Gloves - full finger

Sealskinz waterproof performance Leather Road Cycle Gloves might not roll off the tongue but they're amongst the best winter gloves I've used in a very long time. Their sharp two-tone black/grey livery is very appealing - I only wished the Scotchlite detailing was a bit less subtle.

Castelli's Estremo gloves are a warm, windproof and very comfortable option for the cold weather.

If you don't know, I'm sure you could guess that 'estremo' is the Italian for 'extreme', and Castelli have certainly made these gloves to stand up to the cold.

The outers are made from Windstopper X-Fast fabric that does exactly what its name promises. That includes the cuffs which are plenty long enough for tucking your jersey sleeves inside to avoid getting cold wrists.

Castelli's Diluvio gloves are basically wetsuit gloves, made for cycling. They work too, keeping your hands toasty despite being fairly thin. They're totally windproof, but a side effect is they're as breathable as, well, a wetsuit. They start to pong fairly quickly and they're expensive compared to gloves from wetsuit manufacturers.

When you hear 'SealSkinz' you normally think 'waterproof' but not here; their Ventilated Cycle Gloves are a gap filler for those times when it's a touch too chilly for mitts but you don't want to be sweating away inside your winter ones.

The Sugoi Firewall GTs are well made windproof gloves that are really comfortable in cool weather.

They're mostly nylon with polyurethane in there to provide windproofing – and they do keep the cold air out well. They're water-resistant too, although not waterproof; your hands will get wet if it rains hard during your ride.

Campagnolo's Challenge Gloves are toasty down to about zero degrees, are windproof and water resistant, but they're not 100 per cent waterproof.

On paper the Dry Grip glove from Polaris promises the last word in winter comfort and there's no doubting their worth when tearing up the trail in the freezing cold.

Terra Nova Extremities Tuff Bag Over Mitts might be a mouthful to say but they're brilliant for tourists, commuters, mountain bikers and anyone else who carries on regardless through the wettest days. Near as damn it 100% waterproof, their textured polyurethane palms pack pancake flat and offer faultless grip in monsoon conditions but pairing them with gloves made from less sophisticated fibres impairs their breathability and they're a happier union with flat, as opposed to road Sti controls.

While not cycling specific, the Extremities Super Windy glove has a lot of the features you'd look for to keep your paws warm on winter rides. Designed as a more general outdoor and walking type glove, the Super Windy is a windproof softshell type with an insulated interior for maximum warmth.

DeFeet's Duragloves aren't cycling specific but their minimal bulk, low weight and fast drying properties more than compensate for traditional waterproofing and occasionally ill-conceived Ulnar blobs you do get on many cycle-specific specimens.