Reason #1
Points-of-contact, these are three areas of scrutiny and argument for Velominati; saddles, chamois creme, shoes, socks, handlebar tape so why not gloves?
Picking grit out of your palms is bad.
Yes, it is very bad. The fear of this might be the number one reason people get into the habit of wearing gloves, and it does become a habit, like donning a helmet. And just like picking gravel out of your scalp, which is also very bad, avoiding that activity is worth it. Points of contact on the bike are one thing; points of contact once off the bike are another. So do we wear gloves only to protect our hands if we crash? Or do we wear them to stay more comfortable on the bike?
I’m regretting typing this as I type it but I don’t crash often, once every few years, and usually for stupid self-inflicted reasons. The last two times I have crashed and they were stupid and self-inflicted, both times I came away with nothing more than some light abrasions and a sore hip. I was wearing gloves. But I can’t even say if my hands got involved in either crash; all one understands is sliding across the road in a tangle of limbs, bike and embarrassment. Still, gloves are not uncomfortable to wear. There is no big downside to donning gloves as one kits up.
Racing produces crashing. One would think racing Paris-Roubaix would produce the most crashes yet the number of people racing sans gloves is remarkable. There is Boonen and most of his Quick-Step badass teammates battling over the stones without gloves. They want to feel the bike more than protect their hands. They are tough.
Riding naked feels great.
That would look very bad but it might feel very good. Riding without gloves feels a little like something is naked and it does feel great. If you always ride with gloves, try it. It makes for a very different ride. Handling the brake hoods or handlebars without gloves is so much more tactile. Recently forgot my gloves and re-remembered why I’ve spent around a third of my time bike riding without them. It just feels right. There are no Rules about glove wearing nor should there be. Does one look or feel more Pro without gloves? I do. If one feels like they have to wear gloves to protect their hands on the bike then it might be worth investigating how one’s weight is distributed on the bike. Hands should not be doing much weight bearing.
If we subscribe to the argument that we should dress for the crash not the ride we wouldn’t be wearing little more than lycra. Riding is a balancing act in many ways. If you ride you have to accept injury and accidents as parts of the deal but unless you are racing criteriums on a weekly basis, the pleasure of riding naked might outweigh the fear of crashing naked.
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Dressing for impact isn't why I started wearing gloves...it had more to do with how slippery those hoods would get on those hot summer rides.
But flash forward about a year to when I found myself sliding across the tarmac after attempting a turn with a deflated front tire. While my shoulders, arms, legs, and buttocks were well tore up, my gloves had spared me the ultimate pain of skinned palms. In those moments after the crash, while picking gravel out of my other wounds, I realized how half full my glass really was.
I experienced the same results this past weekend when I found myself in strict observance of Rule 49 while still attached to the bike...shoulders took a beating but the hands came out just fine.
Rule or no rule, as long as I'm swinging a leg over a top tube I'll have gloves on my hands.
@Vince
Had I only summoned enough judgement to register here as Vince. Vince is my name. Anyways, Vince, I’ve turned up irrefutable photographic evidence that Velominati Frank not only shares a Salvarani, Italian bloodline, but that the style of mitts is just the way it is.
@universo
Are gents #1 and #3 riding modern cross bikes?
I don't know about anyone else but whenever I go without gloves particularly in the heat, my hoods often feel "gummy". Anyone got a reason for that?
I don't know about that. I do know that Luca Paolini prefers thin gloves to keep a little separation.
Giro LTZ
pedale forchetta has captured his foto wearing the white
Red Beard 2014 Giro d'Italia
Gloves, gloves, gloves! I work with my hands... If your a lawyer, Portland/Seattle techno business nerd, etc., no gloves, fine.
Only the thinnest and least padding. My all time favorites were paper thin fine Italian leather.
@wiscot
Thanks for making me clean the iPad screen I have never looked at a kilt as a tactical tool...
@Buck Rogers
So good to see you back in the fold. All good with the growing bike team and are you keeping your uncle happy over there in the Rip Van Winkle hills??
Gloves are........like onions on my pizza. When I go with (onions) or without (gloves), I hope mostly to avoid some sort of unexpected jam, like close quarters with my squeeze or close quarters with a Buick on a gravelly road.
On balance, I'm a fan of wearing mitts, but I prefer old school gloves, the sort with the Velcro closure and the opening on top of your hand, not those geeky-assed, oversized, aerodynamic(WTF?) slip-on affairs that look like something worn by a villain in a bad 1980's sci-fi flick. Best combo for me is gloves with leather bottoms and cloth tops - the better for wiping around your eyes.
@Owen
Nope, they are riding old school Mafac centerpull brakes my friend. They robably weighed about a pound each and were used quite commonly through the mid 70s. Even in 1977 Bernard Thevenet (Peugeot) used then in his second Tour victory (the one where he crushed the Prophet on Pra Loup.)
@wiscot
I think he's talking about the bottom photo. :wink: