MTB Gloves: Providing Protection and Control on Your Mountain Bike

Mountain biking includes an array of different disciplines, making it a great hobby that you can do all year round, with each season presenting its own unique challenges. All you need is that fine touch on the handlebars, and the right gloves are an absolute must-have here. Mountain biking with wet, cold or scratched hands simply isn’t as sweet.

Hardwearing and protective are two criteria that MTB gloves need to fulfil, and that doesn’t stop just because it’s summertime. When the days are long and leaves are green, heading off-road can be a whole lot of fun, but make sure you choose gloves made from lightweight, breathable material so you can give it your all without your hands breaking a sweat.

Fingerless gloves are less warm by their very nature as they leave the top halves of your fingers uncovered. But you can also get this style of mountain bike glove with more ventilated mesh or other more porous materials, and without losing out on grip.

Full-finger gloves provide more protection and grip. You can get a good, sure hold of the handlebars, gear shifters and brakes as this style of glove has more surface area, which is usually kitted out with an anti-slip design on the palm and fingers.

Warm hands are a must for having fun on the trails, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you should wear the thickest gloves. Besides the fact that your fine motor skills would take a hit, it is much more important for your gloves to be made from wind- or water-repellent membrane and for them to fit right.

Wet hands are difficult to keep warm, especially when they’re inside wet gloves. So if you’re heading out on a rainy MTB ride, you should opt for gloves with a coating or membrane which is at least water-repellent and perhaps even fully waterproof (such as GORE-TEX®). Modern fabrics are able to keep outside moisture at bay, whilst wicking your sweat away, so your hands really do stay dry. Stretch softshell gloves offer a good mix of protection against wet, cold and wind,

but if the weather turns truly cold, then you should have a pair of warm winter MTB gloves. Depending on how wet or windy the trails can get, you might be okay with some cosy fleece gloves, or perhaps you’ll need some insulated MTB gloves which provide full protection from rain, snow and storms.

When riding downhill, there’s no time to be worrying about any branches that may cross your path, big or small. It can be worth donning that extra bit of protection so your hands reach the bottom safe and sound, together with the rest of you. Additional plastic reinforcements on top of the hand can help prevent small impacts or minor injuries, but won’t be of much use to protect your bones in the event of a fall.

Gloves often feature shock-absorbing protectors to cover delicate parts of the hand, such as the knuckles. This type of glove was originally used in motocross and has now found its way into mountain biking, and can reduce the probability of severe bruises, breakages or fractures.

Whether you want your gloves to have foam or gel padding on the palm comes down to complete personal preference and riding feeling. It’s a sure-fire way to minimise shocks and vibrations, but some riders get the feeling that they have less contact with the handlebars and ground this way.

Now and again, you’ll end up riding on or crossing trails and roads with cars, motorbikes and tractors, even on your mountain bike, so it can’t hurt for your gloves to have some neon-yellow and reflective details in order to reduce the risk of unnecessary clashes and collisions. Trail runners are also making more and more use of mountain bike trails these days and it’s easier for them to avoid any MTBs coming at speed if they can recognise them early on.

A feature which is perhaps not as essential for survival, but very handy nonetheless, is touchscreen compatibility, for directions, for example. No one wants to take their gloves off to check maps on their mobile phone and see where the right turn-off is, especially when it’s cold and windy.

At BIKE24, you’ll find the perfect gloves for any adventure: XC, enduro, downhill, with protectors, padding, waterproof material or insulation. We also stock road bike glove and cycling gloves for women, men and kids as a matter of course. Get involved!