Rapha Pro Team Gloves

I have to admit, the first time I grabbed these I was skeptical. The material is thin, they don’t particularly feel as if they are very water resistant, and all I could think about was my hands being cold. Yes, I run on the cold side in the hands and feet department, maybe a smidge colder than the norm.

and all I could think about was my hands being cold.

After about 30 rides in them now, I can see I was very wrong. These gloves are now in my top 3 gloves. They work great between a nippy 45 degrees all the way up to  about 65degrees, that’s a substantial range for your hands to feel comfortable. They are very water resistant using a thin softshell material, and guess what, yeah they fit like a glove.

Actually the fit is great, high cuff tight fight at first you might feel they are too tight, they are not, I found after 10 /15 rides that the skin like feel is great, it’s form fitting and doesn’t give up any performance. The padding is minimal, for the best bar and bike feel, and the  tips of the fingers are reinforced.  A feature I really liked was the area of the inside palm that grips the top of the hoods by using a different material, a nice detail which offers a secure feel and maybe more durable in terms of wear. One glove has a soft wiper on the thumb area for wiping glasses pretty standard for most gloves nowadays.  As for colour and branding – I have the black version and they have reflective details and subtle branding and are constructed well.  A very versatile glove.

With many a pair of gloves in my basement after years of riding and trying different ones, these get a solid 5 out of 5 , a definite keeper.

I took a few pics below, but for more products shots check them out at Rapha

My other top full finger colder weather gloves include:
-Pittard Palm Glove by Pearl Izumi – Softshell top (currently discontinued)
–Siberia Winter Glove  by Craft
–Lobster gloves from Pearl Izumi, sometimes with a thin liner glove, should the temperature be in the teens or twenties