I can currently stay pretty comfortable down to 0°F with bar pogies and a thick + thin glove on each hand. However, it’s been about -15°F in the mornings where I live and my fingers feel like they’re about to fall off by the time I get to work. I already don’t have great circulation to my hands and, predictably, it gets even worse when my body is ready to sacrifice my appendages to keep my core temperature up (even though I’m sweating by the time I get there sometimes).
Looking for recommendations for gloves/mittens based on personal experience if possible, all the review sites I’ve found either:
- Say something generic like “full winter range”. Not too helpful when that’s pretty regionally specific and cycling review sites are often in the UK and are more concerned about water than extreme cold (as far as I’m aware) or
- Are aggregating Amazon reviews and not doing any useful research on their own, just trying to collect affiliate link money
Any advice appreciated, thanks!
Regardless of what option you end up with, it will do you a lot of good to “pump” your hands often while riding to get warm blood there.
It’s also important not to get something that’s going to be too tight; let some space in your gloves serve as a buffer.
That said…
Are your pogies simple neoprene, or are they “thermal” and lined for warmth?
And have you tried gloves with glove liners?
Have you tried “thermal work gloves” that are rubberized on the outside (waterproof, and windproof)? Some are rated to -30C, and they are NOT bulky, but you are expected to be moving around with them, and they wouldn’t work if you were stationary for long periods of time.
How long are your rides in those temperatures? You might not be able to escape the eventual cold if you are doing it for many hours on end.
I like the suggestion of keeping my hands moving. Also think tightness may be an issue. I kinda-sorta have liners in the form of the inner pair of gloves, but they’re not intended to be worn inside other gloves so the overall fit is probably a bit snug.
Using Bar Mitts, which are a pretty straightforward neoprene shell. I did consider lined pogies, but I actually quite like how much room is inside these.
I like the idea of work gloves, I suppose anything designed for someone working outside all day in these temperatures ought to also work well on a bike. My ride isn’t too long, up to 15 minutes if I’m going into a headwind. Definitely not spending 2 hours outside on a recreational ride when it’s this cold.
Thanks for the tips!
That’s your problem! I find that it takes at least 15 minutes for my body (and hands) to warm up sufficiently to carry me through the next few hours of cold-weather riding.
In that case, pre-heat your gloves (usually by just wearing them for 5 minutes indoors) and see if that helps. If you keep your bike outdoors, the cold bars will speed up the feeling of cold on your hands, so those work gloves may give you a nice buffer from the cold contact.
Re: bar mits. i also have a neoprene pair, as well as a few with liners in them. The ones with liners are warmer, but because I signal with my hands, I find them more difficult to safely ride with because the linings catch on the gloves every time you put your hands back in.
Yep, same concern here about getting my hands back on the bars after signaling too. I’ll for sure try preheating my gloves.
I’m also looking at getting a heater for my itty-bitty garage soon for reasons unrelated to my bike, which may help with the bars making my hands cold. Although, I’m somewhat skeptical of how much of an effect is really there since rubber grips ought to do a certain amount of insulating.