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Gore M Gore Windstopper Gloves

8
£42.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Excellent mild weather autumn and winter gloves with great fit and comfort
Weight: 
38g

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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'Tis the season for gloves, and these Gore M Gore Windstopper gloves are a lightweight option with 100 per cent protection against the wind and just enough insulation to keep the chill at bay without compromising dexterity and comfort.

  • Pros: Great fit, comfortable, bright, durable, good warmth, breathability
  • Cons: Milder autumn and winter rides only

As the name suggests, the gloves are made from Gore's Windstopper fabric, which, as well as offering complete protection against the wind, is also water resistant so it'll keep a bit of drizzle at bay. The insulation is good for current weather conditions, staving off that early morning chill before the sun breaks through, and breathability is sufficient to prevent clammy hands.

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Gore gives a temperature window of 5-15°C. I mostly found the gloves to be excellent in the upper half of that range. On a couple of early morning rides, with a bit of damp fog smothering the lanes, I found the insulation a little lacking at the lower end. I should caveat this by pointing out that I suffer from really quite bad circulation.

They are good for when it's not cold enough for deep winter gloves (like the Gore Thermos) but too cold for no gloves, with ample breathability for when it warms up. On those days when you're wearing knee and arm warmers, these are a good choice in my opinion.

Gore M Gore Windstopper Gloves - back

I'm a stickler for glove fit and I found these to be perfect, as if Gore had measured my fingers and made a pair of gloves just for me. There's no excess fabric around the fingertips and the fit around the palm and wrist is excellent. The shaped fingers really help too. You can easily change gear and operate a cycling computer as easily as you can without gloves.

The cuff is a simple design, no Velcro or adjustment, but as the fit is so good it's not needed. The cuff is also long enough to provide a good overlap with arm warmers or jersey sleeves.

Construction is first class, as I've come to expect from Gore products, with some good attention to detail. Small silicone strips on the fingers provide extra grip on the handlebar, and the tip of each index finger works with smartphones so no cold fingers when you want to Instagram a sunrise.

Gore M Gore Windstopper Gloves - palm

The thumb is covered with a material that is soft on the skin for snotty nose wiping. A reflective Gore graphic boosts visibility, as does this bright yellow colour option when riding in murky light.

There's no padding – fine by me, that's my personal preference for gloves (I have small hands and like a good clasp of the handlebar), and I didn't feel any discomfort on longer rides.

Durability has been excellent during testing, and they've stood up to lots of off-road riding, both mountain biking and cyclo-cross, as well as road rides. The stitching seems strong and they haven't shown any signs of weakness. They've been through the wash several times and come out looking as good as new.

> Buyer's Guide: 21 of the best winter cycling gloves

They're also really versatile. The 'M' in the name presumably stands for Multi-sport, because as well as cycling, the Gore website lists running and hiking as activities these gloves are suited to. (I'd add dog walking to that.)

They're available in yellow or black and six sizes from XS to 3XL.

Although £43 is a fair amount for a pair of gloves, they are a little cheaper than the Ashmei Windproof Gloves and although those also offer good wind and rain resistance, the bright yellow and the nose-wipe give the Gore gloves the edge for me. You can go cheaper, and one pair with claimed lower temperature insulation are the Lusso Windtex Gloves, but they are let down a little by their fit and lack of touchscreen compatibility, plus they are handwash only.

Verdict

Excellent mild weather autumn and winter gloves with great fit and comfort

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Gore M Gore Windstopper Gloves

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for

Gore says, "Made for all activities in changeable conditions, this GORE® WINDSTOPPER® Glove is ergonomically designed to aid your dexterity when you're out in the elements, allowing you to focus on where you are and where you're going"

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

Gore lists:

Reflective logo

GORE® WINDSTOPPER® Product: Versatile, medium thermal protection, totally windproof

Water repellent fabric

Pre-shaped fingers reduce bunching of material

Optimized for gloves-on use with touchscreen devices

Grippy silicone print on thumbs, forefingers, and palm

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Really solidly made with strong stitching.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

They're great for when it's not cold enough for deep winter gloves but too cold for no gloves.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

No signs of lacking durability.

Rate the product for fit:
 
10/10

Bang on.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
10/10

Perfect.

Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10

They are light and good for warmer autumn and winter rides.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10

Really good, though some might prefer padding in their gloves. I don't, and found them fine for many hours on the bike.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

You can get cheaper gloves, but for me the quality of the construction, excellent fit and details make these good value.

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

They go through a 30-degree machine wash just fine.

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

Really good for this time of year, and any mild winter weather when you don't need a thick winter glove (which can get clammy if too warm and impact dexterity).

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The fit.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

There's nothing I disliked, though some might not like their lack of padding.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

They're just £3 more than Altura's Thermo Elite gloves, £2 less than the Ashmei Windproof Gloves, and £13 more but better than the Lusso Windtex gloves.

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 overall score

For intermediate conditions these are excellent, 9/10, but taking the price into account and their limited range of use, overall I'd say they're an 8.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 180cm  Weight: 67kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, mountain biking

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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1 comments

Avatar
jaysa | 5 years ago
1 like

Compared other fluo. gloves in Evans a month ago and bought these to make indicating clear in murky November weather.

Fit and dexterity are great. No padding and no insulation so they are perfect for cool days.

They block the wind, but breathe nicely. Very happy with them - this review is spot on,

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