Product name: Gore Wear - Gore-Tex Insulated Trigger Gloves
Price paid: £69.99 (with 30% discount coupon) - £99.99 RRP
Score (out of 10): 9/10
Review: In the UK, the clocks changed last weekend. Although we’re only at the beginning of November, this usually symbolises the start of the cold season. For the next 4 or 5 months, it’ll be dark at about 4pm, and the temperatures will come down to anything between about 5°C to -5°C… especially early in the morning (when I normally ride).
As a person who suffers from Reynaud’s Syndrome / Phenomenon (poor circulation to the extremities of your body - fingers / toes) I spend the next few months with perpetually cold hands. I do as much as possible to help this - heated mat on my desk at work, heated steering wheel in my car, electric blanket, thermal slippers, wearing gloves when outside etc - but something that usually makes my hands extra cold is cycling.
I’ve tried various different gloves - heated, insulated, layered etc - but they all come with their own advantages / disadvantages.
Here’s a pic and description of what I’ve tried and tested before. I’ve stolen this from another thread that I posted last year… but it gives you an idea on what lengths I’ve gone to to try and keep my hands warm!
Top left: Sealskins heated glove. Keep hands VERY warm… but too thick to feel the bars and my hands sweat a lot - even with them switched off. Heavy with battery in pocket at wrist. A bit ‘gauntlet’ like. I’d expect them to be more use for -10°C (and below) than the temps I’m using them at.
Top middle: Fox something - were sold as winter / waterproof gloves. I had them on yesterday as it was about 8degC and raining. They make my hands sweat like hell, and when I take my hand out, the lining almost comes out with them making them impossible to put back on again. Kept my hands warm enough, but once they get wet they’re utterly useless!!
Top right: Glacier Gloves. Taped seams and fully waterproof. I actually use these for washing the car in winter, and can put my hand in and out of a bucket of water without it getting wet. Good for wet rides at about 4degC and above, but I still end up with cold fingers at the lower temps after a longer ride.
Bottom Left: Keiss heated motorcycle lining gloves. Not too thick, and are worn with a pair of XL fox gloves (Bottom middle) on top of them. The 2 pairs are still thinner than the Sealskins and more dexterous… however it’s a pain to run wires up my sleeves to the battery pack which goes in my chest pocket. Still too bulky to get a proper feel of the bar… but warm fingers and not sweaty hands! A bulky single battery for both gloves, and potentially a bulky controller too if I want to adjust the temp and not have them on full heat all the time.
Bottom right: Fox Defend (I think). Not specifically a winter glove, but a bit thicker than my regular gloves. I wore these today (about 9degC) and was fine. Probably not warm enough for much below that though.
Enough about my glove history though... lets get onto the subject at hand (at hand - get it?!!)
I wouldn’t call myself a ‘Gore Wear’ fan boi as such… but I do have quite a lot of their stuff. It’s good quality gear - perhaps a bit over priced - but it performs well. I have Gore-Tex shorts / trousers / 2x jackets - as well as some of their (non Gore-Tex) shorts, trousers, t-shirts, windstopper jacket… and some padded backside shorts. The colours / designs are usually pretty nondescript, but the quality is A1 and the products are well designed and thought out. I usually pick up the previous seasons gear in a sale or with a discount code so it’s not quite so hard on the pocket!
I recently had a mail shot from them for some new products, and in amongst this were the Gore Gore-Tex Insulated Trigger Gloves.
£99.99 a pair (ouch), but I had a voucher for 30% off. The reviews said they fit small, so I ordered a size 8 and 9 (L and XL - although most companies have an 8 as a M) since they have free returns. I’m a M in most gloves, and the L’s in these fit me perfectly.
They come in neon yellow or black. I’m not entirely sure why I took the neon ones as they’re going to get filthy… but most of my gloves are grey or black and I thought these would be easy to find in amongst them! If I'd opted for black, I could have used them for other purposes too - like standing watching my kids play sports etc - but I think the luminous yellow ruins any versatility!!
Although I haven’t been snowboarding for years, my favourite snow gloves are a pair of POW Gore-Tex mitts that have a trigger finger. The idea being that your 3 fingers together keep each other warm… but you still have your index finger to be able to do stuff. This is the same theory with the Gore ones. 1 finger for braking, and 3 for holding on. Inside the mitt - the 3 fingers are slotted into their own lined ‘fingers’ to help keep them warm.
In summer, I’ve been riding in a pair of Leat 4.0 Lite MTB gloves, which are so thin you barely know you’re wearing them. These are not like this at all… however they’re much thinner than any of the other winter gloves I’ve tried. The palm is padded, but not so much that you lose feeling on the bars. You are aware that you’re wearing a glove, but it doesn’t feel like an inconvenience. Given their size, they feel remarkably light, and not bulky on your hands.
They have a slight curve to them so that ergonomic for holding a handlebar, and have phone / touch screen compatible finger / thumb. Out of all the winter gloves I have, these are the only ones that offer this. I often end up unlocking my phone with my nose as it’s one of the few exposed parts… but these should stop that! They also have some rubber grippy bits on the underside too. I can see this wearing off with time though. The whole palm is a rubberised material to give grip too.
The Gore-Tex liner ensures these are waterproof - which is useful for the cold / rainy days.
The thumb and finger liners are actually attached to the inside of the gloves, meaning they won’t be pulled inside out when taking them off. This is something I find quite irritating with a lot of winter gloves, as it makes them awkward to get back on… especially if your hands are sweaty / clammy.
So far, I’ve only managed to use them 3 times… and so far it probably hasn’t really been cold enough for them. The dexterity of them is very good, and I can quite easily change gear and work my dropper. I don’t feel like I’m having to strangle the bars when going downhill, which is something I find with really thick gloves. I tend to grip WAY harder than I should!
I probably 1 finger brake 90% of the time, but I must occasionally use 2 fingers - as I’ve caught myself out a couple of times trying to move my middle finger when it’s trapped in the mitt! I guess a few more rides and I’ll get used to this.
Considering these are a winter glove, and my fingers are bulkier than my usual gloves, the touch screen fingers / thumb work precisely - and I was able to reply to a couple of messages without taking them off.
The temperatures I’ve worn these in are about 7-10°C, and I can feel my hands sweating a little with the gloves on. Nothing like my Sealskins heated gloves (with them switched off) though. During summer, I would probably ride fire tracks or non technical sections with my hands resting on my bars (rather than gripping them) to let my fingers breathe with the airflow. There is no airflow getting through these - which I guess is half the point of a winter glove.
As suspected, the yellow is going to end up being filthy. None of my 3 rides were particularly muddy, but the gloves have a few marks on them from scraping past overgrown bushes! Once I get out in the muddy trails, I suspect they'll get filthy. Nothing a washing machine won't sort... but I don't want to be continually washing Gore-Tex kit. I think the black would have definitely been a better choice - but too late now!
It’ll be interesting to see how they cope with colder temperatures as we move into winter. So far they’re looking very promising to be the balance of warmth and dexterity that I’m looking for… without being too hot! I'll give them a 9/10 for now - but will adjust if necessary after some further testing.
Price paid: £69.99 (with 30% discount coupon) - £99.99 RRP
Score (out of 10): 9/10
Review: In the UK, the clocks changed last weekend. Although we’re only at the beginning of November, this usually symbolises the start of the cold season. For the next 4 or 5 months, it’ll be dark at about 4pm, and the temperatures will come down to anything between about 5°C to -5°C… especially early in the morning (when I normally ride).
As a person who suffers from Reynaud’s Syndrome / Phenomenon (poor circulation to the extremities of your body - fingers / toes) I spend the next few months with perpetually cold hands. I do as much as possible to help this - heated mat on my desk at work, heated steering wheel in my car, electric blanket, thermal slippers, wearing gloves when outside etc - but something that usually makes my hands extra cold is cycling.
I’ve tried various different gloves - heated, insulated, layered etc - but they all come with their own advantages / disadvantages.
Here’s a pic and description of what I’ve tried and tested before. I’ve stolen this from another thread that I posted last year… but it gives you an idea on what lengths I’ve gone to to try and keep my hands warm!
Top left: Sealskins heated glove. Keep hands VERY warm… but too thick to feel the bars and my hands sweat a lot - even with them switched off. Heavy with battery in pocket at wrist. A bit ‘gauntlet’ like. I’d expect them to be more use for -10°C (and below) than the temps I’m using them at.
Top middle: Fox something - were sold as winter / waterproof gloves. I had them on yesterday as it was about 8degC and raining. They make my hands sweat like hell, and when I take my hand out, the lining almost comes out with them making them impossible to put back on again. Kept my hands warm enough, but once they get wet they’re utterly useless!!
Top right: Glacier Gloves. Taped seams and fully waterproof. I actually use these for washing the car in winter, and can put my hand in and out of a bucket of water without it getting wet. Good for wet rides at about 4degC and above, but I still end up with cold fingers at the lower temps after a longer ride.
Bottom Left: Keiss heated motorcycle lining gloves. Not too thick, and are worn with a pair of XL fox gloves (Bottom middle) on top of them. The 2 pairs are still thinner than the Sealskins and more dexterous… however it’s a pain to run wires up my sleeves to the battery pack which goes in my chest pocket. Still too bulky to get a proper feel of the bar… but warm fingers and not sweaty hands! A bulky single battery for both gloves, and potentially a bulky controller too if I want to adjust the temp and not have them on full heat all the time.
Bottom right: Fox Defend (I think). Not specifically a winter glove, but a bit thicker than my regular gloves. I wore these today (about 9degC) and was fine. Probably not warm enough for much below that though.
Enough about my glove history though... lets get onto the subject at hand (at hand - get it?!!)
I wouldn’t call myself a ‘Gore Wear’ fan boi as such… but I do have quite a lot of their stuff. It’s good quality gear - perhaps a bit over priced - but it performs well. I have Gore-Tex shorts / trousers / 2x jackets - as well as some of their (non Gore-Tex) shorts, trousers, t-shirts, windstopper jacket… and some padded backside shorts. The colours / designs are usually pretty nondescript, but the quality is A1 and the products are well designed and thought out. I usually pick up the previous seasons gear in a sale or with a discount code so it’s not quite so hard on the pocket!
I recently had a mail shot from them for some new products, and in amongst this were the Gore Gore-Tex Insulated Trigger Gloves.
£99.99 a pair (ouch), but I had a voucher for 30% off. The reviews said they fit small, so I ordered a size 8 and 9 (L and XL - although most companies have an 8 as a M) since they have free returns. I’m a M in most gloves, and the L’s in these fit me perfectly.
They come in neon yellow or black. I’m not entirely sure why I took the neon ones as they’re going to get filthy… but most of my gloves are grey or black and I thought these would be easy to find in amongst them! If I'd opted for black, I could have used them for other purposes too - like standing watching my kids play sports etc - but I think the luminous yellow ruins any versatility!!
Although I haven’t been snowboarding for years, my favourite snow gloves are a pair of POW Gore-Tex mitts that have a trigger finger. The idea being that your 3 fingers together keep each other warm… but you still have your index finger to be able to do stuff. This is the same theory with the Gore ones. 1 finger for braking, and 3 for holding on. Inside the mitt - the 3 fingers are slotted into their own lined ‘fingers’ to help keep them warm.
In summer, I’ve been riding in a pair of Leat 4.0 Lite MTB gloves, which are so thin you barely know you’re wearing them. These are not like this at all… however they’re much thinner than any of the other winter gloves I’ve tried. The palm is padded, but not so much that you lose feeling on the bars. You are aware that you’re wearing a glove, but it doesn’t feel like an inconvenience. Given their size, they feel remarkably light, and not bulky on your hands.
They have a slight curve to them so that ergonomic for holding a handlebar, and have phone / touch screen compatible finger / thumb. Out of all the winter gloves I have, these are the only ones that offer this. I often end up unlocking my phone with my nose as it’s one of the few exposed parts… but these should stop that! They also have some rubber grippy bits on the underside too. I can see this wearing off with time though. The whole palm is a rubberised material to give grip too.
The Gore-Tex liner ensures these are waterproof - which is useful for the cold / rainy days.
The thumb and finger liners are actually attached to the inside of the gloves, meaning they won’t be pulled inside out when taking them off. This is something I find quite irritating with a lot of winter gloves, as it makes them awkward to get back on… especially if your hands are sweaty / clammy.
So far, I’ve only managed to use them 3 times… and so far it probably hasn’t really been cold enough for them. The dexterity of them is very good, and I can quite easily change gear and work my dropper. I don’t feel like I’m having to strangle the bars when going downhill, which is something I find with really thick gloves. I tend to grip WAY harder than I should!
I probably 1 finger brake 90% of the time, but I must occasionally use 2 fingers - as I’ve caught myself out a couple of times trying to move my middle finger when it’s trapped in the mitt! I guess a few more rides and I’ll get used to this.
Considering these are a winter glove, and my fingers are bulkier than my usual gloves, the touch screen fingers / thumb work precisely - and I was able to reply to a couple of messages without taking them off.
The temperatures I’ve worn these in are about 7-10°C, and I can feel my hands sweating a little with the gloves on. Nothing like my Sealskins heated gloves (with them switched off) though. During summer, I would probably ride fire tracks or non technical sections with my hands resting on my bars (rather than gripping them) to let my fingers breathe with the airflow. There is no airflow getting through these - which I guess is half the point of a winter glove.
As suspected, the yellow is going to end up being filthy. None of my 3 rides were particularly muddy, but the gloves have a few marks on them from scraping past overgrown bushes! Once I get out in the muddy trails, I suspect they'll get filthy. Nothing a washing machine won't sort... but I don't want to be continually washing Gore-Tex kit. I think the black would have definitely been a better choice - but too late now!
It’ll be interesting to see how they cope with colder temperatures as we move into winter. So far they’re looking very promising to be the balance of warmth and dexterity that I’m looking for… without being too hot! I'll give them a 9/10 for now - but will adjust if necessary after some further testing.
