It never ends

This is my cycling glove. I know, I know -- it's not pretty. It looks like I either (a) got in a big fight with a very nasty dog, (b) crashed and skidded on my palms, (c) got ravenously hungry while on a ride one afternoon or (d) all of the above.

As it turns out, none of the above is the correct answer. This, it would seem, is normal wear and tear. I can't help feeling a little outraged here. These gloves cost me $35 -- more than I have ever paid for a pair of gloves in my life, much less ones with no fingers and a general lack of warmth for the wearer's digits. I might add that these gloves were Pearl Izumi's. That is a reputable maker of cycling gear! I have no bones with my $60 Pearl Izumin shorts. They have (more or less) saved my tuckus from much pain and grief. But these gloves raise my ire.

I bought them no earlier than April of this year. April!!

Someone please tell me that I've been doing something horribly wrong to my gloves and that yes, they should last longer than this. The REI gloves I had previously certainly lasted no longer, but I'm pretty sure they cost $15.

Just when I thought the list of gear was getting shorter -- that my endless outlay of funds to feed my triathlon habit would soon ease up -- my gear starts to wear out! There's no justice.