• SealSkinz Bike Glove
• £30
• SealSkinz
• 01553 622030

On cold, wet days (of the sort that we occasionally get in the UK) it can often be a challenge to keep you extremities dry and warm while out on the bike. SealSkinz has been offering its popular waterproof socks for some time now, and just in time for winter it’s launching an all-new bike glove.

On the outside the SealSkinz glove is nothing out of the ordinary. The palm is the familiar synthetic suedey stuff used by just about everyone, with an extra layer across the base of the fingers and thin padded areas on the palm and heel of the thumb. The back is a simple woven fabric, with a towelling thumb for wiping things that need wiping.

The tips of the first two fingers and thumb have a grippy patch for added brake lever/shifter security and a Velcro-adjustable neoprene cuff keeps the gloves snug.

So far so par for the course. The clever bit is inside – the gloves are lined with a knitted inner glove (well stitched in so it won’t come out with your hand or get all tangled up) with a Porelle DXT stretch waterproof membrane between it and the outer glove. Give the gloves a bit of a scrunch and you can feel the membrane crinkling, a bit like a thin plastic bag. Unlike a plastic bag, the DXT membrane is fully breathable, so combined with the comfy knitted liner your fingers should stay dry, and hence warm.

So much for the theory, do they work? Well, yes. They’re definitely 100% waterproof. And breathable? Yes, up to a point. If you’re working hard (or have unusually sweaty hands) then you can find yourself with a hint of dampness inside, although the knitted liner tends to absorb it and keep things comfy. There’s no particular insulation in the gloves, although the waterproof membrane keeps the wind off, so in properly wintery conditions you might want something bulkier. Most of the time, though, being dry is enough and the trade-off is a much thinner glove.

The cut’s quite simple and with multiple layers in there we did get a bit of bunching but not really enough to cause any discomfort. It’d be nice to see some reflective material on the back, given that the gloves are likely to find favour with all-weather commuter types.

Positives: Keeps your hands dry, machine washable, decent price
Negatives: Unsophisticated cut, might not be warm enough in the depths of winter

There are other waterproof gloves out there, but the SealSkinz offering is notably thin and lightweight, making operating the controls hardly any different from wearing regular long-fingered gloves. We like.

Performance: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Overall: 4/5