Winter gloves and tips
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Yes. Easily. You can go much colder too. Solution: lobster gloves.New question: can I get away with gloves up to -10°C without pogies?
For me the benefit of running pogies is that you can wear much lighter gloves if you wish so that you retain the same hand-bar feel/articulation that exists in more civilized temps (plus my pogies keep my lower arms nice and toasty as well). At -10C I could probably get away with wearing very light gloves with my pogies - maybe even biking gloves, especially if I was running a carbon bar and levers. I have not tried it but there are pouches inside my Cobrafists that I could put chemical warmers in. Not sure how much heat they would generate. Maybe none. I will try it when I can and will get back to you, which won’t be til next week. Thankfully we are in the positive temps right now. Balmy.
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New question: can I get away with gloves up to -10°C without pogies?
Yes, you will survive. People are different though, some are comfortable with relatively light gloves at those temps and others are miserable with nice ones. I'm in the latter camp, and if I'm not comfortable I'm not riding.
If you're going pogie-less mittens are best in cold temps or as mentioned, lobster gloves. As for regular gloves I think ski gloves are probably best. OR, Showers Pass, etc.
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x2.
I meant to say that as well. Minus 10C without wind is not too bad. But my ride is ruined unless my hands, feet and face are kept warm throughout.
Cold weather lobster gloves, like my Black Diamonds, will EASILY handle minus 10C temps, pogie-less. My new Specialized Lobster gloves will not. No way. I like them a lot, but at minus 10C, pogies are mandatory with them.
All that said, and not trying to beat a dead horse, but I am willing to give up style/convenience for comfort. OP - pogies may not be nearly as lame as you are thinking. I love mine. Without them I would be riding MUCH less. I don’t have time to reread this thread right now, but I assume you are riding with a flat mountain bike bar and not a road drop bar...
before pogies, I thought I'd lose some control
nope....my cheap pogies allow me to ride near identically to not using pogies, my hands can do whatever they need to do in and out of them (pop out push off a tree due to a balance screwup, or go for water bottle, hands back into pogies and on bars seamlessly)
(also the same pogies can go on my road bike with no issues with me riding on the hoods and shifting/braking)
nope....my cheap pogies allow me to ride near identically to not using pogies, my hands can do whatever they need to do in and out of them (pop out push off a tree due to a balance screwup, or go for water bottle, hands back into pogies and on bars seamlessly)
(also the same pogies can go on my road bike with no issues with me riding on the hoods and shifting/braking)
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Aaahhh. Ok. I don’t have the balls to ride my cross/road bikes in the winter so I have never tried to rig the pogies up to a drop bar. Sounds like it’s a non-issue.
The one thing I don’t like about pogies is that on a narrower bar (my 2008 Kona Fire Mountain, that I retired this year from active winter duty), I felt constrained in the pogies. I couldn’t get my hands outboard enough for 100% comfort when braking and shifting. My bar was so narrow that I couldn’t push my brakes and shifters anymore inboard. Not an issue with my new 800mm Chromag FU40 bar on my Unit, but depending on the bar, pogies can feel constraining.
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A large part of it is simply physics. Thermodynamics, specifically. With gloves that have separated fingers, you have a VERY high surface area to volume ratio. Great for bleeding off excess heat. Terrible for retaining it. With pogies, you get the opposite.
Honestly, pogies are dreamy. Now, granted, at the temps you're talking about, my homemade pogies are too warm for me. I'll sweat terribly with them. But I also made them for colder conditions, too. 20F is about the temp where they become useful for me. In the sorts of weather you're talking about, I have had good results with softshell gloves. Mine are Seirus brand, and old AF. Probably getting to be time to replace them. But I also tend to run warmer than others and require less insulation to be comfortable.
I remember years ago finding some pogies that were uninsulated and provided mostly just a shield for your hands from the wind. They might have been water resistant, too, to block splashes and light rain. I don't remember what they were (maybe someone here will know what I'm talking about) and can't find them. The closest I've managed to find are the Wolftooth pogies in "trail" mode (with the cuffs folded down) but those are even "more" than the ones I remember from years ago. I have a feeling that simply blocking the wind would be a major improvement.
https://otsocycles.com/products/singletrack-pogies-by-wolf-tooth
I've also found that carbon bars (and brake levers) are WAY warmer in the cold than metal ones. I'd honestly put carbon bars on a winter bike for zero other reason. Similar reason to why resin platforms (with metal pins) are popular for winter riding.
For the face? I rely heavily on my beard. Face masks just suck for me unless it's much colder than you describe. They wet out from the moisture in my breath, and then that gets cold and VERY uncomfortable. I cover my ears and my neck. This is another time that running warm is helpful. I mostly don't cover my face at all down to around 10F. I wear a Buff to protect my neck, and I can pull it up to cover my face whenever I need it (like when I'm stopped), so the time I actually have my face covered is probably less than 10% of my time out on the bike.
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Pogies changed my life last winter... most of the time using them, I didn't need gloves. There are multiple manufacturers, companies and artisians both, making them. They can be cheap if you buy a brand like RockBros or expensive if purchasing one with features or for polar expeditions.
I've had good luck with cross country ski gloves more so than with down hill gloves. The cross country ski gloves may be better for more aerobic activity. The down hill gloves are too thick with insulation, though they block the wind the best besides winter biking gloves and mitts like the Pearl Izumi or Specialized options. Kinco was mentioned as a good low cost option. If you like Kinco glove idea, but want something a bit nicer than have a look at Flylow.
The right gear is always dependent on the person and the weather, good luck finding yours!
I've had good luck with cross country ski gloves more so than with down hill gloves. The cross country ski gloves may be better for more aerobic activity. The down hill gloves are too thick with insulation, though they block the wind the best besides winter biking gloves and mitts like the Pearl Izumi or Specialized options. Kinco was mentioned as a good low cost option. If you like Kinco glove idea, but want something a bit nicer than have a look at Flylow.
The right gear is always dependent on the person and the weather, good luck finding yours!
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What is a brand or company you are familiar with that supplies work gloves? Hultafors? I know they make decent axes and knives for the price, don't know if they make gloves or clothing, etc.
Google search for insulated leather/waterproof work gloves and see what comes up. That would get you a Kinco equivalent.
Google search for winter cross country ski gloves and see what comes up. Rather than looking for specific brands, try to focus on the features the gloves you like offer and do your best to find a regional equivalent.
Google search for insulated leather/waterproof work gloves and see what comes up. That would get you a Kinco equivalent.
Google search for winter cross country ski gloves and see what comes up. Rather than looking for specific brands, try to focus on the features the gloves you like offer and do your best to find a regional equivalent.
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Just looked a little, perhaps a brand like Ejendals? Good luck!
https://www.hibike.com/craft-hybrid-weather-gloves-long-black-p34c7941b71fcb33203df2082393954a9 could this handle the weather I described?
Seems like not every lobster gloves is enough, some are useful up to a certain point so I'm not sure what to get (for the prices I mentioned). Isn't the hand movement reduced a lot that you can't press the lever with these gloves?
You also mentioned lobster ski gloves. I remember when skiing with those gloves you could barely grab the ski poles so I would guess the same is with the brake levers. That is really important for me for safety reasons since one way of my commute is completely downhill.
Seems like not every lobster gloves is enough, some are useful up to a certain point so I'm not sure what to get (for the prices I mentioned). Isn't the hand movement reduced a lot that you can't press the lever with these gloves?
You also mentioned lobster ski gloves. I remember when skiing with those gloves you could barely grab the ski poles so I would guess the same is with the brake levers. That is really important for me for safety reasons since one way of my commute is completely downhill.
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I figure this vid would helpful to those of us who picture ourselves being stuck on the bars with pogies during a crash: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSXbtPG6wy4
for the face look at ski/snowboard gear. same thing...I use rossignol face mask and when really really cold, I tape up the nose hole and also use smith turbo-fan goggles
Wolftooth pogies and summer gloves down to 0F for me. Pogies make all the difference. The insulation is the big air gap and it never gets saturated with sweat like gloves do. Carbon bars and foam/silicone grips also help a lot.
If you can't/won't do pogies then the next tip may help. Once your core is good and warm stop and swing your arms like a windmill as hard as you can until you can feel the blood pressure building up in your hands (maybe 30 seconds). This will open up your capillaries and increase the blood flow to your hands and make a big difference in keeping them warm.
If you can't/won't do pogies then the next tip may help. Once your core is good and warm stop and swing your arms like a windmill as hard as you can until you can feel the blood pressure building up in your hands (maybe 30 seconds). This will open up your capillaries and increase the blood flow to your hands and make a big difference in keeping them warm.
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