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Non-heated winter gloves

9K views 65 replies 26 participants last post by  InfernoBourne 
#1 ·
I have heated gloves (the Warm'n'Safe Men's Ultimate Touring) but I kinda hate them. Yes, they're warm. No, I don't like wearing them. They're so bulky that I can barely operate the controls safely. It's absolutely impossible to get into a pocket, tank bag etc. while wearing them.

That's why I'm shopping for something in-between those, and my "OK until down about 40-50°F" gloves, currently some Lee Parks Deersports.

Here's my list of required-ish features:

--waterproof, preferably Gore-Tex as it breathes the best

--palm sliders. real palm sliders/scaphoid protection. preferably Knox SPS.

--built-in wiper. There's on the back of the thumb on my Warm'n'Safe's. Works surprisingly well.

--not too bulky please. The Warm'n'Safe's use 100g Thinsulate. Maybe a lighter grade of Thinsulate is indicated?

I don't expect these gloves to keep my hand warm at 10°F. I need heating for that. But it would be nice to have something to fill the gap between my summer gloves, and the heated mitts. Because the heated gloves make it feel like I'm wearing a couple of balloons.

Anyone have the Klim Vanguard GTX Long winter glove? They're pretty close to what I want, except they seem to not have real palm sliders (soft foam? nah). That, and I can't find the gray version in stock anywhere.
 
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#3 · (Edited)
I've been using Klim Fusions (with electric liners if it gets below 40) but they don't have sliders you want.

Get barkbusters blizzards and ride with summer gloves.

 
#4 ·
Already have Barkbuster Storms.

Also heated grips. Which help a lot, but aren't enough by themselves when it gets really cold.

I know some folks can ride in freezing temps using little more than glorified gardening gloves, but I'm not one of them.
 
#5 ·
When it gets cold I use my ski racing gloves. They are pretty protective and warm. I don't have heated anything and they are fine for me down into the mid 20's F which is about as cold as I ever ride.
They are warmer and better quality than anything I have ever seen in an MC glove - but not cheap. If you can stand riding in mittens (I can't) there are versions that are mittens that are even warmer.
280376
 
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#6 ·
Heated grips and summer gloves are good to about 8c (48f), then add a cover to the gloves. I have the Aerostich 3 finger rain covers. That blocks off the wind and makes the heated grips more effective, and I can get pretty close to freezing with them, but eventually I switch to my warm and safe heated gloves, without turning them on, and those gloves with the aerostich covers can get a little colder too, but at freezing the heat has to be turned on. The rain covers are a must up here in the North. It sucks riding with cold wet hands.
 
#7 ·
I have the Warm and Safe heated gloves. Yea they are bulky compared to warm weather gloves but not compared to winter non-heated gloves.

I tried most everything I could think of before I got heated gloves. The next best solution were gloves with PCM insulation. You still need heated grips but the gloves will redistribute the heat to the back of your hands and fingers. They work not as well as heated gloves but you can feel some warmth.

Outlast and Schoeller PCM, etc-Does it work?

The PCM gloves are more expensive than heated gloves and the ones I had (Revit I think) weren't very durable, a finger seam split after a year or so.

I just get used to the WS gloves, takes a few rides normally. Warm hands are happy hands.
 
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#9 ·
@DesertBike

I forget the name they use but I have both Warm n Safe's Ultimate Touring heated gloves and their other ones which are much thinner.

I use the thicker ones down to 0f and the thinner ones from somewhere below 50f down to around 0f.

The thinner ones do not have the bulk and I suspect you would be happy with them

..Tom
 
#16 ·
There's an idea. Seems impossible to find
@DesertBike

I forget the name they use but I have both Warm n Safe's Ultimate Touring heated gloves and their other ones which are much thinner.

I use the thicker ones down to 0f and the thinner ones from somewhere below 50f down to around 0f.

The thinner ones do not have the bulk and I suspect you would be happy with them

..Tom
Maybe the Rider Classic gloves? They aren't quite as expensive and look a little less bulky than the Ultimate Tourings.

I contacted them to ask how the two gloves compare.

I'd hesitate to buy any though. The Ultimate Touring gloves kept failing & had to be replaced under warranty, which is why I'm on my third pair in 4 years. Also a reason i was thinking non-heated for these in-between gloves- less to go wrong.
 
#10 ·
About mitts / muffs...

Shorter: Barkbuster Storms (or even the Blizzards) are not handlebar mitts. They're just larger-than-average handguards. Proper mitts offer dramatically better performance in the cold.

Longer: While the Storms (& Blizzards to a somewhat better degree) block much of the direct wind blast, they still allow lots of indirect wind blast / swirling air to suck the heat out of your hands. Your hands may feel well protected from the wind since the circulating air doesn't have the same obvious impact like full-on direct wind blast. But it's there nonetheless and I didn't realize it until I put on mitts...and it was gone.

Compare the coverage of the Storms v Blizzard v proper mitts like Hippo Hands. Extending wind protection coverage well past the grips and up over the wrists / forearms makes a huge difference in my experience. There are cheaper options, too -- somewhere on here there's a post by someone who use a less expensive Madstad product.
 
#11 ·
I have a pair of Gerbing heated gloves that aren't bulky at all. Yes, I know they're made in China now, and I don't care, they've held up just fine.

They have a "water resistant" liner, any manufacturer that claims their gloves are waterproof is pretty much lying. They do an okay job not getting completely soaked, and they stay warm anyway.

I've ridden them down to 0F, and they're not toasty by that point but my hands didn't freeze either.

I did the muffs thing, the liner thermal liner thing, the ebay heated grips thing... all unreliable crap, not enough or too awkward in my opinion.
 
#13 ·
Anyone have the Klim Vanguard GTX Long winter glove? They're pretty close to what I want, except they seem to not have real palm sliders (soft foam? nah). That, and I can't find the gray version in stock anywhere.
I haven't got Vanguards but I've got the Badlands (a bit pricier). I like them, but the palm is foam. Apparantly they are made with some space-age material that stiffens upon impact. So far, seem completely watertight. Not too bulky. I wore them down to about 5 degrees C before switching to heated gloves for the winter. It was a splurge purchase.
 
#14 ·
I recently purchased the Rukka 3 finger gloves, They don't offer much protection but they are warm.
 
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#15 ·
I run snowmobile mitts (pretty much the same as oxfords with more insulation) and then motorcycle gloves or heavy lined leather (equipment operator) gloves. Comfortable to about 0F. One thing to look at might be snowmobile gloves. They tend to not have the protection of a motorcycle glove but companies like CastleX, 509, FXR, ect. make really nice cold weather gloves.
 
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#20 ·
I have some Held Freezer gloves and frankly find them too warm in temps that I can still ride in (down to freezing). I have pretty much retired them to use for skiing. I have to say though that I am lucky in that I have good circulation in my hands and do not suffer the cold as much as others.

 
#23 ·
Sometimes you can find discontinued gloves on eBay. eg. Held Freezer gloves
 
#25 ·
There is one other solution that I have used and actually liked the result. No heated grip needed. No heated glove needed just a decently warm not too thick glove. The answer is.....Hippo Hands!! Definitely will keep your hands warm. Now if you want to really be cool a Piaggio with a Tucano Urbano/Termoscud plus the Hippo Hands and you will be cozy and warm. You have to really own it though. kfh000
 
#26 ·
It's frustrating, but the heated gloves aren't so great, aside from bulk. I want them to be hot enough at max setting that it's uncomfortable. But, they simply don't heat that much.

I confirmed the problem with testing in the garage yesterday.

Engine running, gloves connected directly to battery (no controller), warmth was middlin' at best. Air temp was around 37°F. I had the door open so I didn't choke on exhaust, so conditions were about as close to while-riding as I could get when parked. Gloves should have been drawing full power, but warmth was not impressive. They had several minutes to "warm up" if needed, no change.

Irritating, this. I've never liked those gloves much. It's great that the mfg. replaced them every time they stopped heating altogether, but the warmth has never been what I expected for the price.
 
#31 ·
A good pair of heated gloves should be unbearable at full heat unless it's really, really cold and you're experiencing significant wind chill. There is no way I can run my Gerbings gloves on full at a stop light. I have to turn them down or I burn my palms (yes, palms are heated). You, sir, have a less-than-adequate pair of "heated" gloves.

Now, the problem is that these are proper Gerbings gloves, not the "new" Gerbings company that bought out the original owner. I cannot attest to the quality of their stuff.

 
#28 ·
I don't expect the glove to be hot all around. Wires are only backs of hands. They do have to be used with heated grips for best effect.

Supposed to have "double thumb heat." Not sure what that means exactly, doesn't feel like it. Twice times "very little" still isn't much warmth.

I might need to stop in a Cycle Gear and try out those Sedici heated gloves. If they can hook them up for me in the store & I can feel the difference, they're likely to get a sale on the spot.

Having a heat controller built into the gloves themselves is fine. They'll still work with my existing setup.

The gloves I have (Warm 'n' Safe Men's Ultimate Touring) were supposed to be THE best heated gloves money could buy, but they've been a huge letdown in practice.
 
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