Altura Thermo Elite gloves

This review was first published in January 2018

Altura's Thermo Elite Gloves are a well-rounded package for cooler-weather riding. Just be sure to check the fit as they size up pretty snug.

• Pros: Very warm for the thickness/weight, highly reflective, good feel on the controls
• Cons: Very snug fit for the size, wrist covering could be longer

Gloves, like shoes and helmets, are very personal items, with often little correlation between price and function. I've been happily surprised by £20 mitts and let down by £80 Gucci finger-loafers. In the £39.99 Thermo Elite gloves, Altura has struck a pretty good balance and the end result is well worth considering.

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The inside face has a fine fleece surface, and with wind blocked at the outside the result is surprisingly warm for such a thin material. The fingers and palm are black, striped with silicone grip-strips, the back of the palm and fingers consisting of a single section of reflective material that really catches car headlights. Handy for indicating if you go full jazz-hands.

Rounding out the feature list is a wee fleecy patch on the back of the thumb, perfect for wiping away that errant nosedrip or bead of sweat (just remember which side's for which).

The wrist is covered by a 2in-long 'engineered cuff extension' that flares ever so slightly to accommodate a jersey cuff for a wind-cheating seal. Personally, I prefer something an inch longer in adverse-weather gloves, to guarantee a waterproof or windproof seal in the event of a not-quite-long-enough sleeve length or when sleeves ride up a smidge.

With a 20cm measurement from tip of index finger to wrist, I'm at the bottom of Altura's Medium range (20-24cm). The gloves were very snug – the description is 'Fitted for a comfortable bar feel'. When off the bar there was a gap felt between the webbing of thumb and forefinger, which closed when wrapped around bar or hoods – so in other words, snug indeed.

I initially thought they felt tight to the point that they'd be uncomfortable on longer rides, but this wasn't the case. After over two hilly hours out in 8-9°C, averaging 17mph, my hands felt fine. This surprised me, given my historically woeful circulation and Raynaud's Syndrome reaction to anything remotely chilly. I've learnt the secret is to keep the forearms warm, in this case a long-sleeved merino, windproof jersey and occasionally the excellent Showers Pass Ultralight windproof jacket for nippy descents.

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I'd normally wear a merino liner glove under my go-to Castelli Garas, so was surprised when the Thermo Elites lived up to their claim that the 'thermosuede' fabric would keep me warm. Just as well, as there's no way I'd fit a liner under the size medium, such is their snugness.

I'd say for me, these gloves aren't going to work below 5°C. The inability to fit a liner and my penchant for crapulous bloodflow restricting them to the upper half of single digits. But if you run with warm hands, I could see these working down to properly chilly temperatures. As with gilets, baselayers and socks, there's no such thing as the perfect glove for all weathers, but at £39.99 the Altura Thermo Elites could well fit a slot in your all-round weather armoury.

Verdict

Windproof, warm and reflective, with a snug fit, these are great gloves for nippy rides