Best Mountain Bike Gloves 2018 for Under 20 Dollars

One of the most important pieces of mountain biking gear, other than the bike, are gloves. Mountain biking is one of the more hazardous sports that most of us will ever engage in. I know every time that I get on my bike I worry that a crash will hurt my hands. Luckily, a good pair of gloves can prevent that.

The best mountain bike gloves will fit comfortably. They will give your hand all the protection you need while still letting you use your hands to control the bike or use other tools. They will be made of durable materials that still allow your skin to breathe. Many of us use touchscreen devices like a phone, bike computer or a GPS while we bike. Most modern gloves take that into account and offer touchscreen capability.

These gloves are made of mesh cloth triple-sandwiched with Lycra and microfiber leather. They have three-dimensional tailoring to provide an ideal fit for your hands. They are very stretchy, wick away sweat and allow your hands to breathe. They feature a terry thumb to wipe away dripping sweat.

Safety First!

The Zookki gloves have a special thickened palm pad to help absorb the shocks from even the most treacherous trail. That same palm pad is also made to stop any slipping on the handlebars. The added ridge of fabric at the base of the fingers helps to increase grip. The thick palms and padded exterior are also helpful if you take a spill or run into heavy brush. These gloves will definitely keep your skin intact!

Comfortable or Not?

These gloves go out of their way to stay comfortable while remaining safe. The padding is ergonomically designed to fit the hand like, well, a glove. The manufacturer provides a range of sizes to help you pick the glove that fits you best. The gloves are also made with lots of Lycra. There is plenty of stretch when you flex your hand.

For Men or For Women?

Zookki gloves are mostly sized and designed for men. They feature colors and design choices that are more typically targeted to male riders. A woman who has trouble finding gloves large enough for her hands or who wants a bold color scheme might be interested in these, though.

Materials & Design

Zookki Mountain Bike Gloves are warm weather friendly finger-less gloves. The wrist has an easy on Velcro closure. The tops of these gloves are a solid black with a single panel of white mesh over the index finger. The thumb is black terry material. The palm of the hand has a bright splash of non-slip paint material in a choice of colors over microfiber leather. The outer palm and edge of the hand is protected with thick foam sections and reinforced material. The fingers are further protected with a thin webbing ribbon.

Touchscreen Capabilities

These are finger-less gloves. Any touchscreen that works with your skin will work with these.

Customer Reviews

Many mountain bike gloves reviews mention that these gloves have a wonderful fit. Users really liked the well padded palms and non-slip paint. The gloves are touted as being very durable, even surviving a bad crash.

Full fingered and wind-proof, these are gloves that are made for cool and wet weather. Perhaps the biggest selling point of this design is the back of the hand. It has high visibility fabric sewn from the wrist to the tips of the outer three fingers. The tip of the pointer finger also has a small patch of yellow. The back of the hand also has a bright white reflective strip from the wrist to the knuckles. The top of the thumb has the handy terry wiping patch.

Safety First!

A full finger design offers more protection to delicate hands than even the most bulky finger-less glove. That said, these bike gloves are probably not the best thing for technical trails or advanced riding. The safety features are more suitable to those of us who ride light trails from time to time, but do most of their riding around cars on roads. The reflective high visibility sections on the glove are great for hand signaling during the day and night.

Comfortable or Not?

Hyke & Byke gloves are designed to optimize your ride length. The palm of these gloves is cleverly made to eliminate pressure on the ulnar and median nerves. The gel padding lifts up the hand so that the pressure is placed on the tougher parts of the palm. The result is your hand won’t go numb while you ride long distances. The are also warm. The gloves are made with windproof material to help keep chill out of your fingers on chilly rides.

For Men or For Women?

The Hyke & Byke gloves are designed with men in mind. The sizes start out with a small measuring 7.25 to 8 inches. The design is pretty much uni-sex otherwise.

Materials & Design

Full fingered and wind-proof, these are gloves that are made for cool and wet weather. Perhaps the biggest selling point of this design is the back of the hand. It has high visibility fabric sewn from the wrist to the tips of the outer three fingers. The tip of the pointer finger also has a small patch of yellow. The back of the hand also has a bright white reflective strip from the wrist to the knuckles. The top of the thumb has the handy terry wiping patch.

Touchscreen Capabilities

Gloves for tech lovers, the Hyke & Byke gloves have touch screen points on the thumb, the pointer and middle fingers. The three point system makes it easy to use your phone or other devices.

Customer Reviews

Many reviewers were more into commuting or road biking than serious mountain biking. These gloves are still well-loved by those who purchased them. They found them to be durable and well suited to keeping hands warm and dry no matter the weather.

Full fingered but lightweight, these are a good choice for hot days on the trail. The dark blue lightweight mesh on the top of the hand keeps everything breezy. The light blue leather-like palm is sturdy and slip proof. The terry thumb cover is a nice dark blue and features a shark’s tooth design of protective leather-like material. These materials are modern, with great sweat wicking properties. They are quick drying too, preventing most bad odors.

Safety First!

These are lightly padded minimal mountain biking gloves. While they are not as heavily padded as some gloves, they are great for what they are. They feature a fully breathable mesh top over the tops of the hands and fingers. The palm has faux suede with gel padding stitched onto pressure points. The two first fingers of each glove have little no-slip silicone dots for greater control.

Comfortable or Not?

These are warm weather full-fingered gloves. The outer mesh covering keeps your hands cool while the Arama faux suede palm works to wick away sweat. The padding is minimal, but it is well placed around pressure points on the palm to lessen hand numbing.

For Men or For Women?

GearTop gloves are nicely uni-sex in design. However women with smaller hands should be aware that sizing runs a bit large. The women’s small is reviewed as fitting more like a men’s small.

Materials & Design

Full fingered but lightweight, these are a good choice for hot days on the trail. The dark blue lightweight mesh on the top of the hand keeps everything breezy. The light blue leather-like palm is sturdy and slip proof. The terry thumb cover is a nice dark blue and features a shark’s tooth design of protective leather-like material. These materials are modern, with great sweat wicking properties. They are quick drying too, preventing most bad odors.

Touchscreen Capabilities

While these gloves do have silicone dots on two fingers, they are not listed as being touchscreen compatible. Some users might be able to use them with a touchscreen though.

Customer Reviews

Reviewers love these inexpensive gloves. The four-way stretch fabric makes getting a perfect fit easy for most people. They keep hands dry, and that helps people feel more in control of their bike while trail riding. While they aren’t heavily padded, they do give just enough protection to sensitive hands while out riding in brush or rocks.

Full-fingered and well padded, these gloves might be a little too warm for a summer’s day. But the sleek black design with red double stitching makes these gloves just look cool. Most of the glove body is black, with red details at the wrist and on the palms. Materials are synthetic leather and mesh fabric, for a durable and comfortable experience.

Safety First!

Full fingered for more protection with a snug slip free fit, these gloves are great for technical trails. These gloves are also designed to protect the ulnar and other nerves in the hand. The padding raises the hand up slightly and redistributes the pressure. There is a ridge pattern at the base of the palm and on the bottoms of the fingers that help you to keep your grip. The outside of the hand is also padded, offering protection if you fall.

Comfortable or Not?

These gloves feature a very close ‘race fit’. They are designed to fit very tightly, almost like a second skin. If you are not used to a tight glove, then you might find this uncomfortable. The gloves are otherwise well padded for comfort, with plenty of stretch where you need it most.

For Men or For Women?

Sizing on these runs a little small. Women with smaller hands are in luck with this brand of glove.

Materials & Design

Full-fingered and well padded, these gloves might be a little too warm for a summer’s day. But the sleek black design with red double stitching makes these gloves just look cool. Most of the glove body is black, with red details at the wrist and on the palms. Materials are synthetic leather and mesh fabric, for a durable and comfortable experience.

Touchscreen Capabilities

These gloves are fully touchscreen compatible.

Customer Reviews

Many reviewers found these gloves to be perfect for their cool weather mountain biking needs. One reviewer even compared them to motorcyclist’s gloves! Most people said that they were not too hot, and the padding was well placed. A few reviewers mentioned the tight fit as a negative.

All four brands of glove are sold for less than twenty dollars. They represent some of the best choices on the market at this price point.

Picking which glove is the best value for your dollar was surprisingly difficult. All of these gloves have their positive points. The next time I reach for the best mountain bike gloves, I want to reach for a pair of Zookki Mountain Bike Gloves.

They are finger-less, making them a bit cooler in the heat of the summer. I also like being able to have that tactile feedback from my fingertips while I ride. It gives me a bit of an edge, I believe, in controlling my bike.

Zookki’s gloves are fully padded around the palm and sides too. I’ve found that those features are very useful in a crash. Mountain biking is all about the rush of downhill riding and the adventure of seeing the forest in a new way. You don’t want to have to worry about brush hitting your hands or a little tumble. I think that these gloves will offer you the best protection and security on your travels.