Winter gloves and overshoes for road cyclists - Warm through the winter: Gloves and overshoes

We tested twelve pairs of gloves and overshoes at prices between 35 and 100 euros (gloves) and 36 and 140 euros (overshoes) for fit, weather protection and handling - in practice and in the test lab. The good news: the most expensive offer is not automatically the best. Manufacturers such as Rose, Vaude or Endura always offer good value for money. The cheapest hand and overshoes from Rose cost 70 euros, a third of the price of the Castelli products. All products are listed with the full model name and retail price according to the manufacturer.

The test field at a glance

All 12 gloves, prices according to RRP

• Biehler Neo Classic Winter Gloves
• Bontrager Velocis Winter Gloves
• Castelli Spettacolo Ros Glove
• Endura Pro SL Waterproof Glove
• GripGrab Waterproof Winter Glove
• Mavic Ksyrium Pro Thermo Glove
• Pearl Izumi Pro Barrier WXB Glove
• Poc Thermal Glove
• Proviz Reflect 360 Cycling Gloves
• Rose Road Eurotex II winter gloves
• Sportful Fiandre Light Glove
• Vaude Kuro Gloves II

All 12 overshoes

• Biehler Neo Classic Winter Shoe Cover
• Bontrager S1 Halo Softshell Shoe Cover
• Castelli Estremo Shoe Cover
• Endura Freezing Point Overshoe
• GripGrab Deep Winter Hi-Vis Shoe Cover
• Mavic Ksyrium Essential Thermo Shoe Cover
• Pearl Izumi Pro Amfib WXB Shoe Cover
• Poc Thermal Bootie
• Proviz Waterproof Shoe Covers
• Rose Road Racer II overshoes
• Sportful Fiandre Bootie
• Vaude Shoecover Chronos III

Which model you ultimately decide on depends not only on the test score but also on how well the gloves and overshoes fit you, how much money you want to spend on them - and what your nose and cranks can take. The otherwise very good glove from Castelli, for example, really grinds on the sensitive nose. And if you ride Shimano cranks on your bike, only the overshoes from Poc and Sportful can be reasonably sure that they won't rub against the crank arms.

This is how extensively TOUR tests

Fit (30 per cent)

All gloves and overshoes were tried on in a standardised size L/XL (43 to 45) by different testers. We compared the feel of the fingers, the back of the hand, the palm and especially the crook of the thumb. Some candidates such as Biehler or Rose stood out due to their relatively tight fingers and short fingers; the models from Pearl Izumi or Vaude are relatively large.

Weather protection (40 per cent)

The grade results from the degree of insulation and the waterproofness. We determined the degree of insulation by means of cooling behaviour. A heatable aluminium body with a defined temperature is placed in the glove or overshoe and blown on and cooled with a fan for a certain time. The smaller the difference between the start and end temperature after the defined time, the better. Waterproofness was tested by immersion and by means of a spray jet. Candidates that showed no water ingress after a set time were given the best score; models that allowed water to penetrate through seams or zips were given a correspondingly lower score.

Handling (20 per cent)

Easy donning and doffing of gloves and overshoes is a key criterion for handling. In order to assess the grip properties on very smooth brake levers, we moistened the gloves from the outside. The thicker the padding of the gloves, the more indirect the feel when shifting and braking. Overshoes that fit very tightly on the shoe are sometimes very difficult to put on. Easy-to-use Velcro or zip fasteners and donning aids make handling much easier. We also rated the nose wipe patch on the thumb.

Processing (10 per cent)

Before the test, all gloves were washed in the washing machine on a delicate cycle with mild detergent. Experience has shown that some gloves with gel padding or synthetic leather stiffen as a result.

Downloads:
PDF: Gloves and overshoes for the winter