Cycling Gloves – pedalnorth

Nalini Red Label Gloves

in Cycle Clothing, Cycling Gloves, Health and Lifestyle, Kit Reviews, Technical Kit

Nalini Red Label Gloves

It’s not easy to know what to say about cycling gloves. However, these classic, fingerless style summer mitts are exceptionally well made, look stylish and compliment the Nalini Red Label range.

I’m all for matching my kit to my bike so I was particularly pleased that these gloves with the red/black/white design matched my main bike so well. Riding a bike is all about looking good, right?

The gloves’ design incorporates a moderate amount of branding including the ‘na’ logo seen across the Nalini range. There’s a small strip of reflective piping across the back and although called Red Gloves they are also available in lime green, black or white.

They have non slip grip detailing on the palm and fingers, and a generous amount of padding to the thumb joint and heel of the hand – essentially the area that you rest with on the drops – great for cushioning and damping vibrations. Yes, unlike many brands, it all actually works a treat, as intended by the designers. I found the amount of padding suited me perfectly, although appreciating that this would be an area very much down to personal preference.

There’s loads of venting to the palm and backs to help keep the hands cool on hotter days and a soft, absorbent area to the thumb for wiping brow, nose etc. Finger loops provide easy removal of the gloves.

Rosti Soft Touch TT Glove

in Cycle Clothing, Cycling Gloves, Health and Lifestyle, Kit Reviews, Technical Kit

Rosti Soft Touch TT Glove

These really are a well thought out and we’ll made glove. Using a one piece, strong and stretchy Tavolara fabric on the back of the hand, with a long pull on tab that’s part of the palm cloth, they’re extremely light and very well fitted. Whilst light, the material is extremely tough and also reasonably breathable too. It oozes Italian quality in every stitch and weave.

The palm is a tough suede style material, with pads by TMF, well-spaced to cushion just where needed and not elsewhere. On long hard rides, with lots of climbing, the pads do their job well, ensuring that the palms are kept comfortable. Stitching is excellent, and there’s very little to wrong with these mitts. The fingerless ends are well finished, with clean cuts and no loose threads, and some quality stitching of separate small material panels between each finger.

The gloves fit tight, keep you warm enough, cushion superbly and have a top quality finish. The design is pure Rosti – Italian red with the logo across the back, and why not. I love how the wrist is high, making sure that if you have arm warmers on, it’s a clean fit between the two items. These gloves are high end and could easily become a favourite.

A full 5 star accessory by this established Italian brand, and with style in every stitch.

GripGrab Shark Gloves

in Cycle Clothing, Cycling Gloves, Health and Lifestyle, Kit Reviews, Technical Kit

GribGrab Shark Gloves

Gloves – they come in varying shapes, sizes and materials for different ride conditions and types of riding. Not everyone likes riding with gloves on year round, but since your hands are one of the first things you thrust out to arrest your fall in the event you come off your bike then its far better to trash a pair of gloves than the skin on your hands!

Onto the gloves in hand – if you’ll pardon the pun; the Shark gloves by Danish company GripGrab are a lightweight full-fingered offering that they bill as a mtb glove. However, having worn these for both road and trail riding, I’d say they work well for any kind of cycling activity, and would be the perfect choice for the cooler spring days where its not quite warm enough to go fingerless, but too warm for thicker winter gloves. The thin soft mesh material across the back of the glove keeps the chill off nicely, and flexes with your hand as you tighten your grip on the handlebars.

The backs of the index and middle fingers come tipped with faux suede as a little added protection from the wind, since these are the fingers that will be more exposed to the elements to operate gears and brakes as you ride, and the little finger has a small reflective detail for a flash of brightness when caught in the light.

The thumb of the glove, from wrist to tip on the back is a soft brushed fabric; GripGrab call this the sweat wiper, and whilst it’s certainly useful for that, we all know its really for dealing with the ride induced sniffles we’re all prone too that aren’t quite worthy of a snot torpedo (if you’ve managed to master that skill) – and very gentle it is on the nose too!

Flipping the hand over, the glove is constructed of soft faux suede panels, cleverly designed to perfectly fit the contours of the palm so that there’s no bunching of material as you close your grip. The 4mm DoctorGel padding positioned over the heel of the hand and middle of the palm adds extra comfort to a ride, helping to absorb a little of the shock from the handlebars, and there’s a small amount of padding around the hook of the thumb where your hand would nestle into the hoods or flat bar, which is another nice touch.

A few more added extras are the silicon grip details on the tips of the thumb, index and middle fingers, so no more butter-fingers when handling your gadgetry with gloved hands. Another unexpected bonus is that the gloves are touch screen compatible, which I can confirm, all five fingers (well four fingers and a thumb if you want to be pedantic) working well; which is great for operating your smartphone whilst out on a ride. No more fiddling about taking gloves on and off to text, answer calls or takes photos! There’s also a tiny magnet hidden away on the wrist of each glove, which is really handy for keeping them paired together when not in use.

On the whole these are a very well thought out, well made pair of gloves that will see you through cooler days in comfort, until it’s time to be bare fingered once more. I’d definitely recommend them and they easily achieve five stars for quality, comfort and performance.

GripGrab Windster Gloves

in Cycle Clothing, Cycling Gloves, Health and Lifestyle, Kit Reviews, Technical Kit

GribGrab Windster Gloves

Like all cyclists, I hate having cold hands. I also hate it when the gloves that I’m wearing don’t keep me warm when the chill really starts. Climbing the Dales and Lakes hills, the temperature can drop dramatically as the gradient rises, and the wind-chill can increase. I like to be warm. There’s nothing wrong with this, and these great winter gloves from Danish brand GripGrab do the job extremely well.

GripGrab know about the cold. After all, they’re from Denmark where winter temperatures can be chilly to say the least. In producing these gloves, they’ve put all their knowledge of keeping warm to good use. The materials used are both wind and water resistant, very useful indeed after this UK winter. On rides across the high dales moorlands, with a minus wind chill tearing at any open flesh, my hands remained warm and cosy, comforted and cossetted by the soft and smooth inner layer. You can feel the layering process that has gone on with the construction of the glove, and coming from a climbing background, I know the value of this. Well done GripGrab for using this, rather than simply using bulky fleece.

The outer layer is mixed, with a hi-vis soft and breathable back, knitted together with a tougher artificial suede palm that is also waterproof. The palm has well placed and well chosen ‘touch screen’ gel on the fingertips, which actually work very well – unlike many other brands. This gel is used more extensive on the palm itself, providing excellent grip (Grab!) and a well-placed DoctorGel 4mm pad for safety and comfort.

Pulling the glove on, it’s surprisingly close fitting for a winter glove, maintaining dexterity. The elastication and knitted cuffs hold in the warmth and are well sewn, with a quaility material once again used. Overall stitching of the panelling is high quality, and GripGrab have gone to pains to stitch the fingers on the outside to ensure a close fit around the fingers.

From a safety perspective, the hi-vis yellow provides a marginal gain, with motorists hopefully seeing you raise your hand to indicate turning. This may seem a small point, but small points count in staying safe on the roads. Branding is minimal and subtle, with silver reflective material used for the graphics, matched by reflective piping that actually adds to a stylish overall look. GripGrab have even gone as far as to add a ‘sweat wiper’ to the thumb of the glove!

Best of all though, whilst other gloves are often damp and soggy inside from sweat etc, as well as keeping the wind and rain out, these gloves from GripGrab really do breath, meaning that all that lies inside them are the warm hands of a contented cyclist, on road and trail. They’re a superb high quality winter glove that every cyclist should add to their kit, so go out and get a pair now. Full five stars GripGrab.

GripGrab Roadster Gloves

in Cycle Clothing, Cycling Gloves, Health and Lifestyle, Kit Reviews, Technical Kit

GribGrab Roadster Gloves

If we can give you one piece of advice, bearing in mind that your hands are critical for holding the bars all day long, and will be stretched out in front to break your fall should you take a tumble, don’t buy cheap gloves.

Danish brand GripGrab doesn’t make a bad glove, or anything else that’s not top quality to be frank. These Roadster summer gloves are a good example of what they do produce – great quality gear for the serious cyclist or for the club rider that simply wants to be sure that they gear will perform.

A one-piece 4 way stretch mesh fabric takes care of the back of your hands, allowing maximum air circulation and comfort on a hot day. This is skilfully stitched onto the brushed suede effect fabric on the palm, with 2 nicely placed Dr Gel pads. The palm-side fabric is also perforated to assist with air circulation on tough rides. I found out exactly how good these pads are, when I recently took a tumble on tram lines in a city centre. Hands fine apart from the obvious pressure injury.

The cuff is cut low around the base of the wrist, with a useful pull tab, and the fingerless ends are well finished off to stop fraying. Design wise, they’re simple and stylish, allowing the performance to do the talking. Lots of pro teams have been using these this season, and I can see why. They’re super comfortable on the bars all day long, keep my hands well protected and cool, and they look the business too. In terms of a warm weather glove, what more can we say. Top marks again GripGrab.

GripGrab Racing Glove

in Cycle Clothing, Cycling Gloves, Health and Lifestyle, Kit Reviews, Technical Kit

GribGrab Racing Gloves

MTB XC Racing Glove
I love innovative thinking, and GribGrab have come up trumps with their summer Racing Glove. Made with their usual attention to detail, they’ve gone a stage further this year, adding well thought out silicone gel inserts on the inside of the fingers, holding the glove firmly in place as you gain maximum control of the gears and brake levers, and all manner of other devices.

Utilising the same silicon on the outer finger tips, with their ‘never use your grip’ technology, smart phones and bike computers are easily tackled without removing the glove. The palm side suede is super tough, yet super smooth too, with perforations to let the hard working hands breathe, and a touch of silicon near to the cuff, helping to keep the glove well gripped onto the bar and reducing unwelcome movement and loss of control.

There’s no Dr Gel padding on the palms, but these gloves are made for the XC racer to get the most out of their ride, so I can see the thinking. However, some riders may not like the absence of a small pad, especially if using all day long. I’d be interested to see if a lightweight perforated Gel could be added…now there’s a thought.

The back of the hand is comprised of a tight fitting 4 way stretch mesh, that’s super strong and has the usual subtle GripGrab logo creating a stylish design. Stitching and finishing is top quality, and the low cut cuff holds things neatly in place and tight around the lower wrist, meaning that this glove fits…well, like a glove. If it was a car, it would be an Audi Avant; the extra Pad would just make it the RS model, but we think an Avant is just fine.

GripGrab Hurricane Gloves

in Cycle Clothing, Cycling Gloves, Health and Lifestyle, Kit Reviews, Technical Kit

GribGrab Hurricane Gloves

There are some items of cycling gear that often get overlooked, but which are critical when looked at; gloves is one such item. A good pair will keep us warm, dry, protect us in falls, and allow us to use our smart devices whilst wearing them. A poor pair will do Jones of these, and leave our hands soaked with damp sweat. This is why we love Danish brand GripGrab – they never let us down.

I’ve been testing the GripGrab Hurricane gloves since the autumn, and they’ve become my glove of choice. Designed as a cross season glove, they’re water resistant, breathable and very lightweight. Winter gloves can often be cumbersome and bulky, but not so here. They fit like…well, a glove! Close to the hand and fingers, lots of movement, allowing you to type into your smart device too. I’ve even been able to tinker with the bike whilst wearing these gloves; something that others can’t do.

I’ve worn them in freezing conditions across the Yorkshire Dales, on the high hills, with a cold wind. They’ve always done their job and kept me warm. And on the milder days, where you still need a glove, the breathability comes into its own. Padding is superb, with Dr Gel pads well placed, even protecting me when I slipped on an icy bend; now that’s a real test in my eyes, so well done GripGrab.

The ventilated neoprene cuffs are high around the wrists and tight fitting, meaning no cold air can get in. On effect I’d say that these are a great glove from mud autumn to early spring. The materials used and craftsmanship is superb, giving you a top quality glove that’ll last for years. All you need do now is go and get yourself a pair – well done GripGrab.

Nalini Muggio Cold Weather Gloves

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