Moose Mitt season is upon us. :D

This topic has 23 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 3 months ago by StopMeansStop.

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November 3, 2010 at 3:10 pm #923918

invisiblehand
Participant

I never had a problem with cold hands. I wear a pair of “waterproof” winter gloves with a thin liner under them effectively creating layers for the hands. Works great during winter centuries where the temperature can change during the day. In a pinch, I also carry chemical warmers that skiers typically use.

November 3, 2010 at 5:09 pm #923921

Dirt
Participant

My problem is staying comfortable through a long ride. I’m either too warm or too cold. Moose Mitts help me regulate this.

November 3, 2010 at 7:26 pm #923922

skreaminquadz
Participant

I’ve heard of these Moose Mitts but have never used them. I own a pair of Endura Lobster gloves I purchased at the end of last season since my super-cold-weather-go-to-ski-gloves weren’t doing the trick anymore. The lobster seem to do pretty well but they haven’t been tested in truly cold weather. Also, it takes some getting used to especially when using drop bars.

But to answer your question – my fingers were getting cold this morning and I was thinking that it may be time to start pulling out my super-duper cold weather stuff (long sleeve merino and thermafleece).

Also – awesome jersey!

November 3, 2010 at 8:41 pm #923923

Dirt
Participant

My problem with gloves, more than any other bit of winter clothing, is that if I wear something warm enough to make my fingers work for the first hour, I’m sweating in the second and third hours, then freezing for the 4, 5 and 6th hours. Moose mitts get away from that.

The jersey is one of my pride and joys. It is a real national jersey that was ridden by a national team member in the early 90s. I love stuff like that.

November 4, 2010 at 7:58 am #923924

BigAgnes
Participant

Thanks for the review and the links, Dirt. I’ve contemplated getting bar mitts for a couple of years. Went ahead and ordered a pair. Hopefully, I’ll be able to retire the Lobster gloves and chemical hand warmers!

November 4, 2010 at 1:03 pm #923925

skreaminquadz
Participant

@Dirt 1153 wrote:

I’m sweating in the second and third hours, then freezing for the 4, 5 and 6th hours. Moose mitts get away from that.

I agree – I haven’t found a glove that is able to keep me “comfortable” on longer cold rides. If it’s a shorter ride I wear the heaviest stuff I can find and sweat towards the end. Longer rides I’ll wear thinner gloves and freeze for the first part of the ride. How does MM help get away from this?

@Dirt 1153 wrote:

The jersey is one of my pride and joys. It is a real national jersey that was ridden by a national team member in the early 90s. I love stuff like that.

That’s pretty cool Pete!

November 4, 2010 at 2:50 pm #923926

consularrider
Participant

I used a pair of BarMitts on my commuter all last winter, kept the hands warm and dry. I have a different bike for this winter and have to see if they will fit over the brake/shift lever setup.

November 6, 2010 at 3:14 pm #923927

sherpaboy
Participant

I agree – I haven’t found a glove that is able to keep me “comfortable” on longer cold rides. If it’s a shorter ride I wear the heaviest stuff I can find and sweat towards the end. Longer rides I’ll wear thinner gloves and freeze for the first part of the ride. How does MM help get away from this?

Thanks Dirt for the feedback and posting the link…It is nice to see that you using them on Jones bars. I get that question a lot and was never really sure if they worked or not. I had made a prototype pair years ago for Jones bars…But it was ugly and took forever to make. :rolleyes:

Let me say for first I am the maker of the Moose Mitts and from time to time I’ll pop into threads to help answer questions about our product. My wife and I started making the Moose Mitts over 8 years ago because I was always having some cold hands…Usually like Dirt mentioned the initial ride was fine, but as I sweat the condensation would chill my fingers. This limited my rides to shorter (i.e. 1 to 1.5 hour). I also hated…I mean HATED! the bulky fingers or lobster gloves for shifting or dexterity…If I had a mechanical it would take longer to warm my hands back up because I usually had to pull the gloves off to do any work.

Over We’ve made changes the years, and now our staff a the store helps with production in our shop in Michigan.

Now to answer the issue of getting away from the condensation…The Moose mitts are designed to work like a “hot pocket” where the open design allows them to retain heated air. The Fleece liner prevents moisture from building up and cooling your skin. I wear normal long finger summer wt. MTB gloves all year long…If I have a mechanical or need to stop I still have the summer gloves on…keeping me from working with bare hands.

The Moose Mitts start off chilled bu a few min’s into a ride they begin to heat up with because your body expels heat via the hands…the open air design captures the heat, while being water proof and wind proof due to the shell material.

If anyone has direct questions please feel free to ask or even shoot me an e-mail. Sorry if this sounds like an advertisement…Just wanted to see if I could help shed some light on the design.

Thanks again for the plug…Now back to sewing I go

Mike Flack (AKA Sherpaboy)
Trail’s Edge Cyclery
Plymouth & Milford – Michigan

November 7, 2010 at 12:45 pm #923928

BigAgnes
Participant

Dirt, you are my hero for starting this thread. My Bar Mitts arrived yesterday and I tested them out this morning (in the 30s w/a windchill). I did a 43 mile ride and my hands were sweating (wrong choice of glove—should have worn something more lightweight). The mitts kept out the cold/wind and kept in the warmth. Even though my hands/gloves were soaked, they stayed warm, which I will take any day over getting cold/numb/painful. The bike I rode had a shimano gruppo, so the mitts have zippers to accommodate the cables. The zipper stayed put. Very easy to install. Took awhile to adjust to the mitts, they are snug. That said, I had no problems shifting, braking, steering, handling the bike. Despite having a narrow handlebar, the mitts didn’t interfere with my primary and back up headlights. Took some practice getting my hands in and out of the mitts while in motion (like I said, they are snug), but I was increasingly comfortable with it as the ride progressed.

Went ahead and ordered a set for my ‘cross bike (campy gruppo).

The Moose Mitts look nice, too.

November 8, 2010 at 2:12 pm #923929

Dirt
Participant

@Sherpaboy: Thanks so much for the background. Very cool info. I knew they were locally made, but for some reason I thought they came from Alaska. Not really surprising. I thought my single speed was geared at 34×20 for the whole summer only to find out during a hub overhaul that it was geared at 34×19. D’OH! No wonder the hills in GWNF are kicking my butt more than last year.

@Agnes: Cool info on the BarMitts. Glad they worked for you. I think I’m gonna hit up Mike for a third and 4th set of Moose Mitts for other bikes so I don’t have to switch them all.

Hope y’all had a great weekend. I was NOT inspired to ride this morning. I did anyways. Need more sleep on the weekends.

Pete

November 8, 2010 at 5:00 pm #923932

americancyclo
Participant

Those moose mitts look awesome. I was just talking about these to a fellow commuter who complained he could never find ones for drop bars, I hope he sees this!

November 9, 2010 at 10:51 pm #923947

Mark Blacknell
Participant

Might have to try these out. Hmm, I wonder if I know anyone with a set . . .

~

Also, for everyone’s information, Ecuador lodged a formal complaint when Dirt competed in the jersey above. As part of the settlement agreement, Dirt was required to note in his original posting that the average Ecuadoran is about half his size.

November 9, 2010 at 11:06 pm #923949

Dirt
Participant

@Mark Blacknell 1181 wrote:

Might have to try these out. Hmm, I wonder if I know anyone with a set . . .

~

Also, for everyone’s information, Ecuador lodged a formal complaint when Dirt competed in the jersey above. As part of the settlement agreement, Dirt was required to note in his original posting that the average Ecuadoran is about half his size.

I don’t have the MTB ones mounted up on a bike. You’re welcome to give them a try, sir. I’ll likely be ordering a couple extra sets (one drop and one MTB) for other bikes. You can certainly take a spare set for week or so to get the feel for them.

The Ecuadorian federation are my peeps! I may be twice their size, but I’ve got 1/2 their heart and 1/3 their intellectual capacity and absolutely none of their tact, grace or good taste. In all they determined that it all balances out. They were happy with my results on that race too.

January 25, 2011 at 1:52 pm #924702

skreaminquadz
Participant

I finally got my Moose Mitts in last night. They were quite easy to install and have a decent amount of adjustability based on preference. I grabbed a pretty light pair of gloves on my way out to truly test these things. I’m very impressed!! My fingers stayed warm my entire commute in and I didn’t have to deal with bulky ski or lobster gloves. While today was nowhere near as cold as the last couple of mornings, I think they would work well in those conditions as well. Thank you Pete for providing this recommendation, my fingers are very happy!!

Now if I could find some Moose Paws I’d be all set.

January 25, 2011 at 2:32 pm #924704

PrintError
Participant

Wow Pete, those Moose Mitts are AWESOME! I want a pair now!

BTW: Still have that beard? If so, I think I’ve passed you going the opposite way a few times on the trail – or a reasonably bearded facsimile.
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