The Castelli Perfetto Max gloves are fantastic for those of us who suffer from cold hands but still like a thin flexible glove. They are designed to work from zero to 10 degrees but I’ve been pushing that lower limit very happily during the test period. They are fairly thin in construction but the preformed fit makes them spot-on for an insulated and weatherproof glove. The CDS system appears to offer some valuable damping and a long cuff keeps your wrists covered. Are these the best winter cycling gloves at the moment? Read on to find out.
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Castelli Perfetto Max Gloves – Technical details
Castelli Perfetto Max Glove is the warmest winter glove from the Perfetto family of products and is made from a combination of Gore-tex Infinium Windstopper outer fabric and a thick inner fleece to trap air next to the skin where it can keep it warm. It’s based on what Castelli proudly states is their best winter glove ever, the Perfetto RoS (Rain or Shine), and receives the same level of wind and weatherproof technology in addition to the aforementioned fleece and longer cuff.
The palm features silicone bobbles to aid grip and Castelli’s Damping System (CDS) which is designed to reduce the chatter from the road surface up the bars and into your hands. The palm also shouts Rosso Corsa at you which simply means that these are manufactured with the best quality that Casetlli can offer.
The long cuff has a small v-shaped panel made of stretchy material to allow for pulling on and over your hand and tucking either under or over your jacket sleeve cuff. The Perfetto Max glove has a preformed shape and sits slightly curled on a flat surface to deliver a better bar wrap experience with less fabric bunching in the palm when you curl your fingers thus delivering more control and comfort.
There are reflective details on the backs of the gloves and the the finger and thumb tips both have touchscreen technology so you can leave them on whilst you keep up with social media.
The Castelli Perfetto Max Gloves cost £95 and come in six sizes; XS – 2XL. They are described as men’s but I guess that depends on fit. Women officially have to make do with the Perfetto RoS glove.
Castelli Perfetto Max Gloves – Performance
Simply brilliant. I suffer from something akin to Raynaud’s which means my fingers and toes can can get extremely cold when others are not even reaching for their winter gloves. My first cold ride with these was somewhat of a surprise as I had not been that impressed with them while just walking around the lanes but leaving the house at zero degrees and heading off-road to one of the highest points in Wiltshire meant it was only going to get colder. Add in a pretty strong windchill and I expect it was more like -4 or -6 degrees out there.
After starting with cold hands from bike faffing outside, the gloves started to work immediately heating the trapped air around my skin. They were very quickly warm and stayed warm for the whole of that first ride which was amazing for their bulk or rather lack of it. Heck, not just for their bulk, they are great period. The fact that they are slim means they fit through jacket cuffs easily enough and you can feel the shifters and the bars and even bag zips without feeling like you have a lump of insulation or padding in the way.
The Gore-Tex Infinium also does a fantastic job of letting your hands breathe once you’ve got them warm enough to generate steam. The breathability of the material means that your hands are not sweaty and wet inside which some heavier-duty winter gloves with better waterproofing and less flexibility can cause.
Gore-Tex Infinium is not waterproof though. These gloves are classed as weatherproof due to the DWR treatment on the outside of the glove. From my experience of Infinium elsewhere in the sector I’d say that it’s a pretty strong and effective treatment that can be replenished when the time comes.
The long cuff is spot on and stays put under jacket sleeve cuffs without having to mess around mid-ride to prevent that chill blast from freezing one of your forearms. The preshaped cut of the Gore-Tex Infinium material and inner fleece meant no issues with having too much material in my palm on the bars. The CDS pad appears to reduce buzz from the bars which was especially noticeable when I swapped gloves to test another deep winter set and could feel the difference instantly. Interesting. Castelli’s use of cushioning foam in the centre of the heel of my hand and the protective bobbles does indeed deliver a tangible comfort bonus.
I’ve not tested these in heavy prolonged rain yet but they are not guaranteed to be waterproof. The Gore-Tex Infinium stretchy fabric is called ‘weatherproof’ and, crucially for a glove, it’s windproof and highly breathable pushing moisture back out to prevent sweaty hands which can get very cold. There is also a bonus in that they are easy to pull on and off as you don’t get your palms stuck to the inner material. Certainly no inner coming out or pealing the glove off inside out.
However, riding in the winter in the UK is tricky as we often get cold wet weather that our Scandinavian, North American and European friends miss out on. When they go straight to a super dry cold winter; we get wet freezing mizzle which can soak through anything in time, so it can make it very hard to know what to wear on your hands. These Perfetto gloves are weatherproof and shed water well with their DWR coating but if it’s tipping it down these are not the right gloves for a longer ride. It’s cold dry conditions where they excel.
Only long-term testing will know if the stitching lasts or whether the fleece ‘packs down’ so I will have to update this section when/or if I have anything to report.
So it’s a perfect score for the Perfetto Max? Well not quite, I had continuous issues with the touch screen tip on the fingers and the thumbs not working with either of my phones or my cycling computer. The thumb tip works slightly better than the finger tip which hardly works at all, but we’re talking maybe once in every 10 attempts which is pretty useless. This is a shame as when it’s below zero outside you don’t want to to pull them off to play with your phone or computer. If you don’t use these touchscreen devices you can skip this section but it’s frustrating for everyone else and it’s been done well by many brands for years now so is a major blow for this glove.
Sizing on gloves can be very hit and miss and the size chart offers no information about finger length, just the diameter of the palm area which officially stated I was at the top end of the Medium. Going on past gloves, I ordered Large and then XL and ended up with XL which are perfect. This is not really about Castelli’s Italian sizing, many other brands in cycling and other sports have the same issue, it’s much more about how we shop today. Try them on in the shop if you can and then there’s no issue at all.
Ostensibly, the Perfetto Max Glove was designed for the road drop handlebar market but that also makes it perfect for gravel and adventure riding as I found out. The material is not thorn or bramble-proof proof so if you tend to crash through a lot of undergrowth these might not be the right choice for you. I see no reason why they wouldn’t work on flat bars but they wouldn’t be too happy with spills into the mud and dirt. That’s not what they were designed for.
Castelli Perfetto Max Gloves – Verdict
Castelli’s Peretto Max gloves are certainly not cheap at the listed retail price of £95 but they are one of the warmest, flexible slimline winter gloves I have had on my hands for a long time. If you can find them in a sale then snap them up.
But before you rush out there and buy a set you should take a look or more importantly try on some of these gloves that we have liked a lot over the last few years, most recently the POC Thermal Glove which Suvi liked and does a very similar job as the Perfetto Max for £80.
We’ve not tested the new 100% Brisker Extreme but our reviewers have long backed the 100% Hydromatic Brisker and the Brisker range in general. All three of these gloves come in at less than half the price (£40) of the Castelli pair but as an owner of both the Briskers, I’d say that the longer cuff and warmth is superior with the Perfetto Max.
Castelli’s Perfetto Max gloves deliver a superlative level of warmth for such a slimline glove and are perfect for those of us who feel the cold but don’t want bulkier gloves. They are in their element in dryish conditions with temperatures hovering around zero to 5 degrees and are very flexible, have long cuffs to prevent drafts, and a palm that is both grippy and provides a limited amount of trail buzz reduction. Only the disappointing performance of the touchscreen inserts lets them down.
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Lack of “working” touch screen tech docks them a mark, unfortunately. It should not be difficult to get that right in 2023/4
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