Got out for a nice 15-mile ride today — first time I’ve been on the bike in a week. Felt great. In fact, I think the ride was just what I needed to chase the last vestiges of my cold away.
Man, you can sure tell when you’ve been off the bike for several days. I didn’t really feel like my old self until I had put down about eight miles. But then, the legs seemed to loosen up and everything was all right. I even chased down a rider some distance ahead of me, caught him and smoked him! Nice to be the smoker for a change. (Once again, he had no idea we were in a race. But he was wearing a cycling jersey and shorts, and rode a pretty nice Specialized Roubaix.)
Today I wore the gloves that have been relegated to back-up status for the past few weeks. They’d been showing signs of wear, so I got new gloves to wear on the century. In fact, the new gloves were the ones I was wearing when I fell, and they did a great job of protecting my hands from the pavement.
Today’s ride reminded me why the previous pair is just used for back-up. They’ve really deteriorated. I bought them when I bought the bike, back in February — so that means I’ve had them for eight months. And they’re shot.
The left one is in about the same condition.
Now, these are Pearl Izumi gloves. I think PI makes good quality stuff, and I own a number of different items of theirs. But eight months? I’d a thunk these would last longer. As I said, they’re still good enoughfor back-up, or for short rides like today’s, but probably won’t be for much longer. Their replacements are also by Pearl Izumi, but a higher-priced model, with thicker padding, especially around the heel of the hand.
I wash my gloves about every two weeks, maybe more often in the summer when my hands get so sweaty they soak right through the synthetic leather palm . I wonder if the washings contribute to their shorter life span?
What’s your experience with glove wear?
If those are the Pearl Izumi Gel Gloves, I’ve heard the don’t last long. My husband, aka my purchasing agent, checks out the reviews on Road Bike Review (http://www.roadbikereview.com/reviewscrx.aspx) before making purchases. It’s a great place to start to see how other people rate various items.
I’ve had good luck with the Canari Paceline crochet-back gloves ($3.63 per pair last time I bought from Nashbar). No fancy gel padding, but they’re certainly decent, and they’ve lasted longer than the Cannondale gloves I had previously.
Dana, I’ve only used Road Bike Review to check out bikes. Should have used it for the gloves, too. If I had seen it earlier, I probably wouldn’t have bought them. Yes, they are the Gel Lites.
You addressed the one point I was going to make with your last paragraph – about washing. I had a great pair of leather-palmed gloves that were almost bullet-proof, until I rode the Seagull Century in MD, with the first 2 hours in thick fog. The gloves never recovered from the soaking they got. As funky as it may be, I stick to hitting my gloves with a good deordorizer every couple of weeks rather than washing them.
I don’t really expect gloves to last long but I don’t think I’ve ever “chewed” threw a pair of them. I have 2 pair of Performance branded gloves that I paid less than $8 for per pair. They work well and have a full terry cloth back. They’re not fancy at all..not really much padding but riding without them feels funny since the bar feels slippery without them!
Pearl Izumi has a lifetime warranty on virtually eveything. Send ’em back and they will repair/replace them.
http://www.pearlizumi.com/cms/index.php?page=lifetime-warranty
When it comes to gloves I have also found the inexpensive Performance gloves seem to be the best buy.
I wear Specialized BG gloves and they are the best I’ve ever used (should be for 35 bucks).
// People wash their gloves?
I have some Specialized gloves too. Bought them in a Hong Kong night market so I am not sure if they are the real deal but they work really well. I like the mini straps between the fingers so that I can take them off without pullling them inside out.
The PI Gel Lites even have washing instructions: gentle cycle, cold, air dry. The “leather” palms are synthetic, so washing should be OK.
Paragon, I may try the warranty thing — I just assumed gloves would wear out too.
I have the same — or at least similar — gloves, and they’ve held up well for me. But I don’t wash them as frequently as you do, and when I do I always hang them to dry.
I also have these gloves. Every two weeks or so I hand wash them and hang dry. They’re stayed in great shape. I second the suggestion to ask PI for a replacement pair.
I had the same issue with PI’s. They tore in the same place and sent them back and got them replaced.
http://pedalman.blogspot.com/2007/09/ripped-off.html