Ride All Winter With Bar Mitts
www.barmitts.com
I received these last March, so only had a very few cold days to test them out, but in November cold days came early and sub-freezing temps could not keep me from riding thanks to Bar Mitts. update: yes it got cold
Bar Mitts are a neoprene handle bar cover fitted specifically to your road bike, mtb, or even other sports uses. I have the mtb pair. The idea is to keep all the wind from sucking heat out of your glove, and also insulate your hands in a warm cocoon that allows you to easily operate your controls. Keeping your hands warm on a cold ride makes a huge difference for your over-all comfort.
Entry and exit is very easy. My method of entering is to make a pointy-hand by folding my thumb and fingers together. Concerns of missing the hole fold when you realize the Bar Mitts are playable enough to grab on the outside.
The Bar Mitts come with an internal hook & loop strap to attach the end to the grip securing the Mitt from moving around (you can see a red flap inside - see below why it is not attached).
To attach the Bar Mitt simply unzip the lower cable opening, slide on, and zip up. Two external straps close the opening to reduce air flow.
Note that some air flow is necessary to prevent your hands from sweating. The small gaps at the cable provide this.
On a sub-20 degree day you can wear 50 degree gloves when using the Bar Mitts.
Users report loving using regular gloves as the bulk of winter gloves just does not feel right and isolate the rider from the terrain.
I have modified the grip strap by attaching a screw and washer through the Mitt and into the bar plug. It has the same effect, but eliminates the inner strap which can either come off, or in my case, just bug me.
Bar Mitts now come with an expandable bar plug to do the same thing, and requires no tools.
My only complaint is cold knuckles when wearing thin gloves. My top knuckles can press against the fabric and get a chill. The insulation comes from the warm air pocket inside the Mitt, and with my knuckle pressed against the fabric this decreases in that particular spot. Likely a one size larger Bar Mitt would solve this, but I have to tinker…
Where I had screwed the Mitt to the bar plug is the solution. I simply moved the screw hole back 1/2 inch to make more room in front of my hands, and this solved my issue.
Bar Mitts also has one called the Extreme. Founder and creator, Ward reports:
The larger sizes have a gusset in between the two halves giving them more body/hand room. …I made an Extreme version, its fleece lined, has a removable cuff, a large ventilation zipper and comes with the expandable bar end attachment plug.
Pros: Everything. This is a product that has almost all positives:
Warm hands, does not interfere with riding, easy to use, can be left on if temps rise., no more bulky ski gloves.
Cons: Cold knuckles.
www.barmitts.com
UPDATE December 8, 2014.
Two new innovations since the initial review are entry slits and a bar plug mounting option.
First, is the addition of the slit-entry to the previously tested Bar Mitt. Seen here mounted inside out for visual clarity.
The red is the same neoprene fabric as the Bar Mitt, and it is held on with velcro. The purpose is to make a more air tight seal around the wrist to prevent heat loss.
The neoprene is just stiff enough to keep the Mitt in a nice oval shape.
Entry and exit are quick.
Mount this black side out so the velcro does not show, and so it will shed snow or rain better.
The new Bar Mitts come stock with the slit-entry. To the right is the Extreme Bar Mitt. The only size is XL. The 5.5 mil neoprene is thicker and lined with a fleece interior for extra warmth.
Viewing inside out here shows the bar plug mounted into the red fabric, which is sewn to the inside, so the bar plug remains fully inside the Mitt.
To mount the plug a small hole allows a 4mm allen wrench to tighten the expanding plug. It is securely attached when mounted, so removal on the trail will require that 4mm wrench again.
Here is the bar plug shipped as an upgrade for older versions of Bar Mitts.
The red tab seen above on the Bar Mitts has a hole just big enough for the allen bolt to slide through and is held secure between the rubber thingie and the purple cap.
The washer is actually the nut which the bolt threads into.
The red tab is big enough to allow the user to reposition the bar plug so as to fine tune position of the Bar Mitts on the bar/brake lever assembly.
Not pictured here, but a small detail on new Mitts, is that the zipper unzips from the edge. The significance is that the zipper does not detach at the end when open anymore. Mitts no longer require getting the zipper started as on a jacket, but rather a quick zip like on a jersey.
Bar Mitts is a small company with innovation always on their mind.
5 Stars!
Update February, 2015:
It finally got cold. With highs barely getting above 20 I finally got to test these further. The bigger size of XL made it possible to wear ski gloves, which is nice to wear at these temps. In my size Large the space is just too tight for bulky gloves to fit neatly. I was glad to have the bigger size on cold days. With temps in the high teens my hands were sweating a little. The trick is to open the velcro closure a little to allow some airflow.
