Grouptest
What
As all cyclists know, in winter it’s the
extremities that freeze first, so keeping
out the wind is crucial: fabrics such
as Gore Windstopper and the similar
WindTex do this as well as offering
water repellency and breathability. The
inner padding and/or membrane varies
from glove to glove and on what sort
of temperature the glove is aimed at,
whether deep winter or chilly and wet.
Cuff design is also a key element of
the glove’s design, not to mention its
performance. Some have zips, others
have Velcro, some have elastic gathering
and it’s common for a glove to have no
mechanism at all, relying on the stretch
of the cuff fabric. In many ways this is the
best and most user-friendly method.
Why
It’s simple — if you can’t feel your hands
you not only lose your enjoyment of a
ride but also you won’t be motivated to
train through the winter. So invest in a
good pair of gloves and the off-season
won’t seem like such a chore.
How
We’ve ridden these gloves through
everything the British winter has thrown
at us so far. We’ve looked at which gloves
we think offer the best combination
of warmth, comfort, water repellency,
breathability and value for money.
Winter
gloves
CW dons 10 toasty
pairs to the keep the
seasonal chill at bay
HOW WE SCORE
10 - Superb, best in its class and we couldn’t fault it.
9 - Excellent, a slight change and it would be perfect
8 - Brilliant, we’d happily buy it
7 - Solid, but there’s better out there
6 - Pretty good, but not quite hitting the mark
5 - OK, nothing wrong with it, but nothing special
4 - A few niggles let this down
3 - Disappointing
2 - Poor, approach with caution
1 - Terrible, do not buy this product
HOW WE SCORE
Rapha’s glove is the sleekest looking on test. The backs are covered with a seamless panel of
windproof, water-resistant DWR-coated fabric from wrist to fingertips. The palm and underside
of the fingers are reinforced with Pittards goatskin leather. The lining is soft and thick, made
from brushed polyester.
The elasticated cuffs are long and tight-fitting and make the Raphas not
as easy to don as gloves with zip or Velcro cuff
closures, but they do enclose the wrists
very snugly and if you
wondered whether
jacket sleeves should be worn
inside the cuffs or out, Rapha,
ever the style guru, leaves you
in no doubt.
Of course fit is always a
personal thing, but Rapha’s
medium glove comes up fairly
small; however, despite being a close
fit they keep out the chill extremely
effectively and are good down to the
coldest temperatures.
The smooth, suede palms lack a bit of
grip on the bars and our other criticism is
that the lining easily becomes sweat-logged
if you’re doing harder efforts, also
taking a long time to dry out.Castelli uses Gore Windstopper fabric on the backs of the Estremos, which is windproof and
water resistant. The palms and fingers have a sticky silicone print which makes for a very
assured grip on the bars while the back of the thumb features a soft, brushed nosewipe panel.
The lining is made from Polarfleece 340G and feels warm without being overly bulky.
Castelli has gone down the sleeves-tucked-into-gloves route with the
Estremos: they have a Velcro cuff that makes them easy to put on and take
off and that can be
fastened to fit a
sleeved wrist
perfectly. However, it’s not
so easy to get the fit of the
second cuff right because the
Velcro sticks to the fabric of the
fingers of the first glove.
The Estremos performed
faultlessly in the coldest
conditions we’ve had so far this
year. Unlike the Raphas, their lining
does not hold as much moisture if
you’ve raised a sweat, which is a big
plus, and the Estremos dry quickly too.
These are excellent technical gloves
that also offer good value for money
but we would prefer a simpler,
Velcro-free cuff design.Castelli Estremo £80
We i g h t
120
grams9
Rapha Winter Glove £85
http://www.saddleback.co.ukhttp://www.rapha.cc8
We i g h t
118
gramsMAKE
THE MOST OF
WINTER38 | December 7, 2017 | Cycling Weekly