Velocio Race Gloves

The Velocio Race Gloves are not flashy or high tech, but they are well made, comfortable, and you hardly notice them on long rides.

The Velocios are designed to be minimalist, to allow you to feel the road surface better through the handlebar. With no padding on the palms, they allow you to get a better feel of the surface you're riding on, especially compared to more heavily padded gloves. On longer and bumpy rides you might end up with slightly more tender hands, but you will have a better feel of road conditions – there are definitely pros and cons to both glove types.

> Buy these online here

The palm of the gloves is made from a thick 50/50 polyamide and polyurethane mix that feels almost like suede. It is thick enough that it gives you a bit of protection and stops you getting blisters on long rides, but thin enough that it still allows for decent road feel. It also seems highly durable and I wouldn't be surprised if these gloves survived a spill onto tarmac.

On the palms there are a few ventilation holes to increase breathability and a small area of silicone in the shape of the Velocio logo. Between the two middle fingers there's a pull tab and two small ventilation holes on each finger and that is literally everything on the palm. It is very minimalist and understated.

There is also a small wrist guard for added protection, which works with the general pared-down aesthetic of the gloves. They are on the shorter side compared with some, with the wrist guard only about 1cm lower than my palm. This isn't a bad thing, though, as I can easily wear watches or fitness trackers without the gloves getting in the way.

Despite the fabric being slightly compressive (it's not my hands in the photos), the gloves are still very easy to get off thanks to those pull tabs which are easy to grip.

What silicone gripper there is on the palms works relatively well, especially when you're riding on the hoods, but personally I like to have a little more grip on my gloves so I can shift my hands around a little more on longer rides.

On the top, the fabric is an 80/20 polyamide and elastane mix and provides a good amount of stretch and quick wicking. It has a little bit of noticeable compression, which is a nice touch; it's not quite what you would get from a dedicated compression fabric, but enough to make them slightly more comfortable. The added stretch also means the gloves mould nicely to your hands without any folds or wrinkles.

Breathability and ventilation are impressive and mean that I was comfortable using these on hot days despite the dark colour. This comes from both the material choice on the top of the glove and the mesh between the fingers, which allows air to flow over the hand nicely.

Another nice element is the double thickness material between the thumb and forefinger to give added durability and protection to the area that has most contact with the bar. There is also a microfibre area on the rear of the thumbs to allow you to wipe sweat (or snot) or to clear glasses.

Their RRP of £36 is a little steep for gloves, but broadly in line with other high quality racing gloves. The Mavic Cosmic Pros that Stu reviewed in 2018 are now the same price and with similar qualities – Stu mentioning specifically the ease of getting them on and off and the cut – and they come in cheaper than Alé's Air gloves, which have gone up to £42 since Shaun reviewed them in 2018; they have a little bit of padding, but are broadly similar with a high wicking material and a good fit.

> Buyer’s Guide: 9 of the best summer cycling mitts

Overall, the Velocios are a good set of racing gloves that are robust, offer good breathability, fit really well with just a little compression, and look understated and classy. I admit that I was a little tentative initially as these arrived during a heatwave, and wearing dark coloured mitts in 30 degrees+ can be a bit of a nightmare, but it wasn't the case at all with these thanks to their effective wicking and ventilation.

Verdict

High quality and comfortable pair of road mitts