The 10 best best summer cycling gloves 2022— track mitts to keep your hands comfy and stylish

Best overall summer gloves: Castelli Rosso Corsa Espresso cycling gloves — Buy Now for £29.00 - £49.00 from Sigma Sports

The Castelli Rossa Corsa Espresso Gloves are an exceptional pair of bike mitts for those who like to combine breathability with padding.

I like mitts with tons of padding and so the Espressos are ideal as they have that in abundance. There are four pads across the bottom of each finger, another on the thumb, then three sitting across the bottom of the hand, one circular pad in the middle of the palm, and a long thin one running from underneath the little finger down to midway down the wrist.

Each pad is gel and the seams allow the hand to move easily without any kind of restrictions – something that heavily padded cycling gloves sometimes suffer from. On each pad there are silicone grippers to maintain grip regardless of the conditions, and these work impressively well, even in the wettest conditions.

Read our review of the Castelli Rosso Corsa Espresso
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Best for retro styling: Galibier Campionissimo ll cycling gloves — Buy Now for £26.44 from Galibier

The Galibier Campionissimo II Luxury Mitts harken back to the era of Fausto Coppi, classic styling matched with first-rate materials and construction. They will fit like – ahem – a glove, for many thousands of miles of fair-weather smiles.

The Campionissimo cycling gloves definitely err towards warmer weather, with hundreds of holes, the back of the hand and each knuckle bare to aid ventilation. That said, if you run warm you may find them more than a fair-weather item.

The feel once on is indeed ‘luxury’. The naturally dyed goatskin leather is supple and soft, and after a few rides begins to take on the natural profile of your hands. I imagine that, like a good leather shoe or watchstrap, they will only fit better over time, unlike a synthetic which tends to stay the dimensions it starts out as.

Read our review of the Galibier Campionissimo ll

Best for padded comfort: Altura Progel cycling gloves — Buy Now for £16.19 - £29.99 from Cycles UK

Altura’s Progel Mitts offer plenty of comfort on the bike. The gel pads are well placed and really do damp vibrations, making them great for rough roads and long days in the saddle.

Altura has removed the seams in the area of the carpal tunnel nerves that older models had, and the interior is really comfy against the hand. The palm side is cleverly cut to the curve of the palm to improve dexterity. They are so super snug and minimal that you won’t be rushing to get them off when you stop; you may forget you have them on, they don’t pinch or rub at all either.

Tester Emma writes: “My testing of mitts for performance is pretty formulaic in comparison to many other bits of clothing: go out with a mitt on one hand and nothing on the other. Doing this with the Progels, you really notice just how much protection the gel is giving; it’s impressive for something that’s actually quite a thin layer. Not everyone will want this level of padding in a mitt – if you like more feedback, these might not be for you – but for me the gel pads are well placed and really damp vibrations.”

Read our review of the Altura Progel 3
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Best full-finger gloves Troy Lee Designs Ace 2.0 — Buy Now for £19.25 from Merlin Cycles

The Troy Lee Designs women’s Ace 2.0 glove is a super-thin and light summer mountain bike glove, with a minimalist design we really like. They’re well ventilated, work with a touch screen, and give good feel on your grips thanks to the thin palm. They’re good for drop bars too, as long as you can live with the lack of padding.

The thin synthetic leather palm offers a good feel on the bars and doesn’t bunch at all. It also gets laser-cut holes across the width and up the fingers, to increase ventilation and decrease sweat. The upper is a combination of mesh fabric and smooth elastication at the cuff. The mesh is, as you would expect, well ventilated, making these some of the coolest gloves we’ve worn. Even cooler than the Alpinestars Stella F-Lite gloves, a previous favourite.

Read our review of the Troy Lee Designs Ace 2.0

Stolen Goat Nettle Cycling Mitts — Buy Now for £19.99 from Stolen Goat

The Stolen Goat Nettle Cycling Mitts are minimalist and extremely light fingerless gloves, and work well either with the official matching jersey or alone. Cost effective, simple and comfortable, about the only thing they lack is an XS size for smaller adults and kids.

Simple fabric tabs under the two middle fingers allow for easy removal, even when your hands are sweaty. A soft towelling nose wipe at the thumb takes care of sniffles.

Exceptionally comfortable straight off, these mitts are ideal for those who prefer minimal bulk. The simple pull-on design means there’s no risk of Velcro attacking expensive jerseys or shorts, and the padding is a great balance of cushioning without bulk; there’s nothing to build up the palm and risk chafing or nerve pressure, as can happen with gel padded mitts.

Read our review of the Stolen Goat Nettle Cycling Mitts

Altura Club mitts — Buy Now for £15.99 from Cyclestore

At just shy of 20 quid, Altura’s Club Mitts are priced at the entry level end of the market, but you get some decent features for your money, including a memory foam palm and a microfibre sweat-wipe panel that runs alongside the length of the thumb.

Tester Janine writes: “The Clubs serve up a satisfyingly snug fit, certainly aided by the hook and loop (aka Velcro) adjustable closure positioned in just the right spot to sit comfortably without any rubbing in action.

“I tested these gloves during a period of renewed love for my cross bike and the hottest May on record, and can attest to just how comfy they are in sweaty conditions over uneven terrain, and while gripping the brakes far more than is required or justified. The Altura Dry technology which, Altura says, is engineered to move excess moisture away from the skin, wicks well as advertised. My hands were kept pretty sweat-free – as was my brow thanks to the microfibre sweat-wipe panel that runs alongside the length of the thumb, a nifty little feature.”

Read our review of the Altura Club mitts
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La Passione Duo Gloves — Buy Now for £24.00 from La Passione

The La Passione Duo Gloves are simple yet very effective cycling mitts – the lightweight fabric used for the back is breathable and soft while the palm gives excellent comfort.

The Duos are about as basic a design as you’re likely to see in a summer cycling mitt. This isn’t a bad thing. They work perfectly, combining a breathable back with a suede microfibre palm and slim padding. This all gives you plenty of grip on bar tape while also being comfortable on hot days.

Overall, the Duos are very good – they’re comfortable, breathable and good value, plus they look great.

Read our review of the La Passione Duo Gloves

Hirzl Grippp Light SF cycling gloves — Buy Now for £28.76 from Tweeks Cycles

Hirzl’s Grippp Light SF cycling gloves offer fabulous performance. These lightweight summer mitts have the best grip I’ve ever experienced and they back this up with great construction and a perfect fit. And while the price is high, they’re still cheaper than some – we reckon they’re worth every penny.

Grip (or even Grippp) is Hirzl’s USP, but I was still surprised by just how grippy they are. It’s not marketing hype, these work as they’re claimed to. Contrary to most cycling gloves I’ve tried, these are grippier than my bare hands in the dry. Move to wet weather and they are still incredible, easily outperforming everything else I’ve tried.

That grip provided by a very supple kangaroo leather palm that’s been subjected to what Hirzl calls an “extensive tanning procedure”. This Light version goes without padding which is a feature I really like, so you get a nice natural feel for the bars. Hirzl does also make these in a Comfort version with some thin padding, if that’s what you prefer.

Read our review of the Hirzl Grippp Light SF

Santini Brisk cycling gloves — Buy Now for £16.49 from BikeInn

Santini’s Brisk Race Mitts are a very comfortable set of low-bulk mitts that give a natural feel of the handlebar while providing just enough cushioning. The back is highly breathable and the price beats many for value.

The Brisk cycling gloves are really well thought out. The design is very simple and the fit is spot on. A mesh back is well stitched to a palm that has a little bit of gel under a grippy surface. And personally, I’m glad Santini has chosen to use some small pull tabs instead of a Velcro strap to aid getting the mitts on and off.

The mesh back is made from ‘Spider Micromesh’. This hasn’t made my hands too hot and it dries very quickly. In fact, these gloves have been perfect for the hot summer months, allowing the air to quickly dry the sweat wicked by the Spider-Mesh. The fabric is also soft and has stayed that way through many washes.

Read our review of the Santini Brisk
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Hirzl Grippp Tour SF cycling gloves — Buy Now for £30.77 from Tweeks Cycles

The Hirzl Grippp Tour SF gloves certainly live up to their name as the tacky nature of the leather palm gives you unbelievable grip on even the wettest and shiniest of bar tapes. Minimal padding means plenty of feel can come through the handlebar too, in a good way.

The palm is made from kangaroo leather, often praised for its suppleness, and it really is a great material for glove use. I’ve owned cow leather mitts in the past and after wet or sweaty rides the palms can harden and need softening up again on your next ride, but you don’t get any of that here.

The finish to the palm has a slightly sticky feel to it, which comes from the Grippp polymer that is added. This gives excellent grip levels on either the bar tape or the hoods. I wore these on some seriously wet rides and no matter how many bumps or whatever you hit, they aren’t going to slip.

Off-road on the gravel bike I’m testing, hitting tree roots and potholes never saw me lose grip on the hoods or drops even in the wet; the grip levels are really impressive.

Read our review of the Hirzl Grippp Tour SF