Cycling gloves provide good control – even in summer!

Bicycle gloves in summer? At first, it sounds quite nonsensical. Here you will learn why you should wear gloves on the bike even in summer and how to find the right ones.

The absolutely most important reason for wearing summer gloves right away: We wish it on no one... but if a fall occurs, bicycle gloves are worth their weight in gold (even in summer!)

If you fall off the bike, you instinctively break the fall with your hands. A good pair of summer gloves protects your hands from abrasions.

Has that already convinced you? Wonderful! But there are more arguments. So let's continue with Reason number 2:

Bike gloves help you complete your bike training safely, because ideally, they ensure that a fall doesn't happen in the first place. They prevent your wet hands from slipping off the handlebars.

Safety is good, but comfort is also important! And here, bike gloves are crucial! They are padded and prevent calluses, blisters, or tension.

Who needs gloves on the bike in summer?

Anyone who rides their bike for a longer period in summer rides better with gloves. Two groups of people particularly benefit, even on shorter rides.

1. Mountain bikers are particularly prone to falls, gloves are simply part of the protective gear.
2. Many cyclists who already struggle with problems such as numb or tingling hands, aching wrists, shoulders, or necks, or conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, can also benefit from bike gloves in summer to alleviate their discomfort .

Here is the quick decision guide:

There are different models, if you don't want to read further, you can quickly decide what you need here:

• Long finger gloves or short gloves?
• Summer gloves without padding, with gel padding, or with foam padding?
• Do you need an absorbent area or a section that cleans glasses?
• Do you need touchscreen-compatible gloves? If so, which finger?
• What glove size do you need? The size chart is further down.

Bicycle gloves (here for women) make your bike summer safer. Image © Roeckl

And now in detail: Why are bicycle gloves important in summer?

In winter, fingers on the bicycle handlebars get cold particularly quickly, so it's really not a question – gloves are a must! But even on warm summer days, there are good reasons for them:

• Sweaty hands are the enemy of controlled steering movements – light cycling gloves improve grip significantly and ensure that the grips sit firmly in your hand. This becomes safety-relevant – a well-controlled path can prevent accidents!
• A little summer rain in between is not so bad during sweaty cycling – however, the wetness makes your grips slippery! Cycling gloves also improve grip on the handlebars here.
• When your hands are sweaty, you have to grip harder. Over time, this makes your arms tire faster. Cycling gloves also provide more riding comfort in summer and deliver unstrained biking fun.
• Even though good bicycle grips and handlebar tape are supposed to prevent this, the sweat film can cause you to get painful calluses and blisters on your hands. With good cycling gloves, you can ride carefree through the summer.
• Last but not least, your hands on the handlebars are exposed to the sun all the time, so there is an acute risk of sunburn! Sunscreen would be helpful, but in times of frequent hand washing with lots of soap, the cream is washed away in no time. Light cycling gloves for the summer cover the sensitive skin on the back of the hand and protect it from nasty UV radiation.

These features make cycling gloves particularly practical in summer

While the palm of a cycling glove must be primarily abrasion-resistant , the top should be particularly elastic , previously this often resulted in the exciting combo of leather + spandex.

The summer cycling glove is abrasion-resistant and elastic

Today, the most diverse synthetic materials are usually used, adapting the properties of cycling gloves to summer and heat, leather is becoming increasingly rare. Incidentally, the gloves are also vegan. Gloves for mountain bikers are also made of a very tear-resistant material. Many manufacturers today rely on recycled materials when choosing synthetic fibers, as this greatly improves the sustainability of cycling gloves. The outer fabric is generally breathable and elastic, allowing the hand to move well. Inside, a sweat-absorbing layer ensures a pleasantly dry climate.

As little glove as necessary – for the summer, cycling gloves are made of as little breathable material as possible. Image © 100%.

Long live the silicone!

To improve grip on the handlebars, many cycling gloves have silicone elements glued on the inside. Additionally, there are such silicone pads on the fingers that operate the brake, ensuring you have perfect contact and don't slip. These adhesive spots are especially helpful in summer rain. Some models feature an entire inner palm made from a fabric with good grip and do without additional padding. If dust and lint reduce the adhesive strength, you can simply wipe or rinse the silicone areas.

Short cycling gloves with silicone coating for perfect grip. Image © Endura.

If you know you'll be out in the rain, you should look for special gloves that offer particularly good grip when wet. You can recognize them by labels like All-Weather-Grip or Allwetter-Grip.

Wipe & Go – Cycling Gloves for Clear Vision

• A terry cloth absorbing surface: In winter, a runny nose bothers you, in summer, a sweat-soaked forehead is annoying. Here, an insert made of a fabric that can absorb moisture well provides relief. You can wipe away sweat before it runs into your eyes and blinds you.
• A piece of “chamois leather”: Whether mountain bike, road bike, or trekking bike, even those who sit on the bike in summer need clear vision! Therefore, some cycling gloves have a microfiber insert that cleans your lens. You can quickly and easily wipe your sunglasses or goggles, making a glasses-cleaning stop unnecessary.

The thumb of this summer cycling glove is made of terry cloth; it wipes forehead, nose, or glasses. Image © Roeckl.

Additional Features

• Touchscreen compatible: With long-finger cycling gloves, one or more fingers are usually equipped with a surface that can operate a touchscreen. This coating is typically incorporated into both the left and right glove, so left-handers and right-handers don't need to look for special models. However, they are available on the thumb or the index finger! A touchscreen-compatible glove is particularly important if you want to operate a bike computer or the on-board computer of your e-bike via touchscreen while wearing long cycling gloves!
• Reflective elements: If you plan particularly long tours that extend into the evening, your cycling gloves should have reflective surfaces. This way, your hand signals won't be overlooked when turning.
• Knuckle protection: For downhill or enduro (and other) mountain bikers, there are gloves with knuckle protection. Neoprene pads or plastic elements turn your summer gloves into real protectors.

Also mandatory in summer: Mountain bike gloves with knuckle protection: Image © Fox Racing.

Soft or direct - the padding influences the steering feel

In principle, summer cycling gloves are actually only there to fix a soft layer inside the palm.

There are also cycling gloves with and without padding, for summer because some bikers prefer a direct riding feel, while others like to ride with a bit more padding. What you prefer is best found out in a practical test.

The fact is: Soft padding distributes pressure and reduces friction, so you won't get calluses or blisters. Padding also dampens vibrations and shocks, relieving hands and arms. You can find the soft pads not only in the area of the palms, but also at the thumb bend, you can treat yourself to a cushion that prevents blisters.

You find these pads in summer cycling gloves

Foam pads: Form-stable EVA foam can minimize impacts and better distribute pressure over the entire inner surface of the cycling glove. This relieves particularly stressed areas of the hand. The downside: The foam loses elasticity over time, it just becomes "flat." Then new gloves are due. But don't worry, "good" cycling gloves last a long time, often even through several summers.

Gel pads: Gel pads are soft and offer particularly good shock absorption. They adapt flexibly to your hand and the shape of the grips and distribute pressure evenly over the palm. Since the material is not compressed, the problem of decreasing elasticity is eliminated here. Gel pads have another decisive advantage over foam pads: The gel does not soak up, rain or sweat can get trapped in foam pads, so they dry more slowly.

When choosing padding, you should always think about your grips, because there are softly padded bike grips. Soft grips plus soft gloves are sometimes too much of a good thing, and the hands lose grip. Your hands should not "swim" on too much padding.

This is rather rare, but with some summer gloves, you can even see the gel pad. Image © Roeckl.

When are long-finger cycling gloves better in summer?

At first, it seems logical to opt for short-finger cycling gloves in summer. However, this is not always the best choice.

• On the MTB long-finger gloves are highly recommended because they protect the entire hand from branches and in case of falls.
• On cooler days or early in the morning, at high speeds (downhill or on the e-bike), the wind should not be underestimated! Here, long cycling gloves made of thin fabric can prevent clammy fingers.
• If you're riding in the rain, even in summer, long-finger cycling gloves are the better choice, and you should ensure that the fabric is breathable and still waterproof .
• Waterproof, long gloves are also suitable for the transitional period until you need to switch to warm winter cycling gloves.
• For gravel tours, road bike training, or trekking bikers, short gloves are usually sufficient in summer.

The right size for cycling gloves

The right fit is important to ensure the gloves fit optimally. Cycling gloves should fit snugly. If they are too loose, your hand will slide around inside, and you won't have the handlebars securely under control. The necessary comfort is provided by the material that stretches in all directions. Simply measure your hand to find the right glove size.

How to measure glove size:

Use a measuring tape to measure the circumference of your hand at the widest point. The widest point for many people is just below the fingers, at the level of the knuckles. Note, the thumb is not measured! Do not pull the measuring tape too tight; it should lie loosely around the hand.

Sizes of cycling gloves for women

Circumference of the hand	Glove size	US size
15cm	4	XXS
16cm	5	XS
17cm	6	S
18cm	6.5	M
19cm	7	M
20.5cm	7.5	L
22cm	8	L
23cm	8.5	XL
24cm	9	XL

Sizes of cycling gloves for men

Circumference of the hand	Glove size	US size
18cm	6.5	XS
19cm	7	S
20.5cm	7.5	S
22cm	8	M
23cm	8.5	M
24cm	9	L
26cm	9.5	XL
27cm	10.5	XL
29cm	11	XXL

And a few more tips on glove sizes for women and men:

1. The sizes of gloves are not standardized, so there may be slight variations depending on the manufacturer.
2. Usually, cycling gloves for women are a bit narrower than those for men.
3. Of course, there are also women with rather large, broad hands and men with very narrow hands. There are also suitable gloves for them, which may then be tailored for the opposite gender.
4. Many summer cycling gloves are unisex models. Since the material is elastic, they fit many hands.
5. Especially manufacturers from the USA often categorize their cycling gloves in sizes like S, M, L, XL, and XXL . If you want a more precise specification here, you sometimes find a table directly with the corresponding item that compares the sizes with centimeter specifications. If not, visiting the manufacturer's homepage often helps.

Do the new gloves fit?

Whether you ordered your new summer cycling gloves online or bought them in a store, they must fit.

• Put on the gloves, they should not pinch or cut in, even if you make a fist or try gripping the handlebars.
• There should be no wrinkles in the palm. Wrinkles would increase friction and promote blisters.
• They must not be too loose either, your hands should not "swim," because then you would have to counteract with hand strength to have a good grip.
• If you lay your hand flat on the table and pull your fingers slightly upwards, small wrinkles may form at the knuckles, but the elastic material usually prevents that as well.

By the way, just like your feet, your hands can retain water. You should choose cycling gloves that still fit even when the fingers are slightly thicker!

How to wash your summer cycling gloves

The palms sweat quickly, so cycling gloves often end up in the wash, especially in summer. Like most other functional garments, you can usually wash cycling gloves at low temperatures in the washing machine. But you should definitely follow the manufacturer's instructions ! Especially if leather is used, your gloves may require special treatment. Like all small items, they are best washed in a laundry bag well taken care of. Let them dry flat initially after washing.

Washing the gloves on the go in summer can, however, become problematic.

Too much moisture can increase friction inside the glove and thus lead to blisters and calluses!

If you know that your hands sweat a lot, you should pack a spare pair of cycling gloves!

Into the washing machine! (But please wash cycling gloves only according to the instructions.)

To prevent the gloves from "smelling", they should be aired or washed as soon as possible after training. If they develop an unpleasant odor after a while, it may help to freeze them for 24 hours.

Have a good ride with the right cycling gloves!

So, grab a tape measure and determine the right size for a pair of cycling gloves for the summer or – if you ride a mountain bike – a pair of good MTB protective gloves. This way you'll have a good grip on your handlebars, and we wish you lots of fun on your summer biking adventures!