Gel Cycling Gloves - advice please

My wife suffers from wrist problems with most cycling gloves and she swears by the Specialized Body Geometry gloves. They're not gel (I don't think) though.

meehs said:

My wife suffers from wrist problems with most cycling gloves and she swears by the Specialized Body Geometry gloves. They're not gel (I don't think) though.

I thought that maybe gel was the only option, but all suggestions are appreciated. So, are these available through the net, or from a specialist outlet. I am in the UK - thanks Angela

I don't generally have trouble with my hands or wrists, but my own experience is the more padding on the glove the more likely that it is to make my fingers go to sleep. It may good for you to look into other options like really good vibration dampening gel handlebar tape to go with the gloves.

I was checking out Colorado Cyclist's web site and saw this stuff for under handlebar tape (couldn't tell you if it works or not)
coloradocyclist.comproductdisplay2 v2.cfmOpen ↗

Eden said:

I don't generally have trouble with my hands or wrists, but my own experience is the more padding on the glove the more likely that it is to make my fingers go to sleep. It may good for you to look into other options like really good vibration dampening gel handlebar tape to go with the gloves.

I've had that experience with some gloves too. Having a bunch of padding in the wrong place is worse than having none at all. I would suggest going to a shop and trying some different gloves on. Either bring your bike with you or find one in the shop that has the handlebars set up the same way as yours.

double cork wrap on the bars will cut the vibration shock, but if your hands are very small this may be too big of a grip diameter.

Angela Foster said:

I thought that maybe gel was the only option, but all suggestions are appreciated. So, are these available through the net, or from a specialist outlet. I am in the UK - thanks Angela

Hypnospin said:

double cork wrap on the bars will cut the vibration shock, but if your hands are very small this may be too big of a grip diameter.

lowering the tyre pressures a tad might help as well - some frames / wheels are so rigid that road shock becomes a problem and a carefull choice of tyres may make the most difference .
don´t you just hate that groove they put on the back of the bars for campy cables ..............

el Inglés said:

lowering the tyre pressures a tad might help as well - some frames / wheels are so rigid that road shock becomes a problem and a carefull choice of tyres may make the most difference .
don´t you just hate that groove they put on the back of the bars for campy cables ..............

I love them, but that's probably because I have Campy shifters. Switching to a larger tire size in addition go backing off the pressure. It's amazing that so many bikes come with 23mm tires when most people wouldn't even notice the performance difference with 25mm or even 28mm.

artmichalek said:

I love them, but that's probably because I have Campy shifters. Switching to a larger tire size in addition go backing off the pressure. It's amazing that so many bikes come with 23mm tires when most people wouldn't even notice the performance difference with 25mm or even 28mm.

and what about the morons using 20mm ´cause it looks racy ????

oh and tried putting some cable cover in the groove - helps but not much .
as campy has , for years been available with the option to put the brake cables on the inside with the shifter cables ( and you won´t believe how much easier it is to replace the cables and tape when they´re there ) why do we still suffer that groove ?

el Inglés said:

and what about the morons using 20mm ´cause it looks racy ????

Because they're more aero of course. And lighter. Who cares if they bounce all over the road...
Too much marketing tends to blur the cause and effect relationships of some of these things. For things like deep section aero wheels and ultra skinny tires to make you any faster, you already have to be going faster than most of us ever will.

As for the Campy cable routing, I prefer the feel of having the cables on the back. I have a light wrap of electrical tape over the cables which takes the headaches out of changing bar tape.

artmichalek said:

Because they're more aero of course. And lighter. Who cares if they bounce all over the road...
Too much marketing tends to blur the cause and effect relationships of some of these things. For things like deep section aero wheels and ultra skinny tires to make you any faster, you already have to be going faster than most of us ever will.

As for the Campy cable routing, I prefer the feel of having the cables on the back. I have a light wrap of electrical tape over the cables which takes the headaches out of changing bar tape.

humour me : try taping both on the inside one time ( with insulating tape of course ) and see if there´s any difference in function .

BRING BACK SINGLE GROOVE HANDLEBARS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bye now , see you monday .

www.ucbclub.org

Angela,
I too suffer from CTS and have found that gloves, padded or otherwise will not cure all. Find yourself a good pair of gloves with a concentration on comfort and the ability to move your fingers as needed - I use Pearl Izumi with the gel padding. Now, you will need to play with various hand positions on the bar, and to find the position that minimizes pressure on the nerve. One of the best things about road handle bars are the many hand positions that are available; changing positions will help keep you hands comfortable. For the first couple of rides you will find youself ocassionally shaking your hands, but then it does get better. Also, the importance of a well fitted bike cannot be overlooked here. A poor fit, with too much weight on the hands and arms will only make the situation worse. Hope this helps.

kettlewon2001 said:

Angela,
I too suffer from CTS and have found that gloves, padded or otherwise will not cure all. Find yourself a good pair of gloves with a concentration on comfort and the ability to move your fingers as needed - I use Pearl Izumi with the gel padding. Now, you will need to play with various hand positions on the bar, and to find the position that minimizes pressure on the nerve. One of the best things about road handle bars are the many hand positions that are available; changing positions will help keep you hands comfortable. For the first couple of rides you will find youself ocassionally shaking your hands, but then it does get better. Also, the importance of a well fitted bike cannot be overlooked here. A poor fit, with too much weight on the hands and arms will only make the situation worse. Hope this helps.

I want to thank you all for your advice. The carpel tunnel problem is not just cycling related,. I am a chiropodist and it probably is work related. Today we got some new handlebars. I shall try them out tomorrow, then I will get some new gloves. The bike is just the right fit, a small marin, but well into a 20 mile ride I am having problems. Keep the suggestions coming in please, I really appreciate it.

meehs said:

My wife suffers from wrist problems with most cycling gloves and she swears by the Specialized Body Geometry gloves. They're not gel (I dglove son't think) though.

gloves may help but what about vibration? a friend swears by harmonic balancers for the handlebars to reduce buzz

Fizik Bargel wrap works well for me to minimizw hand numbness and pain.

DO THIS!!!!
the Pearl Izumi Gel-Lite gloves are great, and get the gel to sslide under gel tape... honest, it worked for me.

I have the Pearl Izumi $35 Pair of Gel golves. Do not buy them, they are not very good at all. I also have the specialized BG carbon pittards gloves for $20 and they are much much better.

meehs said:

My wife suffers from wrist problems with most cycling gloves and she swears by the Specialized Body Geometry gloves. They're not gel (I don't think) though.

kettlewon2001 said:

Angela,
I too suffer from CTS and have found that gloves, padded or otherwise will not cure all. Find yourself a good pair of gloves with a concentration on comfort and the ability to move your fingers as needed - I use Pearl Izumi with the gel padding. Now, you will need to play with various hand positions on the bar, and to find the position that minimizes pressure on the nerve. One of the best things about road handle bars are the many hand positions that are available; changing positions will help keep you hands comfortable. For the first couple of rides you will find youself ocassionally shaking your hands, but then it does get better. Also, the importance of a well fitted bike cannot be overlooked here. A poor fit, with too much weight on the hands and arms will only make the situation worse. Hope this helps.

All great points. Most important of all is bike fit. If you are leaning hard on your hands all the time no amount of glove padding is going to fix your problem. I have found that by setting up the bike so more weight is on my butt, my hands are way more comfortable. Try raising the handle bars. Move your saddle forward. Make sure your saddle is level(use a level!). If the nose is tilted down you will constantly be fighting to hold your weight back and, as a result, be putting more weight on your hands. I like the PI Gel Light gloves, too. I have had CTS in both wrists and could not believe the pain. I am now much smarter and thoughtful about ergonomics, both at work and on my bike. My CTS has slowly gone away, but only becaused I changed my erogonomic habits to ones that make good sense.

Please don't get me wrong, but I will say it again ... If you have CTS and are worried about glove padding, you are looking at the wrong root cause. Get your weight shifted off your hands and onto your butt. Get a good saddle. Good luck!

as for the groove in back of the bar, i have filled it with a slice of cork tape cut lengthwise, wrapped over this as usual, and used this to advantage on occasion! instant shock absorber.

as for the tires, if you have a road bike with 700c wheels and the frame has adequate clearance to fit 28c tires, you will have a plush ride.

el Inglés said:

lowering the tyre pressures a tad might help as well - some frames / wheels are so rigid that road shock becomes a problem and a carefull choice of tyres may make the most difference .
don´t you just hate that groove they put on the back of the bars for campy cables ..............

Hypnospin said:

as for the groove in back of the bar, i have filled it with a slice of cork tape cut lengthwise, wrapped over this as usual, and used this to advantage on occasion! instant shock absorber.

as for the tires, if you have a road bike with 700c wheels and the frame has adequate clearance to fit 28c tires, you will have a plush ride.

Get the specialized phat bar gel to put under the bar tape. It is very effective against vibrations more so than any gel glove I have tried. The gloves are more personal and you will have to try it yourself. Good points have been made about tire diameter if you have 23 mm go up to 25 or 28 as suggested in a previous post. Also the riding position/weight sdistribution is mentioned earlier I might add that it is important to change postion of your hands aevery few minutes if you have numbness problems, that will help too.