Chrome Cycling Gloves 2021

The Chrome Cycling Gloves are stylish, dexterous, and padded, with a lightweight mesh upper for warmer transitional season riding and touchscreen-compatible fingertips that work reliably. These aren't the lightest, breathable, full-finger summer gloves, though, and with such a short cuff they're not suited for chillier rides either. The fit around the thumb won't suit all, and beware, don't cut off the irritating label as that'll void your warranty.

A knit type fabric (polyester Lycra) is used for the back, while the palm and fingers are made from a perforated synthetic PU leather fabric. The fabric itself is fairly lightweight so you still have all the dexterity you need to take keys out to lock up your bike, for example.

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There's some padding on the palm and around the thumb; it's not overly bulky but it's enough to keep things comfortable on endurance rides.

The fit around the thumb wasn't quite right for me. I found it slightly too tight and this is exaggerated by the unforgiving material used here; unlike the fingers, the fabric around the thumb isn't stretchy at all.

The buckle strap system on these Chrome gloves isn't something I've seen on cycling gloves before, and it's great. The quick release adjustment tab really enables you to tighten these up swiftly and securely. Thanks to the weighted Chrome logo on the end of the strap it doesn't jump about annoyingly when you're swinging your bike side to side either.

The cuff is very short so there's always a gap to the sleeve. While these aren't intended to be winter gloves, a slightly longer cut here would increase their versatility for the nippier weather you are likely to see in the transitional seasons.

They seem best suited to early autumn and late spring riding. As temperatures dipped to just below 10 degrees, my fingers were beginning to complain, especially on downhill sections.

All of the fingertips are touchscreen compatible; I found I was able to go about basic tasks such as replying to a message or checking my location on Google maps on my smartphone without losing my patience and ripping the gloves off.

Silicone grippers are included on the thumb and two fingers next along, though these didn't provide as much reassuring grip as I would have liked for shifting and braking in the wet.

The Chrome gloves are missing some features I tend to find really useful in gloves. There isn't an integrated buckle, for example, that allows you to pair the gloves together to help prevent losing one post-ride; this feature is particularly useful when shoving them in your bag if commuting. Nor is there a loop for attaching the gloves to a bag to keep them tucked away and in place.

Reflective detailing is included, albeit in minimalist fashion. The thin adjustable strap is reflective, and so when you extend your arm out to indicate you're a touch more visible across this area.

Available in fully black or grey upper with red detailing (which I had on test), these look stylish, like the rest of the products in Chrome's urban collections.

Value

Priced at £32, this matches its performance fairly well. Bontrager's Circuit Windshell Cycling Gloves are slightly more expensive at £39.99, but these have a longer cuff for better coverage and warmth into colder weather conditions, and grippiness-wise they also really impressed.

> Buyer’s Guide: 25 of the best winter cycling gloves

Altura's Firestorm Gloves are also £39.99 and also have a generous length of cuff as well as outstanding reflective detailing, though the lack of padding could count against them.

Conclusion

Overall, Chrome's Cycling gloves are a good transitional season option, featuring a handy quick-tightening system. But with such a short cuff they're not as versatile as some, and I'd hazard there's a fairly good chance you won't get on with the fit around the thumb, especially as the fabric isn't stretchy in this area.

Verdict

Decent dexterous gloves with a strap that's quick to adjust and comfy padding, but a short cuff that limits versatility