GripGrab Neoprene Gloves

If you can't keep the water out then you at least want your hands to remain warm when soaked and that's exactly what GripGrab's Neoprene gloves do. Proper toasty in fact.

Wearing them in the rain will see them breached within a few minutes but you never notice as your hands are warm from the start thanks to the way neoprene traps body heat and uses it to warm the water and insulate. In real world terms I got down to about 4°C with them on their own before things started getting a bit nippy but with the addition of some thin liner gloves they were fine to a couple of degrees below. Above 10°C though they can a bit on the warm side.

As you can probably guess by the name the gloves are made predominately from neoprene, 80% to be precise with 15% nylon and 5% lycra to create a material that is 3mm thick. Neoprene being a synthetic rubber means the GripGrabs have loads of flexibility and move with your fingers without bunching or creasing anywhere.

Thick winter gloves aren't always the best when it comes to braking and gear shifting but the dexterity of the Neoprenes means they worked fine with both Campagnolo and Shimano levers, even Di2 whose buttons can be a nightmare to feel at times.

Although the usual consensus is to leave a bit of a gap around your feet and hands to allow a layer of warm air to form, the fact that the neoprene does this using little pockets in the material means you can go for a really snug fit here. The cuff is long and thanks to the close fit you can wear it over the top of jersey sleeves without any drafts finding their way in.

For comfort there is just one bit of padding, a 4mm thick gel section made by Doctor Gel that's designed to reduce numbness at the ulnar nerve. It does its job reducing pressure on that part of the hand although after forty hours of riding it is looking surprisingly squashed and flat. Although it isn't quite offering the same amount of comfort it originally was it looks like its bedded in now and isn't going to get any flatter.

In the same period of time the little silicone grips found on the palm are beginning to peel off. It's not a major issue as the gloves grip wet bar tape fine on their own but it does make them look quite worn in such a short space of time.

The stitching is standing up to the abuse though as is the material itself so long term durability shouldn't be too much of an issue. One problem with a lot of neoprene items is that you can overheat in them and they soon start to stink a bit but by following GripGrab's recommendation of turning them inside out to dry I've had no such issues. In fact I haven't even washed them yet.

Overall the GripGrab Neoprene's are a very good pair of gloves for pretty much all winter riding. The close fit and long cuff gives a nicely flexible and natural feel to them allowing you to do most tasks cycling related without having to take them off, a real bonus on a freezing ride.

The quality is good and apart from the few things above they look pretty durable thanks to tight and tidy stitching. Neoprene is naturally pretty robust in itself and the gloves aren't showing any signs of damage from scuffs and knocks.

They are pricey though, a fiver more than the similar Castelli Diluvio ones we tested a while back which we also noted as expensive. If they last daily use for six months of the year though, I'd consider that value and I don't reckon that is going to be too much of a problem.

Verdict

Very warm, hardwearing and comfortable gloves that don't get stinky; expensive but durable

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