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Altura Micro Fleece Gloves

9
£16.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Soft, windproof gloves that do the basics very well; brilliant for the modest price
Weight: 
50g
Contact: 

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Altura's Micro Fleece Gloves feature a very simple design that works very well. There's fantastic grip, a windproof back and soft fabric. I've used these for road riding, cyclo-cross and mountain biking. They've impressed me every time.

Altura seem to have gone back to basics with the Micro Fleece gloves. The cheapest in Altura's glove range, they come in at £16.99 and they Just Work™. There's no fancy frills to be found here. That's not to say that they felt cheap, or poorly constructed. I've put these through some very muddy abuse causing no issues with premature wear.

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Altura bills them as 'microfleece thermal gloves ideal for wearing on those brisk morning rides – or just casually off the bike.'

What Altura don't tell you in this very short statement is the windproof abilities of the glove. When wearing these in 5-15°C temperatures, my hands were perfectly comfortable. Going down towards freezing in some cyclo-cross races, I was ok as long as I was riding hard. Out on the road, I needed proper winter gloves.

The palm is covered in very grippy silicone. This was ideal for both general road riding and muddy cyclo-cross racing. There's no padding which may be an issue for some, but for me, it's ideal as I'm not a fan of padding. This results in a brilliant, natural feel of the bars.

Read more: 17 of the best winter gloves to keep your hands warm and dry

Helping to keep you hands warm is Altura's Thermo technology. This is a slightly fleecy suede material that 'delivers body warming insulation and warmth'. This, it does perfectly. However, if you get it wet, as I found out very unfortunately, there's no stopping the water sitting in the fabric and making your hands very cold. These are gloves for dry, cold days.

The fit of the Micro Fleece gloves is excellent. My medium was snug, with just enough stretch in the material. The cuff extends about an inch up the wrist which is enough to sit under my softshell without exposing any skin.

Washing these was very simple, they were fine at 40°C and also came out of the tumble dryer unaffected. They actually seem very robust. I had more than a few crashes on the cyclo-cross course, but the gloves still look fresh.

One slight issue is the placement of the stitching in the thumb area. It runs right across the area between finger and thumb, creating a slightly irritating ridge when riding in the hoods. I found this most annoying when on the mountain bike or cyclo-cross bike; the rougher terrain highlighted the stitching issue.

Overall though, these are really excellent gloves, providing more warmth than I thought they would. The fabric is soft, but stood up to quite a bit of abuse. The grip works well, even when covered in mud. The stitching placement was a little annoying, but it was only an issue on rougher terrain. At £16.99, you can't really go wrong.

Verdict

Soft, windproof gloves that do the basics very well; brilliant for the modest price

road.cc test report

Make and model: Altura Micro Fleece Gloves

Size tested: Medium, Black

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

From Altura:

"A microfleece thermal glove ideal for wearing on those brisk morning rides – or just casually off the bike."

I'd say that this is all perfectly true. What they don't say is that these are also windproof. I also wore them up at BikeLive Bath whilst operating a DSLR and my phone.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

From Altura:

"Altura Thermo™ technology using thermosuede fabrics delivers body warming insulation and warmth, to maintain core thermoregulation, keeping you warm, dry and comfortable."

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

The only issue is that stitching. The placement could be better.

Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10

They are great between about 5-15 °C as long as it's not raining. The silicone is great as is the windproof backing.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

I had a few spills on cyclo-cross rides, they also hit quite a few brambles but they still look basically new.

Rate the product for fit:
 
9/10

Nice snug fit with a good cuff length.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
7/10

Good sizing. They fit like, er, a glove. The fingers are a great length with no excess material.

Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10

Quite light for the warmth they provide.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
7/10

The material is very soft and the gloves are perfect for road riding. The placement of the stitching became an issue on rougher terrain.

Rate the product for value:
 
10/10

At £16.99, you can't go wrong. These will see you through a good majority of they year and then when it gets colder, they can be a superb pair of liners.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

I just machine washed them at 40°C then tumble dried. No issues.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Surprisingly well for the thin construction.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The windproofing makes these ideal for a wide range of temperatures during the long British winter.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The thumb stitching annoyed me on rougher ground.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

These are only let down by the stitching on the inside of the thumb. Fine for normal riding, just not for rough terrain.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 22  Height: 177cm  Weight: 64kg

I usually ride: Cannondale Supersix Di2  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, club rides, general fitness riding, I specialise in the Cafe Ride!

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