Our fingers are like frontline soldiers. They hold out in the front line, always ready to intervene, regardless of whether it's storming or snowing. While you can wrap the rest of your body in increasingly thicker layers as the temperature drops, you can't simply wrap your fingers in layer after layer like you would with Baumkuchen. This would mean losing all feeling on the handlebars and every braking manoeuvre in wintry conditions would be a gamble. However, to keep your fingers ready for action even at temperatures below freezing, you need a system of layers in the smallest possible space. Without a wind-repellent outer layer, nothing works in winter. After just a few kilometres, your fingers would feel like carrots from the freezer - stiff and cold.
However, windstopper alone only keeps you warm to a certain extent. The wind passing over your hands cools your fingers and the back of your hands considerably due to the tight-fitting material. Even thin insulation made of Thinsulate or similar material therefore extends the range of use enormously. It interrupts the connection between the outside and inside of the glove like the thermal insulation of a residential building. If the winter glove also has a waterproof membrane, like the Endura Striker, you no longer need to worry about frozen brake fingers even in wet snow. On the palm, however, you should largely do without thick padding.
Here's an example: if you walk on dry tiles, your toes literally stick to the floor. However, as soon as there is even a thin film of water in between, the bathroom becomes a slippery slope. If there are several layers on the palm of the bike glove, a secure grip on the handlebars becomes a wobbly affair. This is because the individual layers shift against each other. A single, more robust layer of synthetic leather is better here, especially as the inside of the hand is turned away from the wind and is therefore in principle well protected anyway. This maintains a secure and direct grip even in winter.
+++ A large selection of MTB gloves for winter from Roeckl, Gore Wear, Ziener, Grip Grab or Rose are available to buy in the Rose online shop. +++
To close the last remaining hatch through which the wind could blow, the cuff should definitely extend further over the wrist than with a conventional glove. Whether you wear the cuff over or under your jacket is up to you. The main thing is that the wind doesn't get the chance to creep into your jacket through the back door.
You can find the test results of these six bike gloves for winter here:
ENDURA Strike Glove
Conclusion Cleanly finished and well lined; the Strike offers a very good fit, sufficiently long cuffs, usable Velcro fasteners and is also waterproof; the inner lining slips easily when you take it off. BIKE judgement²: Very good
Price 39,99 Euro
Info www.endurasport.com
Sizes XS-XXL
Weight¹ 114 grammes
Equipment Wind/water-repellent, Velcro, towelling thumb, gel padding
GIRO Ambient Gel
Conclusion Warm waffle structure on the inside; however, this causes a lot of material to accumulate in the already narrow fingers; otherwise rather loose fit with inflexible softshell surface; brake finger with touch function slips easily. BIKE judgement²: Good
Price 49,95 Euro
Info www.grofa.com
Sizes XS-XXL
Weight¹ 111 grammes
Equipment Wind/water-repellent, touch screen fingers, Velcro, towelling thumb, gel padding
GORE BIKE WEAR Alp-X 2.0 WS SS Light
Conclusion Top fit, good grip, good grip on handlebars and brake levers; apart from the Windstopper membrane, however, there is no lining and the cuff is also very short; more suitable for milder days. BIKE judgement²: Very good
Price 59,95 Euro
Info
www.goreapparel.de
Sizes 6-11
Weight¹ 66 grammes
Equipment Windstopper, Velcro, towelling thumb, gel padding
MAVIC Stratos Thermo Glove
Conclusion Very good fit with tight but well-fitting fingers; good, direct grip; very inflexible softshell surface and just long enough cuff; without additional lining only for cool to cold days. BIKE judgement²: Very good
Price 60,00 Euro
Info www.mavic.com
Sizes XS-XXL
Weight¹ 72 grammes
Equipment Wind/water-repellent, touch screen fingers, Velcro, towelling thumb, foam padding
SCOTT Winter Glove
Conclusion Lightly lined windstopper glove with extremely long, supple cuff; a little too much material on the palm and less defined fingers; comfortable model for cold days. BIKE judgement²: Good
Price 59,95 Euro
Info www.scott-sports.com
Sizes XS-XXXL
Weight¹ 91 grammes
Equipment Windstopper, towelling thumb, touch screen fingers
SIXSIXONE Storm Glove
Conclusion Very good trail glove with top fit, but somewhat narrow fingers; grippy and very direct feel on the handlebars; wind-repellent and lightly lined upper material; somewhat short cuff. BIKE judgement²: Very good
Price 59,90 Euro
Info www.cosmicsports.de
Sizes XS-XXL
Weight¹ 110 grammes
Equipment Wind-repellent, Velcro, towelling thumb
¹BIKE measurement, ²The BIKE judgement is independent of price, BIKE judgements: super, very good, good, satisfactory, with weaknesses, unsatisfactory.
You can read the entire BIKE 2/2015 issue in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or buy the issue in the DK shop reorder:
Stefan Frey
Editor
