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Road Cycling Clothing

7 of the Best Winter Gloves for Road Cycling Women

Chilly fingers? There are lots of cosy warm options designed to help you out

One of the most common complaints among road cyclists trudging through the winter miles is that of cold hands.

Though your whole self tends to feel cold in the first minutes of a ride, once your heart begins to pump harder your core often warms up. Your extremities – hands and feet – however, tend to just get steadily colder without the right protection.

The good news is that the cycling industry is largely populated by cyclists, who understand the pains of numb and cold hands. Therefore, most clothing brands have made serious efforts to create gloves that actually work.

Some are better than others. Here are the finger warmers we recommend…

Rapha Merino Gloves

Merino is known for providing super snuggly warmth, without being thick or restrictive. It also doesn’t pick up whiffs, which is a welcome bonus in a glove.

These gloves are described as being ideal for ‘cool to mild conditions’, but personally I’ve worn them through the winter (admittedly in Surrey, not the freezing depths of Scotland) with no problem. You sometimes feel the odd breeze through the fairly thin material, but I’ll take that over thick gloves that reduce feel of the handlebars and make shifting a mission.

The key material is the merino wool, with 6 per cent Elastane for stretch. They also feature goatskin leather on the palms and fingers, a high density foam padding and reinforced grippers where they’re needed.

They come in blue and black, or all black, and cost £35. They’re not female specific, but do come up pretty small. See them here in sizes XXS-XL.

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SealSkinz Women’s All Weather Cycling Gloves

SealSkinz are kind of the market leader in waterproof cycling accessories – be they overshoes or gloves. These ‘All Weather’ gloves are designed to suit various conditions – so they’ve been made to be waterproof, breathable and windproof.

They’re designed to allow comfort and ease of movement whilst still being warm. Pressure point padding aims to beat pain associated with long hours on the bars and offer a pre-curved box finger construction. Grip is provided by silocone prints on the contact points and the extended cuffs with a 3D rear closure system keep the chill out too. The index finger has been treated so that it’ll still work with a touch screen device, too.

Sizes XS-XL, RRP £40, see them here. 

Gore Bike Wear Power Lady Windstopper Gloves

Gore Bike Wear are well known for their technical fabrics which are used by brands across the industry. Their Windstopper gloves are a firm favourite and are designed specifically for roadies.

Made from Poleyester, with a Windstopper membrane they also have foam padding on the palm, a thermal lining, silicone detail for grip and an absorbent thumb wipe. An elasticated wrist aims to keep warmth in and cold breezes out.

See them here in sizes XXS – L for £39.99.

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FWE Women’s Coldharbour Waterproof Glove

 

FWE is the in-house brand at Evans Cycles, and these heavyweight gloves are their offering designed to offer protection against cold and rain. They’re fully waterproof and feature a membrane to keep your hands dry and warm plus a fast dry fleece liner. A Velcro cuff adjuster is provided as well as a nose wipe along the thump and gel padded palms with silicone grips.

These are a thicker pair, that though super warm won’t provide quite the same dexterity and handlebar feel as thinner options. However, if you’re the kind if rider that will lose all feeling through numbness without protection then they might be for you.

See them here, sizes XS-XL, currently £23.99 (RPP £30)

dhb Extreme Winter Gloves

 

 

Wiggle’s in-house brand dhb went crazy on gloves this year, developing a full range of options for every weather condition. Since it’s currently January, and pretty cold, we’ve picked out the ‘Extreme Winter Gloves’ designed to protect you from wind and rain with a brushed fleece lining and hollow fill insulation with a waterproof membrane.

The closure is a hook and loop and there is foam padding on the palm as well as silocone grippers on the index and middle fingers (those used for braking and shifting). There’s a microfibre nose wipe and some reflective logos.

Sizes range from XS – XL and they cost £30, see them here. 

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Castelli Diluvio Glove

Castelli have a women’s specific winter glove – but I’ve tried it and I’m not going to recommend them as the stand out glove in their range just because their made for women.

Instead, I’d recommend the Diluvio glove as their standout offering. Designed for cold and wet days these are constructed from Japanese neoprene that is stretchy, comfortable and warm. The seams are similar to that of a wetsuit – the stitching is on the outside and the inside is thermo welded for total waterproofing.

Unlike others, these gloves are not breathable. The idea is that your body heat and sweat stay inside, warming up to keep your fingers insulated. Not for everyone, but very cosy if you don’t mind letting your own internal radiator do the job.

See them here, sizes XS-2XL,  for £35

 

Assos shellGloves_S7

You don’t got to Assos if you want ‘status quo/normal’ or ‘cheap’. But if you want long lasting performance, they’re worth considering.

These Shellgloves are designed to be layered with a liner (ideally they’re own ‘insulatorGloves_L1 or ‘fuguGloves_s7 gloves’ of course). They’re a thick windproof layer that made specifically for road cyclists. The middle fingers are grouped together to keep warmth in, with outer fingers and thumb separate for easy gear and brake control.

Sizes 0-II, see them here for £50.

You might also like… 

Total Women’s Cycling Winter Clothing Reviews 

5 (less conventional) ways to keep your extremities warm through winter

How to stay safe riding in icy conditions

 

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