Cycle

Gel Padded Cycle Gloves eBay Store Handy Niknaks

As a regular mountain bike rider, gel padded cycle gloves are an essential piece of kit for me. After trying many different brands, both expensive and inexpensive, foam padded and gel padded, I have now sourced my own gel padded gloves which are inexpensive andeffective.Active Gel gloves are now available in my eBay store.eBay Store Handy Niknaks

Active Gel Bike Gloves have a palm made of soft goat skin leather. The inner lining of the palm is a made of smooth cotton material. The padding consists of 3 gel inserts which acts a shock absorber on the palm of the gloves. The backing material is stretchable Fourway. The back of the thumb is made of a double layer of towel material. These come in 4 different colour of backing material and small, medium and large sizes. The back is stretchable and the fit may be adjusted with the velcro wrist strap.

Cycling and the risk of nerve damage

During a long bike ride, the localised force exerted in one area of the palms by the pressure of the handlebars can affect the median nerve, which passes along the palm of the hand.

Prolonged pressure on the median nerve may cause symptoms of a burning sensation in the hands and numbness in the fingers. Palm protection is an important factor in choosing bike gloves. Active Gel gloves have 3 gel inserts designed to absorb the forces directed towards the palms of the hands. Total thickness of 5 mm of padding is achieved with a 3 layer construction. On the inside is soft cotton material, with exterior palm of pliable goat skin leather. Sandwiched in between is the gel padded layer.

Active Gel Gloves are equally usefulfor wheelchairor crutch users.Using gloves helps prevent friction damage to the skin as well as long term median nerve damage. Likewiseuse of gel padded gloves is recommended for weightlifting , rowing and other gym activities where there is prolonged pressure on the palms.

Choosing the fit.

Loose fitting gloves are preferrable to tight fitting ones. Over tight gloves may compromise finger circulation and cause discomfort. Hands may swell slightly during cycling and gloves should allow free range of movement of your thumb. An adjustable velcro strap allows a comfortable fit to be achievd.The backing of each glove is made of a lightweight and flexible 'Fourway' material, as this prevent excess hand sweating and allows free movement. In addition, Active Gel gloves feature Terry Cloth backing on the thumbs, to use in wiping sweat off your face.

Because of the somewhat delicate nature of the materials, when taking off your gloves, care should be taken. It is important not to simply tear them off, pulling them inside out, as this may damage the stitching. Instead, pull them off from the fingers, this way preventing any tears to the stitching.

National Cycling Network

Sustrans is a charity that promotes cycling and has developed the National Cycling Network using Government Grants and Lottery funding. Established over the last 10 years , the National Cycling Network now passes within 1 mile of half of the population, using pedestrian routes, disused railways, minor roads, canal towpaths and traffic calmed routes in towns and cities. More information can be found online in WIKIPEDIA including all completed regional sections of the network.

The Government Cycle to Work Scheme

Introduced in 1999 as part of the Government Green Transport Plan, this scheme allows basic rate taxpayers to receive a 40 % reduction in the cost of buying a bicycle. A 50 %saving is available to higher rate taxpayers. The employer is allowed to provide employees with a bicycle to cycle to work as a tax free benefit. And this can also be used for leisure cycling, provided it is used to cycle to work from time to time. Tax benefits applyto the cost of the bicycle and cycling equipment. The scheme is operated through service providers and involves the employer purchasing bicycle and equipment from the provider. Employers are entitled to reclaim VAT from the purchase. The employee then leases the equipment for a year, paying this from pre-tax income. At the end of the year this can bought by the employee at a cost of 2.5 % of the original cost. Buy Cycle Gloves