Pearl Izumi Lobster Gloves!!

LI-ghtcycle

LI-ghtcycle

10 MW
Joined
Aug 29, 2009
Messages
3,818
Location
Oregon City Oregon
WOW!!

I just came home a few hours ago from a ride in the rain and in 38 - 42F weather with winds gusting up to 15 MPH, and my hands weren't even wet or cold!

I really balked at the price, and didn't buy them last year because I was skeptical, and wow was I wrong!

http://www.rei.com/product/819870/pearl-izumi-pro-softshell-lobster-bike-gloves

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They felt a little weird at first, but they allow a good deal more movement than mittens, but seem to keep hands warm as mittens do.

I also have been using a neck gaiter in lieu of a balaclava, and so far, works really well:

Smartwool_Neck_Gaiter.jpg


I pull this up over my nose and wear a pair of Scott double paned ski goggles, and I have no issues with fogging, cold or water!

I was really shocked that even though I didn't wear my shoe covers, that my feet weren't cold either, I think a big part of it is the fact that being up higher on a recumbent, my feet aren't affected by the water as they aren't as close to the ground as on a regular bike, so I don't get them splashed in the puddles. 8)
 
Does your ass get very wet on a recumbent? Upright
bikes you get a wet ass without mud guards i know but not being "recumbent versed" i was curious..?

KiM

p.s The neck gaiter wouldnt be necessary if you grew a beard :p
 
AussieJester said:
Does your ass get very wet on a recumbent? Upright
bikes you get a wet ass without mud guards i know but not being "recumbent versed" i was curious..?

KiM

p.s The neck gaiter wouldnt be necessary if you grew a beard :p
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Good to know you're looking out for my a$$ there KiM!! :shock: :oops: :mrgreen: :lol:

On my recumbent, I have good fenders front and rear, but in general, if anything is going to get wet, it's going to be the bike first, and my seat is covered with a soft material kind of like fleece, but it doesn't soak up water, so if I brush it off first, generally, things don't get too wet.

The upper part of the seat is mesh, but there again, it doesn't seem to get hit with water too much, and so far so good! :)

Different recumbents probably have more or less likely-hood of getting wet from puddles (I imagine the lower they are the wetter they get) and this bike is more "up-right" than some 'bents, so maybe that is another benefit of this bike's design.

I recently learned Vision was started by a bunch of ex-Boeing engineers, too bad they aren't still in business. :?

p.s. I resemble that remark! :p
 
@AussieJester:

On the semi-recumbent CrazyBike2, with the current suspended-mesh seat, the wet-butt problem is just as bad as a saddle-type regular bike.

When I had the solid wooden seat on there, though, I had no problems with the rear tire splattering me, just that water could collect on the seat itself. Also, of course, water still streams up from the front tire.

With the fenders I have on there now, plus the mesh seat, it's still possible to get wet from direct rain, but if it's just a bunch of puddles, I have no worries so far. Assuming of course that other vehicles don't come along side me splattering road stuff on me from *their* tires. :)

Same would be true on the regular bike.

On DayGlo Avenger, the rear rack usually keeps rear tire splatter off of me, but the front tire has no fender yet, so unless I am going in a straight line where the wide down tube catches all the splatter off of it, it just comes up and soaks my legs.


Not that I have to worry about rain much here in Phoenix, AZ, but there are a couple weeks a year, in total, where it is a problem. A few days the last couple weeks have been some of them.
 
Really useful info. I commute by ebike in Portland and this time of the year I start having a big problem with cold hands actually becoming painful when the morning temps are in the 32-40 F range. I have already spent considerable money on various gloves that have not solved the problem including Pearl Izumi Barrier Gloves and Giro lobster gloves. Looks like I need to try these gloves.

Rich
 
The lobster claw design is a great one. Good dexterity for the controls, no frozen pinkies. I have 3 pair, all from different mfg's and they each aren't quite perfect, but work well. I think the PI ones are the ones that are water resistant and not very breathable, so great unless you sweat in them.

Another alternative is pogies with thin liner gloves if it is really cold.
 
Something I don't like with them:
One can't show a finger to the cars anymore. :|
 
MadRhino said:
Something I don't like with them:
One can't show a finger to the cars anymore. :|
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Yeah, well they do get distracted when you're giving them the "Live Long and Prosper" Vulcan greeting but A fist gets the message across too! :lol:
 
richmpdx said:
Really useful info. I commute by ebike in Portland and this time of the year I start having a big problem with cold hands actually becoming painful when the morning temps are in the 32-40 F range. I have already spent considerable money on various gloves that have not solved the problem including Pearl Izumi Barrier Gloves and Giro lobster gloves. Looks like I need to try these gloves.

Rich
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Hopefully you have bought them at REI and can do an exchange? I traded in my paddling gloves that also worked pretty well, however the smelled horrible, no matter what I did to dry them and wash them, they always had a "gym bag" stench, seems they don't breath at all what-so-ever.

The Lobster gloves however, dry easily and don't seem to have the same problem.

I too have noticed they don't breath as well, but if the weather is such, I just wear my lighter weight neoprene gloves, and save these for when it's pouring down rain.

I find that riding a bicycle I am wet with one of two things, sweat, or rain, and I prefer rain most of the time, but when it gets too cold, you just have to wear what ever keeps you warm.

I'm going to get some of the smart wool bicycle tights to wear under my bike shorts if these other tights I found used don't work well enough in the rain.

I really like the smart wool brand products with merino wool! I have socks too and they are amazing. 8)
 
LOL! All this glove talk got me thinking how cold it got here last year. It was something like 14°, a 2 decade record...brrr that was cold!!! Celcius that is :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: How on earth did you guys get suckered into living in those places? 8)
 
John in CR said:
LOL! All this glove talk got me thinking how cold it got here last year. It was something like 14°, a 2 decade record...brrr that was cold!!! Celcius that is :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: How on earth did you guys get suckered into living in those places? 8)
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Well, I have the same question really, why the HELL is one of the worst places in the world for bicycling for at least 4 months of the year also one of the best places as far as bicycle infrastructure, electric vehicles and so on?

I left this wet misery for Montana where it gets cold (I like snow and seasons thank you very much! :mrgreen: ) but it also gets warm in the summer, and hardly ever rains!

I got sucked back to Portland when my father had his accident, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else at this point in time, where else is there such a huge movement in the USA for electric bicycles?

I'm more than willing to put up with the rain and the cold for that. 8)

I visited Hawaii once, it was perfect, warm and soul less. It was an endless blah of perfect weather, and boring as hell! :mrgreen:

I'd probably appreciate it more if I was into water sports, personally I'd rather climb a mountain than spend a day at a beach, each to their own. :p
 
I've had pearl izumi lobster gloves for a few years now. They are not warm enough, and they were way overpriced. Anything under 25 degrees and my hands are freezing.
 
scotticeberg said:
I've had pearl izumi lobster gloves for a few years now. They are not warm enough, and they were way overpriced. Anything under 25 degrees and my hands are freezing.
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they made several variation (or at least put their name on them). Do yours have a snot wiper on the thumb, the forefinger, or both?
 
scotticeberg said:
I've had pearl izumi lobster gloves for a few years now. They are not warm enough, and they were way overpriced. Anything under 25 degrees and my hands are freezing.
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25F?

I may be a different case than most as my body throws off a huge amount of heat, and everything makes me sweat, so either way, good to know!

What gloves have you found to be warm enough?

I will gladly get back my $73 and get something else at REI if you have a recommendation for something better. :)
 
Pity they don't come in dark green. Then there would be no disputing what influenced them...

[youtube]kMrCSYagLqc[/youtube]

Edit: Perhaps it would be best to use glove liners in addition to a good pair of gloves. Unfortunately, I would imagine glove liners in that format would be difficult to come by. I could be wrong though.
 
Those look weird and expensive.

Do you already have a pair of pogies for your bike too?

Read good reviews on Moose Mitts. Once I see how cold I really get while riding in winter, I might get one.

http://www.trails-edge.com/retail/te_shirts/amfbikemits.htm
 
Joseph C. said:
Pity they don't come in dark green. Then there would be no disputing what influenced them...

[youtube]kMrCSYagLqc[/youtube]

Edit: Perhaps it would be best to use glove liners in addition to a good pair of gloves. Unfortunately, I would imagine glove liners in that format would be difficult to come by. I could be wrong though.
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Actually, another brand sells that very thing:

http://www.rei.com/product/806764/giro-100-proof-bike-gloves-mens

440


However, I have no Idea how well they work. People seem to rave about the PI version that I have now.
 
cassschr1 said:
And just what are pogies?
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They are like long sleeves covering from the handle bar to part of your arm. They help to totally blocked out the wind and keep your hand toasty.

Example:

08-roadmitts032a.jpg


heft-pogies01a.jpg


http://www.trails-edge.com/retail/te_shirts/amfbikemits.htm
 
The gloves I have do have a snot wiper. After a few years use the insulation seems to have compacted. Recently I added a thin, full finger, wool glove, that I put on under the lobster gloves. I went for a ride last night in about 20 F and my hands stayed pretty toasty. I paid almost $70 for these in 2009, which is just way too damn expensive.
 
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