GripGrab Insulator 2 Hi Vis Spring-Autumn Gloves

The GripGrab Insulator 2 are comfortable, warm, and minimally padded gloves that allow for a lot of movement. They're a great cool-weather glove, although their limited weather proofing makes them unsuitable for very cold days and wet riding conditions, and they're pretty expensive too.

Looking for gloves as the temperatures fall? Our best winter cycling gloves buyer's guide lists our top choices.

I've been testing these gloves for the last month or so in exactly the sort of riding conditions they were designed for – the cool but dry weather of autumn. They do have a little insulation, but really only in the form of some slight fleeciness inside the gloves. That said, I did wear them on days when the temperature dipped as low and 3°C and I found them fine, at least for short periods.

The material used for the palms and the backs of the gloves appears to be the same, with a fleecy inner and no noticeable differences in the material beyond the colour.

On the palm there is no padding or reinforcement, although there is an impressively grippy silicone pattern across the middle of the palm and on the thumb and two forefingers. This works well, giving you a little more grip, and the silicone seems to be stuck down well, so it feels like it should last for a while before peeling too.

The gloves' fingers themselves are pretty long – extending around 15mm over my own finger tips. I sorted this by pulling the gloves on further, but it was still noticeable when I first put them on.

The touchscreen elements on the forefinger and thumb worked well whenever I used them for pinching maps, typing or answering calls when needed, while both thumbs have microfibre wipes on the back.

They Insulator 2s come in black or the high-visibility colour I tested. They have small reflective patches on the outside of the little finger and a couple of small logos on the back of the hand and forefinger. These aren't going to light you up like a beacon but it's always good to have some reflectives when you're riding at night.

GripGrab doesn't make any claims about weatherproofing against wind or rain for its Insulator 2 gloves, so if you are looking for greater protection, these aren't the ones for you.

Value

The £34.95 RRP for these gloves is probably a little steep considering the absence of any wind- and water-resistant properties.

The Stolen Goat Climb & Conquer 4 Seasons Gloves are now £40 and Mike really rated them when he tested them. They're suitable for a wider range of conditions, but like the GripGrabs they have a minimalist design with no additional padding.

I also reviewed the £44.99 Bontrager Circuit Windshell gloves a couple of years ago, which offer impressive windproofing and a more extensive gripper matrix on the palm.

Conclusion

GripGrab has created a good pair of gloves with its Insulator 2s – though I feel the price is a little high side considering they're neither windproof nor waterproof. Extensive early autumn riding proved they were ideal for the drier and cooler conditions I encountered, but without more weatherproofing their use is limited and they aren't cheap.

Verdict

A good set of gloves for cool and dry rides – though more protection against the elements would have been good