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Gore Bike Wear Road Gloves GTX-1

9
£59.99

VERDICT:

9
10
If keeping your hands warm and dry is a priority, these are all you need for short to medium length wet and wintry rides
Weight: 
104g

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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The Gore Bike Wear GTX-1 gloves are very well made and provide excellent protection from the cold and wet, though on longer rides in the rain they can get saturated and your hands a bit sweaty.

Gore describes them as a lightweight, unisex design. The soft and breathable material is very comfortable, providing a warm cocoon for your hands during winter rides.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy these online here

I've used the gloves during several training, commuting and fun rides over the last few months, in very wet and windy conditions. The gloves are warm, waterproof and comfortable on shorter rides, but on wet rides of over a couple of hours the fabric got saturated and heavy, and my hands sweaty – though still warm.

They're particularly suitable for early morning commutes, when the air is cold and windchill is your biggest enemy. Unless you are riding more than an hour each way, when their lack of air permeability means there isn't enough airflow to ventilate your hands, these gloves will be all you need for the winter months.

Fabric

The main body of the gloves is 83% polyamide and 17% elastane, with an internal Gore-Tex®Insert lining to keep your hands dry. Gore-Tex claims its Gore-Tex fabric is "an extremely thin membrane that's durably waterproof, windproof and breathable".

In my experience, any windproof and waterproof products leave my hands extremely warm and sweaty during training rides of any substantial intensity, and these were no exception. The fabric is very good at repelling rain or moisture in the air, but I found breathability a problem.

Comfort and padding

If you're used to gloves with gel padding, you might notice the lack of such here – comfort over long distances isn't what they're designed for. The only padding provided is more of a token gesture: three pieces of cloth on each glove.

When dry the gloves are very comfortable, but if saturated they feel like a wet cloth wrapped around your hand. Saturated, they still kept my hands dry but would move around under my palms, especially when riding out of the saddle, as the two layers moved against each other.

Fit and adjustment

Velcro straps make the gloves easy to adjust and ensure that they stay in position. Even with their internal lining, they're easy to remove to open doors, answer a phone or find your front door key. In the past I have struggled with lined gloves, with the lining usually pulling out when taking them off, but here it stays in position even after several hours and when the gloves are completely saturated.

They also seem to be lasting well: in my experience it is difficult to find gloves with an internal lining that doesn't pull apart or rip after just a few months, and these have remained as good as new after heavy use.

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

At £59.99 they are at the upper end of what you'd expect to pay for such protection, but they do what they are designed for and they do it very well. If keeping your hands warm and dry is important, at least for a couple of hours' riding, look no further.

Verdict

If keeping your hands warm and dry is a priority, these are all you need for short to medium length wet and wintry rides

road.cc test report

Make and model: Gore Bike Wear Road Gloves GTX-1

Size tested: Extra Large, 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?

Gore says: "Protected and warm hands. These lightweight GORE-TEX® road cycling gloves are ergonomically shaped and fit perfectly thanks to the adjustable cuff, giving best finger sensation even during cool and wet rides."

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

FEATURES

Velcro width adjustment

Reflective print on back of hand

Absorbent material on thumb for wiping away perspiration

Reflective logo

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Excellent performance on rides up to two hours, but much longer than this in the wet and their breathability becomes less effective.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
10/10

Easily adjusted.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
10/10
Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10

Very good, but they do become heavy when wet.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Not cheap, but their performance makes these very good value.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Washing them several times has not changed the shape, fit or stitching.

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

They cannot be faulted during shorter to medium rides but become less effective after two hours in wet conditions.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Easily adjusted and easy to remove when wet.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Pricey

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

Well-made product which meets all the design criteria and delivers on the promises made by the manufacturer.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 30  Height: 183cm  Weight: 86kg

I usually ride: Surly Cross-check  My best bike is: Cipollini Bond

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, I'll give anything a go

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