GLOVES FOR STEEP DESCENTS

[kluthage421]

Hello,

This is my first post and joined for a specific question, but I will surely be more active in the near future. I attempted to perform a search on, but the results were endless and I did not see an option for "match exact phrase"

My question is, what is a good glove for long steep descents? More specifically, on a road bike. I love climbing mountains, but coming down is very painful in my palms and hands in general. I wear Pearl Izumi gloves now with sufficient padding, but I still must stop every few hundred feet I descend. I am talking grades up to 24%, averaging around 8-12%. I live in Bavaria, Germany, so the mountains are close. What do the pros do for these conditions? I have tough hands due to years of weight training, rock lifting, push-ups etcetera, but the pain is unbearable. Any help is greatly appreciated.

~Bryan~

 

[CyclinYooper]

Do you have excessive hand pressure only on descents? And, when you descend, do you typically have your hands on the brake hoods or in the drops? I ask because I had hand-pressure problems when I started too; it was mostly due to improper bike fit (for me it was my saddle being too high and too far forward). But, this was the case on descents and flats.

Also, what model of Pearl Izumi gloves are you using, specifically? I used to use the Select Gel gloves ... but I actually found my hands were much more comfortable with the "thinner padded" Elite Gel gloves. As a newbie, I assumed "thicker = better" ... I've since gone to thin padding almost everywhere.

Scott

 

[kluthage421]

I have the Pearl Izumi Select gloves. The style before the new "Select Gel." Maybe I will try descending without gloves before buying a lesser or no pad glove pair. I can't imagine descending 24% grades on the hoods, so definitely the drops My seat is the right height being there is a slight bend at full extension.