The Troy Lee Designs Swelter is the brand’s aptly named winter-focused glove. It’s got all the features you would expect of a winter mitt but its serious level of insulation is built into a slim package that doesn’t skimp on bar feel. While without a doubt one of the best mountain bike gloves around, its fit could do with a bit more work and other cold-weather gloves outdo the Swelter for considerably less cash.
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Troy Lee Designs Swelter gloves – Technical details
Troy Lee Designs says that the Swelter glove ‘is designed to extend your riding into cooler weather’. As such it’s constructed with a three-layer fabric with a fleece liner inside. There’s a perforation dual-layer palm that’s built with a single-layer base with extra patches of fabric in areas to provide protection and a hint of vibration damping. Handily, there’s a conductive index finger and thumb for easy use with touchscreen devices.
The upper is sorted with small protective TPR pieces along the fingers and at the knuckles, and its extended cuff is compression moulded which the brand says should keep the warmth in for longer. It’s fastened using Velcro.
Troy Lee offers the Swelter in five sizes from S to XXL and two colours, Black and Charcoal, which is pictured here.
Troy Lee Designs Swelter gloves – Performance
When it comes to the best mountain bike gloves, size is key and I’m pleased to report that, for the most part, the Swelter’s sizing is accurate. The palm is spot on with no bunching as the hand wraps around the bar. It’s also great to see the cuff extend well up the wrist which poses a huge benefit that I’ll get into shortly. All is not perfect, however, as each of the fingers on both gloves is a little too long. Not by much but enough to add a hint of obstruction when shifting gears. It also makes using the conductive fingers a little trickier as they’re not placed exactly as you would expect. However, it is great to see that the conductive fingers do play ball with touch screens.
Aside from the long fingers, the Swelter’s performance is impressive. I’ve ridden in them when the temperatures were close to zero and up near 10 degrees centigrade. However, and to the gloves’ credit, these are capable of providing warmth even when the mercury drops below zero. As expected, things can get a little sweaty at higher temperatures but the glove does well to remain comfortable, taking the sting off of a chilly headwind.
Of course, where the glove excels is when the temperatures are lower and thanks to its general build, it’s a force to be reckoned with. And that’s solely down to the incredibly low bulk-to-insulation ratio of its build. In practice, the Swelter doesn’t feel too far off of a regular all-weather glove, especially in terms of bar feel. That’s down to the well-thought-out construction of its palm.
When riding, the palm isn’t exposed to cool air so it doesn’t need to be heavily insulated. It comprises a single-layer suede-like fabric but with small bonus patches at the outer of the palm to add some abrasion resistance and durability. This design is great though, as it blends durability with bar feel and communication, all while adding important insulation during those colder rides.
I’m a fan of the extended cuff, too. Whether I’ve ridden with a jacket, or a baselayer, gilet, and long-sleeve jersey, it helpfully covers any hand/jersey/jacket gap, adding useful protection and warmth against the elements. It connects the base layer to the glove, making for a layer that’s impervious to cold air.
Be it the conductive fingers or slim build, there’s a lot to like about the Swelter gloves but there’s another bit of a niggle that comes alongside the overly lengthy fingers – the seams. While comfort is generally quite good, the seams run along the tips of the fingers and they can be felt throughout a ride. This is common on loads of gloves but some combat this through careful and clever placement of these seams.
Troy Lee Designs Swelter glove – Verdict
While the Troy Lee Designs Swelter is without a doubt a top performer, it’s pricey at £46. This places it firmly above the category-leading 100% Brisker which is listed at £32.
Through the use of its single-layer Clarino palm, its soft-shell-insulated upper, and its moisture-wicking interior, the Brisker boasts better comfort all-round. It fits better too and because of that, the tech-thread at the fingers works even better with touchscreens.
Fox’s Ranger Fire gloves beat the Swelter for value at £35. This glove comes with water-resistant tech and makes a middle ground between the Swelter and the Brisker both in price and performance. It gets an extended cuff and conductive threads at the fingers but the webbing between the fingers isn’t waterproof, and the cuff is quite tight, making the glove hard to pull on. It’s a bulkier glove, so price aside, the Troy Lee Swelter wins out in performance.
Regardless of its downsides, the Troy Lee Designs Swelter glove is an excellent option for winter riding owing to its extended cuff, thin build, and effective insulation. If you’re able to bag a bargain, it’ll be money well spent. However, due to the slightly odd fit and seams at the fingers, cheaper alternatives make the Swelter a difficult choice to justify.
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Product purpose:
Build extra:
2. Bottom velcro closure
3. Dual layer perforated palm
4. Finger protection 4 knuckle / 4 finger TPR
5. Lever grip 4 silicone print fingertips
6. 3 layer fabric w/ Fleece Liner
7. Conductive index & thumb
Product construction
Product construction extra:
Product performance
Product performance extra:
Product comfort
Product comfort extra:
product value
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