The Madison Flux Waterproof Trail gloves are a well priced winter glove which is admirably waterproof and retains excellent warmth even when wet. The cut is a little off in places and they do sacrifice some dexterity but maintain enough feel for technical riding.
Madison Flux Waterproof Trail gloves – Technical Details
The Madison Flux waterproof trail gloves are a lightweight and waterproof glove designed for the shoulder seasons. The top of the hand is made from a stretchy Roubaix fabric which has a soft brushed lining and keeps the warmth in, this has an outer shell using a DWR coating to keep the weather out. To ensure the weather is kept out, all seams are taped and the elasticated wrist band provides a snug fit.
The palm and fingers have a similar internal brushed finish and include silicone grips on the middle finger tip and outer palm. The index finger and thumb are touch screen friendly. To round out the glove, there is a reflective section along the outside of the little finger to help with hand signals at night and a large cloth material for lens wipes on the back of the thumb.
The Flux waterproof glove is available in 6 sizes ranging from XS to XXL and there are 4 colourways (black, brown, red and green) to choose from so there should be a size and style to suit everyone.
Madison Flux Waterproof Trail gloves – Performance
Lets start with the fit, which on the whole is pretty good. For the size large on test, the fingers are the perfect length without being too baggy at the end although the thumb is a bit too long and oddly square at the end. The elasticated cuff entry is tight when trying to get the glove on, tight to the point where I wasn’t sure if they’d fit but with a bit of belief they do go on.
Once the glove is on, the internal fleece lining makes for a super comfortable glove which is soft against the skin with no lumpy seams. The fleece lining on the underside of the hand does make it thicker against the handlebars which in turn loses a little dexterity when riding. When the hand is closed around the bars I found the palm to bunch up a little, annoying but easily managed by making sure the extra material wasn’t in between my hand and the bars. Although the index finger and thumb do work with a touch screen, the finger and thumb tips have a heavy seam which lacks dexterity so you won’t be writing readable messages. The silicone grip detail is impressively grippy, on the palm it does help in the wet but unless you are two finger braking it’s completely redundant on the middle finger.
These gloves offer plenty of warmth for all but the coldest UK winter riding. I was more impressed that they remained comfortable up to around 6 degrees Celsius. They do get a bit sweaty in milder temperatures however the fleece lining did a good job of managing moisture and I didn’t find my hands overheating. When wet, the gloves managed to not absorb water or compromise on their warmth. I found the large wipe on the back of the thumb to be excellent for wiping lenses, it nice to get more than one or two wipes before they usually stop being effective.
Madison Flux Waterproof Trail gloves – Value and verdict
At £30 the Flux waterproof trail gloves are bang on the money but if you’re looking for a thermal glove for the worst weather, the Scott Aqua GTX LF glove is worth considering. At £70 they’re significantly more expensive than the Flux gloves but they were praised for their waterproofness and ability to seal out the weather with long cuffs but are bulky.
For the same money, the 7iDP chill gloves are another option. They’re lightweight and impressively warm but don’t fair too well in the wet.
The Madison Flux waterproof trail gloves perform well in a range of wet weather conditions, they do a good job of managing heat in the cold and milder temperatures even while wet. They’re sizing is spot on although the cut is a little off with the palm bunching and a lack of dexterity notably at the finger tips. On the whole, a solid and usable offering from Madison at a great price.
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