Castelli Estremo gloves

Castelli's Estremo gloves are a warm, windproof and very comfortable option for the cold weather.

If you don't know, I'm sure you could guess that 'estremo' is the Italian for 'extreme', and Castelli have certainly made these gloves to stand up to the cold.

The outers are made from Windstopper X-Fast fabric that does exactly what its name promises. That includes the cuffs which are plenty long enough for tucking your jersey sleeves inside to avoid getting cold wrists.

The palms are covered in silicone print so they grip even damp hoods and bar tape, and you get a small amount of gel padding on the heel of you hand to protect the ulnar nerve.

There's a faux suede panel on each thumb for taking care of all your nose wiping needs and the embossed scorpion on the back of the hands looks neat. Inside, the PolarFleece 340G lining is super-comfy.

Castelli reckon that these are suitable for temperatures ranging from -5°C to +5°C and that their Chiro Due gloves  take over from 5°C to 14°C.

The Estremos are certainly warmer than the Chiro Dues but I was using these in 7-8°C the other day and they felt comfortable to me. That said, I know people who wear track mitts at that kind of temperature (yes, really), so it all comes down to the individual. For what it's worth, I'd use these in temperatures of about 2-10°C and use liner gloves underneath for anything below that... but I definitely need more insulation than most.

These gloves aren't waterproof but they are water resistant. Get caught in the rain and your hands will eventually get wet, but they put up a surprisingly good fight. Road spray, mist and drizzle won't get through.

With most clothing, if you don't really notice it, that's a good thing. You don't often find yourself 50 miles into a ride thinking, 'Wow, this gilet feels great,' but you might find yourself thinking, 'This base layer feels cold.' I was on the bike for five hours on Saturday and I didn't have to give these gloves much thought. My hands were comfortably warm, they didn't get sweaty on the climbs, and I didn't get achy palms or tingly fingers. All good.

Plus, I've been riding a bike equipped with Shimano's Di2 lately and those electronic shift buttons are pretty small and close together. That can be an issue with some bulky gloves, but I had no problems with the Estremos.

The only aspect of the performance I don't like is that it's quite easy to catch the fabric on the back of the two middle fingers on the Velcro wrist closure. I've done this a few times when adjusting the gloves from the saddle. It wouldn't happen if I was really careful... but I'm not really careful. It's not the biggest deal in the world, admittedly, but if you've just spent £65 on a pair of new gloves you'd rather it didn't happen.

Verdict

Windproof gloves that provide plenty of warmth and comfort for cold-weather riding