Gamjams Reviews: Summer Gloves - Specialized BG Pro & Voler Elite Pro

I've been using two pairs of warm-weather gloves regularly this spring.

First, I've been using the Specialized BG Pro Glove a good bit. I particularly like the look of the white gloves, especially with my NCVC kit when I'm wearing the black shorts.

After a ride or two, I convinced myself that the BG Pro gloves were comfortable. But it took convincing. Like most of my product reviews, I judge my favorite equipment on how little it bothers me or pisses me off. These took some time to get used to, but I love them now.

Specialized throws their R&D capability behind all of their products, and their gloves match the pattern. They have a huge, thick pad on the bottom of the palm which is supposed to protect the ulnar nerve and reduce hand/wrist pain while riding. It might be because of the way in which I hold the bars (which isn't unique or unusual), but I don't notice if this pad does anything for me. It just seems kinda like a chamois for your palm. Whatever.

On any glove, I would much prefer padding - or at least more protection - between the thumb and pointer finger. This is the area where there is always pressure on your hands whether you're on the hoods, in the drops, or on the tops (if you keep your thumbs wrapped around the bar for better control, hint hint). When n00bs start cycling, this is the part of their hand they complain about: that gooey muscle that makes your thumb opposable. You can pinch your skin or tissue, and it's just irksome. Every now and then, I still get irritation there, and it can ruin a ride when you're thinking about your hands and not your legs.

The Specialized gloves have a few seems in this area and are probably the worst in this regard among my hand schwag. But they're still better than riding sans gloves, by far. The specialized gloves fit me well enough that even without velcro, they stay put on my hands and I can get them off easily, even while riding.

When I bought my new NCVC kits, I was super excited and got the whole outfit: shorts, jerseys, vest, socks, and even the gloves. Voler is our clothing supplier, and I was very, very surprised with how comfortable the Velor Elite Pro gloves were and how well they fit my hands. I'll probably buy another pair, because they're pretty darn good for the cheap price of the team deal (I think they were $15 with custom graphics).

I've used the Voler Elite Pro gloves in just about all of my races this year with no problem. That should say enough.

My one complaint is that the velcro on these gloves is on the inside of the wrist, and for some reason that annoys me. It doesn't physically annoy me or irritate my hand, I just find it weird. If that's my one complaint, so be it.

I generally ride with the Specialized gloves and race with the Voler NCVC gloves for a few reasons. First of all, I like this slightly thinner padding on the Voler gloves for races. For training rides, Specialized has stiffer padding that seems to hold up better throughout a long day in the saddle. Of course, I also have two gloves because I wash them regularly. If one pair is drying, the other pair is being used. Simple as that.

Here's on more addition to my glove review. In the past, my favorite gloves to ride in have been Louis Garneau ErgoAir gloves. They come in different materials/construction for weather, some of which are more durable than others.

I have yellow ones with thick lycra to match my GW kit that have been bombproof with a lot of leather on the palm. I also have thinner, "mesh" ones in red, that ripped between the fingers and some other seems, too. Don't get the mesh ones, they are thin and keep your hand cool, but they rip too easily.

The ErgoAir gloves just seem to not bother my hands at all, but, unfortunately, I've had a hard time finding them recently. the fact that I'm between sizes of these gloves (somewhere between M and L) make me hesitate to buy them again.

My last thought is that I will not buy gloves without having the opportunity to try them on (with the exception of the Voler NCVC gloves I ordered with our uniforms). I don't feel like wasting money ordering one size to find that it's too boofy on my hand or gives me weird vibes. I like trying on gloves, walking over to a bike, and seeing how they feel on the bars. It works for me.

This is one item I'll continue to buy in shops, even if they're always overpriced.