Grouptest - Winter Mountain Bike Gloves: Part 2
21 November 2012 | By AngusMcIntoshThe 2nd and final part of our test looks at the more heavyweight winter specific gloves from the likes of Seal Skinz, Answer and Endura after yesterdays round up of the more lightweight options available from Royal Racing, Fox, One Industries, 661 and Sombrio which you can relive and enjoy in it's full glory here...
For each glove we have taken into account features that matter to you, out in the real world, on the trails as a rider. Attributes such as comfort, warmth, waterproofness, grip when wet, snot wipe ability, style and design to come to a well rounded verdict and give our honest opinion on your best options of gloves when it comes winter.
Answer Strike Gloves
First up we have the Answer Strike Gloves which are constructed from 5mm Neoprene. This material is the type you would more commonly see in winter thickness wetsuits for those hardy 4 season surfers.
They feature a Clarino Amara palm which gives good performance on wet rubber which is essential when your trying to cling to the bards in winter but they don't have any pressure relief or extra grip patches but the palm alone performs adaquetly. They feature an extended cuff that happily tucks into your jacket sleeves.
The styling on the gloves is non existent apart from the brand on one finger and the answer logo splashed all over the palm but in general it's just a black glove fairly business like.
Out riding the strike gloves the neoprene material feels quite tight and restrictive like it's forever trying to pull your fingers back to the slightly curved shape the gloves come in, but over time they will supple and develop a more fist like shape. Riding in heavy rain was great my hands never got wet and the high cuff tucked neatly under my jacket meaning no nasty drips rolled down inside but the lack of grip on the brake levers scared me on numerous occasions as you go to grab the brakes and your fingers slip down the levers and you don't get anywhere near as much stopping power as you planned! In terms of snot wiping ability's the strike is up there with the best!
A great option for when it's really hammering down but minimal styling and the high price tag puts us off.
£32.99 distributed on the UK by Hotlines.
Endura Strike
The Endura Strike gloves are a high cut on the wrist and are constructed of a ripstop waterproof and breathable membrane with a fast dry fleece liner. They feature a neoprene cuff for added comfort and improved fit with Tri-Gel padding strategically positioned on the palms to distribute pressure.
The velcro fastener on the neoprene fabric gives a really good snug fit around the wrist without cutting of blood flow as the stretch in the neoprene is fairly forgiving.
The styling of the gloves feature reflective strips which doubles as a sort of safety feature aswell for when using at night. The gloves are thick and chunky yet somehow still slight and not too clunky on your hands which is great when your trying to grab that brake lever in an emergency especially with the silicon pads for added grip.
During testing I found the fleece liners of the gloves to be on the small side and more annoyingly as you take your hands from inside the gloves the liners move and wrinkle making it a bit trickier to get them back on again, especially if your hands are wet as you put them on! You get a good feedback through the gloves despite them being 2 layers and the palm gave ample grip. The strike gloves didn't leak once during testing
Waterproof and warm with a comfy palm but a touch on the small side and the fleece liners have an annoying habit of getting tangled inside.
The Endura Strike gloves are self distributed by Endura and have an RRP. of £29.99
Seal Skinz Extra cold weather
The Seal Skinz Extra Cold Weather gloves are an extremely high cut waterproof glove featuring primaloft insulation for the ultimate in thermal protection from the harsh conditions of the winter. The Extra Cold gloves are packed with primaloft insulation to give you the most comfortable and warm hands possible even when its really cold! Seal Skinz give these a maximum thermal rating of a whopping 5/5.
They feature a neoprene elasticated cuff with an additional velcro fastener at the top that sits very high on the wrists to keep the gloves in place.
The palm of the gloves are constructed from Soft, durable synthetic material with gel pads on specific points to relieve pressure on the bars.
These are the warmest, most toastie gloves we had on test by an absolute country mile. The only other pair that came close in terms of cosiness were the other offering from Seal Skinz, the Winter gloves. That said you do pay a price with them feeling clunky and big on the handlebars but if I was out riding in the snow or a moorland epic for the day where the wind wouldn't drop below 50mph these would be my gloves of choice. The palm is comfortable and grippy and the gel pads do a good job of reducing pressure on the hands.
The most expensive glove we have on test but he warmest by a country mile. If we were riding in the snow without doubt our glove of choice.
These gloves have an RRP of £50 and are self distributed by Seal Skinz.
Seal Skinz Winter Cycle Gloves
The Seal Skinz Winter cycle gloves are for when the weather isn't quite cold enough to warrant the Extra cold variety with seal skinz giving them a thermal rating of 4/5.
The winter gloves feature the same high cut on the wrist constructed from neoprene with an additional velcro strap to keep a good fit on the upper wrist.
They are constructed from the same ripstop waterproof nylon and use the same synthetic palm with gel pads to distribute pressure on the hands, silicon patterns on the fingers so you always have a good contact on the brake levers and a fleece thumb to take care of all your runny nose needs.
During testing I found these gloves to be incredibly warm and comfy with the palm performing well especially during the wetter conditions but I found with both of the gloves for Seal Skinz these are squarely aimed at winter, wear them out in anything above 10 degrees and your hands will be dripping with sweat. They are a little clunky and consequently you don't get great feel over the brake levers and they don't quite have the same grip on the brake lever blade as the extra cold gloves from Seal Skinz.
Very warm and waterproof but clunky on the brake levers but at £40 they are no cheap deal!
These gloves have an RRP of £40 and are self distributed by Seal Skinz.
Conclusion
So the time has come to pick the two winners from our Winter Glove Group test. It would be impossible and unfair to pick an overall winner as for example the Royal Racing Mercury gloves were not designed to cope with the same conditions that were in mind when the Seal Skinz Extra cold gloves were conceived.
Our winner in yesterdays "Lightweight" category by a whisker from the 661 Storm and One Industries Atmosphere gloves is the Sombrio Shinny Glove. It was a very close run contest with all 3 performing well but the Sombrio's ability to be useful throughout 3 seasons (Autumn, Winter and Spring) opposed to the other gloves 2 (Autumn and Spring) alongside that absolute bargain £21.99 price tag tipped the balance.
In the "Heavyweight" category the winner has to be the Endura Strike Glove despite its annoying habit of the liners getting tangled they were the only glove in todays heavyweight test that didn't feel like it will kill you when attempting to grab the brake levers and they were very warm!
An honourable mention must go out to the Seal Skinz extra cold gloves for being the warmest glove I have ever used in my entire life both on and off the bike!
