What Are Fingerless Gloves For?

Fingerless gloves are for tasks where you need bare fingertips but still want a covered, often padded palm. They keep feel and grip in the fingers while protecting the rest of the hand. On a motorcycle, that trade leaves your fingertips bare if you fall.

Part of our guide to motorcycle glove styles and cuffs.

What fingerless gloves are used for

The finger sections are cut to half length and left open. That makes them useful wherever a full glove would get in the way:

• Dexterity for fine finger work. Anglers, church organists, smokers and some musicians wear them for this reason.
• Grip and feel. Bare fingers keep their sense of touch, while a padded palm takes the wear.
• Phones. Bare fingertips work on a touchscreen. If you want full fingers, see how to make full gloves work on a touchscreen.
• Cycling. Road-racing and touring cycling gloves are usually fingerless.

Do they keep you warm?

Only partly. Many fingerless designs have ventilated backs to let the hand cool, and full gloves are the usual choice for warmth. Convertible mittens add a flap you can fold over your fingers when they get cold. Cold fingertips on the bike? Read about gloves for keeping your fingertips warm.

Fingerless gloves on a motorcycle

Some riders wear fingerless gloves for grip on the bars and to cover the palm. The catch: in a fall, riders tend to put their hands out first, and a fingerless glove leaves the fingertips with no cover.

The European motorcycle glove standard, EN 13594, tests palm abrasion and other zones of a glove. The SATRA summary of the standard we read does not mention fingerless designs at all. If you want light gloves that still cover your fingers, look at short-cuff motorcycle gloves. For the most coverage, the other end of the scale is gauntlet gloves. Our motorcycle glove safety guide explains what each zone of a glove protects.

Leather gloves from our store partner

We found no fingerless styles in the store's glove ranges. For off-bike use, Leather Collection men's leather gloves include unlined cowhide driving gloves with vented knuckle holes. These are driving gloves, not riding gloves.

FAQ

What is another name for fingerless gloves?

They are also called glovelettes. A version with a fold-over mitten flap is called a convertible mitten or "glitten".