Need cycling glove recommendations

Triathlon Forum
1

My wife has a history with ulnar and median nerve problems in her wrists. She is a dentist and has very tiny wrists, which doesn’t seem to go well together. Her symptoms came on at a time when she wasn’t cycling, so we don’t think they are caused by cycling. However, she wants to start up again, and is worried about having a flare up due to pressure on the hands.

Any suggestions for gloves that help alleviate pressure on the palm of the hand. I see that Louis Garneau and Specialized both have gloves to help protect the ulnar and median nerves…any others? Any experiences with these gloves, or a preference of one over the other? Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Jack

2

I had never worn gloves for years when riding my road bike. Then I got a crappy pair in a goody bag from a race. Tried them one day and liked the feel and comfort. Went the next day bought a nice pair of LG’s and now don’t leave home without them when on the road bike. Can’t compare to anything but the most of the LG’s I tried on seemed to be of very good quality. Were cut low around the wrists and the gels and paddings seemed to be located in the correct positions.

3

I recently bought a pair of Specialized with the gel pad on the outside of the palm .

I think it does help to significantly reduce the tingling in my hands on longer rides. I am happy so far. Spenco advertises its Ironman gloves as having a lot of strategically placed gel to help prevent nerve impingement. I would love to try a pair.

4

I’ve got the Specialized gloves and they seem pretty good. Anti-vibe Gel strips under the bar tape would help as well I think.

5

The ironman series of gloves is especially good for tender hands.
Just as good is the Home Depot tradesman gloves, for about $20. My ironman are fingerless and I like the full finger tradesman better. But either gives excellent padding.

7

The Specialized BG ones are good for the nerves.

8

I found the Trico gel gloves to be great, thick gel padding in just the right spot on the palm. Picked them up at REI a couple of years ago. http://www.tricosports.com/

10

I rode about 500 miles on the Spenco Ironman gloves with ‘the groove’ that allegedly prevents numbness.

I actually experienced numbness with these gloves worse than bare hands.
I ride on the hoods. Your results may vary.

Your gloves could have been too small. These gloves run small.

11

The LG gloves look very interesting, especially as far as nerve compression goes. What do you find in that department?

12

Jack - have you considered alternatives to simply more-padded gloves?

i.e. - bar fat, winged bars, adjustable levers, etc.

13

i hate wearing gloves but i want a tan line on my fingers this year so i got the p.i. ones with this red waffle rubber stuff in the palm instead of that cheap gel crap. maybe they are more for mtb-ing? They are really good. also my hands haven’t been falling asleep. i got the guys ones 'cause they’re red
http://www.pearlizumi.com/product.php?mode=view&product_id=192641&type_id=2&sport_id=5&category_id=9&color_code=230

she can get specialized bar phat -gel in your tape

14

jack,

I’ll second these Pearl Izumi’s gel vents… I bought some in January and have been extremely satisfied.

I’ve had no problems with my hands going numb and have done multiple 3 hour rides with them.

Highly recommended.

15

Don’t forget “It’s all about bike fit.”

Doublecheck her position to make sure she isn’t putting too much weight on her hands. Also check the position/angle of her bars and shifters. Extra padding in her gloves may just treat the symptom, not the problem.

16

Thanks for the recommendations everyone. I really like the bar phat suggestion.

Also, I hear you efernand…bike fit is important. I think hers is pretty good, she was fit by Demerly and company. As I mentioned earlier, her problems are from her profession. She hasn’t ridden since her wrists flared up on her, so we’re not sure if it is going to be a problem or not. We just want to take as many precautions as possible, given her history…

17

I’m sure that if it was a Bikesport fit, then it must be perfect. :wink:

I hope your wife doesn’t have any problems riding. My dentist just retired because of nerve inflamation problems.