Galibier Roubaix Vision Gloves

The Galibier Roubaix Vision gloves fill that gap in your cycling wardrobe between winter gloves and short fingered mitts, around the 8-15°C range for me.

A lot of gloves of this style use neoprene but Galibier have gone for 'Super Roubaix' lycra which has a mid-weight knit with a fleecy inner. The fit is close, thanks to the material having plenty of stretch, which prevents them from feeling tight. They feel quite natural on the bars as the close fit means that they do actually 'fit like a glove' (sorry). The other bonus for me and my stubby fingers is that the way the Visions stretch doesn't leave a void at the top of the fingers. That makes for better dexterity on the brake and shift levers.

There is no padding as such but somehow they remain comfortable for at least a couple of hours in the saddle and that was on the super stiff Bianchi I was testing at the time. The palm uses a silicone print for grip and very effective it is to, three weeks in and its still slightly tacky and a trip through the washing machine hasn't affected it. The same print runs up the two fingers used for braking and shifting and is a bonus in wet weather on carbon levers.

Speaking of wet weather, being lycra the Roubaix Visions aren't water resistant let alone waterproof but once wet they do hang on to body heat thanks to the fleecy Roubaix fabric doing its job. Above 15°C things did get a bit sweaty but overall wicking seemed pretty good as you don't end up with that prune look to your skin when you remove them.

You get more silicone printing on the backs of your hand for visibility when indicating, all finished off with the Galibier logo on the index finger. If you prefer subtle plain gloves look elsewhere, but if the cluttered look gets you noticed I'm all for it.

The quality is quite frankly brilliant for fourteen quid; tidy stitching means the overall finish is great with no loose threads. All of the silicone detailing is still attached and doesn't look like it's going to be going anywhere soon.

Overall the Roubaix Visions tick pretty much all the boxes in terms of performance and quality. Okay they haven't quite got the padding for long training rides of three to four hours but for up two hours of commuting, training or racing they are ideal.

The fit is excellent and matches up well to their size guide on the Galibier website with options of XS through to XL. Best of all though the bang for buck scale is very high and makes them better in my eyes than the highly regarded DeFeet Duragloves.

Verdict

Impressive performing Spring/Autumn glove, high on quality and value for money.