By Alan Snel of Bicycle Stories and author of Bicycle Man the book
It's the second week of February and depending where you are bicycling you will need a top pair of gloves to keep your fingers warm while also exhibiting a quality of nimbleness to change gears and apply the brakes.
I'm happy to say I have found gloves that I will use for every bike ride when there's a chill in the air, which happens here in the western suburbs of Las Vegas near Red Rock Canyon where morning temperatures are routinely in the high 30s during the winter months.
The company is Handske and the El Paso, Texas-based operation has come out with an outstanding new cold weather glove that retails for $54.99 -- a $5 increase over a previous winter model. But keep in mind the new glove has an updated water resistant top fabric.
I like the gloves a lot. First, the design is attractive and my hands were warm when I used them for an early morning walk. Later in the day when I was cycling, the fingers were nimble as I easily shifted gears on my road bicycle on the famed Red Rock Loop outside Las Vegas.
None of Handske's gloves use velcro and the wrist cuff makes a tight seal to not allow any cold air to creep in.
It's a tight fit, but only at the beginning. Owner Sem Gallegos recommends stretching the cuff and I found as I wore the glove throughout the day it did allow for a more elastic touch to slide the hand in while following up with a nice tight seal.
Here's a Q and A I had with Sem:
Bicycle Stories: What was the philosophy of not using a velcro wrist band?
Sem Gallegos: We are not a fan of velcro, it wear fast and no longer functions correctly, secondly when washing with like items, it gets stuck to other clothing and can damage it. And lastly, but using neoprene cuffs, the is just the right amount of stretch to fit nice and snug over wrist, and this material does not wear to the point that it looses its dexterity. Running it as skin tight as possible traps more heat. Also some velcro closure are either too bulky or wrongly placed, that it causes discomfort in the wrist.
