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ICGlove Indicating Cycling Gloves

9
£29.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Clever commuter gloves that light up when you signal to make your intentions clear
Weight: 
130g
Contact: 
www.icglove.com

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ICGloves are a recent Kickstarter success that had their first major outing at the Bike Show back in February. They combine a comfortable fingerless commuting glove with an integrated LED and motion sensor on the back of the hand. The simple idea is that when you raise your hand to signal, the orange lights 'indicate' for you, mimicking a car's indicator lights.

Testing the indicators at home before their first ride, I thought I had a dud pair. Then I realised that I was turning my hand so I could see the indicators and the motion sensors didn't read this as a signal to switch on. The gloves are in fact sensitive enough to know which way my hands were facing and sure enough, once I stuck my hand out thumb on top as if actually signalling they did their thing. Very clever. The upshot of my mistake was to show how unlikely the gloves are to indicate at inappropriate times. Certainly when out on rides, the lights only activated when I signalled properly, not when on the handlebars, when reaching for a water bottle etc.

The light unit is unobtrusive when on the hand; the gloves only weigh 130g per pair. The unit is protected by a rubber cover which provides decent weather protection (as proved by a simple tap test). For washability, the unit is easily removed from within its pocket and the rest of the glove can be chucked safely in the wash. Once out of the internal pocket, the battery is simple to slip out of the circuit board. Just remember to put it back the same way it came out, else the motion sensor will be inverted.

The LEDs in the gloves are bright enough to be seen on a lit city street, but almost impossible to pick out in daylight. Fortunately the lightness of the gloves meant that I was happy to wear them at any time of the day, whether I needed the indicating facility or not.

Claimed battery life is around 30 days of commuting use, and I didn't find a need to actually turn them on and off to save on battery life as the LEDs only activated with a very specific set of movements.

The gloves themselves are a soft nylon suedette with stretchy light nylon between the fingers and a mesh back. The palms are very comfortable, with a rubber grip patten and double layer on the parts that come into contact with the bars and additional gel padding along the base of the hand. The wrists are finished with a velcro tab and a neoprene cuff which dried quickly and provided a good seal against the elements. There are pull tabs on each of the fingers and Terry towelling thumbs completes the functionality.

The black, grey and lime colour scheme is quietly stylish, and the construction of the glove was clean. I found the medium size we were sent to test a good fit - I am usually a M-L in women's gloves. If you are unsure whether to go M, L or XL then there is a downloadable hand chart on the website that you can use to measure yourself.

Verdict

Clever commuter gloves that light up when you signal to make your intentions clear

road.cc test report

Make and model: ICGlove Indicating Cycling Gloves

Size tested: Medium - Black

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

A world exclusive: The Indicating Cycle Gloves from ICGlove are fully automated indicators for cyclists. The gloves are triggered to flash as you lift a hand from your handle bars.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Batteries Included (coin cell CR2032)

20 second automatic shutdown timer

30 days continuous use battery life

Removable electronics for glove washing

Silicone palm padding

65 grams per pair

Waterproof to IPXIII

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Well made gloves with a neat finish.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Very clever sensors. The next step would be additional brightness.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

Slight concerns about how the electronics would react if totally soaked.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
9/10

Feels light on the hand.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10

I took off the label as it was the only uncomfortable element.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Reasonable costs for gloves even without the tech.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

In the dark, these gloves provide additional visibility at the time you may need it most.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The concept which was well carried through.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes, one set for everyone in the family.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 5'7  Weight: size 16

I usually ride: Trek 7.5 WSD  My best bike is: Turquoise Cruiser

I've been riding for: Under 5 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Novice

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, general fitness riding, Leisure

 

Add new comment

7 comments

Avatar
racingcondor | 9 years ago
0 likes

Great idea but the time of year I'd (mostly) be wearing them means I'd be in DeFeet Dura (i.e. full fingered gloves).

If the inventors can get it off the ground enough to sell the tech to Altura or someone else who does 'commuter' kit they deserve to do well but I'm not sure that a fingerless mitt works for me.

Wish them luck though, it's a decent idea.

Avatar
50kcommute | 9 years ago
1 like

Can't help thinking that a band with the same tech, that I could wear over my existing gloves (summer/spring/winter etc), would be a better idea and probably get a better take up....Istill expect to be ignored a lot though  3

Avatar
LarryDavidJr replied to 50kcommute | 9 years ago
0 likes
50kcommute wrote:

Can't help thinking that a band with the same tech, that I could wear over my existing gloves (summer/spring/winter etc), would be a better idea and probably get a better take up....Istill expect to be ignored a lot though  3

I have a hi-vis + blinky LED strap with an elasticated/velcro fastener designed for going round the arm, which could just as easily go round the wrist. I think it was about £2 from Tiger.

Granted it's not an arrow that only blinks when you stick your hand out, but I think 99% of the use of this product is the visibility of you sticking your arm out, rather than the arrow or the fact it only blinks when you lift your hand.

Avatar
Must be Mad | 9 years ago
0 likes

Doubtless waring these will in some way be 'victim blaming'  37

However personally, I think these are a fantastic idea and good luck to the inventors.
Now, if only they could develop this into a band which could be worn 'over' my winter gloves....  4

Avatar
Sub5orange | 9 years ago
0 likes

The last 2 times i was signalling coming up to a t junction on my commute, i was being overtaken by drivers regardless of my signalling. lesson for me was once a car overtakes any car behind will just keep going and ignore signalling. i doubt lights on a glove would have made a difference.

Avatar
EddyBerckx | 9 years ago
0 likes

Black, black, black.

blackblackblack.

Seriously.

Make a pair that might actually not clash with everything else you own.

Like the idea though, might look into getting these for the winter (long fingered version obviously) but if no good in daylight, then pretty pointless for most people in the summer..

Avatar
CumbrianDynamo replied to EddyBerckx | 9 years ago
0 likes

I don't really get why not being bright enough to be seen in the daylight is a massive downside - if it's light, then surely people can see you indicating with your hands. You only really need the extra light at night when your hand signals might not be so noticeable.

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