Light, slim and well made, the Santini 365 Win XF Winter Glove is warm and protective for its bulk-free size. The relatively short, wide shaping won’t suit everyone, though, and they’re expensive – particularly as they’re unpadded and don’t work with screens.
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Made from breathable but highly wind resistant Gore Windstopper X-free 300 fabric, these gloves prove comfortable in temperatures down to low single digits. The fabric is fleece lined yet light and packable, making them ideal for popping into a jersey pocket.
The unpadded palm is textured to ensure good wet grip, while a snug stretch cuff keeps wrists toasty without interfering with jersey or jacket sleeves.
The overall cut is a bit unusual – Santini describes it as ‘tight fitting and elastic,’ but the main body is actually quite broad, while the fingers are all oddly similar in length. I found my longest fingers slightly compromised, while my little fingers had a good centimetre or two of extra space at the top.
To be fair this never caused any real problem, but it does make trying before purchase a good idea. Is now a good time to say that’s not me in the pictures? I’m thinking yes.
The smooth fabric of the back is highly water repellent, and it beads water well even heavy prolonged heavy rain. The grippy palm, by contrast, soaks up water quite quickly. The gloves stay warm and cosy even so, and bar grip remains confident.
I found these pretty comfortable, though palm padding would surely improve them, and it’s surprising to see a glove of this type that’s not touchscreen compatible – especially given the price.
> 25 of the best winter cycling gloves — keep your hands warm and dry
The 365 Win XF Winter Glove looks quite expensive for a straightforward design with no bells and whistles. The Sportful Fiandre Light Gloves are £45 and work with phones, while the Triban 900 Winter Gloves have padded palms, electronics-friendly fingers and good water resistance for just £24.99. They’re considerably heavier at 151g, though.
If you’re looking for simple, light, windproof and warm winter glove the Santini 365 Win XF Winter Glove will tick all your boxes – so long as they’re not on a screen. Nevertheless, it’s not hard to get what they’re offering elsewhere, for considerably less money.
Verdict
Warm and protective, but expensive given their rather basic cut and features
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Santini 365 Win XF Winter Glove
Size tested: Small
Tell us what the product is for
Santini says these are: “Protective winter gloves with Windstopper X-free 300 fabric. Windproof but breathable. Warm and water resistant. Tight fitting and elastic for easy access to shifters and brakes. With non-slip grip engineered to ensure your palms stay warm. Complete protection for those harsh winter months.”
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Gore Windstopper fabric with warm fleecy backing
Grippy textured palms
Stretch fleecy cuff
Hand wash only
Available in size S-L
Good quality fabrics, but quite chunky internal seams.
Warm, windproof and the main body is highly water repellent, but the palms are unpadded and do wet out (though they stay grippy).
Not much to go wrong, so should last well.
Sightly odd cut – relatively broad palms and short fingers.
A broader variety of sizes would be good.
Brilliantly lightweight and packable for their warmth and protection.
Very comfortable, although some palm padding would be good.
Very expensive for a fairly simple glove, albeit made from high quality fabrics.
How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?
Hand-wash only makes them a bit trickier to care for, but wash okay.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Good, if not as amazing as you’d expect for the price.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Light, warm, windproof and highly water resistant.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Slightly odd fit, expensive, no palm padding or screen-friendly fingertips.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
The 365 Win XF Winter Glove looks quite expensive for a straightforward design with no bells and whistles. The Sportful Fiandre Light Gloves are £45 and work with phones, while the Triban 900 Winter Gloves have padded palms, electronics-friendly fingers and good water resistance for just £24.99. They’re considerably heavier at 151g, though.
Did you enjoy using the product? Kind of
Would you consider buying the product? Probably not
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Possibly
Use this box to explain your overall score
This is a well made and high quality glove, but features are minimal and the price is high. With padded palms, more normal shaping and screen-compatible fingers they could be a seven, though to get any higher would take a big price drop.
About the tester
Age: 43 Height: 1.65m Weight: 73kg
I usually ride: Boardman Hybrid Fi My best bike is: Specialized Ruby Elite
I’ve been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,
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