Customer Reviews

Bell PRO-GEL Cycling Gloves

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have just recently had my classic Schwinn Continental English racer (today referred to as a road bike) repaired and fixed up and have been braving the roads for about three weeks as of this writing.

So the first things I set off to buy were a new saddle, a saddle bag, a bike helmet and cycling gloves.

After reading the reviews on other sites, I decided to purchase the Bell Pro Gel Cycling Gloves.

All I can tell you is that my hands no longer hurt. The gloves are marvelous and do exactly what they are made to do, cushion your hands from the handle bars especially when you take some serious bumps or when digging in for speed and stamina training.

There are certainly higher priced gloves on the market but I'm on a budget. So after trying on a pair at a local brick and mortar store, I knew they were just what I was looking for. Here's what you'll get with the Bell Pro Gels:

1) Gloves are half finger style with a suede "leather" palm,

2) The backing fabric is 92% polyester and 8% nylon. It's broken up into two sections, a smooth, breathable section that stretches over the back of the hand, and an area that feels like terry cloth over the thumb and index finger, made for wiping the condensation from your nose on a cool day,

3) All trimming is 100% rubber which includes the straps that Velcro over the wrist to tighten the glove.

The palm is double stitched for durability. There are three gel pads and each pad is sectioned and stitched. This is a nice feature as long sections of gel over a period of time and use tend to ball up, becoming ineffective or uncomfortable. Indeed a nice feature to find in an inexpensive pair of cycling gloves. The finger ends are also stitched so they should not start to unravel right away.

Cleaning instructions are as follows:

"Hand wash in cold water, line dry, do not iron, do not dry clean."

Since the palm is not leather, washing in water won't kill the suede palm material and will help keep your gloves smelling nice, especially after a few wipes of the nose.

The Bell Pro Gel Cycling Gloves also feature a small jut out, or tongue, at the wrists that help with putting them on. Sewed to the tongue is a handy loop for hanging your gloves up to dry after a ride.

So, how do they feel? The Pro Gel Gloves are easy to put on, and feel great. The gel pads are in just the right spots to take the pressure of your hands on the handle bars. Many cyclists will cover their bars with a spongy tape or padding but I personally don't like that. I like having the bar exposed with a single wrap of standard bar tape. So the gloves pad the handle bar but still let me have that feeling of control you need for quick moves.

Will they hold up? Time will tell. And they might not last as long as an expensive pair of gloves, but for the price, I think they are a great bargain.

One note on price. If you order online, beware of stores that will try to gouge you on shipping. These gloves are very light and take up no room for shipping. I've seen online shipping prices for these gloves that basically double the price of the gloves. Buyer beware!

And be sure to see my reviews on the Giro Transfer Sport Bike Helmet, the Bell Mountain Bicycle Seat, and the Bell StowAway Bicycle Seat Bag.

Probably the best gloves I had in years. Compared to my old $45 Pearl Izumi these are winners: soft, feel really nice, easy to put on and take off, gel pads in the exactly right spots, nice finish, seams appear to be very well done, the little tongue and loop are very handy as the other reviewers mentioned: for pulling them on or hanging to dry. They wash nice, no weird smells. I bought two pairs and use them for commuting as well as weekend rides. My experience with Bell products has been positive so far: basic functionality without frills and good quality for reasonable price. All my bell gloves outlived more expensive ones.

My husband needed some new gloves. He loves riding his bicycle back and forth to work. He said the gloves have been great and the padded section are in the right section for comfort. They are also easy to get on and off and the sale price was a bonus.

So I got it in my head I needed to get back on a bike. It had been twenty years, more than that, and it was something I needed to do for me. Plus I really, really, need to lose a bunch of weight. Riding made the most sense in terms of calories burned and how it would all feel. I love riding my bike, I always have, and this was the way to what I wanted.

First couple of miles I was so jazzed I didn't think about the numbness in my arm. Over the course of several days of pulling miles of riding I noticed the numbness kept coming back after the first few miles. So I asked some friends, did some reading, including all the reviews here and bought the Bell PRO-GEL gloves.

What a difference! Now instead of having to stop every couple of miles and shake out one hand or the other I just keep on riding! I love these gloves so much I'm going to order another pair or two. They make a bike difference in terms of comfort when riding and when you get used to them, you're not going to want to ride without them.

I purchased these gloves becasuse of the mostly positive reviews. There was a negative review or two that talked about these gloves wearing out after a ride or two, but that is not my experience with them at all.

If you are a professional or avid cyclist then these gloves are probably not for you and you should really be purchaing a brand like Peral Izumi or similar. However, if you are just starting out and aren't mountain biking and more of a beginer these are excellent gloves at a very reasonable price, and I would recommend them.

I'm a cyclist that does 150+ miles per week and have hand numbness issues.
At first were pretty good but after riding time increased the padding gave up and ended up with a non comfortable glove. Good for occasional riding but not for serious. Concur with Mr. Clavel impression on them.

Gloves are OK. Gel padding gets beaten up pretty quickly. After 60miles or so, part of it is already gone. At least they were cheap.

I've been wearing these gloves for 40+ mi road bike rides for a few weeks now 3-4x per week. So far so good, no signs of wear or deterioration, where the fingers meet the palm, which is where the deterioration happens fastest on this kind of glove. They are very comfortable and do a decent job of reducing hand fatigue on long rides. The sizing of the gloves is perfect. I have big hands, and the L/XL size fits very well. Overall, pretty good product.

These are comfortable enough and seem to be well designed, though as others mentioned the materials do feel cheap but overall function and comfort are there and that's all that counts in this price range. My only problem is that they seem to be a little big, I got the S/M and I am a pretty average built guy at 6'1" and certainly don't consider myself as having small hands. Typically medium/large gloves fit me just fine, these I'm kind of wishing were made in an XS or something.

I was excited to try these gloves. They felt great and fit perfectly. They were great to ride with. On about ride #10 I noticed the problem. The soft material around the thumbs (both sides) began to separate. The stitches held, the material split away from the seam. One or two more rides and these gloves will be trash. Don't waste your $$.