Castelli Mortirolo Gloves

Castelli's Mortirolo gloves are a mid-weight design for milder days when deep winter gloves can get a bit sweaty. They're pricey, but they work very well, and do so for the majority of our British winter days and well into spring.

Castelli says the Mortirolo gloves are designed to offer decent protection in mild weather, and I'd agree that the gloves are best suited to those late winter and early spring days where it isn't freezing, but isn't warm either.

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The Mortirolos are perfect for those days when it's hovering below 10°C. Castelli gives them a temperature range of 7-15°C, but I'd go a little lower: I found their effective temperature range to be between 5°C if I was on a harder ride – therefore keeping myself a bit warmer – and about 14°C on easier days and especially, for that upper range, the roll down the hill to the office. The exact range the gloves are best in will depend on your own personal thermometer, but to give you a guide, my hands suffer from the cold in anything below about 5°C.

Castelli has gone with a Gore-Tex Infinium Windstopper fabric for the body of the gloves. That's a great choice in my opinion as the windproofing is excellent and means your hands stay warm. You just need to be a bit careful about taking these out on really cold days as the lack of insulation can bite you.

That material also means the breathability is impressive and this combination gives the Mortirolo a decent temperature range that will cover the majority of a British winter, from late autumn to spring. Throw in a little bit of water-resistance and you're protected for most rideable days.

The YKK zipper is also given the water-resistant treatment to prevent water seeping in here. While it is a nice idea, which allows you to get the gloves easily over a liner or wrap the cuff over a jacket, in use I wasn't overly impressed.

For me there is a bit too much space around the wrist (my wrists are very skinny) and that meant the zip would simply fold if I tried to unzip. The only workaround I found was to remove the glove, unzip it, and then pop it back on.

How much will this trouble you when riding? That depends on how much you like to take your gloves off. If you do this a lot, especially while on the move, it can be a bit of a pain and, personally, I'd have preferred a simple elasticated cuff.

A lack of padding might be an issue for some, but I prefer a natural feel of the bar, and with the silicone grippers, I had both good dexterity and plenty of control.

The sting in the Castelli scorpion's tail is the price. For £75, at least they offer a decent range of temperature coverage, so you'll be able to use them a lot. But you can spend less to get a similar fabric. The Gore C3 Gore-Tex Infinium Stretch Mid Gloves, now £54.99, are just as thin, and are lighter at 51g to the Mortirolo's 72g, though I'd say Castelli has done a better job of the sizing and finish on the Mortirolo gloves.

Not that it'd be like me to encourage you to spend more money on bike stuff, but I still find myself coming back to Dissent 133's glove pack at £95 as the best value solution if you want all bases covered. That kit will see you through absolutely everything from early autumn to late spring.

> Spring cycling clothing guide: how to choose and use the best gear to ride through the most unpredictable season

With these Castellis, the question will be whether you have the cash to throw at them. They're great gloves, minus a few frustrations with the zip, and the temperature range means you'll get a lot of use out of them.

Verdict

Great temperature range and material works perfectly, but oh the price