They stayed securely in place no matter what seemed to happen, even with the occasional tree encounter.

Now that I’ve tried them, I’m more inclined to leave the Extreme Bar Mitts on and use lighter gloves or no gloves in cooler temperatures than I did before.I had no problems on any ride tossing my hands in and out of the openings, even on some moderately technical terrain. The main disadvantage of the Mitts is that the only hand position that provides fast access to the brake and integrated shift levers is on the brake hoods. Wanting to ride on the very top of my hoods in an out-of-the-saddle position proved a bit challenging however. However, I did find that sharp cornering and leaning the bike felt a bit odd with the Mitts, as I couldn’t roll my arms back and forth as much as normal. The neoprene material of the Bar Mitts kept the rain and wind off my hands, so I believe that my hands were much warmer than they would have been in gloves alone.

As one can imagine, not being on the shifter and brake levers had its downfalls especially when it came to descents and emergency braking.Turn them slightly inside out, and open up the bar end closure, and clasp the Velcro shut, leaving the circumference as wide as possible. It made some of my night rides almost enjoyable, since my hands had a comfortable, warm and dry environment, which was isolated from the outdoor realities. At that temperature, my hands started feeling a little cold, but thicker gloves worn inside the Bar Mitts could easily extend their comfort range below 25F.

They are simple to install after a couple of practice sessions, and their stiffness and large 4x6 inch opening means it's easy to take your hands in and out.

I had originally thought I would only put on the Extreme model for the coldest days, but I now suspect the comfort range extends to warmer temperatures than I expected. Additionally, the Bar Mitts themselves are easy to install and remove as temperature changes warrant. Having the additional dexterity that thinner gloves provide is an excellent feature, and gives one a better tactile feel for more precise control of braking, shifting and gripping of the bars. But with the growing popularity of fat bikes and winter riding, many cold-weather cyclists have found that pogies work just as well on their handlebars.