Speaking of bike gloves (which you’ll want if you happen to fall down or if your nose runs), get a pair. Fingerless (half-finger, really) work well for summer.

If you’re riding into the fall you’ll want ones with full fingers. Once you realize how fun this is and keep riding well into the frosty days you may want some lobster claw (Vulcan hand sign) gloves too, or perhaps a pair of liners to wear under your full-fingered ones.

Reasons you want gloves:

• People fall down sometimes. Even grown-ups. If you fall and manage to get a hand out to break the impact a bit, you’re going to scrape your palms.
• Your nose runs when you bike. Heck, mine runs even on a hot summer day–something about the nice breeze I make for myself. Good bike gloves come with a little soft patch for nose wiping. If this sounds gross, contemplate the alternative.
• The padding on the palms helps cushion road buzz and the jouncing when you hit a pothole or crack in the pavement.
• Most bike gloves have a reflective logo and/or piping that adds an extra bit of visibility. I’m all about the bling: The more my bike, my clothing, and my accessories reflect when the headlights hit, the more visible I am to the driver.
• Duh–your hands get cold. As you know if you ski or engage in other outdoor winter pursuits, frozen fingers really hurt. This is one place where you don’t want to skimp or skip. You need to be able to shift and brake so those hands have to work.
• They can provide a touch of color for accessorizing, if you’re into that. I just got the beautiful white crocheted Ana Nichoola gloves in time for the last of the autumn warmth and I love their classy look!*

I was going to make this a blogspedition to see what others have to say about gloves, but the reality is that they just take them for granted as part of your standard gear. They don’t actually blog much about gloves themselves unless it’s a review of one particular brand and I was looking for more general information.

When I search the Big List of Women’s Bike Blogs for “gloves” I find dozens of posts that make passing references to warm gloves, gloves that weren’t heavy enough for the weather conditions on a nippy day, pretty gloves (which are really hard to find), and the seasonal change from half-finger to full-finger or from full-finger to lobster claw.

Hence this round-up of posts that show fun photos that show gloves along with a review comparing some for winter. Not so coincidentally, the fashion blogs also show you women riding in all kinds of clothing and weather conditions.

*I managed to score the last of this season’s Ana Nichoola gloves (shown above) to sell through Bike Style. I have a few pair each in S/M/L for $45 +tax/shipping. They run small, so the small is genuinely for petite hands. Email info AT bikestylespokane.com ASAP if you want a pair.