When out on the open road, my gloves are indispensable. With them, I feel more protected, and I don’t have to worry about sunburns (often hard to avoid in the sunny, Southern California desert). While not all my buddies wear them, I prefer to for a variety of reasons, and I recommend that anyone who goes on long rides wear them. So, if you want to buy gloves, you should know what to look for. Here are four tips to find the right gloves for your needs.

Good stitching: Let’s face it, you can easily find some gloves that look good and fit well, but you are going to have a hard time finding ones that will stand the test of time. Since you are going to put your gloves through a lot of wear and tear, you will want to find ones that have good stitching. Think about it, if you are buying a shirt or piece of clothing and you want it to last a long time, you will look at the stitching, especially in any areas that are going to absorb impact.

Arming in the padding: Now, if you ride, you know that when you are on the road, you can fall on your hands. To prevent painful rashes or serious problems from a minor fall, you should purchase gloves with padding in the palms. To test them out, press your hands against a hard service. Then, you can see what works and what fails to provide protection. Otherwise, if you overlook this, you can end up with nasty cuts, even on a short fall.

Warm and cool: If you are out in the desert, you will want your hands to stay nice and warm in the winter and nice and cool in the summer. Since I live in San Diego, I look for gloves that offering me protection from the elements. That way, on a long ride in the summer, my hands won’t sweat, and in the winter, they won’t freeze. Of course, if you are a fair weather rider, you may not care too much about protection from the elements.

The fit: Finally, if you want to get gloves, you can easily see if they work for your situation by trying them on for size. The gloves should allow you to use all of your fingers without binding. Ideally, if you can, take the gloves outside and test them by griping your handlebars. If any issues are present, you will want to look for something else. Remember, if you have ill-fitting gloves, you are going to cause yourself a lot of pain and annoyances, especially on a long ride.

If you are wise and you ride often, you will want to buy gloves. Make sure they fit well, provide protection from the elements and the ground and have good stitching. When you invest in a decent pair, you can see them last a long time.