Galibier Ardennes Light Winter Gloves

The Galibier Ardennes Light Winter Gloves are great. They're warm, comfortable, slim, well shaped and well made. What more do you want? Cheap? Oh yes, they're cheap as well.

Between the name Galibier has given these – 'Light Winter' – and the praise I've heaped on them above, there's really not much more to say. They're great. Get some. They don't cost much.

> Buy now: Galibier Ardennes Light Winter Gloves for £23.64 from Galibier

The AX Suede palm extends beneath your fingers for great grip on the controls, and the silicone pads provide even more grip plus effective, unobtrusive padding where your weight is resting.

The back is a mixture of perforated and solid fabric, and to be honest I never felt any difference in temperature or wind protection between the areas – these gloves just get on so quietly with being comfortable that, as I rode, I rarely had reason to think of them.

When I did it was usually because they were getting a little hot, as the weather during the test was pretty mild and occasionally (gasp) even warm. Galibier puts their upper limit at 12°C, which seems very accurate, though I found them okay even a few degrees above that.

I suspect I might want liners at the 2°C Galiber says is their lower limit, and would be happier a few degrees higher than that if wearing these alone, but then my hands are always cold. The spring weather hasn't let me actually test them any lower than 6°C, but certainly the windproofing and insulation feel just right for Galibier's claims in general.

> Spring cycling clothing guide: how to choose and use the best gear to ride through the most unpredictable season

The neoprene cuffs are a good length for sealing with jerseys and jackets, and I found the slim, stretchy but not skintight fit (with perfectly judged fingers and thumbs) very easy to get on and pretty easy to get off, even with slightly sweaty hands.

I used these a lot both on the road bike and my mountain bike, and found them equally no-fuss effective on both. Although they're pretty cheap, they don't look or feel it – the raised logo and the swoops of fabric are classy touches. They come in six sizes too, which is impressive.

The only real 'budget' signs are the occasional untrimmed thread, though the stitching itself is unaffected and strong.

Value

At £23.64 these are considerably cheaper than a great deal of gloves. The Chrome Midweight Cycle Gloves are £47, for instance (read our review of them here), while the Assos Assosoires Winter Gloves are £70 (review here).

Even the Santini Water Repellent Mid-Season Unisex Gloves I reviewed last year, which do a very similar job almost magically well (though without the same windproofing), are £45.

Overall

These gloves would score highly if they were around the £45 mark, so the fact that they're basically half that price is only more impressive. They're excellent for any kind of cycling in what you might reasonably assume were 'light winter' conditions.

Verdict

Comfortable, warm and well made – yet far cheaper than many rivals