Gloves You Can Roll With


The first gloves I purchased as a wheelchair user were a pair of half-finger bicycle gloves. You know the type — padded leather palms and a crocheted back. I got them because I didn’t know anything about anything and when I saw photos of wheelchair users wearing gloves, that’s what they wore. But man were they terrible for me. The soft, synthetic leather palms didn’t give me any extra grip, so I struggled to push just as much as when my hands were bare. The stubby half fingers flipped inside out every time I took them off. Plus, they made me look like 1980s Greg LeMond, which is cool for a Halloween costume but not as awesome in most other situations.

It wasn’t until I started playing wheelchair rugby that I realized how much gloves with good grip could help my pushing efficiency. In rugby, most people use rubber gardening gloves to play because they’re cheap and they give great grip for pushing and for catching and throwing the ball. When I got around to trying them in my everyday chair, I was amazed at how much easier it was to push. Suddenly I wasn’t having to expend a bunch of energy clenching into my pushrims to generate enough friction to push — instead I could just push.

Since then, I’ve tried out many different types of gloves, some great, some terrible. I tend to stay away from gloves made specifically for wheelchair users as I’ve found options made for the general public to be more functional and stylish and (sometimes) less expensive — though a recent test of wheelchair-specific gloves from European manufacturer Reha Designs does give me some hope.

Which glove works best varies on what I’m doing, so I tend to have a variety of styles lying around the house. Here are a few of my favorites.

Showa Atlas Work Gloves

rubber-palmed gloves
Starting at $4 each or $40 for a 12-pack from amazon.com and other online retailers

Of the gardener-style gloves, these are my favorite. Showa rubber-palmed gloves are super grippy and they are much more durable than offerings from other manufacturers. The biggest drawback to this style of gloves is that they don’t have any mechanism to tighten around your wrist, so they start to work right off your hand if you’re braking hard on a downhill. To get around this, I flip my hands over and use the pocket in between my thumb and index finger for braking. It works and the gloves stay on, but it takes some getting used to.

I used two models of Atlas gloves: the Re-Grip 330 for the warmer months and the 451 insulated gloves for the winter. I like the Re-Grip because they have a double-dipped thumb pocket and come in black, which doesn’t scream, “Hey, look at my sweet garden gloves!” quite as much as Showa’s standard, bright blue gloves. The 451s will keep your fingers warm down into the high 30s, while still providing good grip. Fit is super important with both, as getting them too large can make them feel sloppy on your hand when you’re pushing. I wear an XL in most other glove styles, but a medium in these. They do blow through after a couple of weeks, but if I buy a 12-pack of each, I have gloves to keep me rolling all year.

Nike Vapor Jet Receiver Gloves

black Nike gloves with Velcro straps
$45 on Dickssportinggoods.com and other online retailers

Football receiver gloves are as grippy as gloves get, and the Vapor Jets are the grippiest I’ve tried. They have a Velcro strap that secures them well around the wrist, which helps with braking, and they’re stiffer than garden gloves, which makes it possible to get a slightly larger size for easy on/off without sacrificing pushing performance. Nike’s coating holds its tackiness better than other brands I’ve tried like Adidas, UnderArmour or Cutters. That said, receiver gloves from other brands still work well enough, so if you can find a deal on them, don’t be afraid to jump on it. The biggest downside is the price, so it’s worth combing eBay, other discount sites or your local sporting goods store’s clearance rack.

The all-black Vapor Jets are sleek and certainly more stylish than a pair of work gloves, so even if you don’t use them all the time, it’s worth having a pair for date night or any other occasion when you’re going to be out pushing and need to look your best.

RehaDesign Gloves

RehaDesign offers several gloves styles, from fingerless palm protectors for quads who struggle to jam their hands into a typical glove, to full-finger leather gloves with a reinforced rubber palm. I tested out the Ultra-Grrrip Half-Finger gloves, the Strap N Roll gloves and the Gator Grip Gloves.

leather gloves with a reinforced rubber palm
Available for around $45 from rehadesign.com (depending on current exchange rates)

The Ultra-Grrrips worked best for me, as I don’t need an easy on/off and I found them more secure on my hands than Reha’s palm-style gloves. That said, both the Strap N Roll and the Gator Grip gloves were well-made and a good option for those who need the easy access of a palm-style glove.

Over three days, I pushed around 18 miles through New York City using the Ultra-Grrrips, up and down hills, over broken sidewalks and weaving around pedestrians. The gloves gave good grip on my pushrims and the rubber on the palms — which extended out the thumb, a nice touch — was thick enough that it cushioned my palms. At the end of the trip, my hands didn’t feel as beat up as they would’ve if I’d used either the garden- or receiver-style gloves. And despite my straight-outta-rehab prejudices, I found the half-fingers to be quite useful, as I could stop to send a text or check Google maps on my phone without having to pull a glove off every time.

The biggest benefit to these gloves is that they performed way better than expected in the rain, especially during braking. My other glove options become useless when my pushrims are soaked, but the Ultra-Grrrips managed to provide me with some stopping power, even when navigating a steep downhill in a downpour.

They’re all-black and made of quality leather that starts stiff but breaks in nicely. Fit is important, so make sure to measure your hands and check the sizing guide on their website before you order.

Pearl Izumi AmFib Lobster Glove

lobster-style glove
Available for $85 from pearlizumi.com

When warmth is the priority, I turn to Pearl Izumi’s lobster-style glove. I use these for everything from handcycling during the winter to pushing when the thermometer dips below freezing. They’re made to be cycling gloves, so they aren’t nearly as bulky as traditional winter gloves, but they still keep my hands plenty toasty. The leather palm gives some grip when it’s dry out — though in the snow I usually end up pushing on my tires anyway, so grip isn’t as important — and they’re made of water-resistant fabrics, so you have some protection when things start to get slushy. New versions of the AmFib are even touch-screen compatible. As with the Nikes, the biggest downside is cost, but mine have lasted me six winters now and are still holding up.


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Pat Israel
Pat Israel
2 years ago

Great review of gloves. Very useful

Michael Z.
Michael Z.
2 years ago

I use Mechanix Wear: M-Pact Coyote Tactical Work Gloves (Amazon $30) for the last three years. They provide great finger projection and hold up great for daily use.

Tanya Whiteside
Tanya Whiteside
2 years ago

This is great. I have been in a wheelchair since 1986 and have been using the nike baseball gloves almost the whole time

Tricia
Tricia
2 years ago

In the intro photo from the NM letter, it looks like there is something on the palm with a semi-oblong tab sticking out. What is that? thanks