Sealskinz Winter Cycle Gloves Review

Simon Tuck

A review of the rugged, waterproof, windproof and breathable Sealskinz Winter Cycle Gloves designed for wet and cold conditions.

I have several pairs of winter gloves. With the English weather, these ‘winter’ gloves can be deployed at any time of year when it’s not quite warm or dry enough to wear fingerless gloves. However, these Sealskins Winter Cycle Gloves are my winter, winter gloves. They are the only pair that I use below 5 degrees Celsius.

The Sealskinz Winter Cycle Gloves have proved to be real cold weather items

Like most proper winter gloves, these are thicker and do isolate you a little bit from your bars, some riders might not like that. For me in –5 degrees last week it was a no brainer. I use my fingers to type amongst other things. We’re quite attached and I don’t wish to lose them to frostbite. The gloves still have gel padding on the palm contact points to isolate you from vibrations through the bars. Despite being thicker I can still easily change gears on my Shimano brake/shifter equipped commuter bike, and I can still brake. I can also still unzip jackets and pockets and I can still grab my (frozen) water bottle and just about rip open a gel packet without removing the Sealskinz gloves and getting wet and cold fingers.

Thanks to the touchscreen friendly tabs on the index finger and thumb I can also still use my iphone or my Garmin with the gloves on. Depending on how snug you managed to get the fit this may be slightly easier or take a bit more practice. I like my winter gloves to have a bit of room for silk liners, and sometimes if I’m trying to press some of the tinier touchscreen icons it can take a couple of attempts. If the temperature gets into double figures you may find that your hands sweat too much for the breathable material to cope. In single figures and below freezing they are breathable, windproof and reliably waterproof thanks to the Aqua Dynamic Design three layer Stretchdry Technology.

Touch screen friendly fingers allow you to indulge in a little sub-zero narcissism

The weak point to any waterproof glove is that they have an opening to put your hand in. These gloves have a nice long cuff with a velcro tab to adjust them nice and snug so they’ll tuck under your jacket or rain cape and stay inside to prevent any drips running down inside the gloves even when you’re stretched out on the drops.

I’m no stranger to Sealskinz. I have a pair of their awesome waterproof socks that I originally bought when I commuted by motorcycle. I now keep those socks in my locker at work so I always have dry feet on the way home, even if I got caught out and soaked to the skin on the way in. Their products work, and these gloves do too.

The Sealskinz have stood up to their fair share of abuse

I’ve had these gloves for the last two winters, and as far as I’m concerned these are the only gloves I trust to keep me warm and dry on a long ride in single figures or below freezing. I’ve regularly worn them down to -5 and still have all my fingers and thumbs, but much lower than that or for long journeys at those sorts of temperatures and you may need to wear some additional liners, or get your head examined.

I’m a big fan of Sealskinz, they do a great job with their waterproof and windproof products and these Winter Cycle Gloves are no exception. The only negative is that despite being breathable they can get a little too warm and sweat if it’s not cold enough for their optimum performance.

Sealskinz

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