Can we talk winter hand solutions for people with poor circulation? My hands get cold!

Here's my history. Been winter cycling for 4 years. Have tried the following with the following results:

Pearl Izumi Lobsters WITH liners - good down to about 28-30. Just a matter of time until ice hooks after that

Heavy ski gloves - maybe better than most things. Good to a few degrees cooler than the lobsters

Heavy ski gloves with latex gloves inside - Sweaty gross hands, but this works pretty well. Just a GIANT pain if you have to do anything en route and don't want to go through multiple gloves. I can usually use them 2 or 3 times, but it's just a big messy pain.

Some misc. others that just suck. Why don't gloves seem to exist that are the cycling equivalent of the Lake cop boots? I have REALLY cold prone hands.

Does anyone have any good experiences?

Thanks gang.

J. Ward

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Permalink Reply by ilter on October 17, 2011 at 10:59pm

check out bar mitts (also the brand name). I was happy with a combination of bar mitts & some non-lobster type gloves.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin C on October 17, 2011 at 11:36pm

I always post this response to this question, and everyone cheerfully ignores it. When it's really cold, I use pogies, moose mitts, overmitts, and they're magnificent! I first discovered them snowmobiling, and for bicycling, they are not to be believed. When it's really cold, I wear a liner glove, or no gloves at all. I got mine from Cabella's for about $20 and they're great.

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Permalink Reply by Duppie 13.5185km on October 18, 2011 at 9:07am

I have had good results with felted woolen mittens (which I bought many years ago; they may be harder to find these days), covered by a wind/water proof mitten like this one:

http://www.rei.com/product/787069/outdoor-research-meteor-mitts

The wool makes sure I can use them for a long time before they get to stinky. Yes, they limit movement somewhat, but I can still brake comfortably. And since I keep them as a pair (ie. the wool mitten resides inside the shell mitten at almost all times) it doesn't take any more time than putting a regular pair of gloves.

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Permalink Reply by Kelvin Mulcky on October 18, 2011 at 9:53am

I have cold prone hands too.

You gotta go with mittens. No contest. I use Size XL burton mittens (with glove liners on super cold days), The extra roominess of the XL mittens makes it easier to use integrated shifters.

You don't have to go with fancy mittens though, even cheap mittens are going to work better that expensive gloves.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Ward on October 18, 2011 at 10:07am

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to try some big overmitts. Haven't given that a shot yet. There's loads of good looking stuff at altrec.com. Hadn't come across that before. I got some outdoor research overmitts that look like they'll fit over Kraft lobster gloves. Will advise!

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Permalink Reply by Cameron 7.5 mi on October 18, 2011 at 10:11am

I'll third Kevin and ilter, bar mitts/pogies/what ever you want to call them are the way to go. They're a bit more of a pain on drop bars than flat bars, but styles exist that work for both. Once it gets cold enough that I need more than light gloves, I dig out my bar mitts.

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Permalink Reply by Kelvin Mulcky on October 18, 2011 at 10:20am

Just stay away from down mittens. They're too hot, and there's too much moisture while riding. They're great for un-aerobic outdoor activities though!

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Permalink Reply by Tiberculosis on October 18, 2011 at 11:25am

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_126967_-1___

I love these liners. I got by last winter with just these and some fingerless gloves over them. When things dropped below 20, I switched to wearing these under the lobsters instead of the regular lobster liner. These things are comfy and cheap.

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Permalink Reply by S on October 18, 2011 at 11:30am

Have you tried some of the electric hand warmers. They hook up to some batteries, and provide a few hours of warmth. They could be a good addition on cold days. I bet those and bar mitts would solve most of your problems.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Ward on October 18, 2011 at 11:55am

I haven't tried electric warmers. Maybe I should. All that stuff just strikes me as future garbage, but I guess that's true of almost anything eventually!

Tiber, I'm on a whole different level with the crappy circulation thing. I did have those liners. Maybe they were good for one extra degree or so on me. I'm like a hamster or something (and by contrast I pretty much NEVER, EVER complain about the heat at any level).

I'll chime back in with how my new setup attempt above works out.

Thanks again y'all.

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Permalink Reply by Davo on October 18, 2011 at 12:04pm

Though this is not a covering suggestion, I remember someone posting about how they move their arms in tiny circles as fast as you can, when you have to stop for a light, to help increase the blood flow to your hands. I have found that this helps a lot.