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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@rich
My white fizik tape gets sullied by the black gloves more than the sweat/sunscreen. But sweat/sunscreen is a very bad combo with a lot of tapes, like the glossy fizik tape, slippery like an eel I tell ya.
@aostaghost
finger tips.
@mauibike
Well you know by writing this I have doomed myself to crashing and messing up my hands. I guess I better wear gloves until the bad jinx has lifted, or I crash.
Putting your hands out to break your fall (bike or not) is the quickest route to a broken collarbone. I've been asked before, "How did you do that and not get hurt?" Practice, practice.
I've never really thought about it but I tend to wear gloves for hard/fast rides, not for cruises/recovery rides. On the Sat bunch - which is hell for leather for 3hrs - they are on until the coffee shop, then not for the ride home.
I guess that means I subscribe to the theory that the higher the crash risk the more likely I will wear gloves.
Of the few crashes I have had, only one or two involved my hands and then it was fingers/knuckles/back of the hand, not my palms. Each time the gloves were torn and the sun under damaged. Going over the front onto palms though.. if I ever do that I will be very glad of gloves.
A junior ran over a palm brach in December. It flung up and jambed her rear wheel at the brakes. She wen't over the front and face planted. I should ask her about her hands and how they faired. The damage on her face got all the attention I can tell you.
@Stephen Schwartz
Your hands are forever covered in bacteria. That's why we wash them before eating and other convenient times and avoid touching your face. We also wash gloves for the same reason. A quick wash with hand soap in the basin is all that is required, then once a week throw them into the washing machine.
Do these same guys worry about the bacteria growing in their helmet which also collects sweat? Have they ever washed their helmet? The forehead band in particular which them proceeds to drip that sweat onto the face/eyes hence the need to wipe with gloves?
@aostaghost
With finger tips. Gloves or no it's the same.
@Joe Cline @Gianni
Yeah, no hands out. When I was a kid I decided to jump from the roof of our two story home for fun. I quickly learned to roll to absorb the landing. I do the same on the bike, roll. Land on the side/back of my shoulder and keep my hands on the hoods. Never broken any bones that way but have taken piles of skin off my shoulder, hip and the sides/back of my hands.
Last crash was simply taking a corner too fast (final corner of race and I was leading!!), leaning it over but taking the grip of the tyres too far. I was mid corner and I thought "o'm too fast" but braking in that situation is a bad idea so I had no choice but to lean into it and try and ride it out. When I finally came to a stop I was still clipped in, just about arse on the seat, both hands on the bars. No skin on the left side of my body though. Got up and managed to finish in 5th place.
Bacteria, smackteria. Seriously people, this is what we have immune systems for.
Also, get any fizik tape, and you don't need to worry about it getting dirty.
And, no gloves is how I've been riding. If I could find ones I really liked, I'd wear them but I don't unless it is too cold.
@Gianni
Impossible. The jinx won't lift, and you won't crash until you take your gloves off. You are doomed.