Chapeau Winter Gloves

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.

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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