Gloves - mitts

These ultra lightweight, female-specific track mitts from Prendas Ciclismo are intended to appeal to female riders who don't particularly like wearing gloves, but are looking for just a little bit of extra comfort for their riding.

The design reputedly came about as a direct result of Prendas' sponsorship of the Horizon/Matrix Fitness Women's Cycling Team in 2011, and the fit is intended to cater to the different proportions of the female hand.

Styled as gloves for people who don't like gloves, the Naked Hand Fingerless Gloves from women's equipment specialists Ana Nichoola are minimalism at its best. Taking a lot of inspiration from the pared down racing mitts worn by pros, but with their own spin, these are extremely lightweight (just 28g for the pair) and breathable.

These Louis Garneau Mondo gloves offer very comfortable gel padding and good ventilation for hot summer weather.

One of the main features of the Mondo gloves is that they keep your hands cooler than most. That's largely down to the centre of the palm being a mesh panel that Louis Garneau call the Ergo Air Zone – a small window in the Amara synthetic leather. There are also lots of vent holes in the palms, most of them going right through the gel padding.

The Castelli S Rosso Corsa gloves are a neat, well-ventilated option for summer riding.

The Elite Gel Vents are Pearl Izumi's mid-high end cycling mitt, with only the P.R.O Pittards Gel Gloves coming with more bells and whistles, and a higher price tag. At this price they are competing with most of the better featured gloves in the marketplace, short of tackling the specialist, handmade and race arenas.

Speccialized's BG Pro Leather Cycling Mitts are really high-quality gloves with gel padding that's well positioned to avoid numb hands.

The tops are made from two different types of mesh, one of them very stretchy, while you get a soft panel on the back of each thumb for wiping away sweat and snot and anything else that comes your way. Cool air can easily get through the mesh areas and that wipe is perforated for more ventilation so your hands stay reasonably cool even on high-effort rides in the sun.

Specialized's BG gel mitts might not seem the obvious choice for mid winter but the recent cold snap hasn't stopped me giving them a thorough testing, managing ninety-odd continuous mixed terrain miles without hint of the dreaded tingle courtesy of the patented gel/foam padding. Sizing is a little curious though so unless you're a Specialized devotee, I'd recommend trying a few first since the mediums on test were perfect in the fingers but large might've been less intrusive around the cuffs.