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Gore Bike Wear Power Windstopper Softshell Lady Gloves

8
£39.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Ideal for cooler road rides where maintaining comfort is crucial, no matter the weather. Not bad value either
Weight: 
46g
Contact: 
www.goreapparel.co.uk

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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These female specific cool weather gloves are aimed squarely at demanding women riders looking for long ride comfort in inclement conditions, but the Gore Bike Wear Power Windstopper Softshell Lady Gloves come without the full-on weather protection of the Countdown Gore-Tex or the extra warmth of some of the higher end unisex/men's gloves.

Available in four colour combos, including a pink variant if that's your thing, these are smart looking gloves and a change from the usual plain black (unless you choose the plain black, obviously). I was delighted to see that the pair sent for test matched my bike. These things are important. Utilizing Gore's Windstopper fabrics, they are designed to be wind and water resistant, whilst still allowing the skin to breathe and therefore reducing sweat induced discomfort and potential chilling in cold conditions.

A soft fuzzy lining is also intended to help out with thermal benefits and wicking. They have high elasticated cuffs, with a reflective logo, a toweling nose wipe, and a silicone gripper on the upper palm, as well as two strategically placed foam pads on the palm to enhance comfort. The fingers are articulated and pre shaped.

On the bike, these were well suited to road riding, with the shaping of the fingers, the fit, cuff length and padding all making them good for dropped bars or flat. They were warm enough for pretty much everything down to about freezing. In rain, they kept the worst off, even though they're not intended to be fully waterproof, and kept my hands warm and comfortable. The comfort extended to the palms too, with little or no problem with numbness, even on a long ride. The cuffs were cosy and fitted nicely over the fastenings on most jacket cuffs. The reflectivity isn't astounding, but at least there's some there.

The female specific fit of Gore's gloves is very subtly different from the company's unisex gloves. It's not a simple matter of rebranding them as 'women's' and making them a different colour (shrinking and pinking is the 'technical term' I believe); the ratio of finger length to palm length and distance to wrist is all very slightly adjusted. I found the size medium to be absolutely spot on for me, even accommodating my comparatively long thumbs (a problem with many gloves) without being in any way long in the fingers or baggy. I have reviewed Gore's unisex gloves too, and find the fit of the women's medium to be similar to that of the unisex size small, but differently proportioned.

These are also available in a men's version.

Verdict

Ideal for cooler road rides where maintaining comfort is crucial, no matter the weather. Not bad value either.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Gore Bike Wear Power Windstopper Softshell Lady Gloves

Size tested: Size Med

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?

Aimed at demanding female road riders.

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

Gore Windstopper fabrics.

100% polyester

warm lining

silicone palm patch

foam padding areas on palm

reflective logo on wrist

elasticated wrist cuff

Hand wash only

Available in 4 colours

Available in sizes XXS-L

Also available for men.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

Superb quality fabrics and construction.

Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10

Warm when you needed it to be but not overhot. Kept the hands a good temperature and comfortable.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

Will last for years but the white ones do get grubby very quickly indeed and stay that way due to the "hand wash only" advice.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10

Fine for a cold weather glove.

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

Extremely comfortable both in terms of temperature and palm protection.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Not cheap but by no means an over the top price for a genuinely useful cool weather glove that will see you through most UK weather conditions.

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

Very well indeed.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Style, comfort, quality.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Definitely.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

Well made, comfortable and effective gloves that are spot on for most cooler UK riding conditions.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 37  Height: 1.65m  Weight: 67kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, general fitness riding, mtb,

 

Lara has been riding bikes for longer than she'd care to admit, and writing about them nearly as long. Since 2009 she has been working as part of the road.cc review team whilst championing women's cycling on the side, most notably via two years as editor of the, sadly now defunct, UK's first and only women's cycling mag, erm, Women's Cycling. 

Believing fervently that cycling will save the world, she wishes that more people would just ride a bike and be pleasant to each other. 

She will ride anything with two wheels, occasionally likes to go fast, definitely likes to go far and is always up for a bit of exploring somewhere new and exciting. 

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