Wear cycling gloves tight?

[shootingstar]

I was inspired to have this topic by another related topic thread here.

Do folks here wear their cycling gloves quite tight?

I don't because I don't like it when my fingers swell in hot weather and I have to tug off my gloves harder to get them off. I want my fingers to have circulating blood.

I used to buy and wear the exact size for me. ie. X-Small. But now I move up half a size if I can/if available.

[Crankin]

I have moved up from a small to a medium in gloves.
No, my hands have not become bigger. I noticed this issue when I bought a pair of lighter weight full fingered gloves in a medium about 2 years ago, so I could wear Smart Wool liners underneath. One day I got too warm and took the liners off and I realized the gloves fit me a lot better. I always felt my hands were being strangulated, especially in the hot weather, when they swell a bit.
I guess I never thought that someone my size would wear medium gloves. I don't have huge hands, but I guess they're not tiny, either.
And to think, I am pretty sure I first bought extra smalls when i first started riding.

[jessmarimba]

I wear half-finger gloves at my normal size. Full-finger gloves are always way too big, or else the fingers are too short. Sometimes that causes the wrist fastening to chafe though. Can't win! :p

That's most of the reason why I generally only wear full-finger gloves when it's really cold, even though wearing half-finger gloves is kind of frowned on for mountain biking.

[shootingstar]

In some cases, I have moved to a women's medium as the next less snug fit. Like you, Crankin I don't like my fingers feeling strangled.

I have small hands but I want to be comfortable. All of me comfortable while cycling on the bike.

[malkin]

I have sort of big fingers for the size of my hand, I wear lightweight leather gloves so they will conform to my chubby fingers and be comfy.

Synthetic gloves that fit across the palm of my hand will strangle my fingers.

[Crankin]

I think my it's my fingers that may be longer than the actual size of my hand. According to measurements for gloves, I am right on the dividing line between a small and medium. The only short fingered gloves I can wear are Botranger ones with no padding. Even the tiniest bit of gel or padding makes my hands swell and ache and I don't have arthritis. These gloves are never on sale anywhere, at any time, but I gladly spend the 40.00 for a pair after years of suffering. Capo also makes some that I used a gift certificate for, but they cost even more.

[Owlie]

My gloves are men's small. I think that corresponds to a women's medium in Pearl Izumi's size charts, so that's my normal size. They were snug when I bought them (in July, so my fingers were a bit swollen) but it's good that I didn't size up because they've stretched a fair bit over nearly 3 years. Hopefully PI still makes them in that style, because I love them!

[nscrbug]

Timely topic...as I just tossed out 3 pairs of gloves this morning because they strangle my hands/fingers. I cannot wear my gloves tight. I have fairly large hands with long fingers...size L/XL in women's, M/L in men's. My fingers swell, go numb, and get arthritic to the point where I cannot bend them. I am currently searching for a new pair of summer gloves...and not having much success. At the moment, I am wearing a pair of Ironman T.2 Elite gloves that, at one time, I really really loved...but now are just "ehhh...okay". Pearl Izumi gloves don't work for me, so they're out. Same goes for Specialized gloves. Last summer, I bought a pair of LG gloves, but ended up returning them for some reason. Next up on my list to try are Gore, Terry, and Craft. There has to be something out there for me...I just haven't found it yet.

Linda

[sgf726]

I actually stopped wearing gloves a couple of years ago except for warmth.

I use the Fizik Bar Gel under the handlbar tape and find its just as comfortable if not more comfortable then wearing gloves.

[OakLeaf]

Remember that gloves are for protection more than comfort. The guy who built my race frame, actually, crashed while tooling around campus without gloves and basically couldn't use his hands for a couple of weeks while the road rash healed.

[nscrbug]

Remember that gloves are for protection more than comfort. The guy who built my race frame, actually, crashed while tooling around campus without gloves and basically couldn't use his hands for a couple of weeks while the road rash healed.

+1 on this! I've had a few minor crashes, and had I not been wearing gloves...my hands would have been pretty torn up.

I've also tried the Fizik bar gel...not a fan. It feels too "bulky", and increases the diameter of my bars to the point where it's painful for me to wrap my hands around it. I'll stick with my Lizard Skin bar tape.

Linda

[lph]

Remember that gloves are for protection more than comfort. The guy who built my race frame, actually, crashed while tooling around campus without gloves and basically couldn't use his hands for a couple of weeks while the road rash healed.

O yes. I crashed on gravel once (ow!) (and I wasn't even riding fast!), thought it was a great idea to stop my fall with both hands (OW!) and basically removed the skin from both palms. Not deep, but hoo-boy was that painful. Especially when it got infected. I ended up with a whopping huge bandage on each hand for at least a week. And it stung like crazy. Since then I get very very nervous if I find myself riding without gloves for whatever reason.

Like the time I'd taken them off after a rain shower because they were soaking, and was toodling along with my usual casual grip along the sides of my flat bar. Had to maneuvre around a sudden pothole, slipped off one end of the bar because I had wet hands and no gloves, veered around madly like an idiot and cracked a rib on my own handlebars. Thank heavens there was no-one behind me to run me over. Thank heavens the Darwin awards wasn't taking nominations atm.

[Crankin]

I have come to the conclusion that gel anywhere is a death sentence for me; I can't stand it in gloves, bar tape, saddles.

[Catrin]

Remember that gloves are for protection more than comfort. The guy who built my race frame, actually, crashed while tooling around campus without gloves and basically couldn't use his hands for a couple of weeks while the road rash healed.

Yes, this. I wear full finger Endura mountain bike gloves for the trail, and Gore half-finger gloves on the road. I wouldn't mind some Endura road gloves but they have some strange stuff in the palms, it isn't paddng, per se, but it is odd. My hands swell quite a bit on the road, haven't noticed it on the mountain bike.

[Artista]

I have small hands but prefer to wear women's, medium, half-finger, gloves. Size small doesn't bother me much when I'm riding but I hate trying to get them off after a ride. Mediums allow my hands to swell and I can still get the gloves off easily.

[azfiddle]

I think I have small hands but most women's small gloves are too tight. I recently bought a pair of gloves that fits well, but comfortably- close, no gaps, but definitely not tight.

I went to two stores and tried on about 12 pairs in 5 or 6 brands before I found a pair that I really liked the fit of. They are made by Serfas.

[Catrin]

I have small hands, but long fingers and my hands SWELL on the road...even medium gloves get tight. It is always hard to choose short-fingered gloves. Considering just wearing my long-fingered mtb gloves, for some odd reason my hands don't seem to swell so much in those.