BAR MITTS Cold Weather Road Bicycle Handlebar Mittens, fits Shimano Shifters with Externally Routed Shift Cables

Product Information

I never found them cumbersome, in fact, it was quite the opposite as I had light mitts/gloves inside (or nothing! I’m 6’2 and was a bit worried when I discovered that I had grabbed small mitts to test, but was happy to find I was able to push my Ultegra levers out as far as they went without any trouble. As they say, the best defense is a good offense, and the easiest way to combat cold-fingered misery is to keep your fingers from getting cold in the first place. The Bar Mitts keep my grips dry and snow-free at all times, which in turn makes for happy hands throughout the entirety of my ride. Last year, I didn’t have Bar Mitts, and suffered from numbingly cold hands when the temperature sunk below 15 degrees regardless of what super-high-tech gloves I wore.

It’s impossible to see the bolt head that you targeting with a wrench through the tiny hole in the neoprene, so I still blindly stick one hand in a mitt to help guide it into the bolt. Recently Bar Mitts sent me their new Extreme Bar Mitts model to try and it has finally been cold enough to put them to the test. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon she became a full-time cycling journalist. Want to hear from the other side before committing to bar mitts, since no one took my Christmas hints! Using lighter weight wind gloves in the teens would likely be perfect with the Extreme Bar Mitts model.

Zippers at the front of the mitts provide temperature control and ventilation, and also aid in the ease of installation. Bar Mitts offers sizes Small through XL, so it all comes down to one’s preference, the temperature you’ll be riding in, mechanical vs electronic shifting, and the size of your hands and bulkiness of your gloves. Made of 5mm thick neoprene, the cornucopia-shaped pogies slide over the bar ends, enclosing the brake levers and hoods, and attach to your bars using an integrated velcro strap. It was an eye-opener, to say the least, and allowed me to stay out longer and have more fun plowing around the frigid Quebec landscape. After installing the mitts, you can reach a hex wrench through the tiny hole which cause the rubber to bulb out and grip on the handlebars.

Finally, I was pleased to find a cure for the cold wrists I often came home with, a product of jersey and jacket sleeves riding up, leaving my wrists exposed. While these would be great for keeping in as much warmth as possible in really cold conditions, during my rides in high winds and air temps down into the teens, I still had no need for the cuffs.With Extreme Bar Mitts, I think I could now comfortably bike commute at -5F with the gear I already have. I decided to put the Bar Mitts through many different temperatures and conditions to see how they would stack up to wearing my usual big and cumbersome winter mitts and I immediately started riding with the pogies and never looked back. The mitts protected my wrists from winds and kept them insulated and warm as well, a much needed bonus on cold days. These waterproof mitts are made from 5mm thick neoprene with nylon lamination on each side, ensuring durability and insulation.

And after having been caught in a snowstorm that I wasn’t planning on riding through, I can report that they also keep your hands dry.The bottom of the mitts tapers to a fairly small opening, which held tight on my thin Fizik Microtex bar tape. In addition, they are available in road bike versions, for either external or internal cabling, and come in three sizes. Even if I could keep my gloves from getting soaked during the crash itself, having to clean off and then grip somewhat snow-packed grips ensured cold hands.