Built to balance the feel of a summer glove with the weather protection of a winter mitt, Troy Lee Designs Swelter Pro gloves deliver an extra hint of warmth that’s ideal for those chillier, mid-season rides. While they pack a lot of features found on bulkier winter gloves, they also bring a direct bar feel that such gloves don’t. However, their pointer finger is designed rather strangely, and I would expect better durability for the asking price.
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Troy Lee Designs Swelter Pro gloves – Technical details
Designed to be light and weather resistant, the Swelter Pro gloves are built of a soft shell, rip-stop fabric that’s treated with a DWR coating for a hint of water protection. Adding to the winter capabilities is that the fabric is also wind-resistant.
As well as a silicone print for brake lever grip, the gloves boast conductive thread at the finger tips for touch screen compatibility, and there’s an extended cuff. Usually found on even more winter-specific gloves, the extended cuff reduces any gap between a jacket or jersey and the glove itself, leaving no exposed skin.
Troy Lee Designs Swelter Pro gloves – Performance
As far as winter gloves go, the Swelter Pros almost stand in their own category as a middling glove between your normal summer or all-season offerings and more serious insulated winter gloves. And that comes as the Swelter’s own benefit, as with it, TLD has managed to design a much lighter feeling glove, one that doesn’t feel all that much different to a summer glove, but one that boasts some weather protective qualities.
The size and fit of the Swelter Pro is nothing far from the norm for TLD. I went for a large and it’s close to spot on for my large-sized hands. There is a little bit of excess material, so it’s a slightly roomier glove, rather than super snug, but this has never come as a fault.
There is a bit of a weird thing going on, however. The palm material wraps around a lot of the pointer finger, which feels rather strange, and almost reduces dexterity a touch. It makes the pointer finger a little baggier, which then adds a hint of vagueness when tapping on a phone screen. That said, the conductive threads work well.
Where the Swelter Pro gets merely a DWR coating and a bit of wind-resistant tech, it does a solid job of fending off milder weather. Because it’s just a DWR coating, the glove can soak through after a super heavy downpour, but it’s designed more to fend off spray and light rain. The wind-resistant material is its strength, however, it shrugs off chilly breezes, keeping my hands reasonably warm in climates that’ll have them stiffening up.
Something that has been disappointing is the glove’s durability. When pulling the gloves on, threads have snapped, and later in the test, a couple of the panels have started to separate. Usually, I would blame this on the gloves being too close-fitting, but they’re certainly not.
But what the Swelter Pro is all about is bar feel, and because it’s not chunky or bulky, like even the best winter gloves can be, the feel and communication with the handlebar feels just like that of a thin summer glove. Additionally, the lack of padding brings great dexterity for a glove of this type.
Troy Lee Designs Swelter Pro gloves – Verdict
The Swelter Pro is something that’s not really on the market at the moment, which is the real draw behind it as it combines the feel of a summer glove with some weather protection. Although they don’t come cheap at £60.
If you were happy to hold off a little, 100%’s Brisker is among the best winter gloves on offer, and has been for a good while. It’s insulated, so there is some bulk to it, but it uses a single-layer palm, so bar feel is still top-notch. The kicker here is that the Brisker will set you back nearly half the money of the Swelter Pro at £32.
The original Troy Lee Designs Swelter is well worth a glance, too. Again, it’s more focused towards deeper winter riding, but for a winter glove, so it is a little bulkier, but it doesn’t have the refinement and all-out comfort of the Brisker, nor is it suited for mid-season spins.
Apart from a little bit of design weirdness and some durability issues, the Troy Lee Designs Swelter Pro is a solid glove if you’re looking for some weather protection and the bar feel and comfort of a summer glove. Just be prepared to spend, to look after them, and be careful when putting them on…
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