Altura Ergofit Windproof gloves

Altura describe their Ergofit Windproof glove as a ‘close fitting, performance windproof glove, ideal for winter road riding’. Sounds like the ideal time to be testing these then.

My initial thoughts on these, gleamed from my first 5 minutes use, were extremely positive. A nice, smooth fit with complete freedom of movement and a reassuringly warm feel from what are fairly thin winter gloves.

These full finger offerings from Altura have nicely positioned pads across the ridge of the palm, all neatly stitched into place to eliminate any ‘bunching’ from repeated use, the result was a very comfortable grip on the bars for any length of ride up to 6 hours.

After about 15 minutes of riding, having settled into my position, I noticed that the end of my thumbs were pushing firmly against the polyester lining, a bit of attempted adjustment involving teeth and my other hand later and no improvement. I learned to ride with it but this is something to beware of – try them for size, if possible lean on some bars and try to replicate the weight balance you would have when riding, difficult I know but these felt incredible before I got on the bike and just a bit frustrating when they were put into use. Maybe I have freakishly long thumbs – that’s for others to decide but I have not had this issue before.

The high stretch windproof fabric really does keep the chill off and the soft polyester liner does a good job of keeping your hands comfortable. The multi-layer palm does benefit from the high quality proGEL inserts to take the sting out of rutted roads. Small panels of rough fabric combine to keep the gloves neat but don’t wipe your brow with the thumbside of your gloves, it stings!

Verdict

All in all though, I still do like these gloves from Altura, they are not expensive with an rrp of £35 (though a quick ‘googling’ can save you a few quid on this price – it is more hassle to send it back than to just try it on in a shop though). The fit worked for some members of my tri club who gave them a go to see if I was in fact the owner of dodgy thumbs but others had the same issues as me, clearly something to be aware of.