When the Phew Early Winter gloves arrived on my desk my digits rejoiced. Phew have produced a very good mid weight winter glove at a decent price point. I haven’t stopped wearing them.

Phew are a small cycling clothing company based in Bristol. The Phew Early Winter gloves have classic, understated styling. The Phew logo looks great, it’s not in your face, nor too feminine. It’s a classic example of what smaller brands can produce to match the big guys.

The Phew gloves feature a long cuff, which makes me as an owner of long arms, very happy indeed. The stretchy cuff can either fit snugly under a jacket cuff, or be stretched over the top. Either way, it works. There are no raised seams that dig in to the skin. All in all two comfortable options- necessary for long winter hours on the bike where taking off garms is simply not an option. Brrr!

The gloves have an excellent grip, fully tested at the velodrome when reaching for the metal fence after coming in from a lap, and whilst pulling up a hill on the bars in a seated climb- all good stuff.

Given the average winter temperature we ride in in the UK, I think that the Phew Early Winter Glove actually gives a good option for the majority of the season, save for soggy days. Less kit does mean less faff, but a handy pair of liners for the odd very cold day would mean that the glove would probably go all season.

Size wise, the medium which is my normal glove size (I’ve got hands like shovels) came up a little too big on me, so I would recommend going a size down, but it does mean I can easily fit a liner underneath.

My only gripe with the Phew winter glove is the padding which covers the palm. It’s well padded, but possibly not in the correct place. I tended to get the ridge of the pad digging in, which started to get a bit sore after a few hours.

This could possibly be due to the sizing issue, but I would recommend trying on the gloves whilst simulating hand placement on the handlebars if possible.

Pros

– Great looking garment
– Stretchy long cuffs
– Ideal for cross discipline- road, mtb, commute, cross
– Good value

Cons
-Padding on Palm- should be ok with good sizing

Price: £24.99, available from Phew.