Children deserve good kit and winter apparel doesn’t come more practical than Altura Cresta kid’s gloves. Scaled down versions of the adult Cresta, they’re waterproof, windproof, warm and yet breathable. Just the ticket for those post-ride snowball fights, styling is suitably civilian for school or regular street wear too

Lacking the outright absorbency of terry panels, the soft outer fabric still does a fine job of tackling runny noses and seems completely waterproof-even immersed to the cuffs in salt water. Wind chill has always been problematic for my young protégé’-especially on the tagalong but he reports toasty hands despite long rides and late December detours.

Three-layer construction comprises of a soft waterproof nylon/polyurethane outer, coupled with a fleece lined breathable forty gram Thinsulate for a warm, tactile, yet arid inner climate. Elsewhere we’ve a rubberised, Griptex extending to the fingers and thumb for dependable braking and shifting. Tapered cuffs incorporate an extended knitted gauntlet that forms a seamless interface preventing rain and chill billowing inside training jackets, jerseys and even civilian coats.

Incorporating the Scotchlite logo on the smallest digit breaks up the black while offering a bit of welcome visibility after dark and proved particularly helpful when out together on the tagalong, Joshua’s signals reinforcing my own at junctions and roundabouts.

Sizing is close enough not to compromise dexterity while allowing a season or two’s growing room. Joshua, like myself has relatively long fingers and we reckon he’d see another year’s use before the tips started to encroach. Non-slip palms inspire confidence in most situations and most surfaces from polished bar ends through to traditional bike ribbons and mushroom grips while the padding offers excellent defence from road, trail buzz and the odd spill stopping short of feeling remote when undoing zips and pannier closures.

Verdict

Sets the standard for kids do-all winter gloves