Gore M Gore-Tex Infinium Stretch Gloves

They may not be cycling-specific, but the new Gore M Gore-Tex Infinium Stretch gloves have a lot of attributes that work when on the bike. They use some clever technology for fit and their windproofing is second to none.

• Pros: Precise fit, windproofing is impressive for such thin fabric
• Cons: No padding on the palms won't work for all

The Infiniums are created with Gore's new 3D glove construction that it says imitates the natural shape of the hand while using less material.

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It all starts with the various sections of the Infinium material being cut to size before being sewn together using a single seam. Then the clever bit: the gloves are placed over artificial hands and placed in an oven where the heat causes the stretchy fabric to lose a little of its elasticity, which means they hold their shape.

What you end up with is a pair of gloves that fit like a second skin – no obtrusive seams and they are really easy to get on and off.

They still have some stretch left in the material after heating and cooling, so you get a full range of movement around the wrist and the knuckles, plus you have plenty of dexterity for getting into your pockets, undoing zips and so on.

Being a multi-sport glove (that's the 'M' in the full name), they don't come with any padding on the palm, which, if you suffer from pins and needles or the like, you might miss, but I wasn't overly bothered.

You do get some grippy bits at the base of the fingers to stop you slipping on the bars and the index finger and thumb also have touchscreen-compatible tabs.

The most impressive thing for me, though, is the windproofing – especially considering how thin they are. Their material makes them feel like a pair of liner gloves but they stop all but the iciest of windchill. I've been wearing these down to about 5°C and they were plenty warm enough, and if the temperature drops lower you could always where them under a pair of winter gloves.

The Infinium material is also water repellent which keeps out light rain and drizzle, and if you are riding in fog your hands don't get soaked.

And they manage to do all of this while still offering decent breathability.

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Priced at £39.99, it's a lot of glove for your money in terms of performance and overall quality, which is excellent. With their close fit I was worried about stretching the seams when getting them on and off but I've had no such issues.

It's difficult to find comparisons to the Infiniums as most gloves that offer this sort of performance are much bulkier, like the similarly priced Sportful NoRain gloves.

On the whole I really like the Gore Infiniums for their all-round usability on and off the bike. The only thing that won't suit everyone is the lack of padding.

Verdict

Very impressive lightweight fabric keeps the wind and rain out, although they aren't cycling-specific