For my final installment of winter cycling gear, I’m sharing my review of the Windproof Thermal Full Finger Cycling Gloves from Aero Tech. First off, I should note that I like their product names, as you almost don’t need to read the description once you’ve read the name. Now that you know they’ll keep your hands dry and warm in cold weather, read on to find out how.
Here’s the features:
Lycra cuff with Velcro wrist closure to keep rain, snow, and drafts out.
Waterproof shell with a neoprene back and polyester fleece lining.
Reflective piping and a textured palm with grip dots.
Multi-panel design for great fit and movement, with reinforced grip area.
I like that Aero Tech Designs has a guide to help you select the right size. Too many times, I order a 2XL, only to find it’s really a 1XL or a 3XL. Follow their instructions to get your best fit. I found that once I had them on, they were not too tight or loose in the palm, each finger had room without extra material at the top, and the “crotch” between fingers did not bunch up. So for me, they fit well.
Taking them out for my first ride, they were more than warm enough. This was in Utah’s low humidity winter weather, at about 40 degrees, with some fat biking at a slow pace. When I got home, I took one off to turn off the tail light on my bike, and the red light lit up the steam coming off my hand. They are that kind of warm. Once the temps dropped to 30 and under, this came in handy, no pun intended. Riding in light snow at a chilly 21 degrees, they were warm for the first 30 minutes or so. When I was just gripping the bars and trying to stay upright, rather than shifting or braking, my fingers started to get cold. After a short break to flex them a bit and warm them up (around a hot cup of coffee), I was fine for the ride home. Since then, I’ve found that for cycling, these gloves serve me well down to around 30, and maybe a bit under, but not much below that.
When shoveling my driveway (it feels like it’s a mile long in the winter), I noticed that my hands stayed much warmer than when cycling, even in single digit temps. Driving my car when it’s a big fat zero degrees out, they are great too. Lesson? Unless you want to get some pogies for your winter ride, they are a good choice for most days that you would want to be outside in the winter. If it’s too cold for these gloves, it’s too cold for me to ride. Is that sound logic? I think so. You can probably find some warmer gloves for the really cold weather, but not at $34.95, and at the time of this review, they were on sale for $24.95. That makes them a pretty solid value. Check them out at aerotechdesigns.com.
– Brian
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the Windproof Thermal Full Finger Cycling Gloves for free from Aero Tech Designs in consideration for review publication.