Winter gloves checklist

There’s a good choice of winter gloves to choose from, but whatever your style and budget, there are some features worth considering:

Protection

Make sure the gloves come with the level of protection that you are happy with. Just because they are padded doesn’t mean that they will be abrasion-resistant. Knuckle armour, tough fibres and other protective features are as important in winter gloves as they are in summer gloves.

Insulation

The quality and thickness of insulation determines how warm the gloves are. It’s worth pointing out the obvious though: With thick gloves you might feel a bit clumsy with the bars, switches and levers. It’s something that you’ll get used to pretty quickly but it will feel strange at first.

Waterproofing

Insulation is only worth having if your hands are dry, so a waterproof lining is essential if you ride in wet conditions. In addition to brands such as Gore-Tex that are used in various manufacturers’ gloves, there are also many manufacturer-specific systems that claim to be waterproof. Check what level of water protection the gloves offer; just because it says ‘waterproof’ on the product doesn’t mean that it will keep you dry all day.

Avoid cheap copies

Hiking or skiing gloves on a bike are a great big no, no. Proper winter riding gloves are designed to protect your hands from wind-chill at high speeds much better than regular recreational winter gloves. They are also much more abrasion-resistant in case of a spill.

Added extras

Under-gloves, muffs or heated grips will also help keep your mitts warm if you feel that your winter gloves don’t do the job. And then there’s heated gloves if you really need to up the ante.