Cold-weather riding is something of a myth for Californians. For us, we might have to zip the liner into our jackets or pull on a pair of long johns before a morning ride. That’s it.
I, therefore, was in for a rude awakening on a recent trip to Crater Lake, Oregon when I discovered what April feels like further north.
Having called ahead to book a room near the lake, I asked what the weather was like and the host responded, “Well there is still snow on the ground.” I took that to mean a minor dusting of snow, never thinking it might be a good six to eight feet up at the ridge of the crater.
With the knowledge that there was going to be some snow on the ground, I packed two pairs of winter gloves to test. The first was the Rev’It! Element 2 H2O glove, which is a full cuff glove comprised of cowhide, goatskin, and PU leather with reflective elements. Rev’It! states that this glove is a touring fit, which basically means it’s an American cut and doesn’t run as small as many European brands.
The second set of gloves were the Dainese Clutch Evo D-Dry—a short textile glove with a regular size fit. The Dainese glove, unlike the Rev’It! has a hard knuckle which gives the glove a more aggressive look, along with pre-curved fingers that are designed to take stress off of the hand during longer touring.
Both sets of gloves are insulted for cold weather, have water proofing on the outer layers and microfiber inserts to help reduce sweating inside the glove.
When I left Burlingame in the morning the temperature was 48.9 °F and I donned the Rev’It! Element 2 H2O. Even with the insulated liner, the tips of my fingers were prickly numb within twenty minutes of freeway riding at seventy miles an hour. I only drove up Highway 101 for about forty minutes before ducking off to a side road that would take me to Highway 1.
Once I was down to forty miles an hour on slower stretches with curves, the tips of my fingers warmed up. Since the glove is a gauntlet style, I was able to zip up my jacket and then pull the glove down over it, utilizing both the wrist and cuff straps to ensure a tight fit with no gaps for freezing air to penetrate.
On the second morning up in Eureka, California the temperature was 43.4 °F and I pulled on the Dainese Clutch Evo D-Dry to see how they fared. Again, within twenty minutes of freeway riding the tips of my fingers were numb. But as I slowed down into the curvy portion of northern 101 through the mountains, the gloves warmed up a bit from my body heat and were comfortable. Even though these aren’t full cuff gloves, I didn’t experience much wind piercing the seam between the glove and my jacket sleeve.
The biggest difference in the gloves came in finger grip. The Dainese felt like snowboarder gloves when I tried to grip anything besides my handle bars—clumsy at best. The Rev’It! had better finger dexterity.
The lesson I learned on the trip is that unless the glove is heated, I don’t think any winter or windproof glove, on its own, is truly going to keep the tips of your fingers warm at high speeds. So plan your route accordingly.
