Confused about shorts....

[Nanci]

Hi Denise,

You won't believe how nice gloves are to ride with. Besides the obvious- wonderful cushioning for your hands, you also get:

Crash protection.
Sun protection for the most vulnerable part of your body.
Place to wipe sweat.
Place to wipe nose.
Traction if it's raining.

That's all I can think of right now. I feel _naked_ if I forget my gloves! I hate it!!

Nanci

[Denise223]

Hi Nanci!

I'd just logged out, but saw your post, so I signed back in...

I don't have gloves, but they certainly would have helped my hands when I crashed last night.
Both of my wrists are fused - they're straight, no up & down movement. (I've had 20 operations over 27 years on both hands, wrists & thumbs, after a car accident).

So, my wrists didn't "give" when I fell last night, and my palms are hurting today a bit.

I'm sure that gloves would have helped!!

What brand of gloves do you recommend?

Thanks, Nanci!!

Denise

[Nanci]

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=17288

I got these at the last minute before my 600k ride. Or maybe the 400k. I also tried:

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=19478

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=20405

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=5581

I thought I would like the LGs the best, since I already have

http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=8513

(that I got cheap on clearance, and while I really like LG's styling and fit, non-gel gloves just aren't enough for me on bumpy roads and all day rides)

but the PIs were just really cool. Great, perfect fit. No velcro fasteners. I wasn't sure if I'd like that, but I love it. My hands don't get hot, because the weird gel padding is mesh. I wasn't sure how it would hold up, but when I crashed a couple weeks ago and my palm went scraping across the pavement with all my weight behind it- there wasn't even a scratch on the palm gel. They have been washed many, many times and always look brand new.

The gel isn't in the traditional place, and they felt "different" on the first few rides, but I like it that way now.

The TE person who was helping me narrow down my selection to four thought she was going to buy a pair, too, after trying them on while helping me over the phone :-)

$40 seems like a lot, but my last pair of gloves has lasted eight years!! and is only now starting to look kind of ratty and a bit thin over the gel- so nice gloves are a good investment.

Nanci

[pooks]

Re: shorts. I'm overweight and apple-shaped (one risk factor I intend to do something about, thank you very much!). Any recommendations for shorts?

When I look at chart measurements it's the waist that always kills me. My legs are proportional and long, so my thighs aren't large in proportion to the rest of me -- I never have trouble with calves or thighs fitting into boots/tight pants/etc.

So is there any brand that is more prone to fit an apple as opposed to a pair or a banana?

[Nanci]

I order bike shorts (or anything, for that matter) by the hip size, and pretend my waist is within the measurements listed. I'd say almost always bike shorts fit anyway.

Nanci

[kelownagirl]

Hi Denise,

You won't believe how nice gloves are to ride with. Besides the obvious- wonderful cushioning for your hands, you also get:

Crash protection.
Sun protection for the most vulnerable part of your body.
Place to wipe sweat.
Place to wipe nose.
Traction if it's raining.

That's all I can think of right now. I feel _naked_ if I forget my gloves! I hate it!!

Nanci

I bought some gloves a few weeks ago and really like wearing them. My hands always sweat so much so it's really nice to have something to soak it up. Also like using them to wipe my face as Nanci suggested. I think I need smaller ones though as these seem a bit loose. They were size small but maybe they are mens?

Realized I get a pretty funny tan with them today though. There's a hole on the back of the glove where the velcro strap goes so I have whiter hands with a tanned strip across the back...

[Denise223]

Hi Nanci!

Thank you so much for all of your information regarding gloves. We went to one bike shop today, (most all closed at 5 - 6pm), but....the one we went to only had some PI's...and, some other brand. I wanted more gel in the palm area, and right under my knuckles (on the palm side) as well. The ones I saw really had quite minimal padding.

I believe it is a great investment as well!! And, to hear that yours lasted 8 years and are still useable - that's good to hear. If I can get to this larger bike shop tomorrow (before our ride), I will do that. I know that they had TONS of PI gloves.

Hi Kelownagirl!

My hands don't really sweat....but, I'd really like them for riding -- going over bumps & stuff. I hadn't really even given them any thought until the other evening, after I crashed & scraped my hands.
So, I am happy that Nanci 'reminded' me that I needed gloves... !!

Hi Pooks!

With regard to shorts, I only have one pair - so Nanci knows more than me, but.....I would definitely go by your hip measurement first, then your waist measurement second. (That's what I did for the pair I have.)

Goodnight Everyone!!

Denise

[Nanci]

Ok, this is for emergency use only, but if you're on a really long ride, and have to stop to pee in the bushes, it's worth it to wipe with a glove rather than drip drying and risking getting irritated from leftover urine. Then just rinse off with a water bottle.

Of course, it's better to have Kleenex or Wet Wipes!

Nanci

[DeniseGoldberg]

$40 seems like a lot, but my last pair of gloves has lasted eight years!! and is only now starting to look kind of ratty and a bit thin over the gel- so nice gloves are a good investment.

OK, I'm really impressed with this one, and Nanci - I'd love to know how you manage getting 8 years of use out of a single pair of gloves. I always make sure that I have 2 pairs of wearable gloves (probably because of touring, gloves don't always dry overnight when I wash them...). And I consider myself lucky if they last more than a year (or two). I do realize that some of the wear is due to the fact that I hate having the velcro closure closed (so there is unnatural wear on the back of the gloves) but the sun does a lot of damage to the glove backs as well. (Although all things considered I'd prefer to have the wear on the gloves as opposed to on my skin.)

--- Denise

[Nanci]

They are Trek gloves- mens, I think, with big fat gel pads. The black terry cloth back is this kind of mousy brownish gray now, but still soft and nice and not worn- and they are terry on the whole back- can't find that now. The suede palms have worn so thin you can see through to the gel in a couple places- and there are little shards of suede peeling off- but the velcro is still healthy, and they still are the cushiest gloves I've ever had. Most of their life was spent as MTB gloves- so you know they got in some good use. I think they enjoy being road gloves now in their retirement. I wear the PIs almost exclusively, but haul out the Treks when the PIs are in the wash/forgotten in the laundry room, or on long, long rides where I want spare dry gloves/super cushioning. I just wore them yesterday and was reminded again of how comfortable they are.

The PIs are pretty and new and stylish and I love them, too. I hope they live as long as the Treks have.

I'm generally not hard on clothes/shoes.

Nanci

[kelownagirl]

I am enjoying my Sugoi shorts and have decided to buy the more expensive RS Flex shorts that everyone is recommending.

I was wondering about the shorts shorts though. I find the long shorts (9"?) really comfortable, they don't around or ride up or anything, they barely feel there. But I like to get more of a tan. How comfy are the shorter ones (4-5")? A friend told em she found they rode up too much. Anyone else find that? (I wondering if it's just because she's young and has lovely skinny legs...)

barb

[Denise223]

Hi Everyone!

We bought some gloves today & are heading out soon for a ride! It's 94 degrees out here today with beautiful sunshine!! We've had so much rain that it's nice to see the sun shining!!

I tried about 4 pairs on & I couldn't seem to find any that were padded enough in the palm area. And, because my wrists are fused straight surgically, they seemed to be "cut short" at the wrist--for what I wanted. I wanted the glove to comfortable fit over where the fleshy part of your thumb connects to the wrist--(called the 'hypothenar eminence').

My wrist doesn't bend up or down, or sideways at all. My radius & ulna have been fused to the carpals (which have all been fused as well) -- so, it's just like my wrist is a continuation of my radius & ulna. There is ZERO wrist motion at all.

Nanci, I'm glad that you mentioned gloves to me in the first place . Because my wrists are fused, I don't have that "shock absorbsion" that most people have. So, when I was going over bumps & stuff -- my hands/wrists did hurt!! There is no 'give'.
So, thank you Nanci!! Todays ride should be much more comfortable!!

So......the girl at the shop recommended that I try the PI women's gel lite glove, (last years model), and....they fit perfectly. The velcro part wraps right around my wrist, and there really is a good amount of padding just where I wanted it.

She also talked to me about my bike -- and how I probably should come in & see what can be done to make my riding more comfortable -- given my hands.
I DO stretch more than I'd like.

Any recommendations would be MORE THAN WELCOME with regard to how I can made my bike more "ride friendly".

With regard to "peeing in the bushes", (knock wood), I've got a pretty good bladder. But then again, I haven't ridden enough miles at one time (yet!! ),
to have to go.

Barb -- You'll have to let me know how you like your Sugoi RS Flex shorts, when you get them. I don't think I want to buy anymore shorts, that is...until I can fit into a large...

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day!!!

Peace & Happiness,

Denise