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SealSkinz Ventilated Cycle Gloves

8
£21.99

VERDICT:

8
10
An ideal glove for when it's slightly too chilly to get your fingers out
Weight: 
0g
Contact: 
www.sealskinz.com

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When you hear 'SealSkinz' you normally think 'waterproof' but not here; their Ventilated Cycle Gloves are a gap filler for those times when it's a touch too chilly for mitts but you don't want to be sweating away inside your winter ones.

The materials are all pretty standard: no platypus or yak leather here. Simply Lycra for the back, synthetic leather for the palm and towelling for wiping your nose/forehead. The Lycra provides a good snug fit, moving with your fingers and hand as you change positions. The Ventilated moniker comes from the triangular section of mesh between knuckles and wrist. It does provide a small amount of breathability but the Lycra material is so thin overheating isn't an issue anyway.

The palm is thin making the gloves very light, while comfort is taken care of by three large padded areas that work well to spread the load. Even riding stiff bars with no tape on sees very little road buzz getting through and thanks to the padding below the ulnar nerve, no pins and needles either. There is a reinforced section on the thumb where you're likely to see wear from riding on the hoods or wrapping your thumb around flat bars which is a clever touch.

A Velcro tab at the wrist is long enough around that you shouldn't find it coming undone, and riding and adjusting the fit on the fly is easy.

Temperature-wise, my fingers were happy from around five degrees up to say 14, making the SealSkinz ideal for early morning or late evening rides in the spring or autumn. Once things have warmed up you can easily stow them in a jersey pocket without even knowing they are there.

Black is the only option but they do come in a range of sizes from S to XXL with a fitting guide on their website.

The palm has bunched a bit between the padding the more they have been used but this hasn't affected comfort, it just looks a bit tatty. Other than that though, everything is wearing well; no loose threads on the stitching.

I have eight pairs of gloves to suit year round riding conditions and these SealSkinz have slotted in quite nicely filling the gap for single digit temperature rides.

Verdict

An ideal glove for when it's slightly too chilly to get your fingers out.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: SealSkinz Ventilated Cycle Gloves

Size tested: Medium

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 lightweight, full finger cycle glove suitable for warmer weather.' That ticks all the boxes I reckon.

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

Synthetic leather palm

Lycra backed with ventilation mesh

perfectly positioned padding

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Well stitched together and looks like it should stay that way.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

A snug fit means they feel like race mitts with plenty of dexterity and that extra bit of warmth afforded by full length fingers. Saying that, the Lycra back and ventilation mesh means they aren't too hot when the temperature rises.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

Standing up well to daily use.

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

The pads on the palm are positioned spot on and stay put once your body weight is on them.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Sensible price for the level of comfort and durability.

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

Very well, an ideal glove for cool conditions.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The comfort.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The palm getting a bit saggy between the cushioning pads.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 34  Height: 180cm  Weight: 78kg

I usually ride: Genesis Flyer  My best bike is: Ribble Gran Fondo

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

 

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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2 comments

Avatar
FAUCHER Gérard | 6 years ago
0 likes

I used this pair of gloves in autumn conditions. I live in the southwest of France. They are nice but not solid. The thin part on the top of the hand comes off.

Avatar
amazon22 | 11 years ago
0 likes

I've used a pair of their 'Windproof Cycle Gloves' for the last two winters and they've been outstanding. They are windproof but there is no membrane so the fabric doesn't get soaked with sweat, giving you cold hands. Below 5 deg I added silk liners. They still come out of the wash looking like new (apart from a bit of stitching on one which Mrs Amazon soon put right  4 . On that basis, I would expect these to be similarly outstanding.

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