We bring you a basic guide for buying biking gloves for summer. Here you’ll find tips for choosing the best biking gloves for you. Wearing biking gloves helps you to reduce vibration transmitted through the handle, prevents sweat and protects the palms of your hands. For bike trips in summer, the best bike gloves are those having a mesh ventilation or Lycra on the back, and the fingertips exposed to allow precise control under braking or shifting. However, in autumn and winter, the best mountain bike gloves for winter will have full finger, isolation, a kind of wind blocking layer, and a patch of cloth towel handy to wipe your nose.
Let’s take a look at some of the components that make gloves essential to go biking on hot summer days.
Palms
The palm of the glove is the most important part of a glove; It does all the work while driving and in the fall. The palm contains a pad and this also protects you from scratches in case of a fall or during cleaning of your road wheels.
Leather – Soft and flexible, it is still highly resistant to abrasion, and absorbs moisture, which makes it difficult to dry quickly. It can harden when dry, but will soften with use, but it is a very resistant material.
Synthetic suede – Easier to dry and care while providing increased grip due to textured surface. This material remains soft for life, even when dry.
Natural or synthetic grip – All the features of the palm come with the silicon material, rubber or plastic bonding material adhered to the middle of the palm.
Pads
The palm of the glove will have an integrated abrasion resistant material pad. There is a wide range of pads from thinner and thick padding. Each rider has their preferences to choose best biking gloves for the summer.
Foam pads – Most foam pads are a single sheet of thick foam rubber placed between the layers of palm material and may vary from firm or soft depending on the construction of the glove. They tend to last long, but eventually compress or disintegrate in the palm of your hand.
Gel pads – Usually thicker than foam, and absorb small vibrations very well. The gel feels firmer than most foam pads, however, these do not absorb, therefore the palm material must be protected against moisture.
Closure
You will find two basic types of closure in biking gloves –
Velcro closure – Simple. Adjustable and easy to put on and remove.
Elastic – Fit very well, however, they are difficult to remove when wet.
Finger Covering
Short finger gloves – Most popular for road biking and leaves the fingertips exposed to feel the same control of the bicycle. The feeling that it is easy to find small objects in jersey pockets is also maintained.
Full finger gloves – Protect fingertips from sweat. They usually include more durable palms, as they are intended for mountain biking specifically.
Other features to watch out for
Here are some other features that will help in the decision process to buy your best summer biking gloves.
- Reflective material greatly improves visibility by making hand signals at night.
- Soft, absorbent and easy to wash material that can be used to clean the face.
- Protect your knuckles from scratches and abrasions. Usually made of EVA or TPR, but top models can be carbon fiber or kevlar reinforced for strength and durability.
- Tabs to pull are usually found in full finger gloves to make them more easy to wear.
