Gloves for cyclists are not just for warmth and protection, although these are their main functions.
In the modern game of cycling, there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye – and those gloves you always see pro riders wearing? Yeah, they have a lot of benefits (ones you might not even know about).
I’m going to go over them now so you can be in the know next time your friends ask why do cyclists wear gloves.
Reasons Why Do Cyclists Wear Gloves?
Why Do Cyclists Wear Gloves?
In addition to protecting cyclists’ hands from the elements, gloves can also provide much-needed grip on the handlebars and help absorb vibrations from the road. Here are five reasons why cyclists often opt to wear gloves:
1. Provides Better Grip
The gloves are designed to ensure a better grip on the handlebars. This is especially important in wet weather when the handlebars can get slippery.
This is because the gloves help provide a better grip. Some types of gloves even have a rubberized feel to them which ensures an even better grip. However, this may result in more muscle fatigue during the ride due to increased hand tension.
2. Ensures Optimum Comfort
Some gloves are designed to offer maximum comfort while they are on the handlebars. These types of gloves have a wider range of sizing and some have mitts attached to them to provide additional cover for the hands.
This can prevent the hands from getting very cold and also provide extra warmth when there is no wind. This can help you ride longer without getting tired.
3. Offers Ultimate Protection
The gloves protect the hands from mechanical injuries, such as scrapes and cuts. The gloves also protect from dehydration, which is dangerous if you perspire a lot during exercise.
This can cause muscle fatigue and even lead to heat stroke. The gloves can also protect the hands from frostbite by holding the hands in a heated position.
In extreme conditions, you can perspire so much that your gloves may become soaked with sweat and fall off during exercise.
4. Avoid Injury
To identify hazardous spots on the road, cyclists generally use their fingers to inspect for cracks and irregularities in the surface of the road, lumps or bumps on the road surface,
loose pebbles and other obstacles in the street that could potentially cause injury. This may provide protection for your hands in the event of a fall and potentially prevent injury.
5. Ensures Warmth
Gloves can help keep you warm. The gloves can be designed to insulate different parts of the hand from the cold by using different types of materials such as cotton or wool depending on geographical location.
You can also purchase heated cycling gloves which will allow you to wear them during cold weather or when it is raining and keep your hands from freezing.
The gloves allow you to feel the temperature of the handlebar and the road surface. When the temperature of your hands is properly maintained, you can maintain a better grip and avoid slipping off the handlebars due to cold fingers.
Conclusion
Reasons Why Do Cyclists Wear Gloves?
Cycling can be a very precarious sport. Because of the nature of it, the cyclist needs to wear many different types of clothing to protect them when they are riding.
What I’m talking about is not just clothes that cover the body and keep them warm, but also equipment on their person that will shield them from anything else they may face along their way. One piece of that equipment is gloves for cycling.
The first thing people think when they see cyclists with their hands in the air is that they are performing a victory dance. This is one of the few things cyclists do without gloves on.
Riders usually will put their gloves down during a race, but not while they are racing.
This isn’t a victory dance or anything like that; this is the safe motion of putting your hands down so they don’t get punctured by other cyclists or get crushed by their bike.
Since cyclists wear gloves, they are protected from everything on a bike. They are perhaps the most protected big sport in the world in that aspect. No other sport ever has been able to harness gloves as well as cycling does.
A lot of cyclists wear gloves because they get so sweaty when they ride. It can be difficult to take off gloves made out of thin fabric in the heat, and if you don’t have a quick way to do it, then you will definitely sweat a lot while you’re on your bike.
