FAQs
Have a questions? We'd be happy to provide an answer.
YOU DON'T HAVE MY SIZE
We offer our gloves in three basic sizes, small, medium and large. If you need a size we don't currently offer, email us and let us know. We may be able to do a special size order for you.
WHAT SIZE DO I NEED?
Please refer to the sizing chart. Sizing charts are available in the photo galleries of each item.
But if the chart doesn't help, maybe this will:
My hand measures about 9.25 cm wide across the palm. I almost always wear a medium (or size 8) glove no matter the manufacturer.
In Gammi Sport gloves, I can wear both medium and large. But I prefer the snugger fit of the mediums.
Gammi gloves, like those of the 1980s, have large, very stretchy, elastic backs, so they will fit various hand sizes. There is little to restrict the stretch. This is unlike many modern gloves made with a mix of materials.
RETURNS POLICY
Returns and exchanges of new, unused items in their original packaging are accepted within 30 days of purchase. If you want to return your gloves or have a problem with them, please contact us via email and let us know and we'll do our best to help and make you happy. All returns must include an RA number. Please reach out to us for one.
WHICH CREDIT CARDS?
Currently, we only accept PayPal. We are working on adding other payment methods, so please sit tight.
HOW SHOULD I WASH MY GLOVES?
We wash our gloves only when necessary. And this depends on how often we ride and in what sort of conditions. My gauge for washing? If they’re visibly filthy and/or stink, I wash them. And when I do, I wash them with my kit using a mild laundry soap like Woolite®—a popular US brand of laundry soap designed for washing delicate fabrics in cold water on the gentle cycle. I basically follow the Woolite® instructions, washing in cold on extra-gentle. This is how I wash all my cycling kit, vintage and new. And, of course, I let them hang dry.
Over time, the leather of the gloves may become stiff. This is normal, especially at the wrist area where sweat can accumulate. It’s one of the things I remember fondly about my gloves in the 1980s. The stiffness usually goes away during riding as the leather becomes soaked with sweat again.
We have never used leather softeners on the leather palms, but have heard it may help keep the leather softer longer.
HOW LONG WILL MY GLOVES LAST?
That’s a difficult question to answer accurately. It depends on how often you use them, how often you wash them, how you use them and what they may be exposed to.
When we decided to make gloves using the same materials as were used back in the day, it was due, in small part, to the fact that we found the fancy new gloves, with their high-tech materials and high prices, often failed in 2 to 3 months or less. It was the rare glove that lasted beyond 9 months. It was rarer still for a pair to hit the one-year mark. I had come to believe that the modern synthetic leathers and abrasion-resistant fabrics used would mean my gloves would last years. They rarely, if ever, did.
When I set out to make Gammi Sport gloves, my main goal was to bring back the look and feel of the gloves I loved wearing in the 1980s. But, if I’m honest, with the mistaken belief that modern gloves were designed to last kicking around in my head, I worried my gloves wouldn’t stack up, even to the short lives many of mine had lived.
I have worn eight to ten pair of Gammi gloves over the past year. Of those, only one had a minor issue when the Lycra separated from leather on my right index finger by about a quarter inch (6mm). This happened about a month into their use. I continued to wear them to see if it would get worse. The separation never grew. I believe the problem stemmed from a manufacturing error, whereby the sewer failed to get enough overlap between the two materials and the Lycra simply pulled through the thread and away from the leather. I still sometimes wear those gloves, a year later.
I would estimate that I have had no problem getting six months or more from a pair of gloves. I say six months because many of my gloves have only seen action for that amount of time or less. All the gloves I started wearing a year ago (July 2019-July 2020) are still perfectly functional, albeit well-patinaed.
Recently, we received two purchases from customers who bought their first pair about 11 months ago. One of the customers noted in his order that it had been a year since he bought his first.
We can’t guarantee how long your gloves will last, but we can say we’ve been pleased with the results we’ve had, as well of those from customers who have reported in.
WILL YOU BE MAKING GLOVES WITH THICKER PADDING?
They say, never say never, but probably not. I lamented the fact that gloves with thin padding went away sometime in the 1990s. I never got used to heavily padded gloves and gloves with two, three or even four sets of padding across the palms. One of the big motivators for me to start making gloves was to offer them with minimal padding like the gloves I loved from the 1980s had.
Did you know that the pros of the past (through the early 2000s) didn’t train with gloves on? And the reason they used gloves wasn’t for comfort on the bars, but to protect their hands in the event of a crash during a race?
I understand hand discomfort while riding. I really do. I may be in the minority, but I’ve never found that more padding cured or ever relieved the condition. Looking at my daily habits and lifestyle, I believe much of my hand and wrist pain comes not from cycling (with or without gloves), but from the many hours I sit, typing at a computer and rolling my mouse around. Right now, as I type this, my left hand is in great discomfort and is slightly numb.
When riding, I find it best to move may hands around the bars often. Thinner padding makes this easier and provides a more secure grip on the bars. When I’ve used heavily padded gloves in the past, I found they, like heavily padded saddles and thick chamois pads, tended to press their fleshy masses into my tissue causing even greater discomfort in the form of numbness. It was as if the soft, thick padding oozed into every nook and cranny, cutting off the blood flow deep in my tissue.
ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE CLINCHERS WITH THESE HOT PATCHES?
Maybe. It all depends on how well the tubulars sell. We would love to reinvest the profits from the sales of the tubulars in the development of clinchers, as well as other tubular sizes.
ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE TUBELESS TIRES?
No.
DO YOU OFFER QUANTITY DISCOUNTS ON TIRES?
For now, the only discount we plan to offer is a reduced price for a pair versus a single tire. If you have a big collection and really need a bunch of them, hit us up and ask.
HOW DO I PLACE A CUSTOM ORDER?
We offer custom gloves and bib shorts. We want to get your order right, so we prefer to work directly with you on your custom order. To start a conversation about a custom order, please contact us via email.
WHAT ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE BENEFITS AND IMPROVED RIDE QUALITY OF COTTON, 300-TPI CASING AND LATEX INNER TUBES
Yes, it is true, to an extent, that tires with 300-TPI and higher thread count, cotton or silk casing and latex inner tubes ride better than tires with lower thread count casings and butyl tubes. But these come with much higher price tags.
It’s also true that the lower-priced tubulars of the past were unreliable and had poor ride quality. But tubular technology at all levels has come a long way over the decades. Our 220-TPI polyester casing tires have a ride that is far superior to the old training tires available in the 1980s and 1990s.
Our goal was to offer a line of tires chock-full of value at an affordable price. We’ve ridden a lot of tubulars over the years and we find ours to be some of the most reliable and comfortable available.
DO YOU MAKE 700c x 27 OR 700c x 23 TIRES?
Due to the cost of opening multiple molds for different sizes, we had to limit our size to one, for now. Choosing a size was tough. We chose 700c x 25. We know it’s a compromise. A lot of vintage riders have switched to larger 27 or even 28 tires for greater comfort on pavé, gravel and rough roads. But many collectors prefer the look of 21s or 23s on their old bikes. Not to mention, not all bikes can accommodate larger-volume tires.
I rode exclusively on 27s for several years. Due to the fact that the big tires didn’t fit several of my bikes, I started using 25s. I found the smaller tires were nearly as comfortable—especially on pavement where I generally ride. And, if I’m honest, I prefer the look of the smaller tires. I ride them on plenty of gravel and did the last two editions of Eroica California on 25s with no issues. Now, most of my bikes have 25s.
If all goes well and we confirm the market for this type of tire is as big as we think (hope), we will add more sizes.
WHY DON'T YOU USE LATEX TUBES?
We chose butyl tubes for three reasons—better air retention, reliability and cost.
Air retention: When I recently switched from 27 tires with latex inner tubes to 25s with butyl tubes, I immediately noticed I had to pump my tires up a lot less often. Duh, right? When you own and ride 10 or more vintage bikes, pumping up flat tires every few days gets old. I imagine it’s even worse, when your collection is bigger and on display. Who has time to pump up all those tires every week or two? Butyl tubes hold air at least 10 times longer than latex. (That’s a totally unscientific claim.)
Reliability: I recall reading claims that latex tubes are less prone to punctures because they are more flexible. This flexibility, at least in theory, meant the tube would move out of the way when an item pierced the casing. It’s hard to know if this true or not. I’ve punctured with both types of tubes. Even if it is true, latex tubes are notoriously fragile. The tubes, especially when they sit uninflated for long periods of time, can stick to themselves, which can cause tears when inflated. Latex tubes are certainly lighter weight than butyl, but if you’re riding a 22-pound vintage bike, weight probably isn’t a concern. Besides, how many of us carry on our bodies a bit more than the handful-of-grams weight difference between the two inner tube types?
Cost: If you have a quiver of bikes in need of new rubber, you’ll easily understand the value of lower cost tubulars. Using butyl tubes and a lower TPI, poly casing saves about 50 percent on the cost of the tires.
WILL YOU COMBINE SHIPPING?
Of course we will. In general, we can ship up to six pair of gloves worldwide for the same price as a single pair. As for bib shorts, it’s more like three, maybe four pair for the price of one. We also are happy to combine shipping of glove, bib short and tire orders.
Unfortunately the shipping options available to us with our current website host (It’s low budget for now.) are limited. Automatic order consolidation is not possible. It’s something we’ve been trying to find an inexpensive workaround for. Place your order and we will ship your items the most economical way available, unless you specifically asked for priority shipping. We will immediately refund any overpayment.
Please keep in mind that shipping rates have been rising fast since COVID-19 started. It's ridiculous and out of our control. We are trying to find the most economical way to ship, but it is a constantly moving target.
SHIPPING OUTSIDE THE U.S.
We'll ship just about anywhere in the world. Shipping rates to countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Down Under vary.
DO YOU OFFER DEALER PRICING?
If you’re a legitimate bike shop, online dealer, reseller, etc., please, contact us for information. michael@gammisport.com