B'Twin Bike Gloves 720

White cycling gloves. They look the part, but I've always wondered how they will stay that way. To me, there's the risk they go the wrong side of looking smart and end up looking, well, grey. These B'Twin 720 cycling gloves also come in a slightly safer black, but I got white. They did look smart with the red piping and black trim, for about three rides, and then the inevitable fade to grey happened.

The gloves supplied were a medium, and while I've not got enormous hands I did find the 720's a little snug. They are fabric mitts, with good stretch across the back of the hand and a small Velcro wrist-cuff. The palm is leather with five areas of padding, and small finger loops on the back of the middle and third fingers to help in taking them off. There is a small area of terry material on the side of the thumb, presumably as a sweat wipe.

Despite being a touch small they generally didn't cut into my hands much over short rides, but after five or six hours I found the inside of my thumb got slightly sore where a seam was under my hand when riding on the hoods.

The padding is semi-effective. I have noticed that the wear pattern on the gloves (very obvious with a white leather finish) is between the two largest areas positioned on the flat and heel of the hand. Again, this is from long periods riding on the hoods.

This isn't a specific criticism of the B'Twin 720s, and would undoubtedly apply to other white gloves, but the colour just didn't work well for me. The fabric in particular has gone grey, with the back of the thumb area particularly bad. I think this is primarily because the area of terry material isn't as large or absorbent as I am used to. It is a narrow band along the side of the thumb, rather than stretching across the top as much as my usual mitts. As a result, when I use the back of my thumb/hand to wipe sweat away it gets wiped on fabric of the mitt rather than the terry strip.

As a result, it didn't take long for me to wipe some sweat off my face, soak the back of the mitt and rapidly turn it grey. I would hate to think what colour it would go if I dropped a chain and got any grease on the fabric. The leather palms have also started to show marks, particularly at the unpadded space that I seem to put pressure on.

These mitts look good – I like the red piping trim on the back of the hand – and with a black colourway some of the issues I have with the 720 are less relevant. Fit you can work round – try before you buy if you possibly can and consider a size up if they feel too snug. The padding position and the narrow terry wipe are slightly frustrating, though, but don't detract too much from the good value they offer.

Verdict

Good looking, tidy mitts, let down by an odd design and position of terry wipe and palm padding