For the past couple of months I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect cycling glove. The Pearl Izumi Select Gel Bike Glove might not be perfect, but it is far better than most of the other gloves you will find. After riding with these gloves for about 400 miles I think most cyclists will be very happy with the quality of this glove.
The Pearl Izumi Select Glove offers a decent amount of gel-foam padding, but, depending on your hand position when riding, it might not be exactly where you want it. I found these gloves to offer the greatest amount of padding when your hands are on the drops, and adequate padding when your hands are on the hoods. If you ride with your hands on the flats you might find the padding a bit lacking. I’m not saying the padding is bad, it’s just not as good for riding in this position. However, I’ve ridden several fifty-mile rides with these gloves without any problem. If your hands are going numb on long rides then you probably need to adjust the position of your saddle. If your saddle is titled down in front it will cause you to put more of your weight on the handlebars and this will leave your hands numb or tingling.
The palms of these gloves are made of synthetic leather and they are lightweight and very breathable. Even on a long ride on a very hot and humid day these gloves did not hold moisture. They have a small tab on the ring-finger to help you get the gloves off easier, but I haven’t found that to be very useful. It seems to me that these gloves run a bit on the small side—if you’re on the borderline of a certain size I would order the next larger size. As with most cycling gloves there is a small wiping surface on thumb. This glove is available in five sizes, from small through XX-large. It is also available in five colors (white, black, true red, midnight blue and screaming yellow). These gloves retail for $30, but you can find them online for around $20.