+ 1 for no padding and keeping the tan lines sharp!
I don’t wear gloves until I ride more than 30 miles, which is rare, or in cold weather; I agree that a properly set up cockpit — and good bar tape — make them unnecessary for hand comfort at least for shorter rides. But I do have a pair of the Rivendell gloves for longer rides which are, indeed, very nice gloves, especially for the price. Before I stopped wearing padded gloves some 20-25 years ago I found that padding actually exacerbated the sensitivity in my left palm instead of helping it.
Bar tape: Lezyne’s 2.5 or 3 mm tape is the most comfortable I’ve used, tho’ it has its liabilities: I doesn’t wear very well and it picks up dirt easily, I suppose because of the same “slightly tacky” feel that makes it so comfortable. I recently wrapped the bar of the dirt road bike in 5mm tape — thick! — and it does mute the “sting” from choppy terrain a bit, but I might eventually rewrap it in 5 mm Lezyne.
But gloves do get grungy after a hot ride or 2.