:


> I have a pair of fingerless fox's. Got them for for 13 bucks on clearance. Really glad I did because I took a spill into a huge hole of blackberry bushes while riding the other day. My hands would be torn up from trying to get out of it.


On the bright side you had a snack right there.


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## CoreyVisto (Jun 27, 2008)

Blaineikans said:


> On the bright side you had a snack right there.


haha, yeah.. I don't remember seeing any berries. I just remember thorns, and picking them out of my arms and face, and diggin the deep ones out with a knife. It was a blast!


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## BKnight (Mar 27, 2005)

considering my gloves have saved me from a handful of OTB crashed, they're always on. plus its nice for when you go down you don't have to worry to much about your hands. get some decent full fingers. they also add a little padding for those all day runs at the resort


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## Scudweiser (Jul 13, 2008)

that spill might be motivation to get full finger gloves.


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## 2ndgen (Jun 6, 2008)

*I gots love for my gloves.

Haven't gotten Mountain Biking Gloves (looking at Dakines & Fox so far),
but I use my Ironclads which are made for Roofing/Carpentry/Framing.

Love them!

The less wear on your hands, the better.

From what I see, there are some decent MTB gloves for about $15.
A great set goes for $30.

My gloves are $35. that I bought to work with but never used so their still new.
*
*But, I will be buying a pair of MTB gloves also.

For now, what I have are great and if I never got a pair of MTB gloves, I'd be fine with these.

Ironclad makes the absolute best working gloves period bar none.

I wish they made MTB gloves. They would certainly be the best there too.*

https://www.ironclad.com/www/index.jsp

*My General Purpose Icons: *









*My Framers: *









*For Roofing, I use Youngstown (also great company): *









______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

*What I'm looking at as far as MTB gloves? 
I'm leaning towards the Fox's. 
But of course, fit will be the ultimate decider. 
Could use any advice. *

*Fox: *









*Dakine: *


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## f3rg (Aug 29, 2007)

I ride XC, so I find fingerless gloves work just fine. Mine are Specialized, but I've tried and been happy with different brands over the years. After a couple falls in my early days without gloves, I decided it's just best to always wear some.


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