Hirzl Grippp Tour FF 2.0

The Hirzl Grippp Tour FF 2.0 gloves offer great grip and are well made from premium materials, but they are expensive compared with others on the market.

• Pros: Grippy, comfortable, well designed
• Cons: Velcro can be a little scratchy, expensive

Most road cycling gloves are either thick full-finger winter gloves or fingerless summer mitts, but the Grippp Tour FF 2.0s aim to be the middle ground between these two, essentially full-finger gloves for milder conditions.

In terms of materials used, these are much closer to mitts than winter gloves, but because they are full finger they offer that bit more protection. It means they're ideal for spring and autumn temperatures when you aren't likely to get frostbite but at the same time you want some kind of coverage.

Windproofing is relatively good, although this isn't what they are primarily designed for. I found they were fine for about 6-20°C, good for riding into work on a colder morning and then back when it had warmed up later in the day. They offer a decent amount of breathability, with the relatively thin Lycra upper and perforations on the palm helping in this regard.

Hirzl has used a kangaroo leather palm with 'grippp' technology, which it claims makes them three times grippier in the dry and five times grippier in the wet than other gloves. They certainly are impressively grippy and offer a steady grip on the bars, though I didn't find they were quite as grippy as the Prologo CPC Short Finger Gloves I reviewed last year.

Padding is minimal, with some across the bottom of the fingers and on the outside of the palm. There isn't a huge amount of it, but Hirzl has put it in the right places and it is a comfortable glove, although perhaps not the most effective on rougher surfaces.

It is worth noting that this minimalist padding does have the benefit of making the gloves considerably more supple than others with more padding. The kangaroo leather can sit closer to the palm and allows for a really good fit. Hirzl has also included 'cutouts' beside the thumb and on the outside of the palm beneath the fingers to reduce bunching when you have a clenched fist.

The closure system is a Velcro strap across the top of the wrist which keeps them in place well. However, a few times I found my skin was a bit scratched by the Velcro from the top, and it was then quite difficult to adjust the strap to stop it happening.

Taking the gloves off is really simple, basically because the fingers are slightly elongated so you can grip the ends and pull them off. It's a simple solution done well, because despite this slight elongation it does not impact on their performance or fit.

At £55 they aren't cheap: the Specialized Grail long finger gloves come in £20 cheaper and the Cube Natural Fit Touch Gloves which Stu looked at a few years ago are also £20 cheaper, so it is a difficult price to justify.

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

Despite this, and that the Velcro is a little irritating, overall I really liked these gloves. They fit really nicely, they are well made, and offer a bit of protection against the elements.

Verdict

Premium quality mid-temperature gloves that come with a premium price