Cycling Gloves
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Cycling gloves are important because riding can cause sore hands, no matter how softly padded the handlebars are. Riding too longwithout gloves can even be dangerous because it can damage themedian nerve that runs in the webbing between index finger andthumb, which causes numbness that can take extremely long (weeksor months) to recover. Bicycle gloves have special padding thatprotects the hands.
Short gloves (with the finger ends cut off) should be made of athin Lycra top and a soft leather (or similar material) palm. Thearea between index finger and thumb must be padded with extralayers of pads. The palm has extra padding consisting of foam sewnbetween leather layers. There are also gloves padded with gel pads which I favor.
Long gloves come as five-fingered gloves and ``lobster claws''that are split between middle and ring finger only (this reducessurface area (to assist in keeping your hands warmer) while still allowing two fingers to reach the brakes while the other two hold the handlebars). Long bicycle gloves haveextra antislip padding, but in a pinch ski gloves work too. Myfavorite vendor brand is Pearl Izumi.
Content by Thomas Driemeyer, www.bitrot.deEdited by Reg Gupton, gupton@growthseminars.com
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