dhb Aeron Short Finger Gel Gloves

The dhb Aeron Short Finger Gel Gloves have thick padding that stops road buzz but limits the feel of the bars. For me the fit was slightly off, and the construction isn't great, but the mesh back is breathable, which is good.

• Pros: Mesh back is breathable and quick to wick sweat
• Cons: Overly thick padding, uncomfortable Velcro cuff closure, poor construction compared with similar-priced options

Gloves are an important part of your cycling kit. They can help to reduce road buzz, stop you from getting blisters on your palms and in the event of a crash prevent too much damage to the skin. 

For a long time, I only wore gloves when racing because of the likelihood of crashes. Now I tend to wear them on any group ride, but I much prefer thinner palm padding to give as much feel of the handlebar as possible. I found the 4mm-deep gel padding on the Aeron mitts excessive; although it does indeed fulfil its aim to reduce road buzz, that's something I've found can be achieved with much thinner padding.

For me, the thick padding felt especially weird when I had my hands on the hoods. I didn't feel that I could use the levers as easily as I normally would. I also felt that this thickness made the mitts suffer in wet weather. There are good silicone grippers on the large gel pad, but nothing on the rest of the palm. While this gave good grip when on the hoods, it didn't contact the bar tape when my hands were on either the tops or the drops.

The Velcro closure system is another gripe. Generally, I don't feel that they're needed, and especially so here alongside the high stretch of the mesh fabric that makes up the back of each glove. At the fingers the gloves fit nice and close, but the wrist simply has too much material for me, and to get it to fit I had to extend the Velcro strap past the end of the plastic part, causing the strap to curl up at the end. Of course, your wrists might be bigger than mine, but it's something to bear in mind if you're more pipe-cleaner than Popeye.

With my hands on the top of the handlebar, that Velcro closure system would also dig into the skin slightly. It's not an issue for short periods of time, but after a few hours it's really annoying.

Construction could also be improved. I recently tested the Santini Brisk Race Mitts. They're cheaper at £23 and very well made. The Aeron mitts have loads of exposed ends on the stitches and there was the occasional missed stitch too.

The Santinis would be my recommendation if you want to reduce road buzz to your hands without losing feel at the bar. They've got a thinner section of gel padding that works just as well but also gives you more control of the bar.

> Read more road.cc reviews of cycling mitts here

It's not all bad, though – there are some good points to these gloves. The mesh fabric that makes up the back of each is soft and wicks sweat well. After several washes, the fabric has remained soft. It also has a good amount of stretch, which gives you a good fit at the fingers and around the knuckles.

Sizes range from XS-XXL and there are four colour options: red, white, black and blue.

Overall, if you like your gloves with thick padding and you have bigger wrists than me, you might get on better with these than I did. But even ignoring my personal preferences, the poor construction means it's hard for me to fully recommend them.

Verdict

Nice mesh back but the gel padding is bulky and limits bar feel; stitching quality isn't high either