any winter bikers wrap their brake levers?

[lph]

Just wondering this morning if maybe I should try wrapping some tape or something around my brake levers as they are so darn cold to the touch, and the icier it gets the more I need to keep my hands on them (i.e. ready to brake on the bare patches between the icy parts )

Anyone try this already? Any good reason I shouldn't?

[mimitabby]

Um, i wear gloves so it doesn't matter. Fleecy ones when it's really cold!

[SouthernBelle]

2nd the full finger gloves. Wouldn't it be easier to just wrap your fingers?

[Susan126]

Ditto here . . . I wear my nice warm fleecy (with padding) gloves in the winter. They work wonderfully for me!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

At this point I am wearing 3 pairs of gloves when I'm riding. I don't worry about the brake levers.

[roadie gal]

Are you on a bike with curved (road) or flat handlebars? If you want more than gloves and are on a flat bar bike you could try some paddling pogies, like these: http://nrsweb.resultspage.com/boating/Pogies I don't think they'd work on road bars, though.

[lph]

Oh goodness, I surely wear gloves. It's around freezing already

But the (flat) handlebars have rubber grips, and moving my hands from the grips to the metal brake levers I can feel the difference, the metal leads heat away from even my gloved hands faster. I figured a layer of tape might be a more elegant solution than breaking out the big fat lobster gloves aka boxing gloves... At the moment I'm wearing xc skiing gloves with thin wool liner gloves underneath, and still have a little dexterity left.

Think I'll give it a try

[SadieKate]

Can you get Lizard Skin products over there? I'd want my levers covered also.


http://lizardskins.com/products/view...&page_number=2

[Trekhawk]

Can you get Lizard Skin products over there? I'd want my levers covered also.


http://lizardskins.com/products/view...&page_number=2

Not that I would ever need those in Aust but they sure are cute for you cold weather girls.

[lph]

Can you get Lizard Skin products over there? I'd want my levers covered also.


http://lizardskins.com/products/view...&page_number=2

Hey - COOL! (Or warm, as the case may be ) Have to see if I can mail order them.

[Kano]

At this point I am wearing 3 pairs of gloves when I'm riding. I don't worry about the brake levers.

Three pairs of gloves? Yikes! Even if they're fairly thin, the bulk has to be pesky! Considering that you're talking about rides in thirty - forty degree temps, it seems to me there's got to be a better way to keep your hands and fingers warm. Mittens, for example. They keep fingers warmer than gloves because the fingers get to share warmth. Maybe you want to try some of those freaky looking lobster things? Then there's the nifty wind blocking fabrics. My Ibex jacket does a great job of that, so there have to be some wool gloves that block wind out threre for our wool weenies! There's really got to be a better way to stay warm than three pair of gloves!


I've got a nifty pair of gloves from the bike stuff department at REI -- Novara something or other, that keep my hands so danged warm I'm tempted to see how they'll handle skiing this winter!

Karen in Boise

[onimity]

Those brake lever wraps look cool!

I wear my lobster gloves anytime it gets below 35, but them I am a huge chicken when it comes to cold weather & my hands get cold really easily. Not only do the brake levers bother me, but the wind on my fingers too. I think the mitten-ness of the lobster gloves is key, but also the loft. I would think that too many layers of gloves would be a lot like too many layers of socks while skiing? Where it can actually make you colder because of decreased circulation.

Anne

[li10up]

You know those neoprene-like sunglasses holders that slide over the temples of the sunglasses? Cut those to length...I bet that would work.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Three pairs of gloves? Yikes! Even if they're fairly thin, the bulk has to be pesky! Considering that you're talking about rides in thirty - forty degree temps, it seems to me there's got to be a better way to keep your hands and fingers warm. Mittens, for example. They keep fingers warmer than gloves because the fingers get to share warmth. Maybe you want to try some of those freaky looking lobster things? Then there's the nifty wind blocking fabrics. My Ibex jacket does a great job of that, so there have to be some wool gloves that block wind out threre for our wool weenies! There's really got to be a better way to stay warm than three pair of gloves!

I've got a nifty pair of gloves from the bike stuff department at REI -- Novara something or other, that keep my hands so danged warm I'm tempted to see how they'll handle skiing this winter!
Karen in Boise

Works for me!
Right now the temps are between 30 and 40, and we are out riding between 2 and 4 hours.
I'm wearing a pair of soft pure cashmere gloves (that used to be my mother's), over which I have a pair of thin Polartec gloves, over which I have a pair of Ibex Climawool gloves:
http://www.ibexwear.com/shop/Product...limawool-Glove
Why should I put on giant bulky lobster mitts if what I'm doing is working well?

When it gets below 30 I make one more switch- I eliminate the inner polartec glove and add a thin flexible windstopper men's ski glove that fits right over my Ibex Climawool gloves. That setup gets me through anything, and it's still less bulky and annoying than lobster boxing mitts.

[velogirl]

when I've ridden in super-cold climates (Alaska, New Zealand, Colorado, Delaware, NY), I wore a pair of latex surgical gloves under my gore-tex or neoprene gloves. your hands might get a little damp, but they will definitely stay warm.

The other alternative I've tried is the Seal-Skin glove (and socks) -- neoprene and very warm.

Lorri

ps -- carbon levers don't get cold!!!