Hands Up Gloves

Comfortable hands are essential for long, enjoyable bike rides. With over 20 years of product development, cutting edge technology, design and testing by GripGrab’s in-house R&D experts, we offer carefully crafted cycling gloves for all conditions: comfortable, lightweight, shock-absorbing, waterproof, windproof, thermal.As a company, we land somewhere between fast and fun. Our gear is used from average joes to pros without compromise. Of course, it all started when we reached for a post ride beer and it slipped right through our hands… for us the camaraderie and post activity hangout, is as equally important as the activity itself. We invite you to try a set, grab on to your handlebars, clubs, or a cold one, and just enjoy… Handup Gloves have been the best mountain bike gloves for grabbin’ bars and beers since 2014. What began as bold, minimalist cycling gloves for mtb riders, cyclocross racers, and downhill riders has become much more. We’ve expanded into four separate glove weights to get you through the seasons, introduced a line of golf gloves in our other favorite pastime, and made apparel affordable for casual wearing, cycling, golfing, or just being active outside. The ultimate glove to make sure you never lose grip on your handlebars or post ride beverages! PLEASE NOTE: Based on feedback from customers, we recommend sizing up on these gloves. If you are uncertain about your size, please check the measurements in the size chart and order the next size up. *NOTE: These Gloves are meant to be tight. They were designed with maximum bar feel in mind. If you’d prefer a more traditional Glove fit, we’d recommend sizing up. For late fall through winter and into early spring riding conditions, Sturmfist 5 protects against cold, wind, and water — all the elements that can make or break a ride. With high-tech materials backed by quality design and construction, Sturmfist 5 has everything you want in a pair of cold weather bike gloves. Keep your hands warm and comfortable in temperatures from 35 degrees F (2 degrees C) down to 15 degrees F (-9 degrees C).In testing, we were very impressed by the quality of Dakine’s glove construction. Both of the recently redesigned models we tested are very well-made, with hardly a thread out of place, small seams, and well-thought-out designs. If you’re seeking long-term durability, we think these ones are the way to go. As usual, though, we worry about the velcro wrist closure on the Cross-X. We’ve had otherwise-durable gloves give up the ghost in the past due to a worn-out or gunked-up velcro strap that just won’t latch well anymore.

While the Ranger’s material is soft and comfortable, we found the convergence of seams at the fingertips to be less than ideal. Four panels of material come together at the tip of each finger, creating a small bulge in the interior of the glove that can be mildly irritating. This is a common issue with many gloves, and the Ranger’s well-made seams minimized the discomfort. There are other gloves in the test, however, that avoid the issue altogether with clever workarounds. Also, like any minimalist glove, we wouldn’t recommend using the Ranger in anything colder than around 60 degrees. Fox makes both men’s and women’s versions of the Ranger in several color options in sizes S-XXL for men, and the women’s version comes in sizes S-L.We enjoyed the extra confidence out on the trail provided by the D30 knuckle protection. Tight trees, heavy rock gardens, or overgrown single track all seemed a little bit less daunting with these gloves on. On long climbs and hotter days, we were pleasantly surprised by their ventilation. Typically we would avoid too much climbing in a more protective glove, but the Cognito D30 handled warmer temperatures with aplomb.

Beyond the fit, the Ranger Fire offers a number of nice features for cold-weather riding. The palm material is made of Fox’s water-resistant Ax Suede material that maintains grip well in wet conditions. Additionally, the thumb, index, and middle fingers each have textured silicone pads that provide exceptional brake lever and handlebar grip, even when completely soaked. A soft nose wipe on the back of the thumb helps with cold-weather sniffles, and the extended cuff integrates well with arm warmers or long-sleeve jerseys. We appreciated the strapless slip-on design, but also found that there was a tradeoff when taking these on and off. Donning and removing these gloves with cold hands can be a little bit cumbersome, but the wrist pull loop helps. Overall, we were very impressed with these gloves, and we feel they are a great option for technical rides in cool weather. Fox also makes a women’s version that comes in sizes S-L.

The Trail Thermal Glove is a newer mountain bike-specific cool weather glove from Specialized. Made from a 3-layer softshell material, these gloves are highly wind-resistant with just enough insulation to keep the hands warm in cooler temperatures. Unlike some cool-weather gloves, they have a relatively low profile that isn’t excessively bulky, and they have just the right amount of stretch to allow for good dexterity. These comfortable gloves are nicely articulated with a relatively snug fit and a velcro wrist closure. The AX Suede palm provides a great bar feel and features silicone dots on the pointer/middle fingers and thumb for grip on the shifter and brake levers, even when wet. The tips of the pointer finger and thumb also feature Wiretap touchscreen compatible material that works surprisingly well on your phone.

Comfort is somewhat subjective by nature, but there are a number of objective factors that influence the comfort of a mountain bike glove. The materials used to construct a glove play a major role. The material’s breathability is important to keep your hands cool in the warmer months, and insulation is necessary to keep the blood flowing in the winter. Almost all gloves use stretchy polyester fabrics in their construction for a precise fit, and some simply feel better than others.

Like any super-lightweight glove, we wouldn’t recommend this model for its protective qualities. Sure, it will do your hands some good and avoid scuffs and scrapes in a minor slide or brush with the trailside bushes, but we would recommend more protective gloves when it comes to large impacts or touch-downs in rocky areas. Additionally, this model’s touchscreen capability left us feeling underwhelmed. The fingertips were inconsistent when we would try to unlock a phone or take a photo. The Summer Lite gloves are unisex and come in a huge range of colors and graphics in sizes XS-XXL.

Giro continues a long run of bringing top-notch mountain biking gloves to market with the new Xen. This model replaces our former top-rated glove, the Remedy X2, with a lighter, more breathable construction, more precise protective padding, and a similarly sleek, accurate fit. These gloves provide the best of both worlds, with thin fabric that offers great dexterity and that doesn’t mute trail feedback or detract from bar feel. The well-placed padding helps keep your hands safe when the inevitable crash or brush with a tree trunk occurs. Giro’s Superfit system remains one of the best fits on the market, and the velcro wrist closure allows you to adjust the tightness to your preference. Multiple instances of grazing trailside trees and rock with the outer edge of hands has only increased our appreciation of the Poron XRD Crash Pads on the last two digits, across the knuckles, and on the outer edge of the palm/back of the hand. Their lightweight and protective build make these great gloves for almost any style of riding, from aggressive trail riding to gravity-fed endeavors. They’re also touchscreen compatible.

The recently redesigned Dakine Covert thoroughly impressed us in testing. As soon as you pull these gloves out of the package, it’s clear that they’re a well-made product. Not a thread was out of place, and the internal seams are far cleaner than most gloves we’ve tried out. By the time we were done with them after a month of testing and hundreds of miles of riding, they looked as good as the day we got them. Riders looking for a single pair of gloves that should span the test of time should look no further than this model. If you’re hunting for a similar quality of construction with a little bit more padding, take a look at the mid-weight Dakine Cross-X.

The Giro DND has established itself as a popular mainstay in Giro’s mountain bike glove line-up. One of our testers claims to have been riding with various pairs of the DND for the past ten seasons. This classic glove returns relatively unchanged over the previous versions with a comfortable combination of 4-way stretch breathable mesh on the back of the hand and AX Suede synthetic leather on the palm. The fit of these gloves is dialed in and enhanced by the 4-way stretch mesh, as well as the “Super-Fit” engineered three-panel palm construction, which reduces material bunching and improves bar feel. From the moment you put the DND gloves on, they are instantly comfortable, just like the other Giro gloves in this test. We found they were suited best for warmer temperatures of roughly 60 degrees and above. The gloves feature a large soft wipe on the thumb that is great for runny noses and wiping sweat, as well as two wide silicone strips on the tips of the thumb, index, and middle fingers for extra grip for the brake levers and shifter paddles. Conduction threads are stitched into the tip of the thumb and index fingers to offer compatibility with touchscreens for all those selfies and shred shots you’re sure to be posting while out on the trail.The Handup Summer Lite is a lightweight, minimalist glove for those who like a little bit of flash in our kit. Gloves are a great way to add a little bit of flair to your riding gear without going full pajama suit, and the Summer Lite is available in enough color and graphic options to suit almost any rider’s taste. Handup gloves make several weights of gloves for varying conditions, and the Summer Lite is the lightest and thinnest for use in warm temperatures. All of their models feature wild designs and graphics. After getting our hands in our pink and black test model, we quickly found more to like than just the color. The thin mesh shell and perforated palm breathe well on hot days to keep your hands cool, and a large cloth section on the back of the thumb works well to wipe the sweat away from your eyes. If not for the loud colors, the Summer Lite would all but disappear on your hands out on the trail. The fit is refined and well proportioned, and the inner seams on the fingertips and sides of the hand are small.A glove’s construction also plays a big role in its comfort. Most gloves have interior seams that run along the sides of the palm and fingers. We quickly found that there and be a big comfort gap between a small, well-made seam and a bulky, sloppy one. Additionally, over time poor seam placement can create hotspots or blisters on the hand. The most comfortable gloves avoid seams in the palm area and have found clever ways to keep seams away from the fingertips where they can be most distracting.During field testing, we scrutinized each model and rated them on five different performance metrics: fit, comfort, features, protection, and durability. To test each model’s fit versatility we handed them off to as many friends and family as we could. Feedback from a variety of hand shapes and sizes provided us with a range of fit for each model.

Troy Lee Designs is well known for their flashy, stylish, and high-performance apparel, and the Air Glove lives up to that reputation. This model will turn heads out on the trails with bright colors and the iconic TLD logo, but it will also keep your digits happy and protected in a variety of conditions. The gloves are made up of a thin, breathable fabric but offer more protection than a standard minimalist glove. The index and middle fingers each have small rubber pads running along their back for knuckle protection, and the thick TLD logo acts as a basic pad for the back of the hand. The perforated palm has a silicone TLD logo as well as textured silicone pads on the index and middle fingers for brake lever grip. We aren’t completely sold on the velcro closure system, mainly because velcro tends to wear out quickly when combined with dirt and sweat. We didn’t have any issues with it in testing, though, and the strap does make it a bit easier to get the gloves on and off than most strapless designs. If you’re looking to make a statement on your next ride, these are the gloves for you.While we loved the Trail Thermal Glove in the right conditions, we found them to have a relatively narrow temperature bandwidth. They aren’t quite warm enough for temperatures much below 40-degrees Farenheight, and they feel a bit too warm when the mercury rises above 55-degrees or so. When the temperature rose, we found our hands would get quite sweaty inside these gloves, although the softshell upper and AX Suede palm were quick to dry back out. Beyond that, we were quite impressed by this new glove and wouldn’t hesitate to ride with them when appropriate. They come in black in sizes S-XXL as well as a women’s version.

In Dakine’s recent revamp of their mountain bike glove line the Cross-X received a complete redesign. Similar to its sibling, the Covert, it has been slimmed down slightly with a tighter fit, but whereas the Covert is a minimalist model, the Cross-X is a full-featured mid-weight trail smasher. Complete with protective neoprene padding on the last three knuckles and the outside of the palm, a reinforced synthetic suede palm, silicone index and thumb fingertips, and a microfleece thumb wipe, we found these gloves suitable for any and all gravity-oriented riding styles. The slightly thicker fabric backing and reinforced palm mean they don’t breathe quite as well as the more minimal models, so we wouldn’t recommend them for hot XC rides. Otherwise, though, we think that riders looking for a bit of extra protection from their gloves should give this model a shot.As is the case with most riding gear, the fit is one of the most important things to consider when hunting for a new pair of mountain bike gloves. A glove’s fit plays an important role in its comfort and performance. Of course, getting the appropriate size is crucial, but other factors also affect the way a glove fits. We examined things like the shape, length, and articulation of the fingers, ease of getting them on and off, stretch of materials, or if there was any unwanted bunching. Padding can also play a role in a glove’s fit by restricting movement or adding unwanted bulk. We also paid attention to whether the various models ran true to size, as it can vary from brand to brand. Most of the models we tested fell within a reasonable fit range for their size, but certain models spanned a more dynamic range of hand proportions.

Of all of the padded gloves we tested, we felt that the 100% Cognito D30 provided the best knuckle protection. This model provides all of the standard features of a good mountain bike glove, like silicone fingertip patches, touchscreen capability, and abrasion-resistant material, along with some nifty protective padding. The knuckles are protected with a row of impact-absorbing D30 pads that help keep your precious digits safe from all but the hardest of tree or rock impacts. Unlike many padded protective gloves, the Cognito D30 doesn’t feel clunky or stiff on your hand and allows the same range of motion as any of the non-padded gloves we tested. We didn’t find any weird proportions or extra material with our size large test gloves and found the fit to be true to size. When we first put the gloves on, we did notice the top of the knuckles felt a bit tight, but this quickly subsided as the gloves warmed up and broke in a little bit.For the most part, we tested each pair of gloves by simply going out and mountain biking in them on our regular rides. Over the course of several months, each pair of gloves was put through its paces on rides of various lengths on a variety of trails of Lake Tahoe, Santa Cruz, and the surrounding foothills of northern California and Nevada.