Tuesday, 10 November 2009

The joy of gloves

Aren't gloves fantastic? And isn't it nearly the end of the world when you can't find them and it's bitterly cold outside? I think I might soon be in the market for a more heavy duty pair than I currently have. I must confess I bang on my old skiing gloves when it gets really cold, but somehow they ... well ... get a bit sticky inside.

Actually I'm beginning to wonder if it's possible to dress up for a bike ride wearing clothes made up from other "disciplines" ... e.g.:

- hat from horse riding
- gloves from skiing
- boots from hiking
- jacket from ... canooing (?)
- trousers/pants from ... rafting (?)
- lights from ... pot-holing (?)
- A-Z from ... getting lost in London

enough.

6 comments:

Natalie said...

I have a double glove thing going on. Much as I hate being cold on the bike, I really hate being too hot. I have an inner pair that are fairly warm and then an optional outer "sealskin" - obviously not made from real seals - pair that I wear when it's really cold or raining. My Dad also recently bought me a pair of silk liner gloves for use under others. They make a huge difference to warmth without being in any way bulky. Bet you wish you'd never bought the topic up!

Paul said...

I use neoprene gloves from windsurfing. They're uncomfortably hot nearly all the time, but uniquely well suited to a real downpour.

KarmaCycle said...

Brilliant stuff. Natalie - what a nice dad you have! I love the idea of a pair of silk gloves to keep the old hands warm. And actually two pairs of gloves is such an obvious idea I'm annoyed I hadn't thought of it before ... I have a feeling we haven't heard the last on this topic.

And Paul - you've confirmed one of my developing theories that clothing and gear from other sports is becoming more popular with cyclists. I will now imagine many of the cyclists I see with incredibly hot - yet incredibly dry - hands. Windsurfing gloves - who'd have thought it?!

Anonymous said...

More links! Clothing related and hopefully of interest but possibly slightly OT.

trousers good for on-and-off the bike:

http://www.rohan.co.uk/productlist.aspx?cid=MensTrousers&language=en-GB

http://www.alwaysriding.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=283&cPath=179&utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=google_export_feed#googlebase

KarmaCycle said...

I like those links, thanks - I've always been after a pair of trousers which will look OK on and off the bike ... those jeans might just be the answer. Thanks - always welcome to see some of this great gear and sites I don't know about.

siancroberts said...

I have a great ski jacket i wear cycling that I got from TK Maxx- £50. I friend recommended I look there and they have a huge range at quite decent prices! The jacket is waterproof, windproof and breathable with heaps of pockets.
Still struggling with the gloves though, I've got a leather pair which are great when it's mild cause they're windproof and really grippy, but they don't cut it in below 5 degrees.