Big Hands and Big Feet

You know what that means.....big gloves and big shoes.


I usually don't wear gloves when riding, unless my hands get cold. My coworkers wear gloves every time no matter what the temperature, for safety reasons. I guess if you wreck you're going to lose a lot of skin off your hands so they may be right, but my hands really get uncomfortably hot in gloves.

I got a pair of fingerless gloves but I haven't tried them yet. I'm still going bare knuckled. And I have taken a few shots from some pretty large bugs off said knuckles. Stings for a second.

Do you all wear gloves all the time or just on occasion?

They do the same with boots, we are lucky that our company buys us heavy duty boots for the type of work we do in the field, so free $150 motorcycle boots are always nice. But I wear all kinds of shoes on my scoot, Nike hightops, Doc Martin boots, even some Vans on occasion.

I'm not one of those people you see riding around in shorts and flip-flops, but I'm also not wearing full body armor every time I jump on.

What do you folks think?

As I always tell my friends and whoever wants to listen.
I have occaisionally ridden in short sleeves due to the hot weather we have here in summer.
I always wear my gloves. even a slow speed drop will cause skin to be removed from hands. if its the back of the hand the problem is compounded.

The problem is :1. for about 3 weeks it is difficult to sign your name when making Visa purchases or signing anything for that matter.

:2 It is very difficult to wipe certain parts of the body for about the same period.

When you close your hand to grab or hold smaller things, the stretching of the injured skin will keep opening up the gravel rash and prolong healing.
Get used to the gloves.

BTW In hot weather ,I wear the open weave motocross gloves with the reinforced backs, and have used golfing type leather gloves with the tiny holes on the back.

I am not a militant All The Gear All The Time (ATGATT) kind of person. I have and most likely will continue to ride on occasion without a crash jacket. It gets hot and comfort is preferrable. I have a mesh jacket and wear it, but I will ride without it.

I always wear gloves and boots. I have motorcycle boots and wear them. I have boots with a high shank, and low cut boots. I also have safety boots for work and I wear them in place of the motorcycle boots when I am going to work.

As for gloves - don't skimp. Get a good quality glove, go to a shop that specializes and try on the gloves they have in stock. Tarmac is really unforgiving and the hands are one area I need to have skin.

As a recovering wreckaholic.... I am going to speak.... if I had not had my helmet on, I would be dead. If I had not had my jacket on, I would have lost a bunch of skin. If I had had on my gloves, I would have saved a little skin. If I had been wearing proper boots, I would not have broken my ankle in three places. It has been almost 3 months since the incident and I am almost over it enough to get another scooter very soon. I will always wear the proper riding gear from now on. It gets vvvvveeerrrryyyy warm here, but to ride safely, the proper gear is just like having the insurance on your scooter. If you never need it, you think of it as wasted money. Riding without the gear in hot weather a few dozen times, without wrecking, gives the impression that you don't need it. Skin and bones and brains don't get replaced or repaired cheaply. You decide which is important to you.

I go to the surgeon today to hopefully get the okay to walk with no aircast. Will see....

What kind of shoes were you wearing?

Plain old low quarter diabetic loafers. The most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. Just not made to protect ankles rolling down highways. I have the right shoe on right now. Left foot is still about twice as big. May be up to another 3 months maybe before I can get the left one on. I have some high top boots that I chose not to put on, because they are too hot and I was just going to town and back... less that 4 miles round trip. Wound up being about 40 miles with the red lights and sirens. But the ambulance was air conditioned. Feet were cool.

I wear t-shirt and pants, sometimes shorts, and sneakers. No helmet unless I got caught in the rain. No crash jacket, unless I got cold. Same with gloves, if I got cold.

Have a hard time getting gloves and boots that fit same with jacket, they forget about big men when it comes to safety gear. Come to think about it big people all around I have a jacket on the way hoping it will fit size 60 is what I need for shoulders 46 for waist. wear a 15 1/2 ring that makes for a 4xxxx glove which are few and far between, but I have found them. 13 1/2 4e width shoes have one pair of boots that kill my feet but am still looking for something that will fit properly. The 2x helmets aren't too hard to find just go to any Harley shop if they don't have them they can tell you where to get them. I do wear helmet and gloves at all times boots are a different story, I know someones bound to sell them but have not even found riding boots on-line that would fit. hoping jacket fits when delivered today.
Craig

Opalsboy wrote:

As a recovering wreckaholic.... I am going to speak....

I was going to respond earlier ... but then I thought it would be great if someone like Gary responded with their "real life" experience.

Excellent post!!!

crahar wrote:

Have a hard time getting gloves and boots that fit same with jacket, they forget about big men when it comes to safety gear.

Motoport ( http://www.motoport.com ) can customize your gear. I called and they said they have fitted gear for people 6' 5" and 400 lbs and everything in between.

I have Motoport Kevlar jacket/pants, liners, summer racing gloves, and winter gloves.

crahar wrote:

Come to think about it big people all around I have a jacket on the way hoping it will fit size 60 is what I need for shoulders 46 for waist.

If it does not fit, then checkout Motoport. Motoport may be more expensive, but if you read the www.advrider.com/forums for everything Motoport, it took me about 5 weeks (3 years ago) to read everything then. I wear my gear all of the time and through four Texas seasons.

crahar wrote:

wear a 15 1/2 ring that makes for a 4xxxx glove which are few and far between, but I have found them.

http://www.motoport.com/_product_35446/Kevlar_Racing_Glove

When I called I asked about 4X gloves ... they do have 4X Kevlar racing gloves (same ones I have), even though they are not listed on the website. They said if they do not fit, they would be glad to take them back.

DuggleBogey wrote:

You know what that means.....big gloves and big shoes.


I usually don't wear gloves when riding, unless my hands get cold. My coworkers wear gloves every time no matter what the temperature, for safety reasons. I guess if you wreck you're going to lose a lot of skin off your hands so they may be right, but my hands really get uncomfortably hot in gloves.

I got a pair of fingerless gloves but I haven't tried them yet. I'm still going bare knuckled. And I have taken a few shots from some pretty large bugs off said knuckles. Stings for a second.

Do you all wear gloves all the time or just on occasion?

They do the same with boots, we are lucky that our company buys us heavy duty boots for the type of work we do in the field, so free $150 motorcycle boots are always nice. But I wear all kinds of shoes on my scoot, Nike hightops, Doc Martin boots, even some Vans on occasion.

I'm not one of those people you see riding around in shorts and flip-flops, but I'm also not wearing full body armor every time I jump on.

What do you folks think?

Let me comment on fingerless gloves. On a trip of over 400 miles to Pensacola, FL I wore a pair of them, stopped for gas and saw what looked like a brown peice of leaf caught on my thumb, it was a wasp of some sort and it stung me on, you guessed it MY THUMB! Well, it was hard to make the last 60 miles of the trip with the swelling of the thumb, hard to signal, hard to use the headlight dimmer. In this case a good full fingered glove would have not caught the wasp, I'd have been better off with no gloves. Fingerless gloves are for posers!

I'm willing to take the wasp risk.

Thanks Bill I'll have to check them out.
Craig

x

I want to hear.

I've always felt that riding was an expression of personal responsibility. I'm against helmet laws, even though I've always worn one, even when I lived in states that didn't require it, like Kansas and Oklahoma. It's a personal choice. Everyone has their own level of equipment that makes them feel safe.

I've seen guys flip their helmet off their head mid-bridge while crossing from Missouri into Kansas. I remember thinking, "that guy's crazy." But I'm sure people think the same thing about me because I don't wear gloves, or sometimes ride with tennis shoes.

There's a guy here at work that I went helmet shopping with who wouldn't buy a helmet because the parts that controlled the face shield were made of plastic. "Seriously?" I asked. He has a bike, but he's never actually ridden it except for the class he took to get his license. He's never had it on the street. He thinks I'm crazy because I only wear a denim jacket and just an open face helmet. I think he's crazy because he's too afraid to get on the road.

Like bigbird, my experience is that driving smart and defensively is better than any safety equipment you can own. It's not 100%, but nothing is. If you're looking for 100%, you're just like my coworker, on your couch.

I started the thread because I want to know what other peoples' comfort levels are. Every opinion is valued to me (except maybe the couch, that's a bit extreme.)

Please keep your stories coming. I think I am actually swayed on the glove thing, I can see where skin on your hands is valuable and difficult to recover from. I will ride the fingerless on the way home today and see how they do. It's only in the upper 80s today so it may be the perfect day to try them.

Gloves worked pretty good on the way home. I'll stick with them for a while.

Hello everyone, I just started wearing some Safty Green gloves....it seems to work great. J.R.

I feel naked if I don't wear gloves

I'm bad, but it has just been too damn hot lately.

I need to make it more convenient so I am more motivated.

They also produce weird tan lines.

DuggleBogey

You read my post today about braking and turning. I'm brandy new at this sport; however I've never been shy about safety. Here in FL, since 2008, you are required to take a MSF course to get your license. The course requires a helmet, gloves, shoes that cover the ankles, and long sleeves. I bought a pair of Power Trip gloves at the Honda dealer when I bought my helmet. I have since order a pair of Scorpion EXO gloves. They are mesh and very cool, it was those I was wearing when I feel. My hands are fine. I've purchased a pair of Icon Tarmac boots, these also are mesh and don't seem to be any warmer than my regular sneakers. These items I ordered from Motorcycle Superstore. I've purchased a Jacket and pants from Olympia Moto Sports. I did not have the pants on when I fell and today discovered I have a bruise on my hip, otherwise my shoulder is a little sore. If I weren't wearing these when I fell, my hands would be pretty scraped up, I'm sure my shoulder would be much more than just sore, and even my thick Irish skull would be giving me problems. (If I had the pants on, I most likely wouldn't have a bruised hip.) Temps here are running mid 90's with the heat index between 105 - 110. Some stuff is easily replaced, I'm not. (Besides, I'm a wimp and don't like pain.)

Tan Lines????

I've found a pair of fingerless gloves that I like and I've worn them almost every time I've ridden since I bought them. They match my Victory helmet.

I'm glad you're into AGATT Bill and that's great for you. It sounds like you've spent about as much on gear as you have on your scoot.

I do not follow AGATT. Sometimes I wear high top Nikes, sometimes even less. Usually I wear a denim jacket when riding, sometimes I don't. My favorite two helmets are half helmets.

It's a personal choice. On most forums people will try to ridicule you into wearing more gear by calling you stupid. I'm not sure how effective it is to ridicule someone into seeing things your way. Not very I'd imagine.

Others like to show pictures of people with injuries. Still doesn't work for me.

Why? Because if you really want to be safe, stay home. You're not even safe in your car. Better stay on the couch. There has to be a balance between safety and risk. You have your comfortable place, which believe me will change over time, and I have mine. I am willing to deal with the risk.

Fingerless glove? arn't they called Mittens?

Over here, mittens are gloves where all the fingers go together in one bit and the thumb in its own bit.

Fingerless gloves are a misnomer. The gloves do have fingers, they are just cut short so that your fingers project out of little glove finger stumps.

Very popular in the body builder / Harley Davidson / bicyclist crowd. Wow is that ever a diverse collection - hard to imagine what else they may have in common hobby wise.

jdeereanton wrote:

Fingerless gloves are a misnomer. The gloves do have fingers, they are just cut short so that your fingers project out of little glove finger stumps.

Very popular in the body builder / Harley Davidson / bicyclist crowd. Wow is that ever a diverse collection - hard to imagine what else they may have in common hobby wise.

That's just you and your "G" Rated thinking.

I like them because I can work my MP3 player, GPS, Trip Odometer, etc. easier with my fingers. Plus the reflective orange mesh on the back matches my Victory helmet.

Yes however, they should be called finger-tip less gloves instead of fingerless. Alas, I didn't name them.

Mittens are really only good for making snowballs!

I wear gloves all year round. The type depends on the season.

Years ago my wife was walking back from work and tripped. As most people would she put her hand out to arrest her fall. The result was ugly and resulted in much loss of skin and a huge amount of pain. Later on she discovered she needed surgery to remedy a problem which was caused by the fall.

So my thinking is simply if that amount of damage occured as a result of walking pace, what would happen at 10, 20, 30 or higher speeds?

My summer gloves are armoured, as are my wet weather and dry winter gloves. I tend to ride with a spare pair under the seat all the time. Takes moments to change them and I get to keep the skin covering my bones and not adoring the tarmac.

ZZZZZzzzzzippppp Ziiirrrrrrrrrrr

I recognize that sound. Not sure what its got to do with the thread, I thought it was big hands and big feet. Big Fish are cool too.

Probably local humour.(OZ)
It means hook, line and sinker.

I knew there would be a chance at a dig when I posted about mittens, but at first I just couldn't put my finger on it.

He's got gloves,protecting his big hands.('')

I always wear gloves ,hands are the hardest place for skin to repair after road rash .T shirt and gloves . It looks stupid but if you go down it is a natural reaction to try to protect your self with your hands .I wear all of the gear most of the time .Including draggin jeans .

I'm 6 feet 4 , 280 lb. I always wear gloves, some type of protective jacket (I have 3 jackets all made by Bering, one is for winter, one is mesh and for summer, and one is for cool but not so cold weather.) , I have FirstGear overpants that fit on any type of pants or shorts, and I always wear them in winter, fall and spring, but can't wear them in summer because it's too hot, and I have never ever ridden without a helmet since the police would stop you in 5 minutes if you ride without a helmet in London, and I got so used to this fact that I always wear it in Turkey as well. I had a major accident in January '10 where I fell off my bike on very rainy weather on the highway where I was doing about 50 mph, and miraculously nothing happened except a sprained left elbow (which I fell on) the asphalt was wet so I slid on my back for about 300 metres in the middle lane and stopped. I still am not sure why I fell, but it seems the back wheel of the bike got out of line compared to the front wheel due to some slight cracking on the road which caught my front wheel.. <-- not sure if this even makes sense. the bike started shaking, I tried to hold on but then fell on the left side as the bike leaned too much and started sliding.. I had full cover so my insurance paid Honda to repair the bike and I got back on it in no time. If I had not had my protective gear on, I'm sure I'd have broken a few things starting from my elbow, and it'd have been terrible, so please make sure you gear up whatever the weather conditions and however short your ride will be, it's always better than walking with a cast or worse

As some experienced people say : a skin is sufficient for 0.5m, the meat - for 1.5m and later - only bones, but not for a long way

I try to use protective clothes even it is hot, also gloves (but the S size )

I follow 'all the gear all the time' - or at least I try to - and here is why(for me).

1. I know riders that have crashed at 70mph - slid a long way - and then got back on their bikes and rode home - with no problems on consequence.

2. If I am going 70mph and get separated from my SWing the only thing that is going to arrest my forward momentum is FRICTION between me and the roadway (or unless I hit something in which case I don't have to worry about FRICTION - likely won't have to worry period). If I have a protective layer that is taking on the FRICTION then I am likely going to be OK. But, if there is no protective layer then my skin is going to need to slow me down, when the skin wears away the next layer (e.g., fat, muscle, bone, cartilage, blood vessels) is going to take up the load and FRICTION is going to work on that - and when I stop, I may be alive - but not feeling/doing so great.

3. I am pretty sure that if I ride long enough that some day there is a chance that I am going to become separated from my bike - so each time I go for a ride, I reflect on this fact, and then take the extra time to gear up.

Dimond wrote:

2. If I am going 70mph and get separated from my SWing the only thing that is going to arrest my forward momentum is FRICTION between me and the roadway (or unless I hit something in which case I don't have to worry about FRICTION - likely won't have to worry period). If I have a protective layer that is taking on the FRICTION then I am likely going to be OK. But, if there is no protective layer then my skin is going to need to slow me down, when the skin wears away the next layer (e.g., fat, muscle, bone, cartilage, blood vessels) is going to take up the load and FRICTION is going to work on that - and when I stop, I may be alive - but not feeling/doing so great.

One problem my friend found when sliding down the road. (I have to hold my hand up and say it's something I don't do either).

He found when sliding down the road his armoured jacked was forced up his torso exposing his flesh to the road surface. Had he zippered his jacket to his armoured trousers it would have prevented his jacket sliding up and exposing his skin to the tarmac.

He was in hospital for quite a while and although he wore 'All the gear - all the time' he still suffered.

To this day I think about attaching my jacket to my trousers but sadly, that is as far as I get. I did once but found it so restrictive both on the bike and disrobing after I have never bothered.

Just something to think about!!!!!

Better to ride safe and never put the armour to the test!!

Hey, that's great that you try to be as safe as you can by wearing AGATT.

But you know what's safer? Not riding at all.

This is all a balance between what is safest and what is most comfortable and what you can do to still enjoy riding.

You don't have to ride "long enough" for a chance to become separated from your bike, if you ride ONCE there is a chance. But it's not inevitable. Bikes are more dangerous than cars because the consequences of a wreck are far worse. All the gear in the world isn't going to change that. But riding itself doesn't make it more likely that you will have a wreck. Yes there are statistics, but they are skewed by fact that people who engage in reckless behavior tend to ride bikes. If you drive as safely as you can then your chances of wrecking are about the same as if you are driving a car....very slim.

Anyway, since I started this thread two years ago, I have adopted an all gloves all the time policy. I wear gloves without fingertips unless it is very cold out, so I can still work the controls of my music player or cell phone if I get a call.

Yes, I have actually talked on my cell phone while riding. You may proceed to berate me for being unsafe.

I've got all the usual biking gear (armoured jackets/trousers/gloves etc) but in hot weather (e.g. Spain), I sometimes wear a T-shirt under a motocross armoured mesh jacket with a denim jacket over the top. I feel a bit like an american football player but it gives me a "cool" image on the road and if the temp. rises above 35ºC (around 100ºF), I just take off the denim jacket.

Also to add to the image, I often wear my light-tan Aerostich Elkskin Roper gloves so look really ruffty tuffty! - They cost $49.00 (plus an arm & a leg for postage to the UK). Incidentally, I see they now make a "Touchscreen" version (an extra $10) and I wonder what the old-time cowboys would make of that while they're rounding up the herd...

Atrick wrote:

Also to add to the image, I often wear my light-tan Aerostich Elkskin Roper gloves so look really ruffty tuffty! - They cost $49.00 (plus an arm & a leg for postage to the UK). Incidentally, I see they now make a "Touchscreen" version (an extra $10) and I wonder what the old-time cowboys would make of that while they're rounding up the herd...

I was very disappointed with my pair ofAerostich Elkskin Ropers, they had an inside seam that dug into my fingers that I couldn't sort out. In the end I started using them as gardening gloves when pruning thorny branches. I got a similar pair of tan leather gloves from an Eddie Bauer Outlet in Florida that would be good for riding in, but they're lined and just too nice to wear for riding.

I've not experienced any problems with the seams but was shocked when my hands turned yellow in the rain!

DuggleBogey wrote:

Hey, that's great that you try to be as safe as you can by wearing AGATT.

Hello DuggleBogey- First off let me thank you for starting this thread as it has given me some great tips and points for reflection. If I am being most truthful I would say that I use "More of the Gear - Most of the Time", as there is always someone I see that has more/better gear and I sometimes lapse in not putting everything on that I should (for me that is).

What I like about this forum - and other riders in general - is that they do their thing - and I do my thing - without anyone (few exceptions) being too judgmental- and everyone (few exceptions) being accepting. However, I learn new stuff by communicating with other riders - and often alter/change my ways based upon what I learn/see.

In Northern California, where I do most of my riding, summer inland temperatures can get hot (100 plus) BUT humidity is usually LOW. This opens the door for evaporative cooling. In the 70s I can use my full range of protective gear, in the 80s I switch to my Joe Rocket mesh jacket, in the mid-80s to low 90s I put on my 'pre-soaked' BILT cooling vest under my jacket (lasts a long time before it needs to be rewetted), in the mid-90s I put on my 'pre-soaked' winter sweatshirt (50/50 cotton/polyester) which enables me to stay cool/happy/comfortable into the low 100s (lasts about 1 to 1.5 hours when I need to then stop at a gas station restroom and re-wet it in my plastic trash bag). Without evaporative cooling clothing I would be doing very little in the way of long rides (4-12 hours) in hot summer heat. The wet sweatshirt is so effective that I can not wear it in the 80s - it is way too chilly. Side benefits of evaporative cooling clothing of which I was not previously aware include: 1) I drink for less water as I don't sweat much (and my pee is not yellow); 2) my head, even inside a closed helmet, does not feel hot or stuffy - as cool blood is being pumped from my cool core to my head; 3) my hands don't sweat inside my leather gloves; 4) I am far more rested at the end of the ride as my heart is not working full time in pumping blood to my skin surface in order to help me keep cool; 5) I am far more alert and therefore more aware of hazards; and 6) maybe most important for me, I am very much enjoying the ride rather than wishing it was over!

Unfortunately, not all areas in USA have low humidity and therefore shedding the gear as temperatures rise may be a physical necessity to avoid heat stress.

Again - to each his own. Ride Safe!

Dimond wrote:

What I like about this forum - and other riders in general - is that they do their thing - and I do my thing - without anyone (few exceptions) being too judgmental- and everyone (few exceptions) being accepting. However, I learn new stuff by communicating with other riders - and often alter/change my ways based upon what I learn/see.

Again - to each his own. Ride Safe!

Well said Dimond

I definitely agree.

I didn't use to wear gloves unless my hands were cold, (obviously from the start of this thread) but I heard a lot of stories about how difficult and painful it is for skin on your hands to heal because of how your hands move and stretch the skin. It's not much of an inconvenience or discomfort to wear something to protect your hands a bit better so I changed my attitude about gloves.

And I get funny tan lines.

I've skined my knuckles too many times working on cars in the road and in the pits and have them go septic more often than not to know I, me myself personally, have got to wear gloves if there's the slightest chance of contact with tarmac.
I wear gloves when I cycle, even if I don't have any other protective gear on.

I was interested by a remark made by my CBT instructor to the effect that moped riders needed to wear gloves with reinforce palms as they were far more likely to put out a hand to save themselves if they fell off at less than 30 MPH. I suppose the same hold true for cyclists like me who use my bike for transport to the shops, not racing or fitness.

I always wear gloves and boots
I came off a bike at an early age and learned firsthand the value of protective
gear.

Icon make a nice pair of vented gloves that i use in the spring, summer and fall.
I also have winter gloves for the colder months since I ride my wing
year long.