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Chapeau Winter Gloves

7
£40.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Warm and weather-resistant gloves at a fairly reasonable price – a good investment for the winter
Weight: 
108g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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There's nothing much worse than frozen fingers, and it doesn't always have to be extremely cold for the temperature in your hands to plummet – wind and rain will bring on the chill rapidly. Chapeau's Winter Gloves provide ample warmth and a useful degree of water resistance to help fight this, making them a good option for the winter.

The Winter Gloves have an outer material that is wind and water resistant – your first barrier against the cold. It works very well; light showers were dealt with adequately. Inside is the insulation, a very soft fleece lining that provides ample warmth for cold morning rides when it's really crisp out. Stick these gloves on for that early morning ride and you simply won't notice the cold.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy these online here

During testing in a range of conditions, I found that the gloves provide good breathability, handy if the weather turns out to be warmer than you expected, or you're out all day. The ideal temperature range is a tricky one to put a finger on, because everyone feels the cold to different degrees. I personally have very poor circulation and like to keep my hands warm, and I've been able to get away with these on warmer days when others perhaps might not have.

The fit is very good – snug but not too tight. There are four sizes (S-XL) and there's a useful sizing guide on the Chapeau website for choosing the correct size. Freedom of movement is good and dexterity is excellent – you don't feel like you're trying to change gears with oven gloves.

The gloves have a double cuff arrangement, neoprene on the outside and an extended Lycra inner, with a wide Velcro strap cinching everything down. This helps to keep the weather out of your gloves, preventing pesky cold breezes sneaking up a loose cuff. It's a nice design and helps you really wrap up against the cold.

> Check out our guide to the best winter cycling gloves here

A Pittards leather palm with padding in key places has proven to be very durable and shows no sign of wear at all. The entire side of the thumb is encased in a soft towel fabric, ideal for wiping a snotty nose. The gloves provide good grip on the handlebar in the wet or dry.

There are some nice reflective details on the fingers and the Chapeau logo – a moustache – on the inside of one of the fingers. I'd like to see some more generous reflective material, though, as most of my rides in these gloves were in the dark, either early morning rides or evening blasts.

Verdict

Warm and weather-resistant gloves at a fairly reasonable price – a good investment for the winter

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Chapeau Winter Gloves

Size tested: Medium, Black

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Chapeau says: "Our Winter Gloves are the ultimate glove for year round cycling. From those chilly autumnal commutes to a deep winter club ride the water and wind resistant outer fabric coupled with the warming inner liner ensures that your hands are kept warm and dry."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

- Water and wind resistant outer fabric

- Breathable membrane

- Pittards leather palm padding

- Finger tip brake grip

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

Top quality construction, which you would hope for at £40.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

They keep your hands warm, and provide good water-resistance for showers, and are adequately breathable.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

So far durability has proven to be very good.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10

Padding provides comfort when holding the bar, and the soft lining is comfortable on the skin.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

A lot of glove for the money.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Do a good job of keeping hands warm on cold mornings and they keep light showers out.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The fit is really good and the build quality and attention to detail is nice, with the double cuff arrangement a highlight.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

I'd love a bit more reflective material on a winter glove.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Maybe

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Maybe

Use this box to explain your score

A nicely made glove, these provide good warmth and keep light rain out, with good fit and reasonable breathability, but there is a lot of choice at this price range. These are worth considering though.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 180cm  Weight: 67kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, mountain biking

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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3 comments

Avatar
peted76 | 8 years ago
0 likes

Not exactly selling the 'fit' of "snug but not too tight" in the title picture. More like Nora Batty's tights.

 

Avatar
Nixster | 8 years ago
0 likes

Does anyone make a glove that combines only the smallest and ring fingers in one?  I find 4 finger gloves too cold when it gets near freezing and my Craft Lobster claw gloves a bit of a challenge for manipulating Shimano STIs.

Any thoughts?

N

Avatar
Grizzerly | 8 years ago
0 likes

Hat and gloves combined? 

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