Sportful NoRain Gloves

Looking for a versatile and comfortable glove that can stave off a bit of rain and provide ample warmth for cool spring rides? The Sportful NoRain Gloves tick those boxes with a great fit and silicone covered palms ramping up the grip in tricky conditions.

• Pros: Comfort, fit, bad weather protection, grippy palm
• Cons: You can spend less

These gloves are constructed from Sportful's own NoRain material to provide protection against cold wind and rain. They're not fully waterproof, instead, the name of the game is to keep light rain and short downpours from rapidly saturating the gloves while maintaining good insulation and breathability, so you don't overheat.

It's a fine line but one that the NoRain gloves strike just about perfectly. The level of insulation isn't, in my experience, sufficient to stave off the coldest weather, but for milder temperatures they provide just the right balance of warmth, breathability and comfort. As we head into spring they are the perfect accompaniment to changeable and unpredictable weather, because they'll deal with all but the most horrid weather with aplomb.

I found the fit to be excellent, with perfect finger length avoiding floppy fingertips yet not at all restrictive. The material has a nice level of stretch which really ensures they have as close to a second skin fit as possible. The entire palm and underside of the fingers are covered with a silicone material which ensures limpet-like grip on the handlebar, a bonus in the rain or mud.

A generous length cuff provides a good overlap with a long sleeve jersey or arm warmers, over or under depending on your preference, and there's a small pull tab to ease them on. The Sportful logo is reflective for added road visibility when signalling.

Sportful quotes a maximum operating temperature of 20°C which I have tested and they are breathable enough to avoid overheating. The temperature at which gloves come off comes down to personal choice and depends on many variables like circulation, rain and wind conditions. Personally, I need it to be jolly warm before the gloves come off and these provide that protection I look for in mild weather.

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Costing £40 they're not cheap, but they are highly versatile and a good investment as they easily offer three-season use. In terms of comfort and insulation/breathability, I'd compare them to the similarly priced Gore M Windstopper Gloves, but the Sportfuls have the added bonus of extra rain protection.

Verdict

Comfortable and great protection in changeable and unpredictable weather