Winter gloves square up: Fox Antifreeze £40.00 and Gore Bike Wear Alp-X WS £49.99.

Fox and Gore Bike Wear have taken very different approaches in the quest to keep your fingers warm this winter, with the new Antifreeze Gloves and Alp-X WS gloves respectively.

Fox use a nifty two-piece design with a built-in PU backed laminated waterproof membrane liner and airprene shell for insulation against the cold and protection against the wet. Gore meanwhile opts for a single layer glove using the company’s famous Windstopper fabric to fend off the cold.

The Alp-X gloves offer an excellent fit, though we had to size up to a large from our normal medium. To keep the gloves in place Gore use a wide Velcro strap on the large cuff that easily accommodates the sleeves of a winter jacket. A multi-panel design really helps ensure a good fit across the hand and fingers, and flexibility on the handlebars is good with little restriction operating the gear shifters and brake levers.

Their two-layer design has the effect of trapping air between the liner and the outer, giving your hands fantastic insulation on cold days. On the downside is the extra bulk produced by this design, and as a result they don’t offer the same dexterity as the Alp X’s. On the plus side the inner liner is waterproof so while Gore’s gloves won’t stop your fingers getting a soaking, the Fox’s should keep you both dry and warm.

Features are impressive on both, with the Fox boasting a posh Pittards digital leather palm while the Gore’s get gel padding on the heel of the hand for extra comfort and reflectors and silicone patches on the fingers.

Both of these gloves are good choices for preventing your hands from turning to frozen stumps at the sight of a cold winter’s day. The Fox’s added waterproof liner makes them the better choice for riding in the rain, but the reduced bulk of the windproof-only Gore gloves give them increased freedom of movement. Horses for courses, they both have their pros and cons, and which you choose depends on what you want from your winter gloves.

www.gorebikewear.co.uk and www.foxeurope.com

Need to know more about winter gloves? Check out our buyer’s guide to winter gloves here.