Pearl Izumi Men's Select Softshell Glove

My life is littered with gloves that have claimed to be the last word in winter comfort, only for the heat in my hands to leech away like that from a cup of coffee in a cold man-cave on a frosty morning; but then again I have the metabolism of a lizard. Pearl Izumi's Select Softshell Gloves are a pleasant surprise, holding out against the (relative) cold and keeping my fingers comfortable and warm – as long as it's not raining too hard...

Initially, I was a bit confused about what Pearl Izumi has in mind for the gloves. A sticker on the packaging claims they are good for -18C to + 4C (0-40F). The website says temperature rating =/-0 Degrees without specifying whether those degrees are 'effs' or 'sees'. And it describes the gloves as 'lightly insulated' and yet the only gloves I've seen people wearing in temperatures of -18°C have been huge and made of reindeer hide...

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For you typical endotherms, what you will find here is an unfussy and nice-to-wear pair of cold-weather gloves that are best in the dry but can also keep out a fair bit of damp, or at least are not too unpleasant to use should they wet out.

I particularly like the long wrists, but would prefer them with a Velcro adjuster as the elastic was a bit slack on my skinny wrists. This didn't affect their comfort, though, once the cuffs of my jacket were pulled down over them.

The synthetic leather palm extends to a pull-tab at the wrist and is covered in silicone patches that give good grip. This arrangement coincidentally provides a little extra cushioning in an otherwise unpadded palm.

The softshell bit covers the backs of the hands and provides good windproofing, but the water doesn't bead off and it soon wets out. Even so, it took a while to penetrate as far as my hands, and that mostly at the fingertips – presumably because this is where much of the stitching is. 

The thumbs have a fleece snot-wipe that doesn't compromise the gloves' windproof properties, and the fingertip touchscreen pads work fine.

The length was right for my long fingers – riders with stubbier digits may want to go down a size. (There are five sizes to choose from, S-XXL.)

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

Annoyingly, the test period has remained stubbornly mild with no sign of -18°C on the horizon, but on a few cool, damp night rides they've been fine. They seem well made, though I'll have to get back to you on how long it will be before the lining goes through at the fingertips, or starts pulling out when I remove my hand.

For now, though, I feel confident in recommending these gloves for getting the miles in, the winter commute and even some cyclo-cross or mountain bike riding on cold, dry days.

Verdict

Comfortable, good-looking gloves for cool, dry days