I am confident that it will soon be spring and the trainer will get put away. In anticipation of this glorious day I’m looking for a new cycling vest and gloves, both geared for riding from the high 30’s to low 60’s. I’m wondering if the Hincapie vest is worth it, or whether I should just go with the Voler version.
How about gloves? I have some really heavy PI gloves that I almost never wear because my hands just about sweat to death. I need to find something that breathes without letting my hands freeze.
I don’t know much about vests, but I’m interested in your gloves. Are they waterproof? Gloves are the one piece of clothing I havn’t figured out yet for winter weather conditions in the mountains.
They’re alright, but I bet any pair of Swix, Toko, etc. xc ski gloves would be as good or better. gearwest.com has a pretty good selection of windproof ski gloves, like these Toko’s:
I need windproof and waterproof. I’ve got caught in snow a few times and it’s just absolute misery riding with hands that are not quite numb, just at that point where they hurt very bad and don’t respond to your brain’s impulses very well. The PI’s sound like they are waterproof, yes?
I don’t think they are. They are really geared toward sub-freezing temps. Maybe these would be more up your alley:
Shaped, windproof and water-repellent. Water-repellent and breathable membrane on back, Amara® palm, reinforcement on vulnerable areas, full Thinsulate™ lining, terry thumb, reflective 3M trimming
Gloves - If it’s not wicked cold, a great pair of relatively cheap ($25 I think?) gloves are the SealSkinz gloves. They are wind and water PROOF, not just “resistant”. They are perfect for temps in the say 25 deg F to 40+ deg F range, where you might encounter it being both cold and wet. Many pro Adventure Racers swear by SealSkinz socks and gloves, and so far I’m happy w/ them too.
Below 25 degs - wet becomes less of an issue, so you just want warm and windproof for that. (I wear either PI lobster gloves or some windstopper fleece ones, or my ice climbing gloves if it’s really cold - or I stick to the trainer, cuz I’m a wuss
Vest - I recently got a LG vest, the lightest one they make, forget the model name. I really dig it, fits snug, it’s stylie, breaks the wind, and has a nice mesh back with pockets. It’s everything you need and nothing you don’t.
Hincapie knows what he’s doing. I am never getting rid of my windtex jacket. I can’t speak for the vest, but he and his brother (co-owners) are doing great work.
I just tried out a pair of Performance Bikes (I usually avoid their own brand - prefer Sugoi and Pearl Izumi)
neoprene gloves. they are great - very warm, and
they have “sticky” grippers on the palms/fingers to
really grip the bars. They were $15.00 on sale -
$30.00 regular.
If it’s a lot colder, I’ll use them as a layer and put the
gore-tex shell over them.
