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Kalf Five Mens Gloves

8
£35.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Comfortable windproof gloves that are suitable for most autumn/winter temperatures
Weight: 
92g

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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The Kalf Five Men's Gloves are windproof and water resistant and they provide enough warmth for most winter conditions, as long as you're happy putting a liner glove underneath when it gets down close to freezing.

  • Pros: Comfortable, low bulk, grippy, good price
  • Cons: Not waterproof

The outer fabrics (nylon/elastane back, nylon/polyurethane palm) and membrane make these gloves windproof, and that goes a long way to keeping your hands well protected when the temperature drops. Plus, you get C40 Thinsulate insulation in there and a fleecy polyester liner. Put these gloves on and they immediately feel warm.

> Find your nearest Evans store here

I've been using them on every ride in the recent cold snap and they've done a really good job, although I've been putting a pair of wool liner gloves underneath for extra insulation when the temperature has been below about 5°C. I tend to feel the cold more than most; you might be happy without a liner when it's close to freezing.

The Five gloves aren't at all bulky by winter glove standards, offering very good lever feel. I've been riding a review bike with Shimano Di2 electronic shifting recently and I've had no trouble distinguishing the upshift button from the downshift button, and that can be tricky in some deeply insulated gloves. As with most gloves (there are exceptions), I found that operating a Garmin Edge 1030 touchscreen while wearing these is a hit and miss affair, and using an iPhone touchscreen is impossible.

Kalf FIVE Men's Gloves - palm.jpg

The palms and that area between your thumb and forefinger which you use for resting on the hoods feature a gummy silicone pattern that provides plenty of grip, as do the tips of the first two fingers. It works well. The snot/sweat wipe panel on the back of each thumb is effective too.

> Buyer's Guide: 21 of the best winter cycling gloves

The Five gloves aren't waterproof but they're water resistant enough to keep out spray, drizzle and light rain. Heavy rain will get in, slowly at first, but if it chucks it down your hands will inevitably get wet sooner or later. They offer a reasonable level of breathability and roll up small enough when not in use that the pair of them tuck easily into a rear pocket with plenty of space to spare.

Kalf FIVE Men's Gloves - detail.jpg

When you take the gloves off, the fingers of the liner stay where they're supposed to in the fingers of the outer – they're attached in there and can't come out. One of my pet hates is faffing around with gloves that turn inside out at every opportunity. Life's too short for that.

One of my other pet hates is when you take your gloves off to do something mid-ride – use your phone or fix a puncture, for instance – and then struggle to get them back on because your hands are a little damp and sticky. Thankfully, these are fine in that respect, the Velcro cuff adjuster providing the slack you need to wriggle your hand back in. It's not the easiest thing in the world but it can be done. I'm not usually a fan of Velcro – if truth be told, I think it's the Devil's work, put on Earth to destroy all your best clothes – but this is the type where the hooks don't grab hold of everything they happen to brush past. You still have to be careful, mind.

Kalf FIVE Men's Gloves - cuff.jpg

The cuff extends just about far enough over your wrist to avoid any cold air getting in where the sleeve of your jacket or jersey ends – I'd prefer them a couple of centimetres longer, if I'm being picky – and you get a lot of reflectivity here: there's a broad reflective strip across the knuckles and the K logo on the wrist is reflective too.

Thirty-five quid really isn't much for a pair of cycle-specific winter gloves, especially for multi-layer ones that offer a good level of warmth. You don't get gel padding here like you do on the GripGrab Hi Vis Hurricane Gloves (£40) or the Gore Bike Wear Xenon 2.0 Windstopper Gloves (£49.99) that we reviewed earlier in the year, but these still offer good value for money.

Verdict

Comfortable windproof gloves that are suitable for most autumn/winter temperatures

road.cc test report

Make and model: Kalf Five Men's Gloves

Size tested: Large

Tell us what the product is for

Kalf says, "The Kalf Five Men's Gloves are perfect for autumn/winter rides. Water resistant and with C40 Thinsulate wadding to keep hands warm, these gloves are easily packed away in a jersey pocket when things heat up. Other details include a windproof membrane, a reflective strip across the knuckles and a deep cuff with a Velcro adjuster."

I'd say they have a temperature range (for me, at least) of 5-12°C, or colder with a pair of liner gloves underneath.

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

Kalf lists these features:

Back: 90% Nylon, 10% Elastane

Liner: 100% Polyester

Palm: 60% Nylon, 40% Polyurethane

Thumb: 100% Polyurethane

Fabric Properties

Water resistant packable thermal glove

Construction

C40 Thinsulate wadding

Windproof membrane and fabrics

Deep cuff and velcro adjuster

Reflectivity

Reflective detail and 3M strip across knuckles

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Many miles and several washes in and they're still looking good.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

I switch to big oven glove-type affairs when the temperature gets down to freezing, but these work well for most autumn, winter and spring rides. They're water resistant, not waterproof.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10

The fit is good without being too bulky.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10

I nearly always take large, sometimes extra large. The large fitted me fine here.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
8/10

The fleecy inner is really comfortable and the fact that they're low bulk means you can feel the shifters and brake levers easily.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

You need to hand wash these, which isn't quite as easy as chucking them in the machine with everything else. They take a while to dry out on a radiator. They handle washing fine.

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

They provide a good level of warmth and they're comfortable.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The level of comfort and reasonable price.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

They're not waterproof (they don't claim to be). As with most gloves, operating a Garmin Edge 1030 touchscreen while wearing these is hit and miss, and using an iPhone touchscreen is impossible.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yeah, at this price I would

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

I think that bearing in mind the warmth, comfort and grip on offer here, these put in a good performance at an attractive price, making them a solid 8 overall.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 43  Height: 190cm  Weight: 75kg

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: commuting, club rides, 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. 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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