RSP Extreme Weather gloves

With a 125-year history behind them, and a base firmly entrenched in the frozen East Midlands, Raleigh certainly have plenty of potential to make good quality winter kit,. In the RSP Extreme Weather gloves they have done just that, producing a chunky set of gloves that can withstand the coldest temperatures we are likely to see in the UK.

They are reassuringly substantial with deep, effective, insulation on the fingers and back of the hands but relatively thin padding on the palm to aid grip. This padding, combined with their wind proofing, ensures that hands stay warm well down into the minus figures, with thick cuffs providing somewhere to tuck jacket sleeves into, aided by velcro fasteners to increase snugness levels further.

This level of padding on the fingers can inhibit dexterity somewhat, especially with the rear shifter; I found either mis-shifts or non shifts a fairly regular occurrence.

They are dubbed Extreme Weather gloves with both cold and wet in mind, and while they do a stand-up job against dry cold, when the heavens open they can let the water in after some time. I don't particularly like over cuffs as I think they allow liquid to get in anyway, but I found that a couple of hours of proper rain the hands were wet-through, down to the fingers.

With a nod towards safety with reflective piping, and those awesome clips that gloves have to keep them together, they are a hard-working item, not so bikey that you couldn't wear them for cutting wood in the yard, or an early morning trip to de-ice the car, but clearly with on-bike comfort thought out.

For a foul weather commute they are ideal, but when the rain is coming down hard and you will be out for more than an hour then they start to reach their limits. On the plus side they do a reasonable job of keeping you warm even when wet.

Verdict

Hard-wearing gloves, well suited to cold and damp conditions