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Mavic Elite glove

7
£26.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Cool and grippy mitts – but check the padding is positioned where you like it
Weight: 
60g
Contact: 
www.mavic.com/road/

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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These mitts offer plenty of grip and good breathability. The Pittards leather palms have a criss-cross texture that doesn’t slip on your bars even when wet while the synthetic Coolmesh back section lets the air flow right on through to keep the temperature down.

You get a just-big-enough towelling wipe on the back of the thumb, a hook and loop closure to adjust the fit around your wrist, and reflective print that’s positioned well to help you get seen from both the front and rear. The section between the thumb and index finger that you rest on when you’re riding on the hoods is reinforced, and little tabs at the ends of the middle and ring fingers help you get them off easily too.

Squishy gel padding is positioned over the heel of the hand, the base of the thumb and along the joints at the bottom of the fingers (the metacarpal heads, if you want to get all scientific about it). It’s the heel of the hand area that sports scientists say is most important to avoid cyclist’s palsy – numbness in your fingers caused by pressure on the nerves that run through your hands, mostly the ulna nerve.

We didn’t get any numbness using these gloves, the padding soaking up vibration well, but we’d still have preferred a larger padded area across the centre of the palm for long-ride comfort. When we’re riding on the tops, we find there’s a lot of pressure slap-bang in the middle of the palm and on these gloves, in common with many others, there’s a gap in the padding there. That can lead to achiness. It’s a personal thing, though – plenty of people prefer this less bulky design, and it only became an issue with us on rides over about three hours.

Putting our individual preferences to one side, these are high-quality mitts for all-round summer riding, including racing.

Verdict

Cool and grippy mitts – but check the padding is positioned where you like it

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Mavic Elite glove

Size tested: Black L

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes, except at the end of longer rides

Would you consider buying the product? I prefer more centre-palm padding

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Perhaps

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 39  Height: 190cm  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding,

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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