SEALSKINZ Waterproof All Weather Cycle Glove

Product Information

Instead of a hook and loop closure, Castelli uses a zippered closure. The Espresso GT also uses a longer cut at the wrist, a squared-off fingertip shape, and lots of silicone grip material on the palm. The overall effect is a less bulky feeling that is faster to get on and off and has a better connection with your bars than the Gore glove. The more I investigated this problem, the more I heard that the best option would be a shell without any ability to absorb water. The only problem was that there wasn't a good option available, then the Sportful Lobster glove hit the market. These gloves are the solution you need if you want to ride long distances in cold rain. Knit gloves are a staple of winter riding in the cold and wet and there is a somewhat endless range of choices for them. Lots of companies make them and I've yet to find a particular advantage to one brand. The Giro Xnetic H20 gets the nod because they have a high visibility colour and some of the best pricing. There are lovers of these style gloves that manage to make them work through an entire winter. I run cold though and I find that in the US Pacific Northwest, these are strictly an option for milder days. I'm hardly breaking new ground here by recommending the Pearl Izumi AmFib Lobster Glove. Talk to most cyclists who've been riding in seriously cold weather for a long time and these will come up. The reason they are so well known and loved comes down to what it takes to keep you warm. You can make exceptionally warm five-finger gloves but after a certain point, the price starts to really jump. When it's raining and just above freezing it's nearly impossible to keep your hands warm. That also happens to be very typical weather for Portland Oregon and the winter weather I regularly spend seven hours riding in. Out of necessity, I've worked out strategies over the years.

Keeping the gloves clean requires care. Sealskinz recommends just spot cleaning. The gloves can’t be machine-washed, dry cleaned, tumble dried or ironed. So if you did fall in the mud during a gravel ride you may have to wave goodbye to the prospect of seeing your gloves perfectly clean in the future! However when the temperature drops further still, and the rain (and even snow) begins to fall, then you're going to want some more serious winter cycling gloves with an outer layer that will keep the precipitation at bay. We couldn't help but highly rate these brilliant winter cycling gloves from Endura. They aren't quite as finessed as the higher end brands, but with both impressive wind and water proof characteristics, they could easily fit in to both categories. Castelli often makes use of Gore-tex fabrics and then builds products that are similar to Gore Cycling but with a performance twist. That is the case here as well and the Castelli Espresso GT gloves use a traditional waterproof Gore membrane just like the Gore C5 gloves. The two gloves also share similarities in weight and use but Castelli focuses on hard and fast performance riding.

Cycling Gloves Guide

Inside the Velocio Alpha gloves you will find Polartec Alpha. Basically this is the newest wonder material. It's incredibly warm for the weight and it breathes better than any other modern synthetic insulation. Velocio wraps a stylish outer with plenty of colours available around Polartec Alpha and makes a glove that covers a huge range of temperatures while keeping the bulk low.

When the weather is dry, then running cuffs over sleeves is by far an easier option, especially if you have to remove your gloves to use a touchscreen. The first layer of protection on the best winter cycling gloves should be an impermeable windproof layer designed, as you can guess from the name, to keep cold air and wind away from your hands.

An already warm glove design adds heating elements and batteries for the times when body heat isn’t enough

Sealskinz ‘Fusion Control’ refers to its triple layer construction: a merino wool inner lining, a hydrophilic waterproof membrane, and a soft-shell outer layer made from durable goatskin. The intention is to provide a close-fitting, breathable, waterproof glove that allows for flexible movement of the fingers. Are Sealskins gloves any good? When I took these out to test, I initially thought I'd run them on low for as long as they'd last. The first ride, that's what I did. The battery held out for the promised five hours but the heat was so low it was pretty much imperceptible compared to the warmth of the glove.

At the wrist is a hook and loop closure to keep the wind out. It does a great job but it’s so good that it ends up being the only mis-step in the design and will sometimes require using your teeth to get it open.Compared to both the Castelli and Gore gloves in this section, the Sportful offering isn’t quite as warm. On the interior you’ll find Primaloft Silver insulation which is still impressively warm but not quite the warmest out there. Unlike other gloves though, Sportful constructs the fleece interior in a way that it won’t pull out when your hand is wet. There's another thing to consider about these gloves though. If you ride where it rains and it's near freezing, like it is most of the winter in the US Pacific Northwest, then the Castelli Diluvio gloves are the other half of your winter riding system. Pair these with one of the shell options here and you can happily ride all day in heavy rain and temperatures just above freezing. With the shell protecting these from the wind and cold air, your body can heat up the water exactly the way neoprene gloves work in warmer weather. You'll be wet but warm and you won't need to change gloves every few hours. It's a serious game changing option. You will want to mostly save these for drier days though. Pearl Izumi uses a technology called PI dry to apply DWR at the fibre level. It won't ever wash off but it's still a durable water repellent and that only goes so far. After enough time these will soak through and it becomes hard to get your hands out when they are wet.