Co-Rider's Sampling of Winter Gloves

By Adrienne Warren

There is possibly no better Co-Rider to test winter riding gloves than me. I have been struggling to find gloves that can compensate for my arthritis-induced circulation problems. Heated gloves are the obvious answer, but I hoped to find an easier solution. We contacted several manufacturers and received four pairs of standard winter gloves as well as the Gerbing’s and Widder versions of heated gloves.

My friend Chet Shupe arrived right at 8 a.m. with his long legs and 1997 Valkyrie, and we mounted up and departed for the Arizona high country in 50ish Phoenix air temperatures. I had permission from editor Nick Hoppner to make snowballs to test the waterproof qualities of the gloves, so I warned Chet to beware. He drawled, “Well, first you have to hit me.”
We began our ride in high anticipation of beautiful scenery and twisty roads among the pines. I chose a pair of gloves I felt likely to be least effective against the cold for the warmest part of the ride, the Sophia by Frank Thomas. Within minutes, this strategy fell into the “best laid plans” category as a needed adjustment to my jacket required removal of the gloves.
The cord for the top closure of my jacket was flapping in the breeze and its metal tip was banging against my helmet. I pulled off the gloves and once I had fixed the offending cord, my fingers were white from their reaction to the cold. In this state, my fingers are numb and uncomfortable. What a way to start a trip!
This seemingly unfortunate occurrence led to an important discovery! Normally, it takes a car heater or hot water to bring the circulation back to my hands. I put the gloves back on, not expecting anything to happen. Within 30 minutes, feeling returned completely to one hand and partially to the other. The cause of this unprecedented occurrence—GORE-TEX®! These gloves were Frank Thomas imports from England and contain Aqua-Pore™, a U.K. manufactured version of this amazing type of membrane.
A chemist friend of mine tells me Gore-Tex is a teflon polymer. Their official Web site states: “ePTFE: Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene is the hydrophobic, or water-hating, material in the Gore-Tex membrane.” Whatever. It appears to me that this breathable membrane acts enough like rubber to trap body heat in the gloves. This allows relatively thin gloves to keep your hands nice and toasty. Since this ride, I have had a chance to test Gore-Tex more thoroughly, and the material does breathe the vapors of perspiration well enough to prevent an interior dampness—I’m sold.
After an hour of steady climbing, I realized I had committed a potentially dangerous error—I was missing a layer of clothing! A waterproof windbreaker from Chet’s saddlebag saved the day, and I changed to the second set of gloves.
This pair, Aqua-Roo, also manufactured by Frank Thomas and available from Cycle Gear shops, is very similar to the first glove, but at an SRP of $99 as opposed to $39 for the Sophia. So, what do you get for $60 more dollars? In a nutshell, a lot more protection for your hands with very little reduction in flexibility.

The Aqua-Roo has the same breathable membrane for water protection and warmth, but the leather palm and knuckle guard are substantially thicker. These gloves have real armor at the impact points of knuckles and wrist-bone. Is this worth the extra money? Every so often, I look at my right outer wrist and give thanks for the leather glove that took the slow motion scrape of my meeting with the road several years ago.
At the 6,000-foot level, it was time to break out the heated gloves. Though the day was sunny, the temperature was 46 degrees, dipping lower in the shaded areas. I tried the Gerbing’s first and switched to the Widder version after 30 miles. Neither was a hands-down winner over the other; but both saved me from turning into an icicle.
Gerbing’s heated clothing is made to interconnect and can be regulated by purchasing either a permanently mounted or portable temperature controller. I did not have one of these, so I reduced the amount of heat by unplugging the gloves—not a good option for a rider.
The Widder gloves came with an on-off switch, but I have since learned they also have a thermostat controller available. These controllers are a must and well worth their extra SRP. The need to plug-unplug or switch on and off is a distraction even for a Co-Rider!
The Gerbing’s gloves I sampled have a fold-back mitten for the fingers and even for the thumb for greater dexterity. Magnets hold the cap out of the way, freeing up fingers and thumb covered in electrified half-fingered gloves. Widder’s electric gloves are fairly thick, but retain good finger flexibility. Both Widder and Gerbing’s gloves both have Thinsulate™ lining, 3M’s original “warmth without bulk” material.
The only solid leather glove came from Aerostich/RiderWearHouse in size medium. As this was too large for me, I requested two riders test this set of gloves for me. The leather is buttery soft and both riders judged them great for warmth, ease of handling controls and for comfort. They have substantial knuckle and finger padding and Thinsulate® insulation with a Hydrofil® liner for maximum wicking of perspiration.
Some of the gloves’ features are a matter of personal preference. Retro-reflective piping is an example. It is your choice as to whether you feel this adds a measure of safety, or if you prefer the less cluttered look of a solid glove.
Features I can report on are the fit and comfort, materials used, ease of operating the handlebar controls, warmth and SRP. The vital statistics, a photo and brief critique of each of the gloves follows. I carefully examined all the gloves for any sign of shoddy construction or inferior materials. I found none, but my test involved just a brief wearing, so I make no comments on durability.
This is a small sampling of the many gloves available, but it can give you an idea of the details to consider when making your winter glove purchase.

GORE-TEX:

“Although Gore-Tex didn’t become a household name until the 1990s, W.L. Gore and Associates first patented its now well known, breathable, waterproof textile way back in 1976. Gore-Tex is a microporous membrane laminated to one or two layers of a water-resistant fabric. The membrane is made of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (in essence, Teflon). Each square inch contains something like nine billion randomly spaced microscopic pores. The company claims each pore is 20,000 times smaller than a water droplet, yet 700 times larger than water-vapor molecules. This explains why perspiration vapor escapes while actual wetness is blocked.”

October 1999 issue of Motorcycle Cruiser magazine.
By Jamie.Elvidge@primedia.com

1. Frank Thomas Sophia 2: www.cyclegear.com

Fit and comfort: These are comfortable gloves, with a wide enough gauntlet and wide and easy-to-fasten Velcro wrist straps. I found that an adequate gauntlet was very important for ease of pulling the gloves on and off. A Co-Rider often feels the pressure of the rider who is mounted up and ready to ride.

Materials used: The Sophia gloves are a polyester/nylon blend outer, with a breathable waterproof Aqua Pore membrane and 100% polyester lining. The outer shell is sewn of several fabrics, and the result is abrasion defense. The piping is reflective.

Operation of MC handlebar controls: These gloves are not bulky and therefore very flexible for clutch and throttle control.

Warmth: I chose these gloves to start the ride, thinking their relative lack of bulk would make them the best for the warmest part of the ride. Unfortunately, I had to remove the gloves to make an adjustment to my clothing. The temperature was in the mid-fifties, but by the time I got the gloves back on, my hands were blocks of ice! My hands have never warmed up inside a glove before, but within a half-hour, I had full feeling in my fingers. It took later analysis to realize that the inner waterproof Aqua-Poremembrane™ (UK version of GORE-TEX®) was what made the difference by trapping body heat.

SRP: $39.99

2. Frank Thomas Aqua Roo: www.cyclegear.com

Fit and comfort: These gloves are quite stiff, but the soft kangaroo leather palm and under finger sections allow for better feeling and probably stretch a bit with use. The gauntlet is fitted to the wrist to allow the wearer to slide a jacket over the glove. The outer strap is substantial and its Velcro fastener secures the jacket cuff. (See photo) As a sports wristwatch wearer, I found this style uncomfortable.

Materials used: The Aqua Roo has a handy double layer on the top of the hand that is designed to aid a quick pull-on. Just slip your fingers in and pull and your fingers are snug. The glove has reflective piping and a section of textured material in the grip zones.

Operation of MC handlebar controls: These gloves are somewhat stiff and confining.

Warmth: These gloves were worn the second round at temperatures in the low fifties. The gloves’ leather shell, Aqua-Pore™ membrane and more substantial lining continued to keep my fingers warm at higher elevations and lower temperatures.

SRP: $99.99

3. Widder Lectric Heat: www.widder.com

Fit and comfort: The Widder Electric gloves in the XS size fit well except for the length of the fingers. Their Web site warns customers that the gloves run large, so probably a XXS would be the perfect fit for me. This glove is very comfortable because of the wide cuff with Velcro adjuster and the additional strap at the wrist.

Materials used: Water-repellent nylon shell with foam laminate, reinforced leather palm and finger unders and Thinsulate Thermal Insulation™ lining. The forefinger of each glove has an Ultrasuede™ visor wipe and the piping is reflective for safety.

Operation of MC handlebar controls: This glove’s bulky palm made it a bit difficult to grip the controls.

Warmth: The Widder Lectric Heat Glove comes with an on-off switch. This is great for turning the glove off while riding, but I found when they got too hot, I wished for a “medium” setting on the switch.

SRP: Your cost ranges from $89.99 to $121.96, depending on the electric hookups and size required by the buyer.

4. Gerbing’s Heated Gloves: www.gerbings.com

Fit and comfort: I felt the mitten style to be a bit cumbersome, but for pure Co-Rider hand warmth, they are unbeatable. I have found mittens by nature to be warmer than gloves, but with this one you have option of freeing your fingers if necessary. Gerbing’s has a new leather glove with a full electric liner glove, and this is the glove they recommend for Riders.

Materials used: Cordura exterior with Thinsulate lining. Sewn-in magnets hold the mitten finger and thumb top out of way.

Operation of MC handlebar controls. This is a Co-Rider glove and not meant for use of controls.

Warmth: Used with Gerbing’s temp controller, this glove is perfect for maintaining Co-Rider hand warmth.

SRP: $139.00. Gerbing’s new leather rider glove comes in sizes XL to XXXL and retails for $159.00.